Portable Dual Battery Systems are not for everyone but before you disregard it for yourself here are the top 5 reason YOU should consider a portable dual battery solution.
When it comes to 4WDing, camping and touring, often battery power is key. Setting up a comfortable campsite, hitting the road without concern or a simple day at the beach, a portable dual battery solution will not only meet your needs, it will surpass them. Modern 4WD and camping setups are becoming more and more power hungry, even though LED camp lights and 12V fridges are getting more efficient each year, they still require power, and quite often the more efficient things get, the more gear we tend to collect.
As you know already, your 4WD’s main crank battery just can’t handle the demands of running these accessories around camp. In no time you starting battery will be drained flat and you will be left warm beer and a cranky misses if you don’t have a dual battery to cope.
So for this article, we are going to assume your dual battery system has gone from a maybe to a must. Now comes the challenge of where do we put it…
Portable Dual Battery Systems… Hot or Not ??
A good portable dual battery pack does everything a hard-wired dual battery system can do, and then some. Being portable has a number of benefits and is often the most affordable solution, especially in the long run, but we will get into that shortly. If you want a more detailed conversation about a portable Dual Battery Solution then give Jamie and the team a call on 1300 377 128 or drop us a message on the website.
Number 1: BUDGET
Our number one consideration for a portable dual battery solution is BUDGET. Now a portable system is not always the cheapest up front but definitely over time, it can end up miles in front of a traditional setup. When combined with a good quality DC Charger like Redarc, Your portable Dual Battery system will not only get you the maximum life out of your battery but will also give you the freedom of moving from your current vehicle to the next saving you big money on installation down the road.
Another way the portable dual battery box can save you time and money is having all of your sockets, meters, charger, and regulators in one compact unit. Often when running the numbers on a traditional under bonnet system customer forget that you still need to get power to your gear. Often the custom in time and cable running power to the rear of your 4WD wagon or ute can add 100’s of dollars to your setup. More money spent on a one time hit rather than a long time investment.
Number 2: MORE THAN ONE USE
Think about your dual battery system not as an accessory to your car, but as a partner for your fridge. Everywhere your fridge goes now so can the power.
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Do you have multiple cars?
- Maybe a tourer and a beach hack?
- Maybe a family wagon and a work ute?
- Maybe a 4WD and a Camper Trailer?
Keeping portable allows your dual battery system to follow your fridge. You can even leave it at the campsite with the wife and kids while you go over hitting the tracks with your mates. ( I didn’t say that ) Being able to go from your Tourer to your work ute, to your camper and then throw in a weekend away with the bikes, being portable can give you a solution for nearly every situation.
Number 3: EVERYTHING YOU NEED
Now I can’t speak for every setup but the JTS Power Easy Range covers just about EVERY base. The power easy box is jam-packed with accessory sockets including:
- 2 X CIG Sockets
- 2 X High output USB Sockets
- 1 X Positive and Negative posts
- 1 X Digital Volt Meter
- 2 X Anderson plug in/out
If you go the Power Easy 25 you can add the following features as well:
- Solar Panel Regulation
- DC-DC Charger
- Start Battery Isolation
- Dedicated solar input
- Dedicated 12 Volt input
Number 4: DIY
For those who love a DIY Project the JTS power Easy is a great choice. With all the “heavy lifting” done, all you need to do is run your feed cable, add a tie-down point and away you go. Check out our DIY instructions for fitting a power easy box to a D23 Navara: https://jts12volt.com.au/how-to-wire-up-a-dual-battery-to-your-nissan-navara-np300-d23-diy-instructions/
The JTS Power Easy box combined without DIY Cable Kit is a great weekend project to tackle yourself or as an excuse to get ya mates around. Allow 2 – 4 hours of your weekend to crank the tunes in the shed, roll up the sleeves and get the hands dirty.
Number 5: SHARING IS CARING
Now it is not everyone’s ideal situation but some families with young ones just getting into the 4WD scene may have a use for a system they can share. Just like we mentioned in #2 being portable means you can have your 4WD ready to go and with a Cable Kit fitted, when the young bloke borrows the fridge for a weekend away he will have a power system that won’t let him down. It might even save some coins from Dad’s wallet.
Number 6 BONUS: Use it around the home
Power up the backyard during parties, use the portable dual battery as a power station to run lights or media players in any corner of the backyard. Power outage? grab your Power Easy box and power up a bunch of lights and with the addition of an inverter even power up the TV or laptop to keep the kids entertained.
If you are lucky enough to have acreage you can even throw it on the quad with your fridge and head down to the dam for a Sunday in the swimming hole.
Do I need an Inverter built into my battery box?
Do you need more power? With modern day campers, a lot of people are needing 240V power on the go. Charging laptops, drones and digital camera’s (not to mention cordless tools) requires an inverter. CPAP machines also often run on an inverter.
A common trend with some of the Chinese made battery boxes is to add an inverter inside the box. Now this poses a number of issues. The primary one being the quality of the inverter. When the 240 volt inverter process is un-stable it causes fluctuations in the power supply often result in burnt out power supplies to your chargers.
Another concern with a permanently mounted inverter is the constant exposure to harsh environments. With the inverter exposed constantly to dust and moisture when you only use it for a small period of time.
To address these concerns and to deliver constant and reliable power to your accessories we recommend the use of the Redarc 350W inverter.
When combined with an Anderson plug the Redard 350 watt inverter is easily added to your portable dual battery pack when required. The rest of the time it can be safely stored out of harm’s way. This also allows you to upgrade in stages. You might not need an inverter right now but you have piece of mind that it can be added later.