Add a battery under the seat of Mule 2500 or 2510

[Mikey]

Hi, Has anybody installed another larger battery under the drivers seat of their 2500/2510? I am installing a diesel fired cab heater and need a 12v deep cycle battery to operate the heater like without affecting the stock charging system.  I'm sure I could fabricate something but I have to believe that somebody has already put a battery in this location.  I was wondering what the battery support brackets might look like or even if somebody made a kit to put a battery in this location. Thanks, Mike

[TapBoss]

Could you just attach one of these under the seat? 

https://www.amazon.com/Camco-55394-Standard-Battery-Hold-Down/dp/B002XL2I0Y/ref=sr_1_3?crid=1WWRX4WUMA7BJ&keywords=battery+tray+holder&qid=1645532073&sprefix=battery+tray%2Caps%2C165&sr=8-3

 

[Doug Thomas]

I put one under the seat of my Massimo 500 with a battery isolator and an inverter in order to run the winch without draining the main battery and also have 110v available for other outdoor tools and such. I did not use a deep discharge battery because of the finicky nature of the charging of these types of batteries. They are easily damaged if not charged correctly, especially the new lithium-ion units, requiring special chargers.  The primary alternator charges the secondary battery as well as the primary. but the isolator rejects the feedback when the secondary battery is in use. I also have a by-pass switch installed to throw the secondary battery into primary service should the primary battery become disabled.  

The one concern I see about the installation you propose is that 8KW is allot of heat. A common milk house heater is 1.5KW. I have a 10KW propane heater in my 12'x24' shop and keep it 80deg when it's 10deg outside. It's insulated but still. Looks like a good unit though.

Doug

[Bill Hughes]

Doesn't really matter what battery you use since with this heater you are only running the fan from the battery. The heat comes from diesel fuel. Seems like way overkill for a UTV.

 

[Mikey]

Yes it is a lot of heat so it should warm up quickly. The battery draw is quite high at start up at 10 amps to power the glow plug for 1-3 minutes until combustion is established with only the diesel fuel so I want to have a separate battery just for that.

This has to be by far the lowest cost and most effective way to heat a UTV. Especially one that is used for short trips. Using the remote control I will fire up the heater 15 minutes before getting in my Mule so it will be all warmed up before I get in it while the engine is still ice cold and will keep the Mule toasty with the engine off say whill gutting a deer or loading up fire wood.

Looks like I will need to fabricate bracketry for the heater's battery. No big deal but if somebody had already done it that would probably save me some time. That's why I asked if anybody had already done it.

Thanks for all the input!

[marineengineer56]

2016 Mule Pro FX.  I moved my battery from the stock location up under the seat.  I measured the Battery Dimensions, using 1 inch wide flat bar, fabricated a basket, welded it to the frame. easy to do.  Hardest part was running new cables from the engine to the new battery location.