Electrical System Upgrades
The time came for some upgrades to Gold Rush's electrical systems. This included a new starter battery, hood mounted solar panel, new dash camera, a new alarm system, and checking of all electrical connections to make sure everything was good and solid.
Sometimes what you have is working fine, but there are benefits to be had by upgrading to better components with better features. And sometimes things just aren’t working right and need a professional touch. That was the case with Gold Rush's auxiliary electrical system. I tried doing it myself, but things seemed a little sketchy and electrical is not an area you want to take lightly.
So, I took Gold Rush to my trusted guy, James at Las Vegas Overlanding Company, "LasVegasOverlanding.co".
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James started by installing a new starter battery.
The starter battery that was in Gold Rush was good, but it was a side post only battery, and I knew that in the near future I would be installing a new front bumper with a winch. And that winch would need a good solid direct to the battery connection. So, for this reason I replaced the stock side post lead acid battery with a side-post / top-post AMG battery from O'Reilly Auto Parts.
The reason for this is that AMG batteries handle bouncing and shock better than lead-acid batteries. But mostly because I needed the room of the additional top posts to connect the 12,000-pound winch.
Next James checked the entire auxiliary electrical System.
The auxiliary power system had been giving me trouble for some time. I came to find out in my desire to learn how to do the work on my truck myself that I did a fairly poor job on the auxiliary electrical system. I was tired of dealing with it, so I took it to James who gave it the attention it needed. I didn't do too bad a job, but he did find some lose connections and wire connectors. He got everything working like it should.
It was now time to upgrade the auxiliary battery charging.
I decided on one upgrade and one new addition here. First, I had James replace the factory 135-amp alternator with a 400-amp high output alternator. This required upgrading three wires associated with the alternator to handle the higher current.
Next James affixed a solar panel on the hood to help keep the auxiliary batteries fully charged whenever the sun shines. I chose the Lensun 100W Hood Solar Panel. He connected it directly to the solar input on the Renogy DC to DC Charger. I believe these two upgrades will make my auxiliary power system a little more robust making sure I always have power when I need it.
New Dash Camera
The reason I originally went with the Garmin Mini is because I really wanted a dash cam but there are so many advertised that I just didn't know which one to buy. So, I went with the lowest price one I found from a name I trusted. But it was very limited in features.
Now that I have been involved in the off-road community for a while I have met people whose opinion on products I trust. So, I upgraded to the Acumen M4 2/3 Channel Mirror DVR System. It includes three cameras: mirror, front and rear bumper. Plus, many other features.
New Alarm System
And finally, I wanted to upgrade the truck's alarm system. The alarm system I had was working fine, but I decided with the summers being so hot here in Vegas I would enjoy the benefit of remote start so that I could start the truck and cool it down before stepping inside. This new system also has a few helpful features the old system did not. I determined thief will find a way to take it if he/she really wants it. But I've made it a little more difficult for all but the most dedicated thief.
Build your vehicle for off-road adventure, and when the time is right, build it better.
Sometimes what you have is working fine, but there are benefits to be had by upgrading to better components with better features. And sometimes things just aren’t working right and need a professional touch. That was the case with Gold Rush's auxiliary electrical system. I tried doing it myself, but things seemed a little sketchy and electrical is not an area you want to take lightly.
So, I took Gold Rush to my trusted guy, James at Las Vegas Overlanding Company, "LasVegasOverlanding.co".
Continue Reading
James started by installing a new starter battery.
The starter battery that was in Gold Rush was good, but it was a side post only battery, and I knew that in the near future I would be installing a new front bumper with a winch. And that winch would need a good solid direct to the battery connection. So, for this reason I replaced the stock side post lead acid battery with a side-post / top-post AMG battery from O'Reilly Auto Parts.
The reason for this is that AMG batteries handle bouncing and shock better than lead-acid batteries. But mostly because I needed the room of the additional top posts to connect the 12,000-pound winch.
Next James checked the entire auxiliary electrical System.
The auxiliary power system had been giving me trouble for some time. I came to find out in my desire to learn how to do the work on my truck myself that I did a fairly poor job on the auxiliary electrical system. I was tired of dealing with it, so I took it to James who gave it the attention it needed. I didn't do too bad a job, but he did find some lose connections and wire connectors. He got everything working like it should.
It was now time to upgrade the auxiliary battery charging.
I decided on one upgrade and one new addition here. First, I had James replace the factory 135-amp alternator with a 400-amp high output alternator. This required upgrading three wires associated with the alternator to handle the higher current.
Next James affixed a solar panel on the hood to help keep the auxiliary batteries fully charged whenever the sun shines. I chose the Lensun 100W Hood Solar Panel. He connected it directly to the solar input on the Renogy DC to DC Charger. I believe these two upgrades will make my auxiliary power system a little more robust making sure I always have power when I need it.
New Dash Camera
The reason I originally went with the Garmin Mini is because I really wanted a dash cam but there are so many advertised that I just didn't know which one to buy. So, I went with the lowest price one I found from a name I trusted. But it was very limited in features.
Now that I have been involved in the off-road community for a while I have met people whose opinion on products I trust. So, I upgraded to the Acumen M4 2/3 Channel Mirror DVR System. It includes three cameras: mirror, front and rear bumper. Plus, many other features.
New Alarm System
And finally, I wanted to upgrade the truck's alarm system. The alarm system I had was working fine, but I decided with the summers being so hot here in Vegas I would enjoy the benefit of remote start so that I could start the truck and cool it down before stepping inside. This new system also has a few helpful features the old system did not. I determined thief will find a way to take it if he/she really wants it. But I've made it a little more difficult for all but the most dedicated thief.
Build your vehicle for off-road adventure, and when the time is right, build it better.