096 | 4WDTouringAustralia
ASK THE EXPERT
YOUR CAMPER TRAILER,
MECHANICAL AND 4WD
QUESTIONS ANSWERED.Hey Adam,
I am upgrading my halogen spotlights to LEDs and have
been looking around. I have found a lot of LEDs that
are producing high wattages but they also seem to be
drawing a lot of amps. Are there any points I should be
aware of when it comes to wiring and power usage?
Simon.
Hey Simon,
There’s a lot of choice on the market now and yes a lot of
different types of LEDs claiming different powers. First off,
with the wiring, I wouldn’t be too worried about it as most
will come with a supplied wiring harness to suit the lights.
Secondly, with the power usage, this is a bit more
interesting. The alternator of your 4WD will only push
out a certain amount of amps. Depending on your 4WD,
they generally range anywhere from 70A up to 120A. So it
helps to nd out what your alternator amperage is.
When driving at night the alternator will be powering
the 4WD, and possibly the radio, heater, headlights and
whatever else you have running inside the 4WD. When
you turn on your LEDs, there really won’t be anything left
when you factor in that some some LEDs use almost 60A.
You may be trying to charge your auxiliary battery while
driving to keep power to the fridge, etc, but depending
on the amperage of your alternator it may not be receiving
any charge. These high powered LED lights are great and
cheap and for the right purpose will work really well but I
believe that you should check a few of the specs of your
4WD. These sorts of things – power usage and total amps
available – are things that most drivers rarely think about.
Sometimes sticking to a brand name light is the better
option, because rather that pushing big numbers to try to
get light output, they also work to design the best optics
for less power use.
Hope that helps,
GO NUTS! AdamHALOGEN VS LED
SNORKELS AIN’T SNORKELS
BENEFITS OF LITHIUM
Hi Adam,
I am upgrading my dual battery system and am looking
into lithium technology. I know that I will need to upgrade
my charging system to a Redarc Lithium pro led charger
or something similar that has a lithium pro le.
What can you suggest when it comes to battery brands
and what I should be looking for?
Thank you,
Rami, Vic.
Hey Rami,
Most Lithium battery manufacturer’s internal management
system (BMS) only have a 50A continuous draw, which
equates to a 500W inverter. One brand of lithium batteries
that we have worked with in the past is Revolution Power.
The internals of these are a little different.The Revolution
Power lithium battery has a 100A continuous draw with a
2-4 second peak of 400A. You can also parallel their battery
to use a bigger inverter for powering a compressor, toaster
or coffee machine.
Basically it means that the Revolution Power battery is a
stronger battery and can deliver a high power output over
a longer period.
Hope it helps,
GO NUTS! AdamHi Adam,
I want to t up a snorkel to my 4WD and have seen a lot
of cheap ones on ebay. Have you had any experience with
them, and are they OK? They seem like great value.
Thanks,
Brian.
Hi Brian,
I have to be honest, I haven’t actually tted one myself. I
stick to Safari.
I have tted a few other brands and, with one we tted,
the customer supplied it and the template didn’t t, we
had to redrill holes and move the snorkel (it wasn’t pretty).
Since that day, I have tted heaps of Safari snorkels and
haven’t yet had a problem with them.
I have read a number of feeds in regards to the cheap
brands and have only some of them come with the
template. Most even say that they t up well, yet out of
those cheap ones I couldn’t tell you which brands are
better so maybe read up on some feeds.
It’s not only the tment with the cheap snorkels though.
The plastics are completely different. The UV ratings
play a big part in the longevity of the plastics as well as
the strength. If you get a chance have a look at Safari’s
website they explain it all really well there.
I also understand that it’s horses for courses, and when
running an older vehicle you might be trying to work out
where to cut back on prices. That’s also OK. I truly believe
that the best thing about building a 4WD is that you get
to do it the way you want.
That said, some things are worth spending money on
for peace of mind and I believe a snorkel is one of those
things that may just one day save the most expensive part
of your vehicle.
Hope that helps,
GO NUTS! Adam