No electric...tips

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shellebage

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Hi all, I'm moving my boy to a yard without electric, doesn't bother me at all but any tips?

I have to sort some electric fencing, I've got everything I need but I'm wondering about charging the battery? Is there such thing as a solar panel that will trickle feed the battery so I don't have to keep recharging it at home?

Also any tips and hacks on keeping my horse with no electric.
Recommendations welcome!
Good head torches? Good battery powered stable lights? Etc
Thanks 😊
 
There are good solar chargers for batteries (but cant recommend one)

Get a mini camping stove and mini gas can. Mine fits in small plastic case. Means can make others tea and coffee e.g. farrier, and make hot water if poulticing.

Get a good rechargeable head torch (loads of threads on this)

Get some hanging lights that are USB rechargeable from Amazon.

Also get a phone charger block.
 
I’d get a solar electric fence energiser and then just take it home every now and then in the winter to top up the charge - I have one that has charge that lasts for 15 days without sunlight and then I’ve just been charging it up but it’s super lightweight to carry and easy to use and in the summer it shouldn’t need any maintenance.
 
I just bought basic solar panel from Halfords, It was about £22. It keeps the battery topped up
I do take the battery indoors and properly charge it regularly, seller said every month but usually every couple of months
 
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Gallagher do a variety of solar energisers that are supposed to be good. I want to get one but atm there's not a lot of point as we have enough working batteries and just swap them out. Powerbee do really quite impressive (for the price) motion activated solar lights. They don't flood the place with light but positioned correctly they make it perfectly possible to do necessary jobs and cost £25 according to their website today. I bought one for our little hay/feedshed when we started out in spring 2018, and aside from one battery change it's been faultless since. The only time the battery gave up on me was when I stayed up for NYE fireworks reading in the shed to keep an eye on the ponies. I recently got a couple of new ones with a remote control (swanky but very easy to lose!) for the new hay barn and so far they seem just as good. Also easy to install even for someone like me. I have an O-light headtorch that's a bit heavy but unbelievably bright on the top setting and can be taken out of the headband and clipped onto clothing like a pen if preferred. Has a vibrating low battery warning well in advance and magnetic usb charging.
 
I have the Gallagher solar energisers and they are brilliant, if charged properly to start with they keep their charge even on the greyest days. Apart from that we have a very good huge diesel generator for lighting and arena lights but smaller ones (suitcase generators) are enough for clipping and some lighting and so on.
 
tda said:
I just bought basic solar panel from Salfords, It was about £22. It keeps the battery topped up
I do take the battery indoors and properly charge it regularly, seller said every month but usually every couple of months
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I went on ebay, the more modern ones are more effective compared to to the older style, and flexible so they do not break as easily, come with clips etc and you just connect to the battery. It summer my battery last about six weeks,its a five acre paddock three lines of fencing. I do use old car batteries but if you buy off the internet you can get small leisure battery they work better and I can fit them in a strong shopping bag.
 
You can rig up stable lights to a car battery. We do. An extra battery even if you're trickle charging with a solar panel because once it decides to die you'll need a replacement asap - and I can guarantee it'll die on a day/time when the shops are shut!

Hide everything WELL. We've had multiple chargers and batteries stolen. For that reason I no longer buy leisure batteries at all, as small car batteries are easier to hide. We hide them and inconspicuous energisers (nothing with a big flashing light) in the hedge, under a bucket, well away from the gate. If they have to walk a mile and search for it, they probably won't bother.
 
maya2008 said:
You can rig up stable lights to a car battery. We do. An extra battery even if you're trickle charging with a solar panel because once it decides to die you'll need a replacement asap - and I can guarantee it'll die on a day/time when the shops are shut!

Hide everything WELL. We've had multiple chargers and batteries stolen. For that reason I no longer buy leisure batteries at all, as small car batteries are easier to hide. We hide them and inconspicuous energisers (nothing with a big flashing light) in the hedge, under a bucket, well away from the gate. If they have to walk a mile and search for it, they probably won't bother.
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Car batteries are a lot heavier for someone to just pick up and walk off with too, especially a big one. You can also run an inverter off one which is very useful.
 
I can't recommend any reasonably priced solar panel charger. In the spring & summer they do a reasonable job but the autumn & winter are so overcast & drab it would not charge your battery enough. Get yourself a battery. Don't get a car/lorry battery get a leisure battery. They are more expensive but they are built to be run down to nothing & then recharged. Lorry & car batteries are not. Have a look through Facebook Market place & you should be able to get a pre used one from a caravan at a reasonable price. Ive got one & it's great. I don't have to charge it very often, my energiser tells me when it needs charging. You mention 'keep charging', you charge them occasionally & i's no problem
 
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I have a Gallagher solar energiser (S16) and it does a good job, although it does struggle a bit in incessant winter fog / darkness like we've had recently. I'm hoping today and tomorrow will get it charged back up again (it's bright and sunny). The yard I was on previously used leisure batteries; we ran them down to nothing then swapped and recharged. That worked fine but I was sick to death of lugging the bl***y things up and down a clay hill in winter, so I bought the Gallagher and it's saved me much back pain and cursing.
 
We have no electric in the buildings at my new place and I've just bought a Makita work torch - Makita and DeWalt are both good. Batteries for them cost a fortune but are very good quality and last ages. There's a reason builders use them.
 
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