Bill Davidson wrote:

> even with a robust wire connection to an auxiliary battery (I have 4 gauge)
> you will only get about, say, 20 amps going into the  aux battery (less if
> the battery is not discharged very much)... with the less robust set ups
> like the Hella that Busdepot sells or using the stock wiring you would get
> maybe 8 or 10 amps...
>
> even considering the 20 amp possibility that would be only 5 amps hours into
> the aux battery in 15 minutes...
>
> I have a 3 amp hour solar panel which means in the summer when the sun is
> high it will charge something like 24 amp hours in a day (3 x 8 = 24, but
> probably more like 20 due to sun angles, etc.)...
>
> You would have to run the engine about an hour each day to get the same
> amount of charge even with a robust aux battery set up (with the wimpy set
> up it would take more like two hours)....
>
> If I used two 3 amp hour solar panels it would take about 2 to 4 hours of
> engine time to equal the daily charge of the solar panels...
>
> also...personally I don't like the sound of my engine running when I'm
> camping... or the exhaust fumes...
>
> also... if your battery is dead you can't start your engine... but a solar
> panel will recharge the battery so you can start the engine :)

Bill,
I wasn't aware the garden variety, affordable panels would produce that much
juice. Thanks for the info, it does make more sense with that kind of power.
I'm not sure about the dead battery, though. At 20 amp hours, it appears it may
take three days to charge a 60 AH battery! Maybe just two to get it up enough to
start.
Larry