Drill logistics trailer

[Fraserb]

Could you have 1 small light on a pir, just enough to let you get the main lights plugged in?

 

[Mursal]

Hit the fob on the keyring as you swing in to load, genny starts and full lights until you hit the kill switch
No leads to the tractor, no messing about and you have a generator in the field if ever needed.

 

[madmatt]

A lot depends on current draw from the lights sixe of battery and also the size and output of the solar panel to recharge. I see distinct advantages to not havjng to plug into the tractor i actually wouldnt use a pir having thought about it but a remote control so as the driver approaches the lights can be turned on.
Saving the driver scrabbling round in the dark plugging in leads which in my honest opinion aint going to last long before some one jumps i a drives off with the plug attached still.

Or as said fob fires up a small genny but then you have to remember to keep this fuelled up etc.

However there is nothing stoping you using the 3 pin plug as a type of split charge for the battery when roading the trailer to and from site. As for over complicating things I cant see that being a worry anything dragging this trailer is going to be a zillion times more over complicated than actually needed!

 

[Lincsman]

A lot depends on current draw from the lights sixe of battery and also the size and output of the solar panel to recharge. I see distinct advantages to not havjng to plug into the tractor i actually wouldnt use a pir having thought about it but a remote control so as the driver approaches the lights can be turned on.
Saving the driver scrabbling round in the dark plugging in leads which in my honest opinion aint going to last long before some one jumps i a drives off with the plug attached still.

Or as said fob fires up a small genny but then you have to remember to keep this fuelled up etc.

However there is nothing stoping you using the 3 pin plug as a type of split charge for the battery when roading the trailer to and from site. As for over complicating things I cant see that being a worry anything dragging this trailer is going to be a zillion times more over complicated than actually needed!

But if there is tractor on it then you wont be unplugging anything and if there isn't he has to plug hydraulics anyway.

 

[Mursal]

Absolutely, just different solutions to the same problem .............

 

[madmatt]

But if there is tractor on it then you wont be unplugging anything and if there isn't he has to plug hydraulics anyway.

Everyone has different ways of doing things!

 

[Clive]

Yep but we would need to know total wattage of work lights and the AH rating of your battery.

@UTV Products ? do you know what that would be ?

 

[Clive]

But if there is tractor on it then you wont be unplugging anything and if there isn't he has to plug hydraulics anyway.

the trailer usually doesn't have a tractor on it - its powered hydraulically from the drill, if the trailer has no power source then it will have to plug into the drill as well if you want the working lights on, something yo would be doing in the dark, it would be nice (but not essential) if the lights were on automatically

 

[Lincsman]

the trailer usually doesn't have a tractor on it - its powered hydraulically from the drill, if the trailer has no power source then it will have to plug into the drill as well if you want the working lights on, something yo would be doing in the dark, it would be nice (but not essential) if the lights were on automatically

Your making it sound like the drill tractor has no lights?..is this how they save fuel and go on GPS only?

 

[Clive]

Your making it sound like the drill tractor has no lights?..is this how they save fuel and go on GPS only?

it has lights but not a lot from the tractor would get to the areas an operator is climbing ladders and filling hoppers etc in safety

the simple solution is plug them in but if I can make a wireless system work without spending more then surely thats better ? if I hadn't got a decent solar panel and battery going spare I doubt i would consider it

none of it is essential, but nice if it can be done without too much bother surely ?

 

[UTV Products]

@UTV Products ? do you know what that would be ?

Hi Clive.

Your 3 loading lights are 12 amps total. The four smaller 3W lights (little rectangular units) are 1amp total and lastly the two oval units are 1.7amps total.

All of the above could be fed through a switchable wireless control unit which we could supply a unit and relay box for which are used for similar applications like spot trailers. You could potentially just have a 3 way changeover switch to go from onboard battery when returning to the trailer to the main front hook up, or the side hook up to the drill tractor. That way you can just flick over between them as required? Should be pretty easy to do really. Would be happy to knock up a diagram for you if that sounds like a plan?

 

[stuart]

Could you have 1 small light on a pir, just enough to let you get the main lights plugged in?

 

[Mursal]

Yes and better than someone slipping on a dark unlit ladder
Low voltage (battery) wireless might be an option charging off the tractor/panel.
Quality would have to be top notch for reliability
This one as an example only, has contacts fit for 5Amps, but easy to let it control a standard 12Volt relay with contacts of any size/amperage. But you still have the problem of charging the storage battery, especially if the drivers forget to switch the lights off.

 

[UTV Products]

We can supply him a 25A relay wireless unit not a problem. Like @Mursal says, the charging is the issue. I think the best bet would just be two batteries, one in the workshop on charge and swap them out each time its used perhaps? Should get at least four or five hours continuous operation of everything on a battery which should be plenty, especially if its in fits and starts.

At worst, for the sake of a wireless relay and a 3 position changeover switch of a decent size, it doesn't hurt to try it?

 

[General-Lee]

With all the talk of pir's and remotes is there a need with the quality of tractor lights nowadays( *edit sorry @Lincsman you beat me too it!! ), you wouldn't be fumbling round in the dark?!

And just have one of these if you have a self contained power plant.

 

[Clive]

Hi Clive.

Your 3 loading lights are 12 amps total. The four smaller 3W lights (little rectangular units) are 1amp total and lastly the two oval units are 1.7amps total.

All of the above could be fed through a switchable wireless control unit which we could supply a unit and relay box for which are used for similar applications like spot trailers. You could potentially just have a 3 way changeover switch to go from onboard battery when returning to the trailer to the main front hook up, or the side hook up to the drill tractor. That way you can just flick over between them as required? Should be pretty easy to do really. Would be happy to knock up a diagram for you if that sounds like a plan?

Thanks for that - how long would a decent 12v battery keep the lights running before flat ? is it possible to work that out ?

 

[Clive]

We can supply him a 25A relay wireless unit not a problem. Like @Mursal says, the charging is the issue. I think the best bet would just be two batteries, one in the workshop on charge and swap them out each time its used perhaps? Should get at least four or five hours continuous operation of everything on a battery which should be plenty, especially if its in fits and starts.

At worst, for the sake of a wireless relay and a 3 position changeover switch of a decent size, it doesn't hurt to try it?

trouble is people forget to put batteries on charge or swap them over, its a job that would be way down the list at a busy drilling time, I have a 2ft sq solar panel in my workshop that came from an old automatic gate we had, I reckon that would keep a battery topped up fairly well ?

 

[Drillman]

Put a couple of batteries on with the solar panel and if it runs out of electricity at any point make it so it can be plugged into the drill tractor as well.

Sorted.

 

[UTV Products]

Hmm. If you are running off the tractor at all times bar when pulling up alongside and hooking up, then I think it would be workable. Based on rough calculations, Id estimate 4 hours if you were running everything continuously on a decent 120ah battery. Now assuming that we say it takes you for the sake of the argument 5 minutes to drive across the field, pull alongside and hook up your lines, and a minute or so to disconnect, That would give you in theory 40 trips there and back before it was flat. This doesn't take into account the tractor charging the battery whilst filling up (assuming you left it running) which would potentially either completely eliminate any discharge or at least exponentially extend it.

 

[Mursal]

120Ah deep cycle battery
120/12A = 9 hours to 50% discharge = 4 hours.
Battery fully charged
Go for a gel type safer than acid battery
Click for calculator