1993 Bushman camper trailer refit

[Occasional_panner]

300 ah is going to be bloody heavy. Where are you mounting it in vehicle or trailer?
Keep in mind the gross weight the trailer can carry.

What vehicle are you using to charge the aux battery?
That aux charge setup you have is a solenoid type, not a smart charger. So the charging profile will be determined by your alternator, which may not be perfect.

That solar PWM charger you have is ok, mppt will be more efficient, but it will depend on the type of panels and the % of sun the panels get. Some say mppt will give a 10-30% gain, depending on lots of factors. If you intend to spend lengthy periods using it on solar alone then maybe an mppt will be a good idea.
Redarc vehicle aux chargers have an inbuilt mppt charger, but they are bloody expensive, I think mine was $500+.

Toolbox on the drawbar... just keep in mind how much weight will be on the ball.

160watt panel should be fine if you just need to top up for fridge and a tad of led lighting.
Have a look at the lightweight flexible panels. They are much more user friendly, but are prone to scratching, I got two of these.
The big heavy cumbersome framed folding panel is such a pain to take in the 4wd I just don't bother anymore. I got two of the flexible ones and they are so easy to move and pack and set up. you just need to be careful to pack them with foam or a blanket so they don't scratch, as the face of them is just plastic.

 

[Jaros]

I had a 300 ah batt once.
By the .had travelled from Brisbane to Daley Waters it was dead -Just use Marine batteries now. One in car and one in tool box front of trailer.
Jaros ]

 

[nucopia]

300 ah is going to be bloody heavy. Where are you mounting it in vehicle or trailer?
Keep in mind the gross weight the trailer can carry.

What vehicle are you using to charge the aux battery?
That aux charge setup you have is a solenoid type, not a smart charger. So the charging profile will be determined by your alternator, which may not be perfect.

That solar PWM charger you have is ok, mppt will be more efficient, but it will depend on the type of panels and the % of sun the panels get. Some say mppt will give a 10-30% gain, depending on lots of factors. If you intend to spend lengthy periods using it on solar alone then maybe an mppt will be a good idea.
Redarc vehicle aux chargers have an inbuilt mppt charger, but they are bloody expensive, I think mine was $500+.

Toolbox on the drawbar... just keep in mind how much weight will be on the ball.

160watt panel should be fine if you just need to top up for fridge and a tad of led lighting.
Have a look at the lightweight flexible panels. They are much more user friendly, but are prone to scratching, I got two of these.
The big heavy cumbersome framed folding panel is such a pain to take in the 4wd I just don't bother anymore. I got two of the flexible ones and they are so easy to move and pack and set up. you just need to be careful to pack them with foam or a blanket so they don't scratch, as the face of them is just plastic.

Thanks OP
Cost was one of my considerations when buying items for the build, the other was keeping it simple.
Not sure if what I bought is the best option, but I hope it will do the job.
I have the water tank set up at the back of the trailer as well as the spare tire, so I have to balance that weight with a similar counter weight at the front of the camper.
Thats why I was planning on a toolbox on the draw bar to house the battery Charger and converter etc
Also once the slide out kitchen is in, it will also add weight on the front of the trailer.
Configuring things this way gives me a relatively large storage area inside the trailer over the axle to put camp chairs my wallbanker a small water pump and other odds and ends.
I checked the tow ball rating and it says maximum 250kg on the ball.

 

[nucopia]

I had a 300 ah batt once.
By the .had travelled from Brisbane to Daley Waters it was dead -Just use Marine batteries now. One in car and one in tool box front of trailer.
Jaros ]

Just checked the battery its still in the box Sorry I stuffed up, it cost me $300 not 300Ah
Which now changes things

:| It weighs 29.2 kg

 

[Davent]

100amph, changes things a bit, but not all that much. During the day, the 160 w solar panel will charge more than you use, and it won't drain much over night.
U use A 100amph agm, and have one of those Waco cool power 36 amph power packs as well, you charge that through the car cig adaptor, but it takes a fair while. I havnt been without power yet,......yet!

 

[nucopia]

I still need to get another under bonnet battery to set up the dual bat system for the Prado.
More money to spend

 

[Occasional_panner]

Where is the fridge going to live?
If it's staying in the 4wd I would take back that battery and get a deep cycle wet cell, mount that under the bonnet and run the fridge from that.

If the fridge is going in the trailer you could still run the fridge from that under bonnet battery, provided the trailer is hooked upto the vehicle most of the time.
If you want to unhook it for extended periods then you'll need a battery there with it in the trailer.

I have seen lots of people have the intention to unhook their trailer and go off exploring etc, but when it comes down to it the feeling of leaving it unattended is just too much for most people and it ends up going with them everywhere.

 

[Davent]

Where is the fridge going to live?
If it's staying in the 4wd I would take back that battery and get a deep cycle wet cell, mount that under the bonnet and run the fridge from that.

If the fridge is going in the trailer you could still run the fridge from that under bonnet battery, provided the trailer is hooked upto the vehicle most of the time.
If you want to unhook it for extended periods then you'll need a battery there with it in the trailer.

I have seen lots of people have the intention to unhook their trailer and go off exploring etc, but when it comes down to it the feeling of leaving it unattended is just too much for most people and it ends up going with them everywhere.

That's why I got a tradie trailer. Its lockable. Keeps the honest thieves at bay. When you look at it though, the trailer set up let's you make a base camp, and explore around the area you are in. I drive between 2 and 3.5 hours to get to the start point, which is a 25km sq patch.

 

[nucopia]

Occasional_panner
I'm going to probably put the fridge in the back of the Prado when traveling and then after we set up camp, move it inside the camper trailer canopy some where near the kitchen slide out for easy access.
That's why I was planning to have a separate battery and solar charging system for the camper while camped and a dual battery system for the Prado as well. I have Anderson plugs, I just have to work out a way to switch from charging the vehicle secondary battery to charging the battery in the camper whilst driving.
I'm not too concerned about leaving the camper set up and going off some where prospecting etc
Maybe a good solution is to buy a small Bunning's safe to bolt onto the floor of the camper this one is 200x300x200 for $38
They have others available at a pretty affordable price.

Any way we usually take our valuables with us in the Prado when we leave camp.

 

[Occasional_panner]

I'de be more worried about someone stealing the whole trailer, or the entire contents. Fridges, batteries and solar panels get stolen pretty often mate.
Most 4wders are bloody thieves and crims

What you could do is run another lead from your aux battery connected to a VSR ( voltage sensitive relay) So when the aux under the bonnet is up to full, the overflow goes to the trailer connection. Make sure you don't cheap out on leads mate, get decent guage ones.
I used to have a VSR but my batteries weren't lasting very long so I ended up getting the redarc smart charger.
You are more than welcome to have my old one, it still works fine.
The issue with solenoid type chargers is if the vehicle's alternator doesn't charge up to a high enough voltage the battery suffers and has a very early death.
One way to lessen this issue if your vehicle doesn't charge it properly is to have a mains charger at home and do proper maintenance charging there. If you only use the camper for a week or two the battery in it shouldn't suffer too many ill effects if you keep it topped up and charge it properly when you get home.

I went through the same cost cutting measures you are doing, but found that it's just better to spend a bit more at the start and have components that all work together and will last.

If you have the trailer battery full when you leave the solar really should be plenty to keep it topped up unless you go for extended periods in winter, so you may not need to wire it up. It really depend on how long you plan to camp for, if it's 2-6 days I really wouldn't bother.

 

[Occasional_panner]

If you are trying to do things in an economical way you may actually be better off buying a mppt charger that has "profiles" not just a set single charge cutoff (like your pwm one is) I have that same one, and it's ok for the price and what it does, but you need to know it's limitations and be able to properly charge batteries at some point if you use that type. If you do use that type you can set it to float voltage while away, and it will keep them topped up but not properly charge them, if you set it to a higher voltage it will keep pumping that higher voltage, killing the battery. Ideally you want one with charge profiles so it boosts to 14.5 or so then backs off and goes into float mode.
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Victron-...195234?hash=item4d384f2ee2:g:H9AAAOSwOdpX0jo7
That one will charge the batteries properly as long as it's fed with enough power.
I would probably go that way rather than the expense of heavy cabling from the engine bay to the trailer.

Bottom line is, if you don't look after batteries they only last 2 years... maybe.

Keep that solenoid setup you have for an under bonnet wet cell deep cycle (they handle heat well) and run the trailer totally independent unless you plan to put heavy loads in winter on it.

Edit, if you ever get really desperate out bush, and you run low on the camper battery you can alway run jumper leads from your engine bay battery to the camper one and pump a few watts back in..... there are plenty of ways to swing a cat.

 

[nucopia]

Been a while since I had free time to put into finishing the camper, its been sitting on the front lawn helping the grass underneath to grow
I hope I have a few weeks were I can concentrate on the camper , while the prado is getting fixed.
So went to Bunnings on Sunday and bought clear plastic hose , clamps and connectors to install the water pump to the water tank this week.
Not sure how I will set the water out let up, as the next door neighbor hasn't got the slide out kitchen past drawings on his p.c yet.. but at lest I can get the inlet hose to the tank done and install the pump and most of the hoses inside the camper.
If no more bills come in this week, I want to get the bunnings tool box for the front draw bar along with the wiring for the camper battery /electrics. So I can get that sorted out soon.

I have the dual battery set up under the hood sorted out now. Thanks Occasional-panner for helping me with that on the June camp.
Put in the switch and tester a while back when we were back in Robinvale, it worked really well with the ref in the back running most of the time and easily recharging the batteries when we drove it.

Still need to track down a folding solar panel on fleEbay or some where. More $$ to spend
Seems like every one is suggesting a 160 watt panel should be ok for the 100 Ah battery I have.
It only needs to run lights and the water pump when needed and maybe charge a phone or I-pad at night . If anything else needs charging such as 2ways or detector batteries, I can do that during the day or off the car when we are driving.
:Y:

 

[Tathradj]

I have a set of 160 folding and they are fantastic.
I am currently (Excuse the pun. LOL ) upgrading
the Avan with 2 x 60 amp High life sealed AGM
Batteries and a 1500 watt inverter.
The inverter has a remote control on it as well.
All it is for is to run my Micro wave when off grid.
The Van has 2 Led lights, 12v water pump and that is
about it.
Plus a 200 ah battery and that copes very well.
Charged by a 60 watt panel on the roof.

The inverter is only going to be used for those
" Just in case " situations as nearly all of my gear is
run of 12v.
All of this is more than adequate for what I need with a
fair bit of lee way for those excessive weekly off the grid stays. :Y:

 

[Jaros]

Just a quick reminder that the safe like this one have an internal battery and you can't open it if the batt dies, in my case 10yrs.
I had our passports, birth cert's locked in ours. I had to take it to a locksmiths and it took an hour to break it open-an hour.
So maybe put a sticker on the safe to routinely change the battery.
Jaros ]

 

[Hotrob]

Hi Nucopia,

If you haven't mounted your tool box yet a good idea is to mount it on the draw bar with enough room behind it fit two jerry cans. Makes it very easy to hold them in place because the tool box is in front & the camper body is behind. just have to stop them slipping out the sides. Also the tool box protects the jerry cans so you can use plastic ones. This is what I have done.
Hope this helps.

Rob.

 

[7.62marksman]

The safe i have the same size as that one has a key over ride so if the battries go flat it can still be opened
Had to use the key :lol: :8 few times

 

[shane_vor]

Re. solar and batteries, I use this spreadsheet, gives a pretty good indication of how your system will perform over a given time.

campertrailers.org/solar_spreadsheet.htm

(sorry, I had to cheat to put a link up...not enough posts yet. You'll have to put the triple double youse in front of the above address.)

 

[Jaros]

Nice looking spreadsheet. I'm sure the members here will appreciate the tip.
Jaros :Y:

 

[nucopia]

Thanks for the info on your set up Tath.
Im still looking for solar panels and the budget to buy them :/ but leaning towards getting a 160watt folding set.

I did not end up getting the safe pictured above Jaros, having an internal battery running a digital keypad etc made me think twice about it. Might be better to look for an alternative when I get around to it.

7.62 my wife and kids have a habit of borrowing cars tool boxes with a lock and then loosing the keys keys , which has caused a few annoying situations... I now always have spare keys , just in case they lose them.

Great idea with the jerry cans Rob, just have to make sure I still have the space on the draw bar so it doesn't interfere with the turning etc
Great spread sheet
:Y:

 

[Davent]

I have a 160w solar panel i got from e bay, make sure when you buy your kit, it includes a controller, most do, but some dont.
That puts out about 7 amph in good conditions, and with a 100amph agm battery, ive never been short on power yet.....yet!
I run a fridge, and re charge my detector batteries, phone, headtorch,sometimes my wireless headphones (if i use them) .Fargot, i also have a ryobi cordless fan that runs on drill batterie, plus 1, also have a car charger for that and 3 or 4 batteries.)
I also recently bought a very cheap inverter gennerator (kings, about $400) with the intention of topping up the battery incase of bad weather.
Also have a 36amph waco cool power pack, which comes in handy, use it mainly for LED lighting around the camp, and to rechage my little 7inch dvd/usb player. Can run the fridge as well, but only ever used it to run the fridge overnight once, and when driving to a camp spot, no worries, can also be charged via cig adaptor in the car, but takes a while. Good back up.
In the not to distant future, Ill hook up a permanent panel to the top of my camper trailer, and run another battery, which will allow me to run 2 fridges, one as a freezer.