Onboard dual battery or Thumper

Hi poppy

I would definatley go with a duel battery setup, If nothing else but for convenience.
The charging issue would only be a problem if you dont move the vehicle for a few days unless you invest in a solar panel.

David B

King Auto Electrics
40 Irvine Street
Bayswater WA 6053
(08) 9370 4331

Would recomend you try Nj @ Kings. Most of the people working there have 4x4 and will understand what you require.

I am having the same problem,cant decide between a dual batt or a thumper,,,I like the convenience of the thumper and yes i would have a solar panel..and there is another decision,,should i get a branded panel Kyocera etc or the unbranded panels ...what i need to know is what is the difference in performance Worryworry

There are two really good solutions available for a similar cost.

I own a 75Ah Thumper and have also installed a Sidewinder Flyer in the rear of my vehicle. Both have their distinct advantages and both can be recharged from the vehicle alternator on the go when travelling.

I like the Flyer due to it's large capacity, depending on what size battery you put in it.
I have a 100Ah Remco which is a good size, but I would hardly call this system "portable" due to the relatively heavy weight. This system stays in the vehicle, runs the fridge while travelling and gives me a backup supply should I need it.

The 75Ah AGM Thumper is a great portable battery system providing a reasonable capacity supply for my 40L Engel fridge and is light enough to enable me to lift it out of the vehicle and placed under the awning when I am using our tent or previous camper trailer.
The Thumper will run the Engel for two days easily and is sort of a "permanent" supply when stationary for days, with the assistance of an 80 watt solar panel array.

So both of these auxiliary battery systems give a sound solution, depending on your exact requirements.

There are other variables, such as a smaller capacity, lighter battery in the Flyer to make it more portable, or the purchase of say a 105Ah Thumper which gives greater capacity, but is about as "portable" as the Flyer with a heavier battery in it. If the fridge is to be removed from the vehicle, a portable battery system that can "go with it" is the most flexible solution.

Both these systems come with their own alternator charging capabilities and both include all cabling and an Isolator to protect the starting battery from becoming flattened accidentally.

Which one is best?
I enjoy both of them equally well.

Bill.

Hi,

definately a decent dual battery system with the bigest AMP battery that you can afford.

Put a cteck battery charger in the car and get a honda eu10 and you can stay anywhere for as long as yo have petrol.

I still have two thumpers in the shed from my earl days , would not buy them again but sometimes i take one if i run a dvd/appy etc in the tent or CT or i use them to jumpstart the ride on mower these days.

In the Prado i now have the starter batery plus 2 x 120 amp Fullrivers.

Hi

On some of the Toyota forums, there were reports of problems with cracks in the fire walls of Prado's fitted with dual batteries in the front RHS. is this still a problem or was it an issue of poor instalation, rough use, whatever?

cheers

What Prado is it? We have a 2010 Prado and have installed a Thumper as after our discussions with ARB we decided it was the best way to go. We have a 105 AmpH Thumper in the back and until someone works out how to put that size into a Prado that's how we will go. It covers our Engel, camper etc. That's the biggest bummer about the new Prados.

Bruce and Di

We started with a 36AH Waeco battery, which wasn't enough if sitting in one spot. We then added a 48AH thumper which allowed us to leave the fridge at base camp with one battery while charging the other battery. After we wrote of our trailer and car we had the replacement vehicle fitted with a dual battery system with a 96AH battery.
When we travel now we leave the fridge permanently in the car connected to the dual battery system. This battery also powers the general lighting we use in the campsite. We take one of the portable batteries to provide power in the tent for lighting or the laptop, and also use it to provide portable power for the shower pump etc.
I would certainly go for the combination again, if your style of camping is to set up a base camp and then do day trips I would consider getting portable batteries as the first option. If you are happy for the fridge to live in the car I would get the dual battery option as the first choice.

Our car is a 90 series prado.

As per previous post I also have a Flyer from ABR Sidewinder, works a treat in the back of my Prado.

Weight will depend on size of battery you use, to me its the best of both worlds, its a dual battery system when in the car and can also be a portable 12v source when taken out. Also no need for it to be in there when not being used.

All you need to do is install 1 cable, took me about 30 minutes, no need for an auto electrician.

I live in Perth and am happy to help, send me your contact details if you want to discuss further.

Link to Flyer

I have a duel battery system but not in the car. When I first decided to install a duel battery I looked in the engine bay of my 80ser. on LPG/petrol and found the gas atomiser in the way of a second battery so I decided to mount the batteries on the draw bar of my caravan. This was the best decision I have ever made as I can uncouple the car from the caravan and still have power for my caravan. When travelling the auxiliary batteries are charged from the car and are isolated when the car's ignition is turned off. If I had been using a tent I think that I would use a thumper which I would build myself.

I thought I understood the basics...Wrong..The more I read the comments and do some research..the less I know. It might easier to talk to a reliable auto sparkie....

Definately go dual system.

We had a thumper for years 60AH,,,, slow to chare IMO compared to a fixed unit. Some will howl me down BUT inpractice it happens. An authorised ealer put me onto this and charged the Thumper on main terminals and it was much better in REAL life useage. Theories abound.

We had thumper originally for portability but really never need it. Also you can take dual battery out if required to do another "job" in an emergency.

So dual battery of say 100AH versus say 60AH thumper,,,,, I'd go dual battery for convenience, reliabity, and capacity per se.

cheers Baz

No one seems to have answered the question on stopping in one spot for up to 5 days.

Same unit in temps in the low 30s struggled for 2 days.

Would I be correct in saying that neither would last this long?

We fitted an upgrade to our thumper, now have 120amph, I know that it will last 3 days in temps around mid to low 20s day time. No driving at all and access during the day for drinks and food. Not excessive though.

If I were staying put for any length of time, I would be considering a solar back up.

I have a 2004 LC, do not have a duel battery system, but do have the Thumper set up in the back with a Redarc charging system and have had this in my previous vehicle, hi lux, and very happy with it.

Hope this helps.