THE PORTAL HUB - Pinzgauers, Haflingers, Volvo 303s and more!

I run a blue top optima in the back of my pickup connected to the trailer charge circuit. The air compressor and rear winch run off of this battery which allows me to not worry about draining the truck to a non start while working. I also take this battery out with the air compressor and toss it into the pinz for a mobile 12v air solution.

I'm at the stage where i want to install a 12v battery in the pinz for the same purpose. Its also nice for a stereo while camping without, again, fear of a non start.

I have a 40amp 24v-12v inverter. Can i install the battery on the 12v side of the inverter? I understand it would be fine as long as the battery is fully charged, but what happens if i completely discharge the 12v battery and then start the Pinz? Will that inverter work at max load until it raises the voltage of the battery back to 12v? Its going to get pretty warm and suck quite a bit of amperage from the stock alternator. Is there something that will let me limit the current for recharge of the battery, yet still allow me to use it for powering my 12v accessories while driving?

I keep a 12v 100 AH battery in my pinz for aux power mainly for the ham radio. I am hesitant to use my 24/12 converter to recharge it. I have yet to find a converter (of reasonable price) whose manufacture rates it for battery charging. My solution is a 2K Honda generator with a built in 12v charging function. I know others on the board are charging their “house” battery with their 24/12 converter. I suspect this maybe a potential cause of problems down the road.

A 12V battery usually has a 14-15V source to charge it. If your inverter is steady at 12V then you need to wait until the battery is partially failing (<12V) before it will accept a charge from a 12V source.

The other concern I would have, is that if you find a way to get more than 12V to your stand alone battery when will it stop charging? ... a regulator is designed for this and directly wiring a source to the battery means you need to be the manual regulator.

I have been pondering the same dilemma, and was starting to consider a regulator from a motorcycle or ATV (low wattage) wired from my converter ... the diodes should prevent backfeed, and the regulator should prevent over charging.

If you find a solution please let us all know, thanks.

What would be sweet would be if an easy (and cheep) way to mount one of the little NiponDenso alternators that are popular with the street rod crowd. Haven’t figured out if it could be done without the need for a two belt crank pulley.

Through searching the forums, I see the way to go is a 30 amp magneto. I'd love to have a conversation with someone who has already accomplished this.