Old Crow
Searching....
Over the weekend I finished up the move of my Hawk from its older F150 to a 2013 Tundra. I had bought the 2001 Hawk and 2001 F150 as a complete rig in December 2014. At the time, I thought I'd replace the F150 within a year but instead grew to like the rig as it was. But the Tundra became available this summer from a family member and I decided it was time to modernize. I had first-hand knowledge of the vehicle through its entire history and it had the options and color I wanted so it was an easy decision.
Here's a shot of the Hawk on the F150.... (click to enlarge)
and here are two of it on the Tundra....
My Hawk has a single AGM battery which powers the LED lights and (occasionally) the furnace. In the old rig, I charged the battery using an inverter to power a 120-volt battery charger. That worked for the way I travel and how little I use the battery. But I didn't want the same setup in the new rig as it was too easy to accidently kill my truck battery with a small mistake (like forgetting to turn it off).
I first thought I'd go with the Blue Sea isolation switch many of you use. But then I started keeping an eye on alternator voltage using a digital voltage display and voltmeter. When I saw the Tundra was only putting out 14.0 volts upon startup and that voltage dropped to 13.4 or lower when it warms up, I decided I'd better go with a DC-DC charger to get charging voltage up to something more in line with battery-manufacturer charging recommendations.
The CTEK D250S came to mind. But as I researched it I learned the new model-- the D250SA-- is available in Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. That model has an option to charge AGM batteries at 14.7 volts (as opposed to the D250S charging at 14.4 volts) so I ordered one from England.
Here's a shot of mine in place...
-Old Crow
Here's a shot of the Hawk on the F150.... (click to enlarge)
and here are two of it on the Tundra....
My Hawk has a single AGM battery which powers the LED lights and (occasionally) the furnace. In the old rig, I charged the battery using an inverter to power a 120-volt battery charger. That worked for the way I travel and how little I use the battery. But I didn't want the same setup in the new rig as it was too easy to accidently kill my truck battery with a small mistake (like forgetting to turn it off).
I first thought I'd go with the Blue Sea isolation switch many of you use. But then I started keeping an eye on alternator voltage using a digital voltage display and voltmeter. When I saw the Tundra was only putting out 14.0 volts upon startup and that voltage dropped to 13.4 or lower when it warms up, I decided I'd better go with a DC-DC charger to get charging voltage up to something more in line with battery-manufacturer charging recommendations.
The CTEK D250S came to mind. But as I researched it I learned the new model-- the D250SA-- is available in Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. That model has an option to charge AGM batteries at 14.7 volts (as opposed to the D250S charging at 14.4 volts) so I ordered one from England.
Here's a shot of mine in place...
-Old Crow