davefrombc

I'm one of those who at 82 their minds still think we're 28 ( same numbers, different order) but body says "like hell you are" ! It's the old story.. I can still do most of the things I did back then . It just takes me longer, I need more help and I hurt a lot more afterwards!

Yes the SAE connectors are fine, just a gotcha for the unwary. You won't need to increase the wire size.if you used at least 14 gauge wire. 14 gauge will handle up to 15A. . When using the 200w solar panel the panel is not likely to output more than 10 t0 12 amps under even absolutely ideal conditions.. Boost the fuse to 15A if using a 200w solar panel to input but the 7.5A might be enough for the 100w one. To be sure with the 100w panel go to a `10A fuse. Is your 12v fridge piezoelectric or a fridge/freezer one that uses a 12v compressor?.. My 12v 50L fridge/freezer pulls between 4 and 5A on start but runs at around 1.8A. If your fridge drew the 3.5A steady over 24 hours it would deplete the 100Ah battery ( pull just over 1000Wh out of the 1280Wh battery)

I am not a great fan of the SAE 2 pin connectors for the simple reason they can be reverse connected. By convention the power end ( connected to a battery) has the positive side covered and the negative exposed. The accessory o be powered has the exposed positive and the negative covered.. But in the case of a battery charger, they are reversed with positive exposed and the negative covered.. It is too easy to err when putting connectors on a project and the unwary can make all the smoke leak out by misconnecting things.. That's the beauty of Anderson connectors. They are polarized so they can only connect positive to positive and negative to negative . That is as long as they are wired correctly to start with.. The MC4 connectors are almost universal on solar panels and cables because they are waterproof ( actually water resistant) but they share the accidental reverse connecting problem of the SAEs

It would be helpful at times to have a button where we could cont the Admin. to make some changes to our posts.

OK.. The panel likely has the MC4 "waterproof" connectors . I just did a search on Amazon for solar controllers and came up with this one among all the others. It looks like it would be ideal for you if your solar panels have MC4 connectors . I suspect the cable from the solar panels you have aren't MC4 on both ends so you would need to replace it since that controller is only MC4 input. Here is the controller I found on Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Charge-Controller-Type-C-LiFePO₄-Battery/dp/B0DGP8YMGD/ref=sxin_18_pa_sp_search_thematic_sspa?content-id=amzn1.sym.5a2f80d8-3686-499a-bbaa-70664bd0de70%3Aamzn1.sym.5a2f80d8-3686-499a-bbaa-70664bd0de70&crid=1GCIO4YGOLTNF&cv_ct_cx=MPPT+solar+controller&keywords=MPPT+solar+controller&pd_rd_i=B0DGP8YMGD&pd_rd_r=fd470b51-a005-4e0a-bebd-3e00107e5b72&pd_rd_w=hv9Zg&pd_rd_wg=VKAcc&pf_rd_p=5a2f80d8-3686-499a-bbaa-70664bd0de70&pf_rd_r=2J7MHQA0QB01JV4E6G1J&qid=1758461740&sbo=RZvfv%2F%2FHxDF%2BO5021pAnSA%3D%3D&sprefix=mppt+solar+controller%2Caps%2C171&sr=1-2-6024b2a3-78e4-4fed-8fed-e1613be3bcce-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9zZWFyY2hfdGhlbWF0aWM&psc=1

What output connections does your cable from your folding panel use? Mc4, 5521 barrel, or XT60? Most solar controllers have a socket to connect a 5521 input and you can get adapters to go from whatever the cable end is to the inputs of the controller .. You can make a quick connect pair to connect your controller to the battery Store the controller, cable and controller to battery adapter with the solar panel.. That way you don't need to permanently mount the controller to your trailer. With a portable setup like that you could make an adapter to go from the controller output to alligator clips so you could use your portable solar setup to charge any 12 or 24V .battery since most new controllers are programmable for 12 / 24 volt output to any lead acid or LiFePO4 battery. You would just have to re3member if you were going to charge a battery type different than your trailer one.

If your tent trailer is a hard top you could mount your solar panel (s) to it. LiFePO4 batteries have different charging profiles than both lead acid and Li ion ones. I don't know anyone who keeps their LiFePO4 batteries on a tender (maintainer) so I can't really offer an opinion on that.. Your use of the LiFePO4 battery is entirely different than mine. I built my Power Station ( Power box) to be a portable source of 1000w / 110v pure sine wave AC, and 12v DC from either a 12v accessory socket or up to 100 A output to run an electric trolling motor and 12v power tools. Commercial Power stations I am aware of don't offer the high amperage 12v output to go with their AC and 10 to 15 A the give at their accessory socket. That was the re4ason for my initial question .. T see if others have or use a Power Station ( power box) in their outdoor activities, whether it be out on the trails with an ATV , in camp or out on their boat.

OK... Solar controllers aren't expensive so I'd recommend getting a new one with the LiFePO4 setting. A cheaper PWM one will work but one with MPPT is more efficient.. Do you have 12v at the 7 pole socket on you vehicle? If so you could run a wire from it to a DC to DC charge converter like I use on my Power box to charge the battery from your vehicle..On many vehicles the DC to DC isn't entirely necessary if their output is steady,but they don't bring the battery to it's full charge since they're designed to stop charging when voltage reaches 13.2 to 13.8v and LiFePO4 wants 14.2 to 14.4v for full charge. Some alternators have their voltage unstable with a fair difference between idle and and max rev's driving.. The BMS in the battery likes stable voltage and and can trip if it is too unstable for it's liking.. Is your trailer only wired for 12v dc or does it also have an inverter for 120v AC? A 100Ah LiFEPO4 battery can only run an inverter up to a max of 1200w output since it's limited to 100 A continuous output max. To run a larger inverter you have to go to two 100Ah LiFePO4 batteries in parallel.

Please people search on LiFePO4 batteries and their uses in solar systems, RV's and motor homes/ trailers,. Why solar controllers and DC to DC converters are recommended and needed in some cases. I cannot explain it all here .

No.. The battery has a Battery Management Service ( BMS ) built in to protect it from over charge / discharge and temperature. It does not have a built in charge controller , only a protection module. Charge parameters are similar but not the same as Lion batteries .. In applications like you have on your trailer, you should have a DC to DC converter for the input from your vehicle alternator AND a solar controller with an LiFePO4 setting,, preferably MPPT for your solar system . Both can be connected to the battery at the same time. AGAIN,, I built a Power Box ( Power Station) it is not an installation on an RV or trailer. The DC to DC unit I used can work to charge the battery from an alternator ,, OR a solar system , not both at the same time.

The "rollers" in the sprag clutch ( one way bearing) do not move in and out. They are not round but designed so that when the inner race ( holding the rollers) turns in one direction they rotate out and jam against the outer race and turn the entire assembly.. When the outer race turns faster than the inner, the rollers release from the outer race and allow the assembly to spin freely In other words, when you hit the starter the rollers cam out against the out race locking up and turning the motor over. When the motor starts the outer race spins faster releasing the motor from the starter drive... Search on a "sprag clutch" for a much better description of how they work than I can give you.. Those pdf's don't open .. To post a picture Just select it from where you have it stored and drag it into the area marked. Pictures should be in Jpeg format, not pdf

I'm using a DC to DC converter to take the 12v from a vehicle alternator to output 14.2 to 14.6v to charge the LiFePO4 battery in my Power station( power box) from an accessory socket. Output to the power box is only 8 amps max . The DC to DC converter can also act as an MPPT controller for solar input. It doesn't do both at the same time. I connect either a solar panel or an accessory plug to it depending on which charge source I'm going to use. I put an Anderson power pole connector on the input so I could make the switch in inputs easily. I couldn't use one with a higher amperage output because the amp draw from the accessory socket would be to high and pop the fuse on it since they are typically only 10 to 15A output sockets. What I did building my Power Box ( b Power station) is entirely different than what you are doing and charging parameters for LiFePO4 batteries are much different than charging lead acid ones in their various forms. For a permanent installation in a trailer, camper or motorhome You would need both a dc to dc converter for the vehicle charging system and a solar controller for solar panel charging .. Both can be connected to the battery(ies) at the same time. Once more, I built a power box / power station I can sit on a picnic table and have 1,000w 120v AC, 12v DC and USB outlets available from it or take in my tin boat to run the electric outboard. Here is a link to the dc to dc converter I used. https://roadwarrior-inc.com/ca/product/dc-to-dc-charger-for-12v-lightningvolt-battery/?srsltid=AfmBOoqxP0NNDb9-SQ4Wih5q3dZM94Xpj3vC-oar5cEEqBSZf-h81q5c That link will take you to their Canadian address . Search the US address for one there.

Since my original question " Anyone carrying a power box when camping with their ATV? " Power Box as in Power Station has been taken completely off topic I'm abandoning replying to posts in it. I've done my best to reply to the questions on the LiFePO4 battery and some of the components of my build. That's all I have to contribute to it.

Battery chargers should not drain back. The diodes / diode bridge that convert the AC to DC for the battery should prevent it. Lead acid batteries should be kept on a maintainer when not in use foran extended time because of their self discharge and sulfation problems when sitting at less than full charge. Most new battery chargers have a maintainer function once the battery is fully charged but they should not be left connecte4d and plugged in as they could possibly end up overcharging the battery .. LiFePO4 batteries are much different then Lead/acid ones.They can be discharged to their cut off voltage and left sit without damage.. a O4 100Ah LiFePO4 battery can be drawn down the full 100 Ah without hurting it ... A Lead/ acid battery can only be drawn down about half way before hurting it and must be fully recharged as soon as possible to avoid the sulfation problem. In other words, a 100Ah LiFePO4 battery can deliver the full 100 Ah without harm while a lead/acid battery rated 100 Ah can only deliver 50 Ah's before beginning to damage it. There's a world of differences between the 2 technologies.. Lead /acid shines in high draw applications like starting batteries and operating/ charging in sub freezing use.. LiFePO4 batteries shine in low draw over longer times as "house" batteries in RV's and off grid applications. LiFePO4 batteries are almost 1/2 the weight of a similarly rated Lead/acid battery too.

I used a dc to dc converter designed to be used in a truck / SUV to make a charger that can be plugged into an accessory socket in a vehicle , or as the MPPT charge controller to charge from solar panels. I also have wall chargers designed specifically to charge LiFePO4 batteries. I can charge my home built Power Station ( box) either from home with the wall charger, from vehicle via accessory socket or from solar panels. Most Power Stations can be charged the same way.. The big advantage of my homemade one is I have 12v DC output from it up to 100 A max draw to run things like an electric outboard motor. I have not seen a commercial Power Station with more than 10 t0 15A output via accessory socket.`` I used a battery box with the USB outlets, accessory socket and battery volt meter built in to build my Power Station.. Those boxes are originally designed for marine use to power The motor starting battery and accessories like depth sounders and electric trolling motors.. I have also built a power Station ( box) using a plain plastic marine battery box housing a 100Ah LiFePO4 battery.. I put two Accessory sockets on it and wired on both a 120A and 50 A Anderson plugs. I also put the DC to DC converter on it so I could charge it from an accessory socket or solar panels. USB out for it is by an accessory socket USB adapter. There is no volt meter on it and there is no 120v inverter attached to it like the commercial box I used to build the one in the picture.. Box was just a plain plastic marine battery box I added the outlets to.

The sprag is like a one way bearing.. The rollers in it are nor round ,, Spun in one direction the stay laid down and the assembly spins freely.. Change the rotation and the rollers cam against the race and lock up the assembly.. When starting the rollers cam to lock the assembly and start the engine.. When the engine starts the assembly rotates faster than the starter drives it so the rollers release. The starter and assembly are then effectively disconnected .. It works much more simply than it is easy to explain. When you install a new sprag be sure to install iit in the right direction. If it is backwards the starter will not engage to start the engine. It is an easily done mistake.

Since it appears Power has a lot different meaning to you And others here, I'll re-ask the question. Does anyone else on here have a Power Station ? --- A portable box with 120v AC , 12v on an accessory socket and USB outputs. Not a distribution box wired into your ATV but a self contained power station. Since the patents are expired on the "Anderson" connectors there are several makers of clones of them at a much lower price than the originals. The connectors are available through Amazon and Temu. They may also be available through Home Hardware and various auto/ RV suppliers. The ATV end of the connection can be wired directly to the battery and run out and secured where you want to connect your winch.

There is no bendix on your starter motor. It operates through a sprag ( one way clutch) .. There is a service manual in the downloads section for your machine. If the starter spins up then it is good and the rollers in the sprag are not locking it up Here is the link to the file in downloads

Power box is another common name for Power station.. Commercial ones only give you 120v ac and usually 12v dc power socket and USB outlets. Depending on price,the 120v ac can be from just a couple of hundred watts up to 2500 or so.The all use LiFePO4 batteries .Power Boxes ( Power Stations) below 1,000w AC usually use 12v LiFePO4 batteries and from 1,000w output to 2500W use 24v batteries. LiFePO4 batteries require a charger designed for LiFePO4 service or one of the new ones that have a LiPO4 setting. Their charging profile is different and they charge at a higher voltage than lead acid batteries do. When LiFePO4 batteries are used in place of lead acid ones in trailers or motor homes they need a DC to DC charge converter between them and the alternator to charge properly The one I used to make my accessory socket charger is one designed for below 12v up to about 36v in and 14.2 v out to charge the LiFePO4 batteries.. The advantage of the one I used is that it acts as an MPPT charge converter that I can use charging from a car alternator or from solar panels. LiFePO4 batteries are a lot different than lead acid in many respects and far superior and half the weight of Lead acid ones. The only real disadvantage is they cannot be used for high draw starting batteries in vehicles ( I am told there are some now but they are extremely expensive). A 100Ah LiFePO4 battery can only output 100A max. Not the 400 to 600A starting a large V8 requires.. LiFePO4 batteries are designed for a long draw down to cut off at low current. They're a whole different world from lead acid batteries.. I made my power box so I have a portable power source of both 120v ac and the USB and accessory socket output but also up to 100A 12v dc to run an electric outboard. The battery I used is a 100Ah LiFePO4 group 24 size. It was my project , not one from any "project" suggestion source. I wanted both the AC and ability to run a 50# thrust electric outboard in one portable power station ( power box)

Any of the crimp tools that handle 6 gauge crimp terminals can be used to crimp the 50A Anderson terminals, and as Mike said you can solder them too. I prefer the small Anderson Power Pole connectors for 5 to 30 A connections over the SAE ones. The Power Poles can be joined to create quick connectors that will only connect positive to positive and Negative to negative the same as the larger connectors do.. The SAE connectors can be cross connected and let all the smoke leak out of the electronics. I made a pair of adapters for when I want to power something with SAE connectors from my power box

Maybe admin here can rename this thread to Power Stations ( Power Boxes) to better explain what I built. Anderson connectors are no more difficult to wire than any others but it is much easier to attach a link to a youtube video of one man's assembly.. You can solder the wires into the pins as he does or crimp them. Anderson connectors come in various sizes and colours to handle from 10A to 450A. They're great for making Quick connectors that can't be reverse connected . The connectors connect only to matching ones of the same size and colour to prevent accidental cross polarity connecting and in the case of multiple circuits, colour coding to prevent connecting to the wrong circuit. Here is a link to the video.

Anyone carrying a power box when camping with their ATV? I built a custom one. I used a marine battery box that has 2 50A Anderson Grey connector outputs ( changed one of the greys to a red), an accessory socket and2 USB outlets,and a battery voltmeter .. I added a Pure sine wave 1,000w inverter to it and A red 120A Anderson connector to the output posts.. To charge the 100Ah LiFePO4 battery I put in the box, I added a DC to DC charge adapter that I made input connectors for to allow charging the battery from a vehicle's accessory socket or a solar panel. It was a fun project.. Besides having a 1,000w power box for 120V ac , USB and 12v accessories using the 10 A socket. I have 50 A Anderson connectors and the 120 A connector to run things like a 12v electric outboard for fishing trips . The LiFePO4 battery only allows a max output of 100A so it can't be used for something like jump starting, but it is half the weight and delivers twice the capacity of a lead acid battery running accessories.. Commercial pow2er boxes don't deliver high draw 12v output to run things like the electric outboards. That's one reason I custom built mine. One box that serves for both camping and fishing.

Newer winches that have remote control also have cable control. Remote is great in that you can stand in a safer spot should there be a line snap back from a failure of the line or connection. It also allows you to have a clearer4 view in cases where there is some "fancy" winching going on because of awkward spots.. The cable control is the for when the battery in the remote decides to die on you . My Smittybilt !0K pound X20 winch on my truck has both in the hand control.. Flip the switch to remote for wireless connection or to cable control, and connect the cable from hand control to the winch .. There's lots of smaller ATV winches with both wired and wireless connection.. That's definitely the way to go for both convenience and safety.

The hard plastic rear seat / storage would protect the contents better than a bag would; and a bag filled would be almost as high , if not higher, than the rigid plastic one. The best way to find out how easy it is to get your leg over and on to the seat is to try on someones rig with the hard plastic one mounted .. As far as butt comfort goes they do make padded seat ones . I also think when two up riding the passenger would have a little more se3cure perch.

I'm double posting this in both this thread and the First time ATV Buyer so readers can find it easier in future. If you plan on doing a lot of winching, or even just to be "well equipped" for winching, get a couple of "tree saver" straps and a choker cable.- The straps protect trees from damage by the winch cable and are handy for connecting to all sorts of things in a pull. You can use the choker as a short extension when a longer reach is needed or use it to tie the rear of the quad to something when the quad is being dragged by the pull rather than the object you want to move. The "snatch block" on the winch line can be used as you did to change direction the winch pulls, or to double the pulling power of the winch.. By the way, winches are usually rated pulling with a single wrap on the drum, not by whether the snatch block is used.. As each wrap loads on the drum the pulling power reduces.. A winch rated 3500 # at one wrap may only pull 500# on the last wrap of a full drum. One last thin I can think of is for those that may need to winch when there is nothing to pull against. 2 or preferably 3, 3ft. iron stakes either solid or pipe can be driven into the ground at an angle and tied together in series top to bottom. The winch line is connected to the bottom of the first stake to pull against. The other 2 stakes are used to keep the first from being pulled forward and out while the in ground part of the first stake provides the anchor for the pull. RT%he firmer the ground , the heavier load the stake will handle.