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Proven & Unbiased Information from Collyn Rivers

♦ travel trailers ♦ motorhomes ♦ camper trailers ♦ solar ♦

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Featured article

LiFePO4 jump starters really do work – they power other things too

by Collyn Rivers

LiFePO4 Jump Starters

Despite their very small batteries LiFePO4 jump starters really do work. This article by Collyn Rivers explains how and why. A lot of power (the rate at which energy is used) is needed. The amount of energy (the ability to perform work) required, however, is surprisingly small. In the days of vintage cars, a strong 55 kg (120 lb) women could hand crank start a 4.5 litre Bentley with relative ease.

kangaroo_jump_start

Pic: courtesy of kangaroo-jump-start

LiFePO4 jump starters really do work

There is a good reason why LiFePO4 jump starters really do work. The power required to start a 4WD engine in good working order is 400 to 600 amps. This may seem a lot, but it’s rarely for more than three seconds.

The actual energy drawn in doing so is tiny. It is (say) 600 amps for (at most) five seconds. That 600 amps for five seconds is a mere 0.8 amp. An 18 amp-hour lead acid battery thus has sufficient energy. It cannot, however, release that energy at the power level required.

Even an 18 amp-hour LiFEPO4 battery, however, can (and will) release well over 1000 amps. They can readily be discharged at 400-600 amps. Because of this, they can start a big 4WD many times.

LiFePO4 jump starters really do work – for emergency back-up use

Eighteen or so amp-hours (at a LiFePO4’s typical 13 volts) is not a huge amount of energy. It’s about 230-watt hours. Nevertheless, in an emergency, half of its capacity can be used to run a mobile phone or iPod for several days. It will then still restart a big engine a few times.

Everything you need to know (and more) about RV electrics is in: Caravan & Motorhome Electrics. Collyn’s other RV books are Caravan & Motorhome Book, and the Camper Trailer Book. His books on solar are Solar That Really Works (for RVs). Solar Success is for home and property systems.

To quote Caravan World:  ‘Collyn Rivers has put his encyclopedic knowledge into print . . . there is virtually no issue he hasn’t covered.’ Bio.

Articles by Category

<Click on a category below to see the related articles>

Electrical (general)
Batteries & Battery Charging
Trailer/Tow Vehicle Behaviour & Suspension
General
Travel
The Camper Trailer Book

Want to find out more? Our books cover all these topics and a lot more. 

Cover of How to Choose and Buy an RV by Collyn RiversWhether you’re buying your first RV or updating to a bigger, more comfortable rig, there are a great many things you need to know and consider. How to Choose and Buy an RV breaks things down so that you can decide what you want and whether or not what you’ve found is right for you.

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Cover of Solar That Really Works by Collyn RiversSolar That Really Works! explains every detail of designing and installing solar in boats, camper trailers, travel trailers and motorhomes.

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Cover of Caravan and Motorhome Electrics by Collyn RiversCaravan & Motorhome Electrics covers every aspect of designing, installing and fault finding of the electrics in fifth wheel and conventional travel trailers, camper trailers and motorhomes.

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Cover of The Caravan and Motorhome Book by Collyn RiversThe Caravan & Motorhome Book covers every conceivable aspect of camper trailer, travel trailer and fifth wheel travel trailer, campervan and motorhome usage.

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Cover of Why Caravans Roll Over by Collyn RiversTravel trailers and their tow vehicles rarely jack-knife and roll over – but when they do the results are catastrophic. The cause, and how to prevent it, is explained here. Why Caravans Roll Over offers solid advice for keeping yourself safe on the road.
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Cover of Solar Success by Collyn RiversSolar Success explains how to design and build home and property systems that ensures affordable solar success first and every time.

 

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Between 1959 and 1961 Collyn Rivers and Antony Fleming drove a Bedford QLR off-road truck twice the length and breadth of Africa studying road surface conditions.

A 43 minute film about their adventure, produced and narrated by Antony Fleming, has been viewed on YouTube more than 1.6 million  times!

Picture from Africa journey. Caravan and Motorhome Electrics by Collyn Rivers

To view the film, and also read Collyn’s telling of the tale, just click the button below.

Africa 

Cover of How to Choose and Buy an RV by Collyn RiversWhether you’re buying your first RV or updating to a bigger, more comfortable rig, there are a great many things you need to know and consider.  This book breaks things down so that you can decide what you want and whether or not what you’ve found is right for you. It’s technically sound and comprehensive so that you can proceed with complete confidence.  How to Choose and Buy an RV is the ultimate guide for those times when you want to, well, choose and buy an RV.

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Cover of Why Caravans Roll Over by Collyn RiversTravel trailers and their tow vehicles rarely jack-knife and roll over – but when they do the results are catastrophic. The cause, and how to prevent it, is explained here.  Why Caravans Roll Over offers solid advice for keeping yourself safe on the road.

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Cover of Caravan and Motorhome Books by Collyn RiversCaravan & Motorhome Electrics is the totally rewritten successor to the original globally selling Motorhome Electrics. The book’s content now also covers every aspect of designing, installing and fault finding of the electrics in fifth wheel and conventional travel trailers, camper trailers and motorhomes.

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Cover of Solar Success by Collyn RiversSolar Success explains how to design and build home and property systems that ensures affordable solar success first and every time.

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Home Page - rv books, Collyn Rivers, rv books for beginners, solar books, best rv books, rv repair books, solar success, caravan and motorhome electrics, solar that really works, The caravan and motorhome book, why caravans roll over, how to choose and buy an rvThe Caravan & Motorhome Book covers every conceivable aspect of camper trailer, travel trailer and fifth wheel travel trailer, campervan and motorhome usage. Like all of Collyn Rivers’ books it is technically sound yet written in plain English.

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Cover of Solar That Really Works by Collyn RiversSolar That Really Works! explains, in clear English, every detail of designing and installing solar in boats, camper trailers, travel trailers and motorhomes. It is up-to-date, valid globally and technically accurate. It is clear, concise and easy to follow without sacrificing important detail.

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How to Choose and Buy an RV

This is Collyn Rivers’ newest book.  Building on his years of experience and extensive knowledge of engineering and all things travel trailer and RV, this is the book you need with you when shopping for an RV.

Caravan & Motorhome Electrics

Collyn Rivers has done it again! – if you need to know anything about motorhome electrics, then this book is for you… Collyn must be, without doubt, the foremost authority in Australia on this subject.

The Wanderer (Campervan & Motorhome Club of Australia Ltd)

Why Caravans Roll Over….and How to Prevent It​

Should be compulsory reading for everyone involved with Travel trailers: Design / Engineering, Marketing, Journalism (print & electronic), Regulations, Inspections, Driver-Training, Travel Trailer Clubs, Towing and Modifications.

Colin Young

Founder and CEO, Caravan Council of Australia

Solar that Really Works!

Collyn is an accomplished engineer who knows how to design and build successful systems. It is refreshing to see practical advice written in plain language when there is so little solar information around. . . this is an essential text . . . you won’t find a better guide.

Alan T. Gray

Earth Garden Magazine

The Caravan & Motorhome Book

Without doubt, this is the best book we have ever read . . . it will be treasured, and read on a regular basis.

The Wanderer (Campervan & Motorhome Club of Australia Ltd)