1st Gen. Lunch Table - General Discussion

LOL! Exactly. A southern AZ classic.

 

I like to play the game; how long will it be out there. I’ve had times were I went inside to get a drink, looked out the window........and it’s gone!!! Or my mom brings crap over because she lives in the county, and I’m like where the eff did this come from?!

 

That’s the second best part, watching them dig for “the good stuff”
And I totally agree, don’t make a mess, commit to your scrapping and take it the way it is.
Lately I’ve seen the jankiest older White-ish econoline, towing an even more broke down double axle trailer that looks like it’s about to implode itself from all the weight.

 

Over here, we call those "Danger Rides". I can't help but think humans who choose to do stuff like that DGAF about who or what they could destroy just so they can haul something around. One of those ladders or chairs falls off on the interstate, it's liable to kill someone. I wish they were smart enough to realize how easily they could catch a manslaughter charge and ruin several lives with those antics. Sadly, "done it dozens of times and nothing bad ever happened" seems like the reasoning or logic behind why it's OK.

 

One man's trash...

 

And our entitled masses complain about paying for student loans and health care. We are so blessed we don't even think about how much more we could be struggling.

 

Well... the time is coming where an car trailer is needed for my operations. Aluma looks like it’ll be the one. 20’ with the front box is 1950lbs empty... this leaves me with ~5300lbs headroom (according to toyota) for cars. Cars I deal with are usually 4200lbs and below... I think this might be the one for me

 

this one actually peaked my interest. i like the idea of a Tilt deck and the option of using ramps..

tilt deck and a winch no go. but tilt decks are nice for running cars... but ramps and a winch is perfect when needed. having the best of both worlds and it weights a bit less (no storage though, i can fix that)
https://www.rondotrailer.com/inventory/2020-aluma-82x20-car-hauler-82-fox-lake

 

I've been thinking about @empty_lord's power sport battery idea. I like it.

Couple questions for the electrical folks around. @bmf4069 @FrenchToasty @empty_lord

To keep the smaller battery topped off, all I need to do is run leads from positive/negative cables to new small battery?

Will the smaller 12v battery mess with the electronics in the truck when the main battery is disconnected? If left hooked to main pos/neg cables.

Whats the best way to add a fuse to my new light strip? Does it have to be on both legs of the circuit, or just on one?

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@Tundra2 here's what I'd do. Add this style fuse from the truck battery + to the aux battery +.

$10 Invincible Marine BR51405 Fuse

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B007ZZHZKG

Have it run to one of these. This allows your little battery to charge but not feed voltage back to the main battery.
https://www.etrailer.com/Accessories-and-Parts/Roadmaster/RM-690.html

Use one of these batteries. SLA batteries are nice since they're ok to take a steady charge, these are what you'll find in emergency lighting, battery backups, etc. They come in all different sizes so you can find one that fits well and they can be mounted in any direction.

$20 UB1250 12V 5AH Sealed Lead Acid (SLA) Battery .187 TT

https://www.amazon.com/UB1250-Sealed-Lead-Acid-Batteries/dp/B001DL9IBC

Add another fuse off the positive here to your lights, a 5 amp is probably more than enough. That way you're protected if something happens to the battery wiring or the light wiring.

 

@Festerw

Great write up, and reccomendation. I'll be looking into this heavily. I didn't really think about it when I was putting the light strips on. The more I've thought about not having a fuse the more its bugged me. Even though I'm guesstimating the amount of amps drawn by the lights is pretty much nilch.

Also, I'm sorry that I keep forgetting about you.

 

I concur.

 

He's a sparky like me, but is more knowledgeable. Everytime I talk car electrics, I'm mainly basing it off of electrical theory, not actual knowledge or experience.

 

It's not really a concern of how much the lights will draw but an insurance policy in case shit goes wrong.

You could also swap that diode above for a relay in which case the lights would never be able to draw power from the main battery but the wiring is a little more complex. It's probably unnecessary in this case since those lights would have to be on for probably days to draw enough power for the truck not to start.

 

Yes, that was the idea. Sorry, I've been dry icing all night. I'm sure I've got some Co2 in the brain.

The first day I messed up, and left the lights on, all day while I was asleep, and on the way to work. I didn't notice they were on until I went out to the 1st break after dark.

I agree with power consumption. Based on my Uh-oh.

 

Suggesting a lighted on/off switch in the cab that would catch your eye.

 

That’s why I was thinking a spring loaded depressing switch(car alarms) mounted so the hood will break the circuit when it’s down/closed, then use a secondary switch like he has inside the engine bay

 

The light from the strips isn't that bright with the hood fully closed, or with the headlights on. It kinda washes it out, if that makes any sense? The pic I posted earlier was with the hood sprung open, but not released with the hood latch.

Although, it would be cool to do a few hidden around the grille that are tied into your in cab switch idea. Maybe?

Thoughts? Too bad blue is illegal. Popo impersonation is class-a felony.

I'll have to investigate the switches, and how to mount them. The toggle seemed to be the easiest way forward for my limited electrical expertise.

 

Mount it along the edge of the fender so the hood pushes it down.

$10 Winnerbe 2Pcs Adjustable Car Truck Bonnet Alarm Light Hood Door Pin Switch 69mm Universal

https://www.amazon.com/Winnerbe-Adjustable-Bonnet-Switch-Universal/dp/B07CPL376T

 

I was LITERALLY just looking at those same exact ones.

I like them, and they have good reviews after verifying that it would work correctly.

 

Was excited so went out, and investigated possible mounting spots. I think I found a relatively easy one by drivers side headlight.

According to my "testing" looks like it will strike the hood here.

 

That’s where most put it. And for the hood get a thick vinyl sticker to put where the head will hit and you won’t have to deal with rust

 

Great idea.