Do you have a broken battery tray and an Optima battery? Or about to get an Optima?

cracker · Jul 3, 2013

Do you have a broken battery tray and an Optima battery? Or about to get an Optima?

Well, to make a short story long, I ended up warranting my Optima battery and got a brand new one but they gave me a different battery group size. I got a 34/78 battery from Optima as a replacement. I thought it was no big deal but when I tried to put it in the rig, I did not like how the OEM top bar sat on the ‘bulge’ of the top of the battery. I also disliked the plastic battery tray that frequently breaks under the pressure of retaining the battery.

I called my buddy Max, at Dirtbound Offroad, and expressed my concern and possible solution to fix this issue and ironically enough, he had ran into the same issue and came up with a solution! Max makes a battery tray that uses the wedges that comes with an Optima battery and does NOT have a retainer that goes over the top of the battery. I hate almost all the aftermarket battery trays that have a sheet of metal that goes over the top cause I am always paranoid that I will short out on top of the tray.

Max’s solution is simple and effective and relatively affordable.

http://www.dirtboundoffroad.com/jeep-cherokee-xj/optima-3478-bolt-in-battery-tray-jeep-cherokee-xj/

cracker · Jul 3, 2013

Here is the Dirbound Offroad tray (painted)

cracker · Jul 3, 2013

Here is an example of how the Optima 34/78 sits in a OEM tray and the retaining strap doesn't quite fit right. (picture is of a fellow member's battery set up)

The bulge that I dislike:

cracker · Jul 3, 2013

One will need the 34/78 battery from Optima.

cracker · Jul 3, 2013

The battery comes with these two pieces (located in the battery cover that it ships with)

cracker · Jul 3, 2013

Install the longer piece as pictured below:

cracker · Jul 3, 2013

You can test fit the battery onto the tray but that red piece you clipped in goes under the lip of the new battery tray.

cracker · Jul 3, 2013

Take the smaller piece out and it actually will thread in with the supplied bolt onto the other side of the tray.

This is what it should look like with the battery

cracker · Jul 3, 2013

To install, remove the battery and the three nuts on the bottom of the OEM battery tray.

cracker · Jul 3, 2013

Use the same nuts and reinstall the new battery tray from Dirtbound Offroad

cracker · Jul 3, 2013

Place the battery in the tray and make certain the long clip side is slipped under the lip of the new tray.

cracker · Jul 3, 2013

Take the bolt/smaller clip and thread it into the other side and tighten comfortably.

Should look like this:

cracker · Jul 3, 2013

This is what it looks like installed....no crossbar on top and extremely solid.

This also allows room to comfortably use the auxiliary leads on the side of the battery with no worry of shorting out.

Vanimal · Jul 3, 2013

Nice. i needed an XJ specific tray a while ago when mine grenaded and went into my mechanical fan then through my radiator. Ended up having to make one. Glad to see one is or may be on the market. Do you think it will fit non optima batteries easily? I ended up with a duralast platinum group 34.

cracker · Jul 3, 2013

Vanimal said:
Do you think it will fit non optima batteries easily? I ended up with a duralast platinum group 34.

Maybe....If you have the lip on one side but you will need to come up with a wedge for the other side to bolt down with.

techno1154 · Jul 4, 2013

Lovely battery tray. You did a really nice job on the installation. When I installed the Optima 34/78 in my XJ, I tossed the factory hold down bracket and made my own.

Johnnie Walker · Jul 4, 2013

Re: Re: Do you have a broken battery tray and an Optima battery? Or about to get an

Vanimal said:
Nice. i needed an XJ specific tray a while ago when mine grenaded and went into my mechanical fan then through my radiator. Ended up having to make one. Glad to see one is or may be on the market. Do you think it will fit non optima batteries easily? I ended up with a duralast platinum group 34.

I asked max a while ago about a non optima battery tray. Not sure if there is one available yet

anthrax323 · Jul 4, 2013

Now he just needs to make a diesel-model tray for the driver side of the engine bay (for dual batteries). He'd sell a damn boatload of them - I know I'd buy a pair along with a 34/78 red top for a starting battery.

Bryan C. · Jul 4, 2013

That's a good looking tray. Might need to pick one of those up.

Talyn · Jul 4, 2013

Nice. I was just thinking about making one of these, a lower mount battery tray of sorts. The later years will need a hole for the battery temp sensor though.

Would this work for other bottom mount batteries as well?

Do you have a broken battery tray and an Optima battery? Or about to get an Optima?

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