Upgrade time: Dual Battery, Solar, Drawers and Air Install - Component advice (1 Viewer)

[DPA200]

No MC4 connector?

sorry, newbie here again. What's a MC4 connector? Something I need?

 

[sdnative]

sorry, newbie here again. What's a MC4 connector? Something I need?

MC4 is a standardized solar panel connector. You don't need it but may need to get an adapter depending on the charger you use.

You did well. I am now thinking about getting one myself.

 

[Undefined]

Have you considered not using an AGM or LFP battery at all, but instead getting one of the larger "solar generator" (I hate that term) battery packs?

Something like this: Amazon product ASIN B07SM5HBK1
For some reason the Amazon links aren't showing for me, so here's the picture instead:

And then using a lightweight flexible 100w panel to charge it? The flexible panels are light weight enough you could put them in a Land Cruiser attic (the net thing that creates a storage area under the roof).

 

[DPA200]

Have you considered not using an AGM or LFP battery at all, but instead getting one of the larger "solar generator" (I hate that term) battery packs?

Something like this: Amazon product ASIN B07SM5HBK1
For some reason the Amazon links aren't showing for me, so here's the picture instead:

And then using a lightweight flexible 100w panel to charge it? The flexible panels are light weight enough you could put them in a Land Cruiser attic (the net thing that creates a storage area under the roof).

Definitely have considered that option quite a few times in the past. The portability and price are great too. Can easily just bring it inside and avoid the whole AZ heat issue when not using it. Would save a TON of money going that route too.

Can't say I have a solid argument against them, just not the route I'm looking for this go around. Had my cruiser for about 6 years now, and I'm somewhat renewing my vows to her this go around. Got a lot of little outstanding things addressed to the past 6 months. So, nows I am onto the fun upgrade part, spending some coin on her, and doing more long term type of installs. Trying to think 5+ years down the road what I think I'd want to have, vs what would be the easiest and cheapest now option. That's probably my main struggle with Lithium vs AGM debate. Lithium is not quite where I'd like it to be right now, but I know its the future, and it 5 years it probably will be in a good place.

 

[TeCKis300]

Not trying to convince you, but it's not a bad strategy to consider.

I know you said you have an off-road trailer. Does that have its own onboard batts and inverter to support high power draws? I do use a solar generator (hate that term) / AKA Goal Zero batt. I find it handy to move between the car and also my travel trailer. Or onto the camping table for example.

It's also lithium which is light, high power, and flexible.

 

[bemerritt]

So, I have a setup that would meet your needs. People get downright nasty picking sides on the fight of whether to put an AGM under the hood, but thats what I did and almost two years in, I wouldn't do it differently. Here it is.

ARB Drawers with roller tops on both sides. In hindsight, i would have only one roller top for the fridge
Upgraded main battery with the SLEE tray and an Optima extreme hybrid battery (100 amp/hr)
Added the fuse to increase alternator charge voltage (now that i have solar, may remove)
100 watt rigid solar on the roof. This addresses staying put and also charging the AGM at higher voltages.

Everything is a give and take. I have never needed to use my lithium jumper, but carry one in the glove box just in case. No extra battery, no DC/DC charging. Highly recommended.

Here is a pic of my 100 watt panel that i mounted to my Dissent rack. It is recessed, so i Still have full rack usage when needed. Do i sometimes have to park in the sun? Maybe. But most of the time I am moving daily, or at least a small day trip from base camp which tops off the battery. One campground trip I had to idle the car a bit to charge, but that was more due to no sun at all. With the super efficient fridges these days, I would do 2 nighters fine without solar and power the fridge and whatever I charged via usb.

 

[DPA200]

So, I have a setup that would meet your needs. People get downright nasty picking sides on the fight of whether to put an AGM under the hood, but thats what I did and almost two years in, I wouldn't do it differently. Here it is.

ARB Drawers with roller tops on both sides. In hindsight, i would have only one roller top for the fridge
Upgraded main battery with the SLEE tray and an Optima extreme hybrid battery (100 amp/hr)
Added the fuse to increase alternator charge voltage (now that i have solar, may remove)
100 watt rigid solar on the roof. This addresses staying put and also charging the AGM at higher voltages.

Everything is a give and take. I have never needed to use my lithium jumper, but carry one in the glove box just in case. No extra battery, no DC/DC charging. Highly recommended.

Here is a pic of my 100 watt panel that i mounted to my Dissent rack. It is recessed, so i Still have full rack usage when needed. Do i sometimes have to park in the sun? Maybe. But most of the time I am moving daily, or at least a small day trip from base camp which tops off the battery. One campground trip I had to idle the car a bit to charge, but that was more due to no sun at all. With the super efficient fridges these days, I would do 2 nighters fine without solar and power the fridge and whatever I charged via usb.View attachment 2545079

I’ve missed mud lately. Many great options and opinions. I though lithium vs AGM Was the extent of it when I made this thread. Completely forgot about Solar Generator and Single Battery setups. I’m soaking it all in. Definitely more than 1 path to this power quest.

Slick looking setup with the recessed panel in that ever so Purdy Dissent rack. Looks like a well executed setup. I’ll add to my list of alternatives. What solar panel is that? Where do the wires run from the panel to? I do always have my big NOCO GB150 in the truck at all times for jumping needs

 

[bemerritt]

Its just a Renogy 100 watt off of Amazon. I've used approximately 10 of them on various projects and never had a problem. This thread shows how i eventually ran the wires.

Running Wires thru the rear hatch

Currently setting up solar on the roof and was planning on running the wires thru the rear hatch. I have been running the cable for my magnetic antenna like this for some time and haven't noticed any water intrusion or other adverse affects. However these cables are larger and there is two of...

forum.ih8mud.com

 

[DPA200]

Anybody went this route?

Bugout 130™ Solar Charger

Made in Boise, Idaho, see why the BugOut™ has become the standard for vehicle-based expeditions, military units, and others seeking high-output solar power in a rugged, portable package.

www.overlandsolar.com

Was recommended by the shop that's doing the install as an alternative to the Nomad. I mentioned I didn't want the proprietary connection of the Goal Zero.
130W+ with 20ft anderson or SAE extension. $595

 

[NoClue]

I have heard good things about this solar charger for AGM batteries :

BatteryMINDer® Model SCC-180: 12V 180 Watt (12V 180W) Solar Charger-Maintainer-Desulfator

BatteryMINDer’s SCC-180 12 volt solar battery charger maintainer adjusts its output several times a second to correctly charge your battery without ever overcharging.

www.batteryminders.com

 

[DPA200]

Anybody went this route?

Bugout 130™ Solar Charger

Made in Boise, Idaho, see why the BugOut™ has become the standard for vehicle-based expeditions, military units, and others seeking high-output solar power in a rugged, portable package.

www.overlandsolar.com

Was recommended by the shop that's doing the install as an alternative to the Nomad. I mentioned I didn't want the proprietary connection of the Goal Zero.
130W+ with 20ft anderson or SAE extension. $595

Talked to the shop doing the install again about the solar. Being no shortage of sun in AZ, where most of the camping takes place, I think I'm gonna hold off on the expensive foldable option, and just do a fixed Renogy 160W to start. See how it goes, realistically as much as I'd like to park in the shade, the majority of spots I camp have no shade

160 Watt 12 Volt Monocrystalline Solar Panel

Renogy 160 Watt 12 Volt Monocrystalline Solar Panel is a key component to any solar power (PV) system.

www.renogy.com

160W, for only $189. Gonna try it flat and see if it's even necessary to add a tilt for it. The panel is 25.9 x 51.3, which will take about half my rack space, but I'm ok with that. I really only use the rack on longer trips and even then don't have much up there. Can always use it as an excuse in the future to upgrade to an ARB Base rack.

I have heard good things about this solar charger for AGM batteries :

BatteryMINDer® Model SCC-180: 12V 180 Watt (12V 180W) Solar Charger-Maintainer-Desulfator

BatteryMINDer’s SCC-180 12 volt solar battery charger maintainer adjusts its output several times a second to correctly charge your battery without ever overcharging.

www.batteryminders.com

Thanks for the tip @NoClue . For the Renogy panel, it'll go straight into the RedArc BCDC which takes place of needing a separate solar charger. If i do end up adding a flexible solar panel in the future, I'll probably want a charge controller of its own for that to just charge the house battery. I'll check those out

Not trying to convince you, but it's not a bad strategy to consider.

I know you said you have an off-road trailer. Does that have its own onboard batts and inverter to support high power draws? I do use a solar generator (hate that term) / AKA Goal Zero batt. I find it handy to move between the car and also my travel trailer. Or onto the camping table for example.

It's also lithium which is light, high power, and flexible.

The input is always appreciated. The Trailer (Moab Fort XL) has a 75W AGM and a small inverter. Really for us, it's just to power the water pump in the trailer. I never use the inverter even. I'm sure the portable "solar generator" option could totally make sense and work for me. I think mainly I want to go the built-in route just so I have more options to expand if needs grow in the future. Already having the wiring, mounts, and ports galore, along with the rigid solar panel, BCDC and Switch-Pro should suit most future expansion.

 

[grinchy]

I looked at a full built in solution last year but ended up with a mid size LFP portable. Haven’t needed solar at all. With a good fridge insulation jacket I can go several days without driving, and when driving LFP recharges quickly. Of course adding solar would be easy for a truly independent solution.
Weight and flexibility were the main pros. Can remove the LFP and fridge in seconds and then use LFP around house in power outages and other needs and fridge as a garage drinks cooler. Keep both out of truck most of the time, just drop in for weekends.

 

[Fisher23]

I use one of those Green Lithium batteries. That and a Renogy 100 on the roof. It keeps the 63 qrt arb running in the Florida heat endlessly without starting the vehicle.
We camp for 3 to 5 days at a time and it has been working well.

PM me if you are interest in one of these green batteries, they are 1/2 the price of the battle one. The lithium charges up faster than the AGM ones, so if you have limited solar time it works better.

 

[DPA200]

I use one of those Green Lithium batteries. That and a Renogy 100 on the roof. It keeps the 63 qrt arb running in the Florida heat endlessly without starting the vehicle.
We camp for 3 to 5 days at a time and it has been working well.

PM me if you are interest in one of these green batteries, they are 1/2 the price of the battle one. The lithium charges up faster than the AGM ones, so if you have limited solar time it works better.

These the ones you are talking about?

https://greenlifebattery.com/product/12v-100a-lithium-ion-battery/

was one of the brands i'd researched when i was on a lithium kick, but price seemed about the same as Battle Born

 

[Ian Rogers]

Ditch the solar and run the truck for 30 minutes each day at camp to charge the battery.

 

[CharlieS]

Ditch the solar and run the truck for 30 minutes each day at camp to charge the battery.

Does that really work? I've tried similar in the past to charge a camper battery and it seemed to take a very long time to recharge.

 

[DPA200]

Yes, that is the distributor and they were very responsive by email. I was referred to them by Drifter in Australia when I inquired about shipping to the US. Drop Matt Broadbent a line: matt@kakaducamping.com

@Taco2Cruiser spoke very highly of Drifta, and I respect Rob's opinion a great deal, so that was why I started looking at them.

The Drifta drawers are custom built per your needs.

Landshark Reef uses a similar Ultra-Wear Resistant Ultra-High Molecular Weight (UWRUHMW) slide, but they aren't a turnkey setup, and I don't think they're configurable to meet your fridge needs without lots of customization. I haven't had any issues with my Reef drawer slides.

I think Matt said they do about 4 containers a year, so it depends on both production time, and when a container is ready, plus transit time.

Have you seen the MSA drop slides? They're pretty cool too.

MSA 4X4

adventure-imports.com

Getting back to drawer talk for a bit if you don't mind. Thanks again for the info on this. I reached out to Matt like you'd suggested and he responded in detail. I'd also like to start by saying sometimes I wish I'd never heard of Drifta. Man what a shame they are so hard to get. Such awesome configuration options, at a pretty reasonable price. Basically spent 1/4 of my day watching the youtube videos from Drifta and by the end was completely convinced I must have them...whatever it takes. Love this configuration:

WAGON #2 – DRAWER / TABLE / FRIDGE (from) $1675 - Drifta Camping & 4WD

SUITS ALL 4WD WAGONS !! This unit keeps the fridge down low, plus has one large storage drawer and Drifta’s unique slide out table. With a detachable fridge box/surround and a drop in false floor (both optional) so when the fridge is removed you can still have a nice low…

www.drifta.com.au

That whole fridge box can be removed with 3 bungee straps when the fridge is removed. They then just have a drop-in panel so you can have a completely flat cargo area day to day.
Technically only a single drawer setup for trips, but 1 really big drawer because of the teflon slides the drawer itself is huge and all useable space.

Anyways, back to reality. The reality is that it's nice there is at 1 North American company that imports, and that they ship to the US kakaducamping.com
Good and bad part is that each set of drawers is custom-built to order. So he takes you wants and needs your vehicle, and you exact fridge/battery setup and build around that however you want. So even if Drifta was in the US, it'd still take a while to get. Add in them being made in Australia, during a global pandemic, and the distributor being in Canada......you gotta really want them to get them. Here is the info from the source:

"Yes we do bring drawers into the US and the 200 Series is one of our more popular models… As a bit of background, what we do is combine a bunch of Drifta Drawer orders into one container from Australia to our location here in BC, and then from here we ship the individual orders on via truck freight across the US and Canada. Each order is custom built from scratch in Australia so the build time is currently about 20 weeks from ordering. Then, it’s typically about 3 months from being ready until we receive the shipment at this end. With Covid the Drifta lead times are very long at the moment, and we’re also experience much longer than usual ocean freight times for various reasons. As such, our next order cutoff is in about a month but we won’t expect to see that shipment arrive until likely October/November 2021"

So basically if you order now, it'd be 9-10 months wait. I'm not in any huge rush on my build, but I can't wait that long. Shame, really nothing comparable here that I know of. Out of respect to the vendor I won't list pricing here, but more tor less around ARB range if you get with a slide, plus shipping from BC to the US, plus the wild card is potential taxes once imported. So that's the deal

 

[DPA200]

Anybody else been following this thread on the South African drawers from Big Country 4x4? I exchanged a couple of messages with the Houston vendor www.ruggedbound.com

New Vendor Announcement .. and Group Buy!

We are Rugged Bound Supply Co. based in Houston, TX. We are the importers and distributors of Big Country 4x4 gear from South Africa. Big Country 4x4 have been around for about 18 years and their racks have been around for even longer - back to the early 1990's. Known in South Africa for...

forum.ih8mud.com

Not sure on pricing yet, but the GX thread they were pretty reasonable if you buy into the group buy. I like the combo build but wouldn't work for me because I need room for a dog on top. That'd be cruel to shove a 50lb dog on top right?? So that leaves the twin (side by side) build as really my only option. The downside is no roller top like Dobinson has, so I'd have to add a fridge slide. I may end up having to add a tilt slide anyway even to the Dobinson because my NL72 is so tall. Dunno, kinda interested. Not really sure if I'm gaining anything over the Dobinson option. The little bit of youtube makes it look like they make the products in South Africa, but not 100% sure if the drawers are or if they are just another China product with a cute South African badge on them. I know one guy saw them at Expo and said they appeared to be high quality, but that's really all I've gotten on them. They make a hardshell tent that looks pretty much exactly like the Alu cab also. Here are a couple 200 pics of the combo drawers he sent me

Any other drawer options I'm missing? I briefly entertained the Goose gear option as i add value to the USA made, and the fit and finish. The drawers themselves are a bit outta my price range. I then read that you have to add the full Goose platform to mount the drawers which adds another $800ish making them closer to way outta my price range.

 

[Undefined]

I have to say, having built portable power packs with solar charging, the notion of roof mounting solar panels that provide enough power to run your refrigerator and other essentials indefinitely is awesome.

My one thought would be to still consider building a portable battery solution, instead of a traditional dual battery setup. The ability to pick up the battery and move it to a different location (away from vehicle camp, or into a cabin) is very useful.

Also, take a look at Trac connectors. I've been very pleased with them.

 

[Undefined]

Forgot to mention - I've run Dobinson's drawers in my 100 series for several years. They are exceptionally well made and have held up great. The only issue I've run into is they need to be closed with authority (e.g. my wife sometimes doesn't close them all the way) and the surface of the roof of the drawers is not smooth, so sometimes it catches on things in the drawers.

The slider still moves as smoothly today as the day it was installed.