Ark Pak - Questions and Queries

[Brett From Ark]

Thanks MOABIAN for the response. I hope that Ark-Pak can clear this up because I am very interested in getting the 730 model. I read up on the LifePO battery and I am impressed. I believe this is the future in batteries, I read that Porsche had some of this type of battery in their high-end cars at $2000.00 for the battery. Price has to come down for me at this time. I hope we get a response from Brett on the charging question.

Hi MMEZA

sorry for the delay in coming back to you i have been at a trade expo and away from the net, i can 100% confirm that the AP730s use 110V USA power and will work with USA mains power, it is a typo on the USA website that i will have fixed ASAP.

if you have any questions please ask.

Regards

Brett from Ark

 

[Brett From Ark]

According to the website, the 730 comes with a DC-DC charger and a mounting bracket.

Hi Moabian

yes that is correct we have listen to the feedback from customers and now include all the items in the one purchase.

Regards

Brett from Ark

 

[moabian]

Brett...

My plan is to order the 80Ah LiFePO4 battery from Starkpower to run my ARB 63-quart fridge.. They list the size of their 80/100/125Ah batteries as 172x330x228mm. Have you tried them in the AP730? The length seems like it might be a tight fit since the internal length of the 730 is listed as 330mm. I'd like to confirm that the battery will fit before I order it. Thanks!

And to anyone else considering ordering. I received an email that my order has been delayed by about a week "due to port congestion." That's not a problem for me since I plan to use the AP730 in a new truck which is not scheduled to arrive for about a month. I currently run the fridge on dual Odyssey batteries in my Jeep, but did not want to tap into the vehicle's system on the new truck. I considered the Goal Zero Yeti, but the Ark box seems like a much better solution, especially since it uses the significantly lighter LiFePO4 batteries.

 

[Brett From Ark]

Brett...

My plan is to order the 80Ah LiFePO4 battery from Starkpower to run my ARB 63-quart fridge.. They list the size of their 80/100/125Ah batteries as 172x330x228mm. Have you tried them in the AP730? The length seems like it might be a tight fit since the internal length of the 730 is listed as 330mm. I'd like to confirm that the battery will fit before I order it. Thanks!

And to anyone else considering ordering. I received an email that my order has been delayed by about a week "due to port congestion." That's not a problem for me since I plan to use the AP730 in a new truck which is not scheduled to arrive for about a month. I currently run the fridge on dual Odyssey batteries in my Jeep, but did not want to tap into the vehicle's system on the new truck. I considered the Goal Zero Yeti, but the Ark box seems like a much better solution, especially since it uses the significantly lighter LiFePO4 batteries.

Hi Moabian

i have not personally used or tested the Stark power LiFeP04 battery in the Ark Pak, i can confirm that the exact amount of space you have to mount the battery inside the Ark Pak is 180mm wide X 330mm long X 238mm high

what i can tell you is in regards to the width and height you have no problem in relation to the length yes it will be a tight fit but i can confirm you have a approx 2mm gap due to the production process of the box.

Regards

Brett from Ark

 

[moabian]

So does that mean the interior is actually 332mm long?

 

[Brett From Ark]

So does that mean the interior is actually 332mm long?

Hi Moabian

no the interior that we can safelyconfirm on every Ark Pak produced is 330mm long but due the the production process depending on the treatment and curing you can get as little as 331mm or up to 332mm of space.

any more questions please ask

Regards

Brett from Ark

 

[RawC]

Brett...

My plan is to order the 80Ah LiFePO4 battery from Starkpower to run my ARB 63-quart fridge.. They list the size of their 80/100/125Ah batteries as 172x330x228mm. Have you tried them in the AP730? The length seems like it might be a tight fit since the internal length of the 730 is listed as 330mm. I'd like to confirm that the battery will fit before I order it. Thanks!

And to anyone else considering ordering. I received an email that my order has been delayed by about a week "due to port congestion." That's not a problem for me since I plan to use the AP730 in a new truck which is not scheduled to arrive for about a month. I currently run the fridge on dual Odyssey batteries in my Jeep, but did not want to tap into the vehicle's system on the new truck. I considered the Goal Zero Yeti, but the Ark box seems like a much better solution, especially since it uses the significantly lighter LiFePO4 batteries.

moabian, I too have purchased a LiFePo4 battery from Starkpower however I've chosen the 125ah model. It's been several weeks now however that hasn't been an issue because this lithium technology doesn't work in earlier Ark Pak models so I have to wait for the 730. From what I've been reading in the various threads, it might be a good idea to pre-order so I don't have to wait another 2-months or so for the 2nd shipment Brett mentioned in another post. I'm using this as a dual battery system in my Jeep Wrangler. I checked the measurements before buying the battery so I'm hoping that badboy fits or it's going to be an expensive doorstop It's supposed to be an exact "...drop in replacement for Group 31..." batteries according to the Starkpower website (or something very similar to that effect). Brett from Ark Pak suggested the LiFePo4 battery with another poster specifically identifying Starkpower as an appropriate vendor. Good enough for me. All that's left is the waiting. I'll post my experiences once everything arrives.

 

[Brett From Ark]

moabian, I too have purchased a LiFePo4 battery from Starkpower however I've chosen the 125ah model. It's been several weeks now however that hasn't been an issue because this lithium technology doesn't work in earlier Ark Pak models so I have to wait for the 730. From what I've been reading in the various threads, it might be a good idea to pre-order so I don't have to wait another 2-months or so for the 2nd shipment Brett mentioned in another post. I'm using this as a dual battery system in my Jeep Wrangler. I checked the measurements before buying the battery so I'm hoping that badboy fits or it's going to be an expensive doorstop It's supposed to be an exact "...drop in replacement for Group 31..." batteries according to the Starkpower website (or something very similar to that effect). Brett from Ark Pak suggested the LiFePo4 battery with another poster specifically identifying Starkpower as an appropriate vendor. Good enough for me. All that's left is the waiting. I'll post my experiences once everything arrives.

Hi RawC

please let us know about your experience that would be really good, take care and safe travels when your out and about.

Regards

Brett from Ark

 

[moabian]

moabian, I too have purchased a LiFePo4 battery from Starkpower however I've chosen the 125ah model. It's been several weeks now however that hasn't been an issue because this lithium technology doesn't work in earlier Ark Pak models so I have to wait for the 730. From what I've been reading in the various threads, it might be a good idea to pre-order so I don't have to wait another 2-months or so for the 2nd shipment Brett mentioned in another post. I'm using this as a dual battery system in my Jeep Wrangler. I checked the measurements before buying the battery so I'm hoping that badboy fits or it's going to be an expensive doorstop It's supposed to be an exact "...drop in replacement for Group 31..." batteries according to the Starkpower website (or something very similar to that effect). Brett from Ark Pak suggested the LiFePo4 battery with another poster specifically identifying Starkpower as an appropriate vendor. Good enough for me. All that's left is the waiting. I'll post my experiences once everything arrives.

I'm waiting for my pre-ordered 730 to ship. Once I receive it, I will take exact measurements. If the interior length is slightly over 330mm, I will immediately order the Starkpower battery.

 

[RawC]

I'm waiting for my pre-ordered 730 to ship. Once I receive it, I will take exact measurements. If the interior length is slightly over 330mm, I will immediately order the Starkpower battery.

I just pre-ordered my 730 yesterday and emailed Starkpower as well regarding delivery. I got a response back basically stating it hasn't been 25 "business" days (per their website) yet and they don't anticipate any shipping issues. It's hurry up and wait now I'll certainly post my experiences with the new pak especially regarding fitting within the unit.

 

[moabian]

The 730 is finally starting to ship. I got a UPS tracking number yesterday. It is scheduled for delivery on the 15th.

 

[Brett From Ark]

Hi Moabian

yes you are correct it is full steam ahead we have started to ship all the pre orders out ASAP.

Regards

Brett from Ark

 

[RawC]

The 730 is finally starting to ship. I got a UPS tracking number yesterday. It is scheduled for delivery on the 15th.

Mobian, I too got my tracking# and my 730 is supposed to arrive today, Sept 11th (and I work in southern Manhattan how ironic is that date). Really looking forward to the Starkpower LiFePO4 (lithium) batteries arrival to see if everything fits together. The new 730 has software to support this type of battery (suggested by Brett from Ark Pak). I'll continue to post how this particular new battery technology works with the 730. One of these days...I'm gonna drive over the George Washington bridge heading West never to return First though, I need reliable "electricity". Solar panels will be the next addition so should probably start pouring over the threads for more info. Due to limited space in my Jeep Wrangler (now known as an RVeep) I need to find something that's compact, fold-able and generates upwards of 200w. Any suggestions by the forum would be greatly appreciated. I know Ark Pak sells panels however I'd like to see what other options are out there.

 

[Mo4130]

I was searching actually on a trailer forum, and noticed in order to hook this up via the deans plug, there needs to be an battery isolator already on the vehicle?

 

[moabian]

I was searching actually on a trailer forum, and noticed in order to hook this up via the deans plug, there needs to be an battery isolator already on the vehicle?

I received my 730 a few days ago. I will not use it in a dual battery setup for the vehicle, but this is a quote from the manual: "The ArkPak can be used in a dual battery setup. The best method to do this is to connect the ArkPak to a dual battery wiring loom (not supplied) using either the positive/negative external terminals or the Anderson plug. Using these methods, the smart charge system is bypassed so the ArkPak cannot control the charging voltage. A voltage sensitive relay/solenoid must be used to ensure priority is given to charging the vehicle's main starting battery." So the answer to your question seems to be yes, you would need an isolator on the vehicle.

On another note, I was not sure if a Starkpower LiFePo4 battery would fit since the battery is 330mm long and the internal length of the ArkPak 730 was listed as 330mm. That seemed like a tight fit. The internal length of the 730 is actually substantially longer than that except for near the top of the lid. It appears the Starkpower battery will fit. However, I was still concerned about the height. I have tried contacting Starkpower by email to confirm whether their battery height measurement included the terminals or if it is just the case. I have received NO answer to my emails. I tried calling them several times and have gotten no answer at any of the extensions (sales, tech support, personal assistant, etc). I have left several messages and gotten no return call. With that obvious lack of concern for their customers, I will be going with a different (and substantially cheaper) battery.