Tour de France

Questions, tips & observations about taking your Bongo over the water.

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Guru
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Tour de France

Post by Guru » Mon Feb 10, 2014 2:09 pm

Good afternoon all.

I have just bought a Bongo and intend to use it to follow the TdF in July.

We are going to be heading straight towards St Etienne, Alps and then to the Pyrenees and back north of Paris.

We want to be relatively self-sufficenct because it will be more fun but it should also reduce costs.

I have a leisure battery so I immediately think that this can be used to run a fridge. I am unsure though as the port is a cigarette lighter in the back and in the front.

What would you take? I know I need to take some tools but would you take spares too? Should I get an EHU hook up or solar panels fitted?

I am writing this on a mobile so apologies if there are some mistakes.

Thanks,

Andy
Bob
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Re: Tour de France

Post by Bob » Mon Feb 10, 2014 7:10 pm

Hi

I wouldn't rely on the LB to run a fridge for long, but as you will be travelling every day I wouldn't worry too much.

Same with hook up, if you plan to Wild Camp it won't help.

Re tools I like a trolley jack and Breaker Bar, both fairly cheap.

There was a thread on here recently asking for advice on what to carry for a longer trip, a little search should reveal all, sounds great. :D
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Re: Tour de France

Post by Bob » Mon Feb 10, 2014 7:45 pm

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Re: Tour de France

Post by g8dhe » Mon Feb 10, 2014 11:42 pm

A 40+ litre compression fridge will last about 3 days on a 100AmpHr battery, but if you do decent runs each day then no real problem as it will be recharged during the day. It will need dedicated wiring from the battery to the fridge, don't use the power sockets.
If you were thinking of a cool box (Thermoelectric) then forget it they are current heavy and will kill a battery in a few hours.
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Re: Tour de France

Post by mikeonb4c » Tue Feb 11, 2014 9:25 am

One of the solar panel kits supplied by bf member Dodgey could be useful in your situation, in case you want to park up for longer periods.
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Re: Tour de France

Post by Guru » Tue Feb 11, 2014 11:44 am

Thanks for the reponses.

That's a handy link, Bob. I will have a look and buy a few things.

I have looked at dodgey's solar panels and will likely purchase some from him but not for the purpose of this trip.

G8dhe - In order to get the most out of a leisure battery - and not just regarding a fridge - what's the best action to take? As discussed, I currently have two cigarette lighter power sockets.

Thanks again.
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Re: Tour de France

Post by g8dhe » Tue Feb 11, 2014 11:10 pm

The wiring to the rear power socket in a Bongo is a bit on the thin side, so you get a lot of volts drop, its fine for small things, however a Fridge will be looking to grab several Amps at start up of the pump each time dropping to about 1 Amp after that, hence the need for a decent sized cable direct to the L/B - just a fuse 10 Amp close to the battery is needed to protect the cable.

Personally something like the Zig Marque one panel is a good idea, its just a few simple switches and fuses and a voltmeter to keep an eye on the state of the battery, then add a decent 12v 12Amp power supply if you intend to have an EHU, this will then power 12 volt items when on EHU, and charge the L/B (or the S/B with a Zig M1). If you go for a solar panel then I think Dodgy can best advise you and supply the necessary bits as well.
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Re: Tour de France

Post by Dodgey » Wed Feb 12, 2014 10:55 am

A 100w solar panel, in the summer, will power a compressor fridge indefinitely (plus other random stuff like lights, radio etc). You won't need an electric hookup at all, unless you plan on running 240v appliances. No zig, no hookup, nice and simple. If you have a cool box then you won't last more than a few days, but it'll be a few days not just one day.

I have all 3 power sources in my van as I did a self build and electronics is my thing, so it was easy and cheap to install a hookup with mains charger (same as a Zig), and solar all at once. I've used the hookup just once - to test it! All the rest of the time, over 2 years, has been on solar.

I do have a split charging relay system - it's madness not to - they are so cheap and effective and easy to install. Vital if you get caught in overcast weather, then at least your driving every week or so lets the battery catch up, or you can run the engine for 20 mins in an emergency.

Whatever you do, as Geoff says, run a monster cable to your fridge - it makes a lot of difference.
http://www.solarcampersolutions.co.uk Solar panel solutions for campervans
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