Power in the bush

[Guest]

Was looking at installing a dual battery system in the rear of my ute & was wondering if anyone has had any experience with the Bushpower kits from Australian Direct or Redarc SBI12? Both look simple enough to fit & reasonable value.
Looking at putting in a 4WD Extreme/Power King 100ah 800CCA deep cycle AGM dry cell battery & Projecta BPE330 portable power station so I can remove it for camping etc.also. Anyone know how these batteries or power stations go?
Would 100ah be good enough initially to just run lights, recharge phones etc. & most importantly recharge my detector batteries but then possibly run other gear down the track like a portable fridge in a camp situation without much driving to recharge over a day or two?
Finally anyone had any experience with any of the cheap ebay inverter generators? Edit: Forget I asked!

 

[Beagleboy]

Was looking at installing a dual battery system in the rear of my ute & was wondering if anyone has had any experience with the Bushpower kits from Australian Direct or Redarc SBI12? Both look simple enough to fit & reasonable value.
Looking at putting in a 4WD Extreme/Power King 100ah 800CCA deep cycle AGM dry cell battery & Projecta BPE330 portable power station so I can remove it for camping etc.also. Anyone know how these batteries or power stations go?
Would 100ah be good enough initially to just run lights, recharge phones etc. & most importantly recharge my detector batteries but then possibly run other gear down the track like a portable fridge in a camp situation without much driving to recharge over a day or two?
Finally anyone had any experience with any of the cheap ebay inverter generators?

Balx has got one of those generators from ebay and I think it just packed up after 25 hours of using it. Lets see how he goes about replacing/fixing it. I think you get what you pay for. Honda would be the best but lot more $$. I have Honda lawnmower that is over 15 years old and still start with first pull.

 

[Guest]

Ps. My Honda 2.0i gennie has also died after only two years which Honda tell me is due to it being worn out from over use so not covered by warranty! So instead of forking out another $2000 I have been looking at these cheapies on eBay to replace it. I could get a new one of these every twelve months and its still cheaper than the Honda.

Yeah we all know that Honda seems to be the ducks guts but there are some bad reports too. For the price of them I would expect more than 2 years out of it even with frequent use & some warranty. Only looking at a cheapy as a backup plan or for infrequent use if recharging the battery etc. anyway so wouldn't be shelling out for the Honda. Thinking low cost for infrequent use & would mainly rely on the dual battery set up.

 

[Nightjar]

Mbasko, If you don't want to shell out for a generator put a solar panel on the roof or a fold up portable one. Recently bought a 120W inc regulator for $169.00, 5 years ago a 64W cost me $700.00 with out the regulator.
BTW I traded my 1987 Honda EX650 for two blocks of XXXX, oil & sparkplugs were the only ever replacements in all that time. Look around you may be able to pick up a 2nd hand?

 

[Pr2cv]

I got a honda 2kva a couple of weeks ago for $1612 inc dust cover & security tether.
I was happy with that price

 

[Guest]

Thanks for the replies but I will forget about the generator - just turning into another "Honda-a-thon". :lol: I know they're good but I'm not interested in spending $1600 on a 2kva genie that will get infrequent usage. The only thing that will get frequently used is the dust cover as it gathers dust. :lol: Was looking at the cheapies so I could maybe put one in the kit & have it if/when needed. If I was getting out more frequently & using it all the time then yes a Honda would be the go.

Balx has got one of those generators from ebay and I think it just packed up after 25 hours of using it. Lets see how he goes about replacing/fixing it.

Be interesting to hear how he got on.

Mbasko, If you don't want to shell out for a generator put a solar panel on the roof or a fold up portable one. Recently bought a 120W inc regulator for $169.00,
Look around you may be able to pick up a 2nd hand?

Thanks Nightjar - have been thinking about/looking at this option too. Could you tell me where you got the 120w with regulator for $169? What size battery/s do you have connected to it?
Looking at 2nd hand options to but haven't seen much around here as yet.

 

[casper]

If you don't want to spend heaps on a generator buy the best (ie most expensive) one that you can afford - it'll likely be the only one that you buy.

My dads words still ring in my 60 year old ears..... "son! cheap tools will cost you dear" and why? 'cos you gotta buy again when they're broke!.

casper

 

[kleinman98]

Check this seller out in ebay. They have some nice panels I might be interested in myself.

outbaxcamping

 

[backcreek]

Repco has one on special in their latest cattledog.

 

[Ag Man]

No experience with solar stuff but I got one of them cheapo GMC 750Watt generators - had it for well over 8 years - never missed a beat. Takes a few pulls to get going but for $99 has been a top investment.
240V & 12V (not inverter though).
Used it camping, farm fencing(drilling holes for gate hardware etc.), runs my grinder, drill, lights etc. when power goes out @ home we still have lights

It's a two stroke but the sound is not too bad. bounces around in the back of my ute & works fine.
A mate of mine just gave me a never used Aldi one as well - took out of box to test it - no probs & re-packed it for when the GMC does die.
They're not light - that's the only grudge I got with them. 22Kg
I've seen some good reviews on them too.

 

[mdv]

My set-up for going bush is 1 x 100ah battery (in a battery box with 2 outlets); CTEK 20amp DC-DC in-vehicle charger (wired to vehicle electrics); 100W inverter for recharging laptop, camera, detector; 80W solar panel if staying more than 3 days.

I use rechargeable (ARB) LED lighting and run a 40L Waeco. I find 100ah battery will keep me going for 3 days without recharging; and 80W solar is enough (at least when days are longer) to go indefinitely although a pain to keep pointed towards sun.

YMMV,

Cheers, Martin

 

[backcreek]

Check this seller out in ebay. They have some nice panels I might be interested in myself.

outbaxcamping

Can find outbaxcamping on ebay?

OOOOOPS I found them!

 

[Guest]

My set-up for going bush is 1 x 100ah battery (in a battery box with 2 outlets); CTEK 20amp DC-DC in-vehicle charger (wired to vehicle electrics); 100W inverter for recharging laptop, camera, detector; 80W solar panel if staying more than 3 days.

I use rechargeable (ARB) LED lighting and run a 40L Waeco. I find 100ah battery will keep me going for 3 days without recharging; and 80W solar is enough (at least when days are longer) to go indefinitely although a pain to keep pointed towards sun.

YMMV,

Cheers, Martin

Thanks for that - good to know that the 100ah gives you about 3 days, the majority of my trips won't exceed 2-3 days at the moment so that would suit what I want to do well. The addition of solar later on for some longer trips would be good to give the battery a top up during the day.

Thanks for the replies/ideas all.

 

[Redfin]

Try and keep it as simple as possible.
I have a system with which I can stay in the bush indefinitely, running fridge, chargers, laptops etc. But this comes at a cost.

Most blokes I know do the following, can be charged by alternator when on the move or solar.
Most parts scrounged or from jaycar

 

[Guest]

Good looking set up Redfin.

 

[CreviceSucker]

My set-up for going bush is 1 x 100ah battery (in a battery box with 2 outlets); CTEK 20amp DC-DC in-vehicle charger (wired to vehicle electrics); 100W inverter for recharging laptop, camera, detector; 80W solar panel if staying more than 3 days.

I use rechargeable (ARB) LED lighting and run a 40L Waeco. I find 100ah battery will keep me going for 3 days without recharging; and 80W solar is enough (at least when days are longer) to go indefinitely although a pain to keep pointed towards sun.

YMMV,

Cheers, Martin

thats the way . and so cheep now too . we got two 100 watt panels on ours

 

[CreviceSucker]

Try and keep it as simple as possible.
I have a system with which I can stay in the bush indefinitely, running fridge, chargers, laptops etc. But this comes at a cost.

Most blokes I know do the following, can be charged by alternator when on the move or solar.
Most parts scrounged or from jaycar

nice one

does anyone no a cheaper place to get batteries ?

even the discount battery shops are expensive for deep cycle

 

[HeadsUp]

Try and keep it as simple as possible.
I have a system with which I can stay in the bush indefinitely, running fridge, chargers, laptops etc. But this comes at a cost.

Most blokes I know do the following, can be charged by alternator when on the move or solar.
Most parts scrounged or from jaycar

https://www.prospectingaustralia.com/forum/img/member-images/232/1385785517_bat1.jpg

https://www.prospectingaustralia.com/forum/img/member-images/232/1385785537_bat2.jpg

i like the fuse block you have there

reminder to anyone doing this YOU CANT HAVE TOO MANY FUSES

a member on this site lost their camper due to an electrical fire

 

[Redfin]

A few of the blokes over at MySwag are buying these
australiandirect.com.au/buy/kickass-120ah-deep-cycle-agm-battery/KA12120

That is not my set up btw, I nicked from another forum.

 

[Guest]

does anyone no a cheaper place to get batteries ?

even the discount battery shops are expensive for deep cycle

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/4WDEXTRE...ccessories&hash=item4ac1de4400#ht_6723wt_1006

These seem alright price wise from what I have seen? 100ah 800CCA AGM deep cycle $220 or $275 with a battery power box.