We all love getting off grid. Taking that trip into the middle of nowhere to get away from the hustle and bustle of the weekday, is essential for recharging your mental wellbeing. Going bush doesn’t always mean you have to leave the comforts of home behind. Although, having an electrical system in a vehicle can get very complicated very quickly. So, to avoid any issues with the headache of wiring up some crazy electrical grid, we’ve chosen to review the one product that can take the hassle out of powering a campsite. The Hard Korr Heavy Duty Battery box comes with all the internal cabling that uses heavy-gauge wiring and quality connectors to run power directly from your solar panels to any 12-volt appliances or accessories.
We love the simplicity of the Hard Korr Heavy Duty Battery Box which allows you to use a deep cycle battery as a portable power source, suitable for a range of battery types including AGM, Lithium, Wet, Gel and Calcium deep-cycle batteries. Its large storage capacity can run a range of different battery sizes up to 330mm x 175mm x 220mm and is compatible up to 130Ah. This is plenty of power for the whole family to enjoy and eliminates any tricky wiring or light installation. We found that the large display panel made it easy to see how much voltage is left in the battery.
The best thing about setting up a portable plug and play system is that it can be transferred easily into another vehicle. Constructed from durable ABS plastic and meeting the UL 94V-0 standard for flammability of plastic products, makes it the most durable and fire-resistant battery box we’ve seen on the market. It boasts an impressive amount of charging options, with two 12v outlets with 10A fuses, a dual USB outlet, four 50A Anderson-style outlets, used as outputs or inputs, and a 175A Anderson-style outlet. This larger Anderson plug is compatible with the Hard Korr jump starter kit. This is such an incredible bonus feature, being able to safely jump start your 4wd without the need for another vehicle, which is great news for forgetful travellers who accidentally leave their lights on.
The features on the Hard Korr battery box just keep coming. Using a battery box combined with the option of fitting a Hard Korr VSR is the easiest way to create a dual battery setup in your vehicle. Please note that this VSR hack will only work with vehicles made prior to 2008. Newer cars have smart alternators which means they are only compatible with DC-to-DC smart charging systems. A product we highly recommend is a Ctek solar controller and battery charger. This smart little gadget will control the voltage from your main battery and secondary battery, automatically switching over to drawing power from the battery that is fully charged. This is a great way to set up a dual battery system in any car with a smart alternator and you can ensure that either battery will never fall below 50%. Hard Korr offer a dual battery wiring kit to make installation easy. Which means if the suns not shining that day and you’re running low on power, the secondary battery can charge off the alternator whilst you drive and vice versa.
The Hard Korr battery box also comes with a mounting strap which secures to the floor of your vehicle or canopy, so you don’t have to worry about a 50kg battery sliding around in the back. It also comes with a strap inside the box to secure the battery in the housing, preventing damage or wires from moving freely. Hard Korr have gone to a lot of effort to really make this design user friendly, with features such as rope handles, making it much easier to carry compared to the traditional plastic lips that most other competitors provide.
It comes in two colours, black or white, to suit the aesthetic of your Caravan, 4wd or motorhome! The versatility and compatibility of a product with multiple input and output power sources allows the Hard Korr heavy duty battery box to truly stand out from the rest.
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