Henry's Blog

[Rok_Dr]

Nothing to do with Henry, but I thought I’d share a pic of his garage companion, Lady Penelope all ribboned up for my son’s wedding last week.

Cheers
Steve

 

[MrMike]

Nothing to do with Henry, but I thought I’d share a pic of his garage companion, Lady Penelope all ribboned up for my son’s wedding last week.

View attachment 7886782

Cheers
Steve

I had that exact model in white with the 3.6lt in it

 

[Rok_Dr]

Battery Box Controller
The next step in my auxiliary battery box solution is a DCDC charger controller box.

I’m a fan of the quality brands, Victron and Redarc and have had a good experiences with both including the Redarc RedVision vehicle management system fitted to my camper trailer. For my use case and to keep things compact I wanted a combined DCDC/solar charger which ruled out Victron. Looking at the Redarc options I rather liked their recently released BCDC Alpha which comes in 25 and 50 amp capacities. Compared to their other DCDC chargers it had some nice features including:

• Bluetooth configuration and monitoring.
• Reverse charging ability. You can charge a flat starter battery from the auxiliary and charge the starter from a solar panel once the aux battery is fully charged

Like all Redarc gear they’re not cheap, but the Christmas sales came to the rescue again and I found one at a good price online. Though I didn’t need the extra capacity I went for the 50 amp model as there wasn’t a lot of difference in price and it will give me a bit of future proofing and growth potential if needed.

Ultimately, I decided to make a separate controller box rather than mounting it to the vehicle or the battery box I bought (more to come on this). Taking inspiration from @DennisM’s box (https://www.theineosforum.com/threads/adding-a-third-battery.12417621/post-1333318547) I made a simpler/smaller one as pictured below.

Rather than putting fuses on/in the box I kept things simple and followed Redarc’s recommendation placing the input fuse close to the start battery on the Anderson pigtail I previously installed. On the other side the Auxiliary battery box already has a fuse. One small downside of the Redarc alpha is that they don’t fit a protective cover over the terminals. I used a small strip of scrap neoprene rubber held down with a few dabs of contact cement, which hopefully will stop any accidental short circuits.

Moving on to the ignition sensor wire, I used a mini fuse piggyback tap with a 3amp fuse. The tap had square ended fuse blades so I had to gently file them back to a taper so it could be easily inserted the fuse box.

The next small challenge was finding a fuse in the interior electrical centre that was ignition switched. Ultimately, I tapped into the Power Mirror 5 amp fuse (FI38) position as it is not a critical circuit, only live when the engine was running and critically had enough clearance around it to allow the tap to seat properly.

First test using my 20year old battery box and AGM battery I had given my son worked all to plan. Once I get my lithium battery (its still on back order!) I'll update this thread with the new battery box and my impressions.

Cheers
Steve

 

[Rok_Dr]

Auxiliary Battery Box and Battery

The last ingredients for my 3rd Aux battery set-up.

Firstly the battery box. As you all know there are plenty of options out there ranging from the cheap and basic to expensive with lots of bells and whistles. One that caught my eye was made by National Luna, It looked well made, had a good selection of outlets and provision for a further 4. The only downside was cost. Thankfully the Christmas sales came to the rescue and with a combination of supplier and eBay discounts I was able to get one at almost 40% off. https://www.nationalluna.com/product/12v-auxiliary-battery-box-blue/

Overall I’m very pleased with the box. It’s well-made and has an additional Anderson outlet compared to the pictures the eBay seller posted. Other things that grabbed me included:

• A decent master switch/circuit breaker and socket outlets are protected with blade fuses.
• Thick battery cables.
• A good instruction booklet with details on how to fit up to 4 additional outlets.
• Outlets are angled to make plugging things in easier.
• National Luna also thoughtfully included a wire pigtail so you can make an adaptor to plug a 240v charger into their propriety NL5 input socket on the box. I’ve spliced this to a Victron pigtail for my 240v Victron charger.

The only rough edge I noted was that they used a 5 mm rod for the U bracket to secure the battery but threaded it for 6mm wing nuts. As a result, there’s not a lot of thread for the nuts to grip on. I think I’ve fixed this with some thread tape but if that doesn’t hold, I’ll source a 6mm threaded rod and bend to suit.

Moving onto the battery it is no surprise I chose lithium given the lighter weight and better usable capacity compared to lead acid. Working out what to buy was a bit of a nightmare though as there a lot of snake oil advertising and FUD statements out there by many suppliers. At the end of the day most suppliers use Chinese components in standard size battery cases and slap their brand on the case. Prices are also all over the place but generally are dropping over time. I went with a local supplier ATG batteries who appear to be part of a larger group I’ve historically used. In January they had a new compact size 150amp-hr Bluetooth battery on back order at a very reasonable price so I took a punt and placed the order. Finally received the battery last week and all appears to be working as advertised. https://atgbatteryshop.com.au/products/atg-batteries-150ah-12v-lifepo4-battery-pre-order-now.

Like most generic batteries it uses a Jiabaida BMS and their generic XiaoXiangElectric monitoring app. The app is nothing fancy, but has enough monitoring functionality (ie SOC, power charge/discharge and history graphs) that I don’t need to add a shunt to the box.

Everything worked as expected in my first test using my Victron 240v charger in supply mode @13v output.

Cheers
Steve

 

[Rok_Dr]

Number Plate Light Shields
Finally after over 6 months patiently waiting, my son printed me a set of number plate light shields.

He also did a very rough draft print of a tow hitch cover with the V embossed in the surface. It looks ok from a couple of metres though. I had to paint both in flat black as he only had grey filament. The V is painted in Alfa Rosso as I had a can in the garage for the Alfa

As the before and after shots illustrate the shields make a perceptible difference particularly closer to the car.

BEFORE

AFTER

Cheers
Steve

 

[Hill Billy]

Hi there. You say your dealer managed to mitigate the 1800-2000rpm resonance. Do you know what they did? Like many others, my diesel trial aster suffers the same problem and desperate to get it sorted. Thanks.

Hi there. Did you get this resolved? If so, how? Fingers crossed. Drives me bonkers

 

[Rok_Dr]

Hi there. Did you get this resolved? If so, how? Fingers crossed. Drives me bonkers

Yes I did reply to you see post #94 in this thread on the 22 December

 

[Rok_Dr]

Time for a bit of catching up.

Firstly back in April I spent a week at the Stirling ranges, staying at the Mt Trio Bush Camp (https://mttrio.com.au/) with some members of the WA Land Rover Club.

I really liked the camp ground. Plenty of room if you only need an unpowered site and views of the Stirling ranges from the top camping area were pretty awesome. The communal areas were also very nice and on the weekend they had live entertainment. From where I was camped it was a bit of a walk to the camp kitchen and showers, however there were plenty of porta loos spread around the camp ground for those midnight visits . For the sandgropers here it would be a good spot for a Grenadier meetup.

The only decent 4wding I did was a day spent around Cheynes beach on the sand tracks and beach. Managed to get Henry bogged for the first time but a few minutes digging and 2 maxtraxs solved the problem. Memo to self…. put the diff locks in before you get bogged.

Campsite with views of the Stirlings.

Mt Trio Bush Camp Kitchen facilities.

Granite outcrops Cheynes Beach

Cheynes Beach

Cheers
Steve

 

[Rok_Dr]

Next adding a small amount of extra fuel capacity.

I’ve been looking at extra fuel storage and rather liked Black Sheep’s spare wheel mounting bracket and round overland fuel cannister solution. Unfortunately, Black Sheep’s Australian agent didn’t stock either and it was a bit too expensive purchasing direct from Europe.

With a little googling I found a round overland fuel canister and mount on ebay, both at a reasonable price.

For the actual bracket, GP factor in the US made a similar bracket to Black Sheep at a cheaper price (https://gp-factor.com/en-au/collect...cts/grenadier-spare-tire-rotopax-mounting-kit)

No problems fitting the overland mount to the GP factor bracket and my spare wheel cover neatly hides the mounted fuel can as well.

I’m still tempted to get a Letech ladder though…..

Cheers
Steve

 

[DenisM]

Re. "...a small amount of extra fuel capacity", I was initially dismissive of the BrownDavis aux. tank offering ....until I convinced myself that it might be worth another look . Now that it's installed and having a 1400km range with a 50km+ reserve (admittedly highway touring, lightly loaded) I wouldn't be without it! Sydney to Brisbane last week via the Pacific Hwy was a breeze!

 

[CRH]

Number Plate Light Shields
Finally after over 6 months patiently waiting, my son printed me a set of number plate light shields.

He also did a very rough draft print of a tow hitch cover with the V embossed in the surface. It looks ok from a couple of metres though. I had to paint both in flat black as he only had grey filament. The V is painted in Alfa Rosso as I had a can in the garage for the Alfa
View attachment 7890283
As the before and after shots illustrate the shields make a perceptible difference particularly closer to the car.

BEFORE
View attachment 7890284 View attachment 7890286

AFTER
View attachment 7890287View attachment 7890288

Cheers
Steve

This was the very first item I added to mine and purchased from the forum shop. Cost a fortune to get to the UK, but worth it, and it supports the forum. I have also added a light on the ladder for reversing when it's dark using one of the exterior electric so sockets, just flick the switch when needed.
I'm getting to the stage where I hate reversing as everyone just ignores the reversing lights and carry on as normal. I have found the extra light makes a couple of them take notice.

 

[m16magni]

Next adding a small amount of extra fuel capacity.

I’ve been looking at extra fuel storage and rather liked Black Sheep’s spare wheel mounting bracket and round overland fuel cannister solution. Unfortunately, Black Sheep’s Australian agent didn’t stock either and it was a bit too expensive purchasing direct from Europe.

With a little googling I found a round overland fuel canister and mount on ebay, both at a reasonable price.

For the actual bracket, GP factor in the US made a similar bracket to Black Sheep at a cheaper price (https://gp-factor.com/en-au/collect...cts/grenadier-spare-tire-rotopax-mounting-kit)

No problems fitting the overland mount to the GP factor bracket and my spare wheel cover neatly hides the mounted fuel can as well.

I’m still tempted to get a Letech ladder though…..

View attachment 7904222
View attachment 7904223

Cheers
Steve

Yes, I am interested in that for water storage as I have the fuel sorted.
The spare wheel bracket for the tank on the Australian site was $165 but is currently sold out https://blacksheep-innovations.au/products/spare-wheel-holder?_pos=1&_sid=038c4293b&_ss=r

When I contacted them in April about getting more stock, they said that the bracket was being redesigned and expected it later this year...see below:

....
From: SALES AUSTRALIA | BLACK SHEEP INNOVATIONS <sales@blacksheep-innovations.au>
Sent: Wednesday, 23 April 2025 4:22 PM
To:
Subject: Re: New customer message on 21 April 2025 at 10:34 pm

Hi Mark

Thanks again for your enquiry. This item is undergoing a redesign by Black Sheep HQ in Switzerland and will be rereleased later this year. It's looking like a full billet aluminium set up and will be worth the wait! I'm afraid I don't have an exact ETA for you, but I'll put you on the waiting list so you're first to know when it does come out.

Many thanks
Tom Rogerson
....

The GP Factor one looks like a good option if I decide I can't wait.
Mark