Questions: Track & Trail set-up. Charging & Transport.

[flailer]

Hey all,

I’m a Total Noob to electrics, but vet of gas, street riding, sumo-track, woods, & enduro.

I’m seriously considering getting a Varg, but will not until I figure out transportation & track support configurations. I’m leaning towards a cargo trailer w 800 to 1,500 watts of solar on top, 9 12V batteries, or 4 24V batteries , and an inverter of course.

In this config I could load any number of toys & tools, as well as put a small kitchenette & lounger inside. Seems like it would work both e-toys as well as gas for Dirt track, Sumo track, & deep woods. A huge plus is that it should make make cross country trips much more viable, which is also a LARGE consideration.

While I’m no longer into quads, surfing, or river-running, it should work well there too. It seems like this configuration would be a major overkill for my frequent mtn biking & overnighters, but I don’t mind as I wouldn’t take it if the benefits weren’t worth it. I have other uses for a trailer as well, and a cargo trailer is a fairly good option in that regard.

It seems like cost is the only negative. Something like $5k + cost of trailer.. So $10k plus or minus $1k. But I could carry all the tools, tires, bits, parts, pieces, riding gear, as well as swap out wheel-set! And that makes it priceless in my book.

Perhaps you guys can share what you are doing? And maybe someone here, anyone here, can pick on the weakest points or limitations of what I’ve spelled out?

Thanks.

F

 

[LTJ]

Maybe not exactly what you are looking for, but I bought an aluminum utility trailer and built a structure on it for a shower, stove, RTT, shade, and marine battery to power shower and lights. It's an open trailer as I still want to use it for dump runs. It was worked out very well for dirt bike camping (holds 3 dirt bikes) and I also added a hitch carrier to carry 3 mountain bikes. If I was to take the Varg up in the mountains, I would take my existing yamaha 2000W gas generator to charge up between rides, but probably would eventually get a larger generator. The trailer was used for $300, the metal was $1000.

 

[flailer]

Maybe not exactly what you are looking for, but I bought an aluminum utility trailer and built a structure on it for a shower, stove, RTT, shade, and marine battery to power shower and lights. It's an open trailer as I still want to use it for dump runs. It was worked out very well for dirt bike camping (holds 3 dirt bikes) and I also added a hitch carrier to carry 3 mountain bikes. If I was to take the Varg up in the mountains, I would take my existing yamaha 2000W gas generator to charge up between rides, but probably would eventually get a larger generator. The trailer was used for $300, the metal was $1000......

Oh wow man, that is a completely awesome configuration !!

See, that's exactly what I'm asking about!! and the info you provided about having a shower too is PERFECT. Great idea!

Right now I'm limited to either my truck or van, and neither are kitted half as well as I'd like.. Yours is a great role model.

You put the hitch-receiver for bicycle rack on the back? I didnt see it in the pics.

 

[LTJ]

Thanks! You can see on the shelf below the bbq and stove is another hitch mount I welded in place. I can fit a 3 rail mtb bike rack there. I haven't used that feature yet (at least not towing with my truck). I will need to run an extended hitch (sold on amazon) so the bike rack doesn't hit the camper shell on my truck when I make turns.

Also, I welded this whole thing together with a cheap Harbor Freight flux core welder ($129). It has since died (replaced with a sweet Hobart multi welder), but got my money's worth to build this thing. Also a good investment is a good chop saw to cut steel tubing. I used a grinding chop saw and it was okay, but since upgraded to a blade shop saw. Cuts like butter.

The shower works with a cheap amazon water pump hooked up to my marin battery. I also put in party led lights inside the structure to light things up nicely. I have yet to put on a RTT, as I'm deciding if I really need it, or make one, or buy one. I have a camper shell on my truck with a deck drawer system and foam mattress. My truck (raptor) has the shorter bed, but I can lay diagonally in the bed comfortably (I'm 6 ft).

 

[flailer]

Thanks! You can see on the shelf below the bbq and stove is another hitch mount I welded in place. I can fit a 3 rail mtb bike rack there. I haven't used that feature yet (at least not towing with my truck). I will need to run an extended hitch (sold on amazon) so the bike rack doesn't hit the camper shell on my truck when I make turns.

Also, I welded this whole thing together with a cheap Harbor Freight flux core welder ($129). It has since died (replaced with a sweet Hobart multi welder), but got my money's worth to build this thing. Also a good investment is a good chop saw to cut steel tubing. I used a grinding chop saw and it was okay, but since upgraded to a blade shop saw. Cuts like butter.

The shower works with a cheap amazon water pump hooked up to my marin battery. I also put in party led lights inside the structure to light things up nicely. I have yet to put on a RTT, as I'm deciding if I really need it, or make one, or buy one. I have a camper shell on my truck with a deck drawer system and foam mattress. My truck (raptor) has the shorter bed, but I can lay diagonally in the bed comfortably (I'm 6 ft).

Welp, I don't like sounding stupider than usual, but what's an RTT ? I thought it would come to me after your first post, but I still don't get it.

 

[LTJ]

Roof top tent

 

[flailer]

Roof top tent

thanks!
yeah, I'm looking to use the inside of the cargo trailer for overnighting.. but it's likely to be rarely used that way. Like you the truck , or van, should work quite well for that.

 

[Philip]

Cool thread! I have been towing a closed cargo trailer behind my camper van. I like it, it gives me more room in the van, but the whole train is longer and heavier. Plusses and minuses in everything, as expected.

9 12V batteries, or 4 24V batteries

How did you calculate this, and are they lead-acid or lithium batteries? I won't touch lead acid for anything mobile or deeply and frequently dischargeable.

 

[flailer]

Cool thread! I have been towing a closed cargo trailer behind my camper van. I like it, it gives me more room in the van, but the whole train is longer and heavier. Plusses and minuses in everything, as expected.


How did you calculate this, and are they lead-acid or lithium batteries? I won't touch lead acid for anything mobile or deeply and frequently dischargeable.

Hey MrDudeMan,

Welllll... please do take my numbers with a large grain of salt, I know I am. And I'll recalculate again when I get to the actual build stage.

If memory serves I calculated them "backwards" from the voltage inverter (that someone here recommended.) I looked at the draw of said inverter & realized that it would take 4.1 times the battery capacity of my last solar build ( for my tiny RV, a B+ , with minimal electrical draw, no microwave usage etc.)

If memory serves I left a healthy bit of elbow room on the battery side of things, but not on the solar panel side of things as I figured I'd be arriving at track with the bike and cargo trailer's (edit) batteries already fully charged.

The panels, even at 1,500w would be a slow charge of the cargo trailer's batteries. shrugs. I really don't think there is enough roof-top space on a cargo trailer to build a fast charge system, so I didnt even look in that direction. So, I focused on battery capacity, and less so on solar capacity. Heck you have the space in the cargo trailer, you could store panels inside & lay 'em out the ground if you think it wise .. BUT it prolly not, at the track anyway.

There are plenty of online calculators for crunching these numbers. We have to take losses on the part of the invert (~10%) into account as well. Huh.

Considering where you are located, I'd think that there are TONS of people doing solar. Professional installers to rank amateurs like me. Heck, the sales people I dealt with, for Solar panels, charges, batteries, cabling, fuses, Switches, & connectors (every bit I needed to get the job done) were very helpful, and didn't try to over-sell me.

Your mileage may vary.

 

[Philip]

Stark Varg has a ~7 kWh battery. It would be very good to have ~7 kWh of lithium batteries in your trailer so that you could bring a fully charged bike to the track, drain the battery, and then charge it one more time. That would be a very good and long day of riding. Of course, it all depends on your battery-draining skills. Also, if you have a large solar array like the one that you are dreaming about, then you will be adding about 2 - 7 kWh of charge from solar in a day, which would help you ride much longer, and may even let you get away with a smaller battery array.

Or you could just buy a portable gas generator for $1K and not worry about lithium and solar. But that is noisy, smelly, and not as cool. But very cheap in comparison to other options. And you will quickly learn how much charge you will actually need for your average track day. And then you can sell that generator once you find better alternatives and get most of your money back.

Or you could install an under-hood second alternator on your truck and use that as a generator and/or to top off your batteries. Lots of options.

In any case, make sure your inverter or generator has a 240V output. That will be a lot less waiting for your bike to charge. You may not even have to wait at all because you will need to rest sometimes, and once you are rested the bike will be ready to ride again.

 

[flailer]

Stark Varg has a ~7 kWh battery. It would be very good to have ~7 kWh of lithium batteries in your trailer so that you could bring a fully charged bike to the track, drain the battery, and then charge it one more time. That would be a very good and long day of riding. Of course, it all depends on your battery-draining skills. Also, if you have a large solar array like the one that you are dreaming about, then you will be adding about 2 - 7 kWh of charge from solar in a day, which would help you ride much longer, and may even let you get away with a smaller battery array. Or you could just buy a portable gas generator for $1K and not worry about lithium and solar. But that is noisy, smelly, and not as cool. But very cheap in comparison to other options. And you will quickly learn how much charge you will actually need for your average track day. And then you can sell that generator once you find better alternatives and get most of your money back. Or you could install an under-hood second alternator on your truck and use that as a generator and/or to top off your batteries. Lots of options. In any case, make sure your inverter or generator has a 240V output. That will be a lot less waiting for your bike to charge. You may not even have to wait at all because you will need to rest sometimes, and once you are rested the bike will be ready to ride again.

Standing Ovation

Plus, under your system I could switch the charging system from the cargo trailer, to the van, or RV, or even the truck in just a couple of minutes. Try that with solar panels!! .. Going to the local sumo track: use the truck. Going to the woods: use the van. Going cross country use the RV towing the cargo trailer. Yep.

Cheaper, faster & stronger. In short solar is a luxury. I know that, and people who aren’t willing to admit it are (typically) useful “idgets” for political causes. smFh.

Still thinking out loud: I’d still want a back-up battery bank. If the Varg had swap-able battery, I’d just get a second MC battery. And that would be, BY FAR, the best.. That way I wouldn’t have to listen to the generator charging the 2nd Varg battery, as I would be on the track or trail while it is charging.

For anyone considering any of these options remember that the inverter is going to waste approximately 10%. If we don’t account for that we’d never.. not even once, never ever get a full charge.

But who am I?

p.s. I have both solar & generator built into my RV. The RV came equipped w the generator, but still I added solar.. not because it’s “green” -solar isn’t green by the way- but I added it for personal preferences. I like coming back into camp with everything already to go, fully charged, ready to relax, and not listen to a freak’n azz-h0e generator

p.p.s. I’d rather not run my truck or van or RV engine to charge anything up.. except while running down the road to my destination.