Ideas for your Expedition Defender

G’Day fellas;

I’ve just replaced my dead 2nd battery with a 120AH/980CCA battery (salvaged from my primary battery which I replaced) and needed a new battery box.

I looked at my current fuse box/inverter and accessory plug location and can do better for user friendliness and layout so, I’m looking at options for a Gucci 2nd battery/distribution set up which seems to be a bit of a culture at present.

I run the following off the 2nd battery:

Stereo

Sub woofer

Navigation

Driving camera

ARB LEDs

ARB Spots

Perimeter spots x 4

Some power plugs

600 Watt inverter


I have Rough Parts from Switzerland Gull Wing boxes fitted, so am agonising over using the left box which is also my cooking area, OR a dedicated panel attached to my cargo barrier, as per the photo attached.

Has any one done something similar? So us your set up!

More to follow, and I welcome suggestions, advice.

Thanks.

Ken
Attachment 154031Attachment 154032

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Originally Posted by Baytown

G’Day fellas;

I’ve just replaced my dead 2nd battery with a 120AH/980CCA battery (salvaged from my primary battery which I replaced) and needed a new battery box.

I looked at my current fuse box/inverter and accessory plug location and can do better for user friendliness and layout so, I’m looking at options for a Gucci 2nd battery/distribution set up which seems to be a bit of a culture at present.

I run the following off the 2nd battery:

Stereo

Sub woofer

Navigation

Driving camera

ARB LEDs

ARB Spots

Perimeter spots x 4

Some power plugs

600 Watt inverter


I have Rough Parts from Switzerland Gull Wing boxes fitted, so am agonising over using the left box which is also my cooking area, OR a dedicated panel attached to my cargo barrier, as per the photo attached.

Has any one done something similar? So us your set up!

More to follow, and I welcome suggestions, advice.

Thanks.

Ken
Attachment 154031Attachment 154032

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Start with one of Drivesafes shiny new Lithium batteries.
The rest of that gear is easy to sort and won’t need that much space consumed (your bespoke pics)

And put all your Nav, Driving lights etc back on the main battery. They’re only active when driving. Stereo - these things eat batteries when parked - consider putting it back on the main battery and use a BT speaker for tunes at camp.

Hi Tombie.

Yes, the plan is for a nice new Lithium battery once the current unit in the rear dies, but I’ll need to update my Redarc charger to a Lithium capable unit at the same time.

I pretty much only use a Bose Bluetooth speaker when camped as well.

Thanks for your comments mate, and I hope your well.

Ken

Continuing on with our shower solution I’ve just purchased and fitted a Bazooka water tank.....

25L of shower water....means our portable water will last longer.

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Originally Posted by W&KO

Continuing on with our shower solution I’ve just purchased and fitted a Bazooka water tank.....

25L of shower water....means our portable water will last longer.

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I have spent a lot of time slowly re-building and modifying the '02 Defender to be our expedition vehicle and we tend to do a 6 - 8 week trip in her each year as well as the usual weekends away. She is not built for playing in the mud or trying tracks just to see how far she can be pushed but has always gotten us where we wanted to go and back again.

The bits you can't see are the extra heavy duty shocks and springs all the way around (I travel heavy), as well as the heavy duty axles and diffs. I run standard alloy wheels with the Toyo M55's as they are available anywhere there is a mine in the country and apart from 1 driver error side wall tear when I was deflated and going around a bend and did not see the jagged edge of a submerged rock in time to avoid it they have always given me really good range before needing to be replaced.

I get an average of 1500km per tank of diesel with the Long Ranger set up remembering that I am 0 -60 in 5 min and never push hard. I do always carry an extra 40L on the roof for emergencies and empty that in as I turn for home to make sure it is used. The picture of the odometer is 'after' that was done on my most recent trip.

In the back I have built up a basic system with 200L of drinking water in a tank that was available a few years ago. Most of our trips are into the remotest areas I can access and as such I spend a about a month dehydrating as much "extra" fruit and vege I think I might need, however we do have 2 40L fridges and I run one as a freezer with the meat and the other as a fridge with fresh stuff, cheeses etc and the next days beverages.

Longest period of time between any town or opportunity to resupply we have done is 6 weeks, however we generally plan on trying to get fresh provisions at least every 3 - 4 weeks.

For ease of access to the recovery gear and also the inside I had the gull wings manufactured in South Australia by a glazier who actually specialises in sliding glass doors and and the carriers (that double as tables) for the recovery tracks are also Australian made.

I have made many mistakes and changed my set up more times than I can honestly remember and am happy to Pm with anyone who wants brand names or contacts for where I purchased the gear in my latest set up.

To answer the original question of what is the most essential thing in my expedition vehicle?

GPS Enabled Personal Locator Beacon!!! I have activated twice in my travels when coming across others less fortunate and having significant issues and they do literally save lives

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Work really well with short trips but be wary of longer ones where fresh water is a potential issue. I only ever did smaller beans (less water) but still have stopped for trips in arid areas as prefer to save water for drinking etc.

Interested to know how you get on and what you think about the water usage / wastage.

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Originally Posted by W&KO

Been thinking about fresh food while traveling

Working on sprouting beans/seeds

Been experimenting over the last couple of weeks, this mornings harvest, after soaking they just need a flush/rinse each morning/afternoon.

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There were Mung beans as well

Next test is while on the road, we have a two week trip starting on Friday. Let’s see if the like to sprout while moving.

Got the idea of friends that hiked 20 days through remote Kimberly in supported. They had fresh sprouts pretty much every day to supplement the de-hydrated meals.

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@Jesters TD5

Can you flick me the details of the gullwing manufacturer please. I am wanting something like that for my canopy.

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Originally Posted by VladTepes

@Jesters TD5

Can you flick me the details of the gullwing manufacturer please. I am wanting something like that for my canopy.

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Complete Sliding Windows (CSW) are located in SA. Not sure if they are the people who Jesters TD5 dealt with...

Sent a PM but CSW is the company I had build mine. Long lead time, but then I drive a Defender so doing things slowly comes naturally