Birdsville Races

[TheEddies]

Hi all. We are planning to go to Birdsville late August early September for the famed Races ex Brisbane. Looking for information from members who have been to Birdsville and any members who may be going. I believe facilities are limited so will we need to be completely self sufficient. We have a 14.44.5 OB with single battery, 120w solar, tug is a Colorado 7 single battery with Waeco dual voltage fridge. Coupling Tug to van is 7 pin with 1 Anderson plug that charges the van battery. There is no connection to run the van fridge.

Any suggestions to make the trip like this forum, happy and full of fun.

 

[Dobbie]

Sounds like fun.

You should be ok for power, except for the fridge maybe.

I'd suggest you look at a portable battery ...Ark or Projecta or similar....to keep fridge charged while travelling and to supplement van power when camping. Alternative is a dual battery system in vehicle for fridge but a portable will do the job I think.

If you opt for something like that you can charge the portable battery from the car but would need to ensure wiring and sockets are adequate ......

Have fun!

 

[bigcol]

dual batteries are always a good suggestion for any travelling - IMHO

before you set off on your trip
1) plug Van in and get cold a day or 2 or 3 before you are going
2) most Van fridges will work better and more efficient if they are full, so when you fill it up, make sure everything is already cold - same same for portable fridges
3) get underneath and check and seal any holes you may see - where the drain hose for sink comes out ect
4) check wheels, tyres, brakes and bearings on Van - anything suspicious, replace


you could upgrade the amount of Panels you have, and get a bigger battery for the Van (or just add another battery) just depends on how much coin you want to spend
a small Genny is cheap, but then you need to carry fuel

most of all

enjoy your planned trip

 

[mfexpanda]

Hi all. We are planning to go to Birdsville late August early September for the famed Races ex Brisbane. Looking for information from members who have been to Birdsville and any members who may be going. I believe facilities are limited so will we need to be completely self sufficient. We have a 14.44.5 OB with single battery, 120w solar, tug is a Colorado 7 single battery with Waeco dual voltage fridge. Coupling Tug to van is 7 pin with 1 Anderson plug that charges the van battery. There is no connection to run the van fridge.

Any suggestions to make the trip like this forum, happy and full of fun.

I sometimes take portable solar panels and plug them into the Anderson plug of the ute with the engel running in the tray when camping or at least I use to untill we fitted more panels to the van and now just run a lead from the Anderson plug under the van to the engel

 

[TheEddies]

Thanks for the info. Will talk to auto electrician. It has taken me a while to reply but I decided to cut back the Palm Trees from the path in the back yard and they objected and speared my eye. After a slow trip to hospital I am back in the land of the sighted. The eye recovers remarkably quickly.

 

[BaxnRach]

A dual battery setup and a small solar setup to keep the batteries charged if you're staying put for more than 2-3 days (without a dual batter system don't rely on your vehicle to keep the fridge running for more than a few hrs- use the van battery), and I can't emphasize this enough, STONE PROTECTION, the Birdsville development rd will destroy your van in the two stints in and out.

 

[Drover]

Ouch !!!!!!!!!! ................................you have solar on your van so no need to run an anderson from tug to van to charge battery, just a waste as the solar will cover it.........................you could actually plug your Waeco into the tug anderson to run it while driving but not for very long when shut down.
A portable panel of around 120w plugged into the van will be a great help in keeping your van battery fully juiced, a dedicated anderson going direct to battery is the go for this and you may have one already . This socket can also be used for running compressors etc when needed.......
Fridge running off 12v while driving is not a biggy, it doesn't do much other than try to sustain the temp, far better to have everything chilled roght down before heading off....though I would check that anderson to see where it actually goes.

 

[alexvk2]

I have a 2015 14.44.5 with the 12 pin plug which when wired to Jayco diagram means your van battery will charge from car and fridge 12v will draw from the car. I also fitted a blower to keep fish out.Ive also moved the Jayco battery and put another alongside it as well as a Stonestomper.