SoCal Tear Drop Owners! Post up!
- Thread starter Yulli
- Start date
Adventure1
New member
Tossing the group 31 Sears Diehards
Upgrading my SoCal Krawler with 3 100AH LiFePo4 batteries with a DOD of 80% and dropping 138lbs. off the nosebox! Replacing my Morningstar 10A solar charge controller for a Victron Engergy 100/30A controller with bluetooth Android app. Adding the Victron Energy battery monitor, also bluetooth Android app. Replaced my heavy fold out aluminum 120W solar PV to 4 100W lightweight flexible solar PV's. Having Gabe make new battery straps as the new LiFePo4's are one inch shorter on length and half inch taller. :ylsmoke::
https://battlebornbatteries.com/shop/12v-lifepo4-deep-cycle-battery/
https://www.victronenergy.com/solar-charge-controllers/mppt-100-30
https://www.victronenergy.com/panel-systems-remote-monitoring/mppt-control
http://www.fjcruiserforums.com/forums/garage.php?do=viewvehicle&vehicle_id=10049
Upgrading my SoCal Krawler with 3 100AH LiFePo4 batteries with a DOD of 80% and dropping 138lbs. off the nosebox! Replacing my Morningstar 10A solar charge controller for a Victron Engergy 100/30A controller with bluetooth Android app. Adding the Victron Energy battery monitor, also bluetooth Android app. Replaced my heavy fold out aluminum 120W solar PV to 4 100W lightweight flexible solar PV's. Having Gabe make new battery straps as the new LiFePo4's are one inch shorter on length and half inch taller. :ylsmoke::
https://battlebornbatteries.com/shop/12v-lifepo4-deep-cycle-battery/
https://www.victronenergy.com/solar-charge-controllers/mppt-100-30
https://www.victronenergy.com/panel-systems-remote-monitoring/mppt-control
http://www.fjcruiserforums.com/forums/garage.php?do=viewvehicle&vehicle_id=10049
I'm curious what are you using while camping that you need that much amperage? Do you have an air conditioner? Even on really hot days, when our fridge runs all the time, and the radio and lights on, our 100w of panels are more then enough.
I do like the lightweight battery idea. How are they for longevity? I had a LiPo on my Adventure bike for a while. It was crazy light, but unfortunately also short lived. After reading a lot of others with the same results, I went back to a standard heavy battery.
Adventure1
New member
Hello Mike - I don't like to deploy 120W PV and have a trickle charge - I wanted to harvest as much energy in a single day as possible when needed (up to 440W at 30Amps) and 120W stunk at achieving it. LiFePo4's last up to 10000 cycles, DOD is 80% and they are much more efficient at charging vs lead acid. I'm not sure you read my Krawler specs - my programmable charge inverter is 1000W. It's not about huge wattage needs but instead not needing to "plug in" or deploy the solar panels for as long as possible outback.
Makes sense. I just put my panels on the roof rack if we are going to be base camping for a while. For shorter stops, I just rely on the battery capacity. Then the batteries get topped up by the charging system of the Jeep as we move to the next stop.
Are the LiFePo4 batteries different then a LiPo cranking battery? I understand there are different chemistries out there for different purposes. Just haven't really read up on them enough to risk it again. That short lived bike battery left a bad taste.
Adventure1
New member
Keith Starr
Inmate #2558516
You can see the two previous mount points. I have three tanks, one this side for the shower/hot water and two the other side, one each for the cabin heater and stove. Basically the tanks had to be raised to allow the jacks to fully rotate upside down for travel.
Hey Kevin, are the bolt patterns the same for the 10# tank mounts and 5# tank mounts? I'm going to replace my 10# tank with two 5# tanks and and I'm hoping they bolt right up. If not, I'll need to plug a couple holes like you did and I'm curious what parts you used to plug them?
mizeide
Michael - Owner Wanderlust Overland
The 10# tank mounts use 6 bolts while the 5# use 4 to mount. The 4 from the 5# should mate up to 4 of the 6 for the 10#. To fill the other 2 extra holes, I would use some stainless machine screws with washers and a rubber washer and/or a bead of silicone to seal them off.
mizeide
Michael - Owner Wanderlust Overland
This is the factory fender mount option is designed and functions.
Keith Starr
Inmate #2558516
I have. It generates a lot of heat and is very effective at heating the space. The lack of a thermostat, moisture generation, no convenient place to set it inside the cabin (it doesn't fit on the shelves), and safety concerns are what prompted me to leave it at home. The heat goes straight up from the heater and will get anything directly above it, including the ceiling, quite warm. Using it did prompt me to install a Propex as having a warm cabin is so nice. Having to turn off the Mr Buddy just as you're getting comfortable is a real bummer. 12v heaters may be a bit inefficient although I haven't used one. If you're fighting the cold I can't recommend the Propex enough - sipping propane and eating 1.4 amps for dry, safe heat with a thermostat is tough to beat.