Auxiliary Battery Type

Thanks Alan!

I have one of those little, fold up solar panels. If I plug it in from sunrise to sunset, I guess it will put something back into the batteries.

I like the Marine batteries too. I'm using a Century N70 marine (100Ah) - cost $138 from my local battery discounter:
http://www.batterydiscounters.com.au/pages/Marine.html

Thanks Bantam! I hear what you say, mate.

Thanks Phil!

Whether it's $138 or $200, looks like I'll have to my hand into my back pocket.

No good counting on my one rabbit trap for fresh meet, huh!

I've gone across to running sealed wet cell marine batteries in every application where one will fit.

I have found that they are THE best value for money in lead acid batteries.

They take advantage of all the improvements that make AGM and deep cycle possible, but use those improvements in moderation rather than taking them to the extreem.

So you get a battery that goes very well and has a good service life without costing huge bucks.

you can buy 2 good sealed marine batteries for the price of an AGM and they don't cost too much more than a cheaper battery of the same size that does not perform anywhere near as well.

You can get non sealed marine batteries ( screw tops) but its worth spending the extra bucks for the sealed item.

As for price.....yeh well that depends on how well you shop.....I often don't post what things actually cost me because "Bantam very rarely pays retail".

one thing I do like about the supercharge sealed marine......it may be sealed..but the vent valves can be screwed out like a screw top battery once its out of warranty if they need topping up.
Y peel off the top sticker and there they are.

Bega mate put ya hand deep in ya back pocket..you wont regret it.

While you are at it shout the truck one too.

cheers

Ah, you crack me up, Bantam! Send me down the street to buy two batteries! I'd be sleeping with the dog!

How does this sound?

The battery in the ute is about three years, maybe four years old.

I'll make it the auxilliary battery and buy a new one for the ute.

The current battery is an Exide 4x4 Commercial.

N70ZZLMF 730CCA 160RC

Looks like it's a sealed battery. Got no screw caps on top.

Thanks,
Laurie.

Not my best recommendation but a big step forward from where you are. :)

cheers

Thanks olcoolone!

Between you all, you've got me convinced.

It's down to the tyre store in the morning. Might slip into Auto Cheap on the way.

I did mention to the Missus that I could take the battery out of her car, but I could feel it in my bones that the idea was not a good one. ;)

Thanks Tim!

I just now spoke to the good lady about buying a battery in the morning. Although I didn't get much of an answer, I reckon it'll be OK.

I know that response!

Inside her head will be things like:

- Thin end of the wedge,
- Waste of money when the bathroom really needs an upgrade.
- Spends money on his toys, when was the last time he bought ME a new battery?
Then combined with:
- It is nice seeing him happy, I shouldn't be so demanding
- I am really worried about this camping stuff, how will I cook the food?
- How will I go with no proper toilet or shower?

Or worst case scenario,
- I've got to spend how long with this goose out in the hot, dusty bush away from the coffee shops? I wish he'd go back to work and give me some peace from his half baked crazy ideas.

Have a nice trip. :-)

Tim

You're right, Tim! She's experienced it all before.

Last year at the Little Desert in western Victoria, we put the caravan in the camping area and went for a drive. 2wd ute.

Well, the Missus said I should obey the sign, but I walked it and reckoned it'd be OK.

Second sand dune was a bit looser. I dug and tried to move for five hours.

The wind came up quite strong and it started to rain lightly, but cold.

The good lady got the tent up, set up our beds and got a feed of pancakes on the gas, while I reloaded the stuff to keep it dry.

Every now and then I mention that part of the trip, trying to remind her that it was the best part of the whole adventure. That memory just doesn't seem to be there for her.

"That memory just doesn't seem to be there for her."

Oh dear. Some of us get the message first time. Some need a hand up to the face saying STOP NOW. Some of us need to be hit by a freight train.

I am thinking she might be wondering what the timetable is for the Indian Pacific, as she packs with trepidation for this next little outing with her man.

Tim

I had exactly that Remco battery in the canopy of my Landcruiser - nice, cool location. Kept it fully charged, never cycled it below 12.2V.
It lost capacity and became unusable after 2 years.
They must have the initial current limited to no more than 25 amps otherwise they will die.

Thanks John!

I'll have a look at the link presently.

The solar panel is tiny. Only about 13W from memory. That's why I said it may add a little.

The fridge is a Waeco 32 litre. One compartment. Either fridge or freezer.

I guess we could stop three nights on some occasions, so that's two full days and a night plus some extra hours between travelling.

Fridge is a compressor type. Has it's own small batteries.

It would be fair to say that I do find some of the general 4x4 community a bit over the top. Not specifically the people who've helped me here.

You see, I'm used to going off on the quadbike for a week or a bit more. No power, no fridge. Take enough fuel in the trailer for over 400km which is a long way on station tracks and cross country.

Bread in the camp oven, rice, tinned salmon, spuds and pumpkin, dried peas, shake pancakes.

Ya know, I can wash my face and clean my teeth in half a cup of water and drink what's left.

So this fridge is a bit of a luxury and a bit of a whole new camping world. I certainly appreciate the benefit of experience.

Hi Laurie,

I'm not aware of a Waeco with its own batteries. Fact is though, to run any 32 litre compressor fridge you'll probably need about 20-30 amphours per day, depending on ambient temperature and internal temperature.

Batteries have much longer service life if not fully discharged, so it's best to avoid using more than 2/3 of their capacity before fully recharging. To get 2 or 3 days from the battery/s you will need 100 amphours of capacity. I doubt that any internal batteries will make a significant contribution. For 2 or 3 days you will require a full size battery - the sort of physical size you find under the bonnet of a big 4WD. As others have said, a conventional sealed vehicle battery may be an economically attractive way to go, especially if it could be useful as an emergency spare for your vehicle. My choice would be an AGM deep cycle type, as this will be better suited to the job. If you have the contacts, you may be able to pick up some used ones that have been retired from a UPS installation - They are usually replaced long before end of life and if you have the opportunity to get a few and discard the worst they are a very cheap (free!) option.

Know what you mean about traveling light, and we did it for years. BUT..... now there is a fridge in the family.............! It's very true that some people go over the top with this gear, but a fridge does require a lot of power and simply becomes expensive ballast if you can't keep the power up to it.

The solar panel - far too small to be useful, suggest save the space and leave it at home. (At best it might provide a few percent of the fridge's requirements. ) Recommend that you make provision for charging from the vehicle (at least switching plus heavy cable to connect the auxilliary battery to the cranking battery when charging voltage is available.)

Recommend check out the link I gave above.

Cheers

John

OK John, I've read the article, and quite an article it is! Thanks.

After about the halfway point it got a bit heavy for my understanding, but one thing I learned: I may as well leave my little solar panel home and save just a little space. A rabbit trap is likely more value!

I still don't really know if I'd be doing the right thing by buying a new battery for the ute and moving the current one to the auxiliary spot.

Thanks!

I meant to add that idling the engine for 30 minutes a day didn't seem to increase fuel consumption that was at all noticeable, A diesel engine. Michael

I always run two Exide Extreme N70 Batteries! Michael

Thanks Michael!

Although I have the auxiliary battery in the ute tray, that's all helpful info.

The auto electrician wired it in so it's done right.