Blake Mason and Garth Smith are the owners and operators of Aussie4x4Touring, a social media based company that started as a small hobby and has grown into a successful 4WD scene business.
Aussie4x4Touring organise events, charity work and share their stories and those of their followers about exploring Australia on and off road.
Blake's Nissan TD42 Patrol and Garth's 2.5 Mitsubishi Triton are both kitted out for two different types of touring. They cover a lot of different ground in the 4WD scene. Blake’s Patrol is setup for the more heavy type of 4wdriving where only few would be game enough to go, while Garth's setup suits caravan touring and tackling the odd dirt road that comes along the way.
They have been using REDARC products for many years with a Tow-Pro Elite in Garth’s Triton and both rigs equipped with REDARC's dual battery isolators making them ready for extended travel.
When the boys were in the market for a reliable AC-DC charger to keep their batteries topped up and maintained, at home in the garage, they reached out to REDARC and hooked themselves up with a new SmartCharge battery charger by DEFA.
After being let down by other trickle chargers in the past, naturally they had some questions.
Will it work for me? And what size charger would you recommend?
Here are their answers in their own words.
Couldn't be easier
If it works for us, it will work for you. All REDARC products are user friendly so there isn't an issue with installing and operating their products.
The AC-DC charger is so easy to use, just mount it in the garage, shed or in the back of your 4wd, camper, caravan so it’s on hand to use anywhere anytime you have 240 volt.
The Smart Charge charger will provide battery charging for a huge variety of vehicles and equipment. From cars, 4wds, boats, motorbikes, and all recreational vehicles. A huge reason why we had to have the smart charger with our large batteries.
Our 6amp AC-DC Battery Charger is kept in the back of the Nissan Patrol and keeps the 120 Ah battery charged up to keep the fridge cold and the compressor primed and ready to inflate the 33’s after an afternoon on the beach or a big day in the bush exploring.
For myself and Garth we like simple and easy to use. With the Smart Charge Battery Charger it's three easy steps,
1) Connect smart charger to your battery, red clamp to positive, grey clamp to negative.
2) Plug the main plug into your 240v wall socket.
3) Turn the smart charger on and it will automatically do all the work for you till your battery is perfectly charged and ready for your next adventure.
To disconnect the charger start from step 3 and work back to 1.
Features that we like on the AC-DC charger
The charger thinks for itself and works out the type of battery you have and what charge it will provide to obtain the best battery charge rate without causing damage to the battery or your charger.
Battery types that are ideal for the SmartCharger
Lead acid, AGM, Gel, Lead Crystal, and even LiFePO batteries.
Why we need a SmartCharge battery charger
When we are not on the road the 4WD’s stay in the garage, we don't want the batteries going flat and getting damaged so we keep the batteries charged at all times. We've finally found a battery charger that actually works.
How an AC-DC charger has helped our setup
We spend countless hours and money on our vehicles, so it’s just as important to maintain the battery systems that keep the fridge, freezer and compressor going. By plugging the charger in and keeping your batteries charged you'll prolong their life and it really has helped us staying charged.
Still not sure?
This range of SmartChargers are rated to IP65, meaning they can be outdoors and in damp environments, and are available in 4, 6, 8 and 10 Amp models.
The 4A Smart Charge is well suited for use on batteries rated from 4 to 120Ah.
The 6A Smart Charge is well suited for use on batteries rated from 10 to 150Ah.
The 8A Smart Charge is well suited for larger batteries from 20 to 200Ah.
The 10A Smart Charge is well suited for use on batteries from 30 to 250Ah.
We have used a few different battery chargers throughout the years and they have ended up in the bin from not working or not giving out a steady charge. With REDARC's SmartChargers by DEFA we can not fault this amazing charger at all. Setup and pack up is such a breeze.
And don’t stress if you leave the charger on for long periods of time, because the Smart Charge Battery Charger will go into sleep mode once the battery is completely charged and will start a new charge sequence after 7 days or if the voltage of the battery drops below 12.6V.
Be part of the Aussie4x4Touring community by following their Facebook page or kit yourself out with their hugely popular merch from their online store.
