Top Post Battery Disconnect Switch (Horizontal and Vertical)

I had a short I could not isolate on a 4Runner with reoccurring dead battery. This solved the problem. Purchased the open upwards model. Works well if you have enough space under the hood. Will not rust. Highly recommend.

Works as it should…..

Car batteries have near doubled in cost within 5 years. And the worst thing you can do to a battery is let it drain down to dead. If you have a vehicle that sits a lot, I highly recommend to either disconnect the battery or to take the time to charge it occasionally. That brings me to this product. I've used it twice now, previously on a side mount and then installed this weekend on a top mount. Here's my takeaway.The mechanism can be disassembled to arrange either the lever or the post mount on either side. But with the design, the lever and post mount always have to face the same way as each other. The offset mounting screw prevents either one from being turned around by 180 degrees.This mechanism is fairly big. If you have a top mount, make sure there is ample clearance when closing the hood. Id say a good 2 inches is needed from the top of the battery to the bottom of the hood for this to clear. I had better clearance with the side post version as it doesn't protrude up or out as far as the top post mount versionI had to free up some length on my negative battery terminals to reach the new, taller terminal post. Thankfully, the solution was only to pop off one cable retainer about a foot below the battery terminal. That let me route the battery cable at a slightly different angle and freed up a few inches in length.Things that could be better;The plastic bracket that both the lever and the post mount to is fairly flimsy. It's not a solid piece of plastic as I feel it should be. It's hollowed on the back side. I wouldn't be surprised if it breaks over the course of several years.It definitely could be designed slightly smaller, or at least more flush to the battery.The allen head bolt and locking nut that act as the hinge pin for the lever was very loose. The nut was a dozen turns away from being tight. This bolt / nut set the tension on the lever arm, tighten accordingly.Each side of this mechanism has a Phillips head bolt that secures the post mount and the lever arm to its plastic bracket ( the one I feel should be a solid piece ) The tread contact points for this connection is dismal. It's the equivalent of threading a machine screw into a thick piece of sheet metal. I would highly recommend adding thread locker to those bolts.All in all, this thing is cheap and it's construction reflects it. Nevertheless, it's also cheap insurance and a great tool to help prolong the life of a recreational vehicle's battery. Don't hesitate to work with it to make it a little better or fit better for your application. But be gentle to some degree. Others have mentioned they've broken it during install. I could see that but I'd still put that back on them for being too forceful.If you have a vehicle that doesn't get driven much and you have a little bit of mechanic knowhow, give it this a shot. But don't set expectations too high. It works, it does, but yes, it could have been better.

We got my son a beater for his first car and somewhere in the electrical system is a voltage leak that I have not been able to find and kills his battery. The car is just not worth the cost of paying a pro to find the leak.Then I came across this rather genius product.This installs in seconds with only the tools require to loosen and tighten the battery cable. You install it on the negative terminal (NOT THE POSITIVE!!!) and as long as the switch is open, the battery cannot be drained because it requires a complete circuit to kill the battery.Since installing this, his battery hasn't died and we don't have to keep jumping his car.There is one downside. By breaking the negative, anything that the car relies on constant power for, like saving radio station presets, will not work. The car is fully electrically dead without the negative.. Not a dealbreaker when weighed against the hassle of jump starting and the cost of batteries, but something to known.

Works like it should

I bought a new car and kept my FJ to drive in the winter. The Optima yellow top battery in the FJ would drain after a couple of months under the car cover, and this was a convenient way to stop that from happening... much easier than removing the positive battery cable. It seems well built and makes solid contact when closed. Time will tell if it's made from something durable that doesn't corrode (it appears so be copper coated), but so far so good.

Great product, easy installation.

Side mount version... The bolts that ship with the unit are both metrics. The description shows a 3/8 bolt. NOT....It was necessary to cut down a 3/8-16 bolt I had in order to connect to the battery.In addition, the threaded hole the cable attaches to is also metric.However, the 3/8 battery cable bolt will attach securely. Hopefully, not come lose...This was really annoying.A five-minute job turned into a half hour.Once installed, it works fine... So far...

Installed easily and worked as it's supposed to.

Good Itam

I am gonna disagree with some of the reviewers saying that your battery cable won't tighten well on cone shaped terminal. Yes, terminal is cone shaped but I was able to tighten it no problem, I took it over some big bumps and it hasn't moved a hair. One thing that can be improved is a bottom part of the switch, it's made of plastic. I plan to modify this and use a metal plate on the bottom, all you need is a thick metal plate same shape as a plastic on the bottom, drill 2 holes and reconnect the switch, this way it'll probably outlast the car.

Used on an old dump truck with a small short that couldn't be found. Battery would discharge in app 1 month due to infrequent use. Switch took 5 minutes to install and battery stays charged. You have to open the hood to close and open the switch as required. But a cab operated switch would require splicing into and lengthening the battery cables, plus using a more expensive switch.

good product, works well to cut the power between 2 batteries, and isolate the trolling motor.