New to us 15A and our first trip...

[dfandrews]

Welcome to the "A" Listers group!

Tom

And another Welcome, from another A-lister.

 

[h2owmn]

Same from me! Enjoy!

 

[Brian B-P]

The Sterling BB1260 will pull up to 60 amps from the source, if the battery will accept the corresponding charge power... which a 400 Ah LFP battery presumably will. Dan, are you using the stock 7-way connector and typical charge wiring on the tow vehicle to handle this? In a quick reading of the manual, I didn't see a settable current limit. Do you have an idea yet of the peak current in the charge line?

 

[dstreight]

The Sterling BB1260 will pull up to 60 amps from the source, if the battery will accept the corresponding charge power... which a 400 Ah LFP battery presumably will. Dan, are you using the stock 7-way connector and typical charge wiring on the tow vehicle to handle this? In a quick reading of the manual, I didn't see a settable current limit. Do you have an idea yet of the peak current in the charge line?

No, I ran two conductors of 1/0 from the battery in the engine bay to the rear bumper using Anderson SB175 connectors at the bumper and trailer side...with their environmental boots and a WitsEnd SB175 mount bracket. Works great.

I haven't measured the current on the truck side of the system. With a 145A OEM alternator (2007 Chevy Silverado Classic HD2500) I can see a larger alternator will more than likely be needed.

Downstream I plan to install a higher output Mechman alternator to relieve the strain (2-FLA starting batteries + 200Ah LFP in the bed + the 400Ah/6500w LFP in the Escape. Mechman has a 250A unit that utilizes the same OEM diameter pulley but puts out 180A at idle. For our extended stays in remote camp spot I'd like to have the ability to utilize the truck's alternator for primary re-charging of the LFP in the bed and the Escape.

 

[Brian B-P]

Thanks for the info, Don.

It looks like you have it all well sorted out. Even tthe maximum draw of the BB1260 will be a small fraction of the capacity of your system.

 

[dstreight]

We took a short 3-day 2-night back country trip this weekend to nearby Pyramid Lake where we camped right next to the water. Then the next day drove north to the Blackrock Playa where we rolled smooth and fast for the 2nd night's camp spot.

We keep replacing/modding the items that fall apart from vibrations, etc., and/or just don't serve our purpose for an on and off-road Escape. We have many custom plans for our little 15A for 2020

 

[gbaglo]

Great shot, running across the flats.