Trail tools—prepared versus overkill

I carry an el cheapo Wally World collapsible hiking pole.

I set it next to my sleeping bag in case my bad knee freezes up and I need the stick to get out of my sleeping bag to pee in the middle of the night. Sometimes its a welcome aid to get up from my Reliance folding toilet.

Sometimes I think that I'd be forced to give up camping altogether at my age without a stick to help me get up.
 
  • Like
  • Haha
Reactions: WSS, DrDmoney, 5632 and 3 others
I mounted a couple ammo cans with locks on the rear wheel wells.
Functional, looks cool, and the locks help when I have to park in a less than luxurious Vegas neighborhood.

One has all my sockets and hand tools.
The other has straps, lights, clamps, rope, duct tape, random hardware.
Haven't had to use any on the trail, but it's a nice feeling to have it on hand.
 
  • Like
Reactions: j8ksdad, mushdogs, Jerry Bransford and 1 other person
Wildman said:
High Lift Handle All
Click to expand...

Been meaning to ask, how do you like it? I was going to buy one, but I do not like the pin in the middle of the handle. I know that is going to be the first thing my hand is going to smack and cut open. I was trying to think of a solution, but never came up with anything.

Wildman said:
Max Ax
Click to expand...

Has that been worth the $250?

Wildman said:
Ready Welder
Click to expand...

Do you just plug it straight to your battery and you can weld on your rig? Is it a wire/flux?
 
Last edited:
This site contains affiliate links for which Jeep Wrangler TJ Forum may be compensated.
motomick76 said:
Been meaning to ask, how do you like it? I was going to buy one, but I do not like the pin in the middle of the handle. I know that is going to be the first thing my hand is going to smack and cut open. I was trying to think of a solution, but never came up with anything.



Has that been worth the $250?



Do you just plug it straight to your battery and you can weld on your rig? Is it a wire/flux?
Click to expand...

Actually I WON the Max Ax in a raffle one year at the PNW4WDA Trail Jamboree. I bought about $150 in raffle tickets and made a killing that year. Got the Max Ax, A Hi-Lift jack, wireless remote for a Warn winch & some other items that I can't remember right now.

No the Ready Welder is powered from the Primer Power welder unless I am welding on my rig. That is the only time I can't weld with the Ready Welder. Yes it wire flux but it does have a hose connection if I wanted to bring a small bottle of Argon mix with me. I've never tried it.
 
  • Wow
Reactions: motomick76
I carry a lot of tools. One bag with all the hand tools you need to take an entire Jeep apart, BFH, pry bar probably weighs 60 pounds all in. 20v impact and sockets, Viair kit, flat repair kit, some spare parts. Over 100 pounds of stuff I’d guess. I’ve used almost all of it to fix other people rigs.

Now that I’m trailering I am planning to mount a tool box on the trailer and dump everything but the recovery gear and a few other items in there. Also dropping the spare and mounting a retainer to the trailer so it won’t get stolen easily. Tired of bottoming out over every ledge.
 
Wildman said:
No the Ready Welder is powered from the Primer Power welder unless I am welding on my rig. That is the only time I can't weld with the Ready Welder.
Click to expand...

I am confused. :unsure: So you cannot hook up Ready welder to your vehicle and weld on someone elses? You need the Primer Power to weld on another vehicle? You can hook up the Ready Welder to your vehicle and weld on your vehicle?
 
motomick76 said:
I am confused. :unsure: So you cannot hook up Ready welder to your vehicle and weld on someone elses? You need the Primer Power to weld on another vehicle? You can hook up the Ready Welder to your vehicle and weld on your vehicle?
Click to expand...

Maybe I'm not explaining it correctly.

So the Premier Power welder can be used to weld on my rig or other peoples rigs with no issues. I carry welding rod with me for that purpose and have fix a few rigs on the trail. Then as for the Ready Welder it can be hooked up to the Premier Power welder instead of having to use batteries. The only thing is that you cannot weld on your own rig with the Ready Welder if powered by the Premier welder. It will fry the alternator if I remember right. But I can weld on others with the Ready Welder when it's powered by the Premier welder. If I want to use the Ready Welder on my rig I have to use batteries instead of the Premier welder.

Does that clear it up?
 
20210106_101057.jpg
 
  • Like
Reactions: WSS
motomick76 said:
I am confused. :unsure: So you cannot hook up Ready welder to your vehicle and weld on someone elses? You need the Primer Power to weld on another vehicle? You can hook up the Ready Welder to your vehicle and weld on your vehicle?
Click to expand...
Stick welding is CC or constant current, wire is CV or constant voltage. CV wrecks stuff quicker. Both can do harm but CV is always "hunting". Oh, HF cooks stuff like brain matter, similar to a microwave (for you tig fans) LOL
 
  • Like
Reactions: motomick76
@WSS yes I remember when you were working that all out. Once I get this rig running again I'll work on some ideas I've had. But I REALLY like how you did that.
 
  • Like
Reactions: motomick76
WSS said:
That is how mine is hooked up. In order to weld, both batteries are isolated.

View attachment 216008

View attachment 216009

View attachment 216010
Click to expand...

@WSS thanks for the pictures and drawing. Correct me if I am wrong, you have a dual battery setup. When you have to weld, you 'isolate' your batteries by your yellow connectors disconnecting them entirely from vehicle. Then you connect it in series so you have 24v to weld with? What is the device between the yellow connectors?
 
motomick76 said:
@WSS thanks for the pictures and drawing. Correct me if I am wrong, you have a dual battery setup. When you have to weld, you 'isolate' your batteries by your yellow connectors disconnecting them entirely from vehicle. Then you connect it in series so you have 24v to weld with? What is the device between the yellow connectors?
Click to expand...

It's a battery isolator because you can't have your two batteries hard wired together. No two batteries are a perfect match and if one is lower than the other it will discharge the higher one. And back and forth until they are both dead.

So there are two ways that I know of to handle this. One is with a battery isolator which does everything automatically like a Detroit locker. The other way is with a switched solenoid like I have. It's more like a ARB where you only turn it on when you need it.
 
  • Like
Reactions: motomick76
I have a kit that is like this:

250 Amp Weatherproof Dual Battery Control System | Painless Performance

But from Wrangler Power Products. :Dirty Parts with the tray & switch and everything else. Not sure if it's gunna fit with the Metal Cloak fenders or not. But I'll deal with that when I get to it.

Dual batteries with the switched isolator was popular 10-15 years ago. Now it seems a lot of people don't even have dual batteries on their rigs anymore. Many don't feel the need for them. But I know on some of the LONGER winch hills around here you could pull cable/rope 2-3 times to get up the hill. And that will drain a battery in no time.

This is a battery isolator:
Amazon.com: Renogy 200A Battery Isolator Compatible with Lead-acid Batteries-Renogy Deep Cycle Pure GEL Battery and Renogy Deep Cycle AGM Battery: Automotive

They were more popular 20+ years ago and becasue of that a lot of JUNK ones became available. So then they got a bad reputation so then folks went for the system like I have. As long as you buy a quality isolator you should be good.
 
  • Like
Reactions: WSS
motomick76 said:
@WSS thanks for the pictures and drawing. Correct me if I am wrong, you have a dual battery setup. When you have to weld, you 'isolate' your batteries by your yellow connectors disconnecting them entirely from vehicle. Then you connect it in series so you have 24v to weld with? What is the device between the yellow connectors?
Click to expand...
It is a combiner/isolator.

https://www.hellroaring.com/battery1.php
I have made isolator and combiner gigs before but this one is all inclusive and solid state, no moving relays. It has three modes, all 12v, combine, isolate and charge each. When combined, it charges both (as Rick mentioned, to the weaker specs), in isolate,each one gets same charge, in "auto", each one gets charged to it's capacity. Works really good. I have forgot and left the door cracked for a day and came back to a dead batt. Flip the swith and it fires up, then charges in bulk.

wiring kit:
IMG_1127_zpsd1zxlxfw.jpg


It's tiny:
IMG_1126_zpstfhrnppa.jpg


Better pic of it hooked up:
IMG_2010_zps6taqla8x.jpg


attached to the tuffy console:
IMG_1169_zpsjy6zfz76.jpg


Here it is all dirty from days on the trail:
IMG_6691.jpg
 
  • Like
Reactions: motomick76
My system isn't as involved but I have a normal setting where it charges both batteries at the some time but their isolated from one another. Then there is the emergency setting used if your main battery is dead you flip the switch or if you're winching you can link the two batteries together to keep your overall charge higher. and then the off setting where it turns off the isolator but then it's only charging the main battery and the Aux battery isn't being charged.

It just depends on what you want to do or if you even need dual batteries.
 
  • Like
Reactions: motomick76 and WSS
Top Bottom
Back