WE HAVE set up the back of our MU-X wagon with an MSA fridge slide to mount a 12V fridge in for camping trips. While a fridge will run off your vehicle’s main battery when you are driving and the alternator is keeping the battery charged, the battery won’t last long once you have stopped in camp for the night or longer.
Add in a few other electrical accessories such as camp lights and music players to the power draw on the car fridge and you’ll probably wake up to a flat battery after the first night.
This is why we fit dual-battery systems to our 4x4s, to provide a second battery in the car that is used exclusively to power accessories. The second, or auxiliary battery is also charged off the car’s alternator when the engine is running but is isolated from your main starting battery, so that any accessories being used do not drain the main battery and you are able to start the car when it’s time to move on.
SMART CHARGING
FOR many years these dual-battery systems were relatively simple, but as our vehicles have become more complicated and loaded with computers and so-called smart charging systems, fitting a dual-battery system has also become more complex.
DC-DC chargers have become the standard practice for dual-battery setups in recent times. Not only do they work with modern vehicles’ complex charging systems, but allow smart charging of your auxiliary battery via staged charging as required.
Modern DC-DC chargers are also compatible with lithium batteries which have their own specific requirements, so you need a specific charger for them. Lithium batteries are becoming more popular in 4x4 battery systems as their prices come down and they’re suitable to use as an auxiliary battery.
Denne historien er fra Summer 2022-utgaven av 4x4 Magazine Australia.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra Summer 2022-utgaven av 4x4 Magazine Australia.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
CORRUGATIONS.SAND, AND SPINIFEX
WHEN TALKING LEGENDARY TRACKS, THE CANNING STOCK ROUTE HAS THE TITLE OF LONGEST HISTORICAL STOCK ROUTE IN THE WORLD, BUT TACKLING ITS 1850KM IN A 1970S LAND ROVER MAKES FOR ONE INTERESTING DRIVE FOR THE TV CREW FROM SERIOUSLY SERIES. YOU CAN SEE FOR YOURSELF BY VIEWING ROAD TO RUIN
PURE WATER
THE GUZZLE H2O STREAM IS THE IDEAL WATER PURIFICATION SOLUTION FOR PROVIDING A RELIABLE SOURCE OF CLEAN DRINKING WATER OFF THE GRID
DOES IT GET ANY TOUGHER FOR THE AT52S?
HAVING TACKLED SOME OF THE ROUGHEST TRACKS IN THE COUNTRY, THESE ALL-TERRAINS HAVE PASSED THE TEST
TOP 5 4X4 SPOTS IN SA
HERE ARE FIVE OF THE BEST 4X4 DESTINATIONS IN SOUTH AUSTRALIA
PLUGGING IN
GWM IS STUDYING THE VIABILITY OF PLUG-IN HYBRID VERSIONS OF ITS POPULAR 4X4S FOR THE AUSTRALIAN MARKET. WE GOT A CHANCE TO SAMPLE THEM ON TRACK
TOP TANK
WE HAVE COME AWAY IMPRESSED AFTER A WEEK IN GWM’S TANK 500 HYBRID 4X4.
HARD EARNED
HARD WORK AND THE RIGHT ADVICE HAVE HELPED JAMES ATKINSON BUILD THE PATROL OF HIS DREAMS
DYNAMIC DEBUT
OUR FIRST TASTE OF THE LC250 COMES IN THE FORM OF THE LEXUS GX550 OVERTRAIL, AND THIS LUXURY 4X4 WAGON IMPRESSES BOTH ON THE ROAD AND OFF IT
BLACK GROWLER
IF YOU’RE GOING TO SWAP FROM A DOUBLE-CAB UTE TO A 4X4 WAGON, YOU MIGHT AS WELL GO WITH THE BEST AVAILABLE. BRUCE HAS DONE JUST THAT AND EQUIPPED HIS GR SPORT 300 WITH THE BEST GEAR ON THE MARKET
2025 NISSAN PATROL MAKES GLOBAL DEBUT
CURTAINS DROP ON SEVENTH-GENERATION PATROL BUT NOT HERE UNTIL 2026
