Pretty quiet in here... what are you working on?

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.

1MOA said:
Anyone have any experience with this plasma cutter? I'm sure it will fail in a year because its cheap Chinese trash but.....

www.arccaptain.com

55 Amps Portable Pilot ARC Plasma Cutter CUT55 For Sale

Experience the pilot arc plasma cutter for powerful cutting up to 12mm thickness. Dual voltage with arc maintenance ensures uninterrupted operation. Novice-friendly features include adjustable pressure and 5-second post-flow time. Versatile for various metals with built-in safety features and a...
www.arccaptain.com www.arccaptain.com
Click to expand...
I had a cheap Chinese plasma from Amazon. It held up better than expected. We finally killed it using it on a crapper circuit than we should have. Cody was holding the breaker to keep it from tripping so I could finish cutting :). It went through consumables faster than the Hypertherm I replaced it with but otherwise worked well. I sold the Hypertherm a while ago since we weren't using it much and have thought about getting another cheap amazon cutter.,
 
OTRAMM said:
I had a cheap Chinese plasma from Amazon. It held up better than expected. We finally killed it using it on a crapper circuit than we should have. Cody was holding the breaker to keep it from tripping so I could finish cutting :). It went through consumables faster than the Hypertherm I replaced it with but otherwise worked well. I sold the Hypertherm a while ago since we weren't using it much and have thought about getting another cheap amazon cutter.,
Click to expand...
That’s all I need to know. It will be used to make scarifiers for implements for field work. Probably less than 3-4 times a year. They are stupid expensive now but I got a big sheet of good quality steel plate for free and can just make them for when I need them.

IMG_4178.webp
 
Last edited:
1MOA said:
Anyone have any experience with this plasma cutter? I'm sure it will fail in a year because its cheap Chinese trash but.....

www.arccaptain.com

55 Amps Portable Pilot ARC Plasma Cutter CUT55 For Sale

Experience the pilot arc plasma cutter for powerful cutting up to 12mm thickness. Dual voltage with arc maintenance ensures uninterrupted operation. Novice-friendly features include adjustable pressure and 5-second post-flow time. Versatile for various metals with built-in safety features and a...
www.arccaptain.com www.arccaptain.com
Click to expand...
I was going to with Arccaptian but find the best arc for $95. So far so good it has lasted lasted longer than the last Chinese plasma I had.
 
OTRAMM said:
I had a cheap Chinese plasma from Amazon. It held up better than expected. We finally killed it using it on a crapper circuit than we should have. Cody was holding the breaker to keep it from tripping so I could finish cutting :). It went through consumables faster than the Hypertherm I replaced it with but otherwise worked well. I sold the Hypertherm a while ago since we weren't using it much and have thought about getting another cheap amazon cutter.,
Click to expand...
I'm going to pull the trigger on it and see how it does. I plan on cutting 6 of the scarifiers from the metal I have and after that if you want to use it at the shop I'm cool with that because I only use it for that and maybe something down the road.
 
Last edited:
WARNING: Geeky stuff to follow. :geek:
My Dometic fridge plugs into the cigarette socket in the back of the 4R when we go on a road trip. Since the cig socket is only powered when the ignition key is on, when we stop somewhere I have to unplug the fridge from the 4R's socket and plug it into my Jackery Portable (Aux) Power box to keep the fridge running while the 4R is parked. And then reverse the process when we hit the road again. Truth: I do have a bypass switch to keep the 4R's cig socket powered when the ignition key is off, but if we are parked for a long time, I would prefer that the fridge drains the Jackery battery rather than the one under the hood.

So, to eliminate the exhausting, time consuming and annoying process of plugging and unplugging the fridge I came up with a simple circuit to do the switching automatically.

A simple DPDT (Double Pole Double Throw) 12 volt relay is all it takes. When the ignition key is off, the fridge is powered by the aux (Jackery) battery. When the ignition key is on (4R's cig socket powered) the relay is energized and the 4R powers the fridge.

Here is the circuit:
fridge batt box color.webp


Here is the box I made:
fridge box open.webp


Finished project:
One cig plug goes to the 4R's cig socket (IGN) and the other one goes to the Jackery (AUX) power box.
The Anderson connector on the side of the box is for the fridge, I made an adapter to go from the Anderson connector to a cig socket. I also have a power cord for the fridge with and Anderson connector (best of both worlds). So when the box is in use I will switch the fridge's power cord to the one with the Anderson connector. I like Andersons more the cig plugs.

frodge box complete.webp


Hope this is helpful and not to geeky.
 
Very nice! Been thinking about a solution like this for when I leave my truck on the battery tender so the fridge runs forever
 
emorth said:
WARNING: Geeky stuff to follow. :geek:
My Dometic fridge plugs into the cigarette socket in the back of the 4R when we go on a road trip. Since the cig socket is only powered when the ignition key is on, when we stop somewhere I have to unplug the fridge from the 4R's socket and plug it into my Jackery Portable (Aux) Power box to keep the fridge running while the 4R is parked. And then reverse the process when we hit the road again. Truth: I do have a bypass switch to keep the 4R's cig socket powered when the ignition key is off, but if we are parked for a long time, I would prefer that the fridge drains the Jackery battery rather than the one under the hood.

So, to eliminate the exhausting, time consuming and annoying process of plugging and unplugging the fridge I came up with a simple circuit to do the switching automatically.

A simple DPDT (Double Pole Double Throw) 12 volt relay is all it takes. When the ignition key is off, the fridge is powered by the aux (Jackery) battery. When the ignition key is on (4R's cig socket powered) the relay is energized and the 4R powers the fridge.

Here is the circuit:
View attachment 4063458

Here is the box I made:
View attachment 4063461

Finished project:
One cig plug goes to the 4R's cig socket (IGN) and the other one goes to the Jackery (AUX) power box.
The Anderson connector on the side of the box is for the fridge, I made an adapter to go from the Anderson connector to a cig socket. I also have a power cord for the fridge with and Anderson connector (best of both worlds). So when the box is in use I will switch the fridge's power cord to the one with the Anderson connector. I like Andersons more the cig plugs.

View attachment 4063462

Hope this is helpful and not to geeky.
Click to expand...
Great solution!

One of the reasons I went with the Ecoflow fridge I have is because of the optional battery. You can have it plugged into the car via 12v to Anderson, but as soon as you shut the car off it switches over to the fridge battery. And when you start the car again it'll charge the battery and run the fridge too.

I used it like that for the 10 or so days I was on the road in Colorado in July. Though I did have a weird occasional problem with the fridge in that for some reason it didn't reliably like 12v from the car, so I plugged it into my Ecoflow battery bank and plugged the battery bank into 12v from the car. The problem turned out to be a barely functioning charge controller and have gotten that replaced.
 
Last weekend, I finally went over to @kouki 's new garage to reinstall the front driveshaft and new flanges, thinking that I had just mis-shifted the transfer case at Fall Crawl, leading to the terrible noise that convinced everyone my front diff was broken. We believed it was a just a mis-shifted transfer case and not a blown front diff because the truck still made a horrible grinding noise even after we pulled the front driveshaft at the campsite. Spent most of the afternoon getting everything back on, shifted into D, and unfortunately the horrible noise returned when the center diff was unlocked. With an open center diff, only the front driveshaft was spinning, meaning that the front diff is definitely busted. Ouch.

I'm considering a few options, mostly involving lockers, since I want to make sure that I don't run into diff issues like this again.

On to the question: is there a chance that my ring gear and drive pinion (and anything else that wouldn't be replaced with a locker) is okay? Is there a way to check this with the diff still on the truck? I'm asking because if the diff would be usable with a locker, I could possibly get an ARB air locker installed locally. If my current diff isn't salvageable, I'd likely send off/pick up a diff with an Eaton locker already installed.
 
@FamilyCamper rebuilt his in his shed not too long ago. He probably has a good idea
 
Pulgasari said:
Last weekend, I finally went over to @kouki 's new garage to reinstall the front driveshaft and new flanges, thinking that I had just mis-shifted the transfer case at Fall Crawl, leading to the terrible noise that convinced everyone my front diff was broken. We believed it was a just a mis-shifted transfer case and not a blown front diff because the truck still made a horrible grinding noise even after we pulled the front driveshaft at the campsite. Spent most of the afternoon getting everything back on, shifted into D, and unfortunately the horrible noise returned when the center diff was unlocked. With an open center diff, only the front driveshaft was spinning, meaning that the front diff is definitely busted. Ouch.

I'm considering a few options, mostly involving lockers, since I want to make sure that I don't run into diff issues like this again.

On to the question: is there a chance that my ring gear and drive pinion (and anything else that wouldn't be replaced with a locker) is okay? Is there a way to check this with the diff still on the truck? I'm asking because if the diff would be usable with a locker, I could possibly get an ARB air locker installed locally. If my current diff isn't salvageable, I'd likely send off/pick up a diff with an Eaton locker already installed.
Click to expand...
Howdy fellow fall crawl diff breaker. It all depends on what broke inside but it is more than likely that teeth are broken on your Ring and Pinion gears and you will need to replace along with the bearings before adding a locker. Regardless of how you go about it, you should remove the front diff for some cost savings (even if you do a local ARB) once removed, you can easily pull the cover and see what is going on inside.

Drain the fluid first though and see what comes out....

If you can stomach it, I would go rebuild diff with Eaton. Too many documents issues with ARB lockers.
 
FamilyCamper said:
If you can stomach it, I would go rebuild diff with Eaton. Too many documents issues with ARB lockers.
Click to expand...
That’s interesting, I’ve heard the exact opposite. The consensus I saw was that the ARBs need to be installed properly and the lines might need occasional maintenance, but the locker itself is stronger. Whereas the Eaton unit is less durable and comes with the downsides of e-lockers such as needing some movement to engage/disengage.
 
You’ll probably find this…mine from GER. I had cruiser outfitters send me a built core with ARB since I have in the rear already.

IMG_4961.webp


IMG_4959.webp


IMG_4963.webp
 
The Eaton I’d say more reliable in the long term. Only thing inside is an electromagnetic that actuates a pin on a ramp. No seals or air lines to go bad. They’re comparable in durability/strength with the con of unlocking when you change direction so less control for the elocker vs air.

With an arb the air seals will leak eventually. I’ve read 5-10 years is normal (sooner if it’s a daily) and you’ll have to pull the entire diff out and apart to fix. I know they’ve updated a few things internally so this is less of an issue but reliability is very much based on the quality of the installer.

IMO, if you can’t build it yourself it’s better to get an elocker, less to go wrong inside the diff that you’ll have to pay someone to fix. ARB all day if it’s your trail rig but if it serves double duty as a daily elocker is the way to go
 
Pulgasari said:
That’s interesting, I’ve heard the exact opposite. The consensus I saw was that the ARBs need to be installed properly and the lines might need occasional maintenance, but the locker itself is stronger. Whereas the Eaton unit is less durable and comes with the downsides of e-lockers such as needing some movement to engage/disengage.
Click to expand...
See this write up from a pro. Reading his consensus and seeing a couple other places only offer E lockers in their rebuilds has my mind set on Electric over Air

ARB sucks air

ZUK shares many close-up good pics of Toyota gear installs
www.gearinstalls.com www.gearinstalls.com
 
captainva said:
IMO, if you can’t build it yourself it’s better to get an elocker, less to go wrong inside the diff that you’ll have to pay someone to fix. ARB all day if it’s your trail rig but if it serves double duty as a daily elocker is the way to go
Click to expand...
FamilyCamper said:
See this write up from a pro. Reading his consensus and seeing a couple other places only offer E lockers in their rebuilds has my mind set on Electric over Air
Click to expand...

These are all good points, I'm really leaning towards just going with the Eaton because I already have the OE locking axle in the rear (even if I haven't gotten it to lock yet), it's not just a trail rig, and I don't want to pull the diff in a few years.

OTRAMM said:
A stripped drive flange at the hub will also let just the front shaft spin and make horrible sounds. I'll second Eaton over ARB. The air lockers are waaaaaay to problematic now that there are better alternatives.
Click to expand...

My original flanges were pretty stripped, but @FamilyCamper ground those down for me at the campsite and they've been doing a great job not spinning the diff in the months since. With new flanges installed, neither of the CVs spun, just the front driveshaft. I'm really curious what it looks like inside.
 
Pulgasari said:
These are all good points, I'm really leaning towards just going with the Eaton because I already have the OE locking axle in the rear (even if I haven't gotten it to lock yet), it's not just a trail rig, and I don't want to pull the diff in a few years.



My original flanges were pretty stripped, but @FamilyCamper ground those down for me at the campsite and they've been doing a great job not spinning the diff in the months since. With new flanges installed, neither of the CVs spun, just the front driveshaft. I'm really curious what it looks like inside.
Click to expand...
This was mine :((

IMG_7527.webp


IMG_7522.webp
 
emorth said:
WARNING: Geeky stuff to follow. :geek:
My Dometic fridge plugs into the cigarette socket in the back of the 4R when we go on a road trip. Since the cig socket is only powered when the ignition key is on, when we stop somewhere I have to unplug the fridge from the 4R's socket and plug it into my Jackery Portable (Aux) Power box to keep the fridge running while the 4R is parked. And then reverse the process when we hit the road again. Truth: I do have a bypass switch to keep the 4R's cig socket powered when the ignition key is off, but if we are parked for a long time, I would prefer that the fridge drains the Jackery battery rather than the one under the hood.

So, to eliminate the exhausting, time consuming and annoying process of plugging and unplugging the fridge I came up with a simple circuit to do the switching automatically.

A simple DPDT (Double Pole Double Throw) 12 volt relay is all it takes. When the ignition key is off, the fridge is powered by the aux (Jackery) battery. When the ignition key is on (4R's cig socket powered) the relay is energized and the 4R powers the fridge.

Here is the circuit:
View attachment 4063458

Here is the box I made:
View attachment 4063461

Finished project:
One cig plug goes to the 4R's cig socket (IGN) and the other one goes to the Jackery (AUX) power box.
The Anderson connector on the side of the box is for the fridge, I made an adapter to go from the Anderson connector to a cig socket. I also have a power cord for the fridge with and Anderson connector (best of both worlds). So when the box is in use I will switch the fridge's power cord to the one with the Anderson connector. I like Andersons more the cig plugs.

View attachment 4063462

Hope this is helpful and not to geeky.
Click to expand...
What kind of money do you have in that set up? I could use something like that.
 
matzell said:
What kind of money do you have in that set up? I could use something like that.
Click to expand...

About $60 +/-


Relay $17

Amazon.com: Potter & Brumfield T92P11D22-12 Power Relay DPDT 12V DC 30A, TE T92S11D22-12 : Automotive

Buy Potter & Brumfield T92P11D22-12 Power Relay DPDT 12V DC 30A, TE T92S11D22-12: Accessory Power - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases
www.amazon.com

Cig w/ cable $8

Cig w/ cable & socket $9 (Cut the cable and use the cig socket or the Anderson connector like I did)

Anderson connector pre-wired $10 (Anderson connectors are color coded. Only the same colors will connect except black & grey)

Plastic box $7

Cable gland $10

Plus misc nuts, bolts, crimp connectors, and maybe a beer or two. :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Back
Top Bottom