Recumbent trike battery mount.

[Blade]

I'm just starting the process of converting my TWBents recumbent trike to electric power.

Currently pondering how to mount the battery as low down as possible.

Now I know that T Trikes have a mounting kit, but I'm reluctant to pay almost £150 for something that I can possibly fabricate myself.

I've done all the Google searches, but all I can find are mounting kits for T Trike and Ice Trikes.

What I could really do with is finding others who have made their own mounting brackets and hopefully look at pictures to give me some inspiration.

Any assistance would be much appreciated.

[numbnuts]

Why as low as possible, I have a rear rack with a 17ah battery and to be honest I don't even know it is there, plus it's handy if you want to strap anything on at a later date

[Kim]

I've seen batteries mounted to the back of a mesh seat, which would seem eminently fabricobble-able, and decent enough weight-distribution wise.  P-clips and a bit of sheet metal, with appropriate drillings for the battery bracket, or something.

Natalya's ~12.5kg battery^[1] on the rear rack (I molished it into an off-the-shelf quick-release rigid rack box from Rixen & Kaul or similar) has a significant adverse effect on handling, but it's acceptable as she rarely rides faster than about 20mph.  Better rear-wheel traction is a useful side-effect.  More significantly, it means you can't use the rack for other luggage.


_{[1] 820Wh of LiFePO4, which made sense at the time.}

[Blade]

Thanks for the replies, particularly yours Kim.

Following your suggestion, I've created a battery platform suspended from the underside of the seat. I'm considering adding a further bracing strut from the main frame as the 48v 20ah battery seems VERY heavy.

Just awaiting delivery of the motor now.