Firewall Odyssey Battery Mount

I've decided to mount my Odessey battery on the firewall. I've read all the posts, pros, cons, etc.

I'm got a Whirlwind 200RV composite propeller so that reduces the weight on the nose quite a bit. As I'm a bubba and my most frequent GIB will likely be my brother, (also a bubba) I don't want to put too much weight in the back. I'll carry a tool kit in the rear baggage compartment during solo flight if I need to for ballast.

Anyway, I'll be useing the Odessey mount from Van's as I know some of you have.

I'm a bit concerned about what to mount to structurally. I haven't been able to find any pictures on the site of the cabin side of the firewall and what you guys have done to beef up the mounting points.

Extra angle? Doubler?

If any of you that have done this have pictures, I'd sure appreciate seeing them.

Jesse,

I think you'll be fine doing this with the light prop.

I have an Odyssey battery mounted on the engine side of the firewall. I'd have to look, but I believe the battery box is tied to some of the .062 angles that reinforce the firewall. No extra reinforcements required.

If you're putting the battery on the cabin side I'd suggest putting it on the floor, just ahead of the right landing gear tower.

Jesse,

I also have a Whirlwind 200RV prop, and I'm sorta bubba-sized, too. My calculations led me to the same conclusion you came to. I looked at another RV-8 with an Odyssey battery on the firewall, and decided that's where to put mine. I turned mine 90 degrees (on its side), which I hope will make it easier to get it in and out of the battery box after all the other stuff is installed around it:



The top bolts go through the existing angle, and the bottom is bolted to an angle that I riveted to the back of the firewall. (I'll try to locate a photo that shows the back side.) You could also use the stock Van's battery mount, modified for the Odyssey battery. That seems like it would be pretty easy to do, and it solves the problem of having to engineer your own mount.

It's a shame Van's hasn't come up with a firewall-mount solution for what is arguably the most popular battery for these aircraft. Oh well.

I'm always surprised Van's give the criteria for Fwd v Aft Battery as "engine type" i.e. 200HP or not... Prop I would have thought as far more significant given the greater "arm" i.e. Hartzell = rear battery, everything else Fwd battery.

We have the Odessey Battery in the Concorde 'tray' - it is trivial to add some angle to hold the Odessey in there.

Andy

BuckWynd said:

It's a shame Van's hasn't come up with a firewall-mount solution for what is arguably the most popular battery for these aircraft. Oh well.

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They have....Looks very similar to yours:

ES PC-680 Install Kit

Brantel said:

They have....Looks very similar to yours:

Click to expand...

Brian,

At the time I located battery tray, it was difficult for me to visualize exactly what obstructions might pose problems after the engine mount and engine was installed. Van's provided no guidance by way of FWF plans for the -8 series. If I had it to do over I would have, like you located the battery tray a bit more inboard than what I did. The placard on the tray advises that to remove the battery, you must loosen 4 of its 6 mounting bolts (accessed through the baggage compartment) so the tray can move forward just enough to allow the battery to clear the firewall flange upon removal from the tray for replacement. For sure, a minor nuisance, still that could all have been avoided had I mounted the tray just one more inch inboard.

Rick6a said:

that could all have been avoided had I mounted the tray just one more inch inboard.

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Rick, your experience with that installation, which you kindly posted here a year or so ago, was the reason I angled my battery box 6 degrees away from the firewall (See photo in my post #3 above). It works slick. Thanks, as always, for sharing your photos.

Brian, I guess I should have clarified that Van's does NOT provide installation drawings or guidance for a forward-mounted Odyssey battery in an RV-8. (After all, that's the section of the forum we're in here...)

BuckWynd said:

Brian, I guess I should have clarified that Van's does NOT provide installation drawings or guidance for a forward-mounted Odyssey battery in an RV-8. (After all, that's the section of the forum we're in here...)

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Sorry, did not know you were looking for plans, thought you were looking for a battery box kit and ideas. After all the battery box does not know what model aircraft it is hanging on...

battery box

I just finished removing a rear mounted concord and put in the pc 680 on the baggage side of the fire wall using a tray from spruce worked out fine and i can get to the battery without removing the cowl Moved the cg 4"

Thanks Folks

for the input.

I recieved my pc680 mounting kit from Vans over the weekend.

I'll be mounting it on the engine side of the firewall mounted vertically just like Rick did.

As for getting the battery out, I don't think it will be a problem to take out the baggage floor to loosen the bolts a bit the once every two or three years I'll need to replace it.

I really like this location, as I've been reading a thread about cockpit smoke and fire, and I'm real interested in keeping all the high current wires on the engine side of the firewall.

I sure appreciate the help.

Veetail88 said:

....As for getting the battery out, I don't think it will be a problem to take out the baggage floor to loosen the bolts a bit the once every two or three years I'll need to replace it......

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Jesse,

For the record, I don't have to take out the baggage floor to loosen the bolts holding the battery box to the firewall. All are easily accessed with the baggage door open.

What's the thickness of the hold down (or hold sideways)? Thanks.

BTW, I thought about modifying Van's supplied mount for the last 2.5 years but now I am basically down to needing to make a decision (I'm putting a Spruce order together) and everything I came up with looked extremely half-assed; not to mention, with the small base of the Odyssey, not too stable.

I think van's should X the old bracket and just ship the odyssey box with the fuse kits. I'm ordering 7075 sheet and plan to make my own box. I don't like to pay for the same thing (2 batt. mounts) twice.