Turn a deep cycle battery into a portable power station for your touring adventures with the Heavy Duty Battery Box from Hard Korr.
This battery box is suitable for a range of battery types including AGM, Lithium, Wet, Gel and Calcium, and can be used to create a simple dual battery set up using the optional VSR. It is a high-quality unit made from durable ABS plastic and is compliant with global UL 94V-0 safety standards. The box has multiple port types so that you can connect a range of handy devices and all outlets are recessed to reduce the risk of damage. Whether you need 12V outlets with 10A fuses or 50A Anderson-style outlets that can be used as inputs or outputs, this box has them all. There are even a dual USB port and a 175A Anderson-style outlet which can be used as a jump-starter with the optional cable set.
Easily connect a DC/DC charger or solar panel by plugging into one of the 50A Anderson-style ports, or directly from the vehicle’s crank battery using the optional VSR. You can quickly monitor the charge status and voltage by viewing the large digital display and there are no short-cuts with the internal cabling using heavy-gauge wire and quality connectors.
The Heavy Duty Battery Box from Hard Korr can handle batteries up to 324L x 180W x 240H mm in size and will keep your essentials powered when you’re heading out to explore the wild.
could you please tell me where the 50A Anderson circuit breaker is, i can't find it.
G'day Robin,
There are two auto-resetting 50A circuit breakers under the red silicone covers that look like lego pieces, inside the lid.
Hope that helps.
Hi do you know what continuous amperage the main switch is rated at? thank you
G'day Adam,
With the exception of the 175A "jump start" Anderson, the power for all outlets runs through the main isolator switch directly into a 50A circuit breaker. You'll be limited in continuous output by that 50A breaker.
The physical isolator switch does have a current rating on it, and Hard Korr were unfortunately unable to provide me with that information, but given the jump start port is powered directly through the switch it, would be rated to at least 175A minimum...likely around 200A.
Hope that helps.
I just bought this a couple of days ago and from my research the switch is rated for 100A continuous and 300A max. The 4 x 50A anderson connectors are connected in pairs in parallel via 2 a 50 auto reset circuit breakers. This means the maximum you can draw from a single 50A anderson is 50A, and from all 4 at once it's 100A.
what size is the fuse in the battery box? I need 50 ah fuse. many battery boxes only hold a 35-40 AH mini auto fuse, versus the 50ah maxi fuse.
G'day Tania,
Only the 12v cig outlets are fused, the Anderson outputs/inputs arent fused but they do have 2 breakers.
Realistically you shouldn't need a fuse, but if you want to add one in you can do something line an inline on whatever charge input cable you're using.
Is it ok to connect a 2000w 240V inverter to the box via the 175A plug on the battery box? Is the internal box cabling rated for this kind of draw?
G'day Alan,
The 175A at 12v is 2100W, so based on that info you shouldn't have any issues connecting your 2000W inverter.
can the unit charge via solar whilst the unit is turned off
G'day Mark,
No, it can't. Essentially the Main battery switch is an isolator, all the Andersons run through this, so when the switch is off, these ports are off aswell.
Hi if connecting from DCDC charger to battery box and my out put from the charger goes into the input of the battery ? correct? Also on my dcdc wiring diagram they suggest a 50 amp fuse between anderson plug and terminals. I assume your circuit breaker would accommodate this ? Thanks
G'day Geoffrey,
Yes, you would run your DC to DC cable and plug it into the Anderson Input on the Hard Korr Battery Box.
All anderson ports, either input or output, are rated to 50A.
Hope that helps!
Hi, can you connect two battery boxes together via an anderson cable and the second battery will charge off the first battery? I just want to charge one box via solar and have a second battery also charging off the primary battery at the same time.
G'day Cameron,
Yep, no worries. As long as the batteries you are using are both the same chemistry, you wont have any problems.
Please advise if the 4 x 50 amp Anderson have fuses.
G'day Greg,
The 50A Anderson plugs have a 50A circuit breaker.
Hope that helps!
Is there a limit in battery capacity Ah providing it can physically fit in the box?
G'day Shane,
No, there's not.
As long as you can fit the battery into the box itself, it doesn't matter what the capacity is.
Hi there, can you run your 12v fridge while charging with solar ? Both using the Anderson plugs?
G'day Alvin,
Yep, you absolutely can. There is both Anderson input and Anderson output terminals on the Heavy Duty Battery Box.
Hi there. Your specs say 32.4cm L, but hard kore website states 33cm. I am looking to use a kicks arm which is 33.2cm. Do you think this will fit ok? Thanks
G'day Michael,
We've measured these boxes a few times with the most accurate equipment we can get our hands-on. Based on our measurements we don't think a battery 33.2cm will quite fit without damaging the box.
Is the hardcorr battery box waterproof? Does the screen and seal have an open rating?
G'day Luke,
Ive checked in with HArd Korr on this one, and unfortunately there's no IP/IPX rating on the Battery Box
If I use a LiFePO4 battery, will the power gauge on the front be accurate?
G'day Paul,
Great question, and no it won't. The Battery Indicator is calculated from the voltage, so set up more ideally for non-lithium battery options.
The voltage readout will obviously be accurate, but best not to reply on the indicator.
Hi, would this battery box be compatible with a 24v lithium battery?
G'day Martin,
The Hard Korr Heavy Duty Battery Box is only compatible with 12V batteries, so unfortunately you won't be able to use a 24V battery. They are however compatible with lithium batteries if you opted for a 12V option.
Can I charge using the 10A cig plug in the car?
G'day Jared,
The Heavy Duty Battery Box hasn't been designed to charge from a 10A cig plug in your car. The 50A Anderson ports are input and output, Hard Korr recommends utilising one of these ports with a VSR and dual battery wiring kit (in the "you might also like section") to charge this from your vehicle while driving.
Hi does the battery box come with so sort of solar regulation and also alternator charging thanks
G'day David,
The Heavy Duty Battery Box doesn't have an inbuilt solar regulator, so your panels will need to have a built-in regulator, or you'd need to purchase one separately. If you're wanting to charge from your vehicle and set it up as a second battery then you'd need to mini VSR unit and the dual battery wiring kit. This will be suitable for most vehicles, however, if you've got a vehicle with a smart alternator we'd recommend discussing the options with your auto-electrician.
My deep cycle battery dimension is 518Lx274Wx248H in mm. If you have matching, How much does is cost?
G'day Narongsak,
Unfortunately not, the largest unit we're got is the Hard Korr Battery Box.
Hi, just wondering if the box is weatherproof? Would it be suitable for in the tray of a Ute without a canopy?
G'day Jimmy,
The Heavy Duty Battery Box isn't weatherproof, so we wouldn't recommend leaving it in a ute tray without a canopy.
How to charge the battery box after leaving a camp site or beach or whatver from the car
G'day Tom,
The Dual Battery Wiring Kit and VSR are a great option if you're wanting to charge the battery while driving without accidentally flattening your main battery. You can find both products in the "you might also like" section on the product page.
How do charge the deep cycle battery when I am home?
G'day Andrew,
We'd recommend chatting to the company you purchase your battery from about the 240V deep cycle battery chargers they carry, and grabbing one when you purchase the battery.
Hi, can the unit be fitted in a inclosed area such as inside a cupboard that’s in a small caravan? As in dose it vent gases or produce heat that may cause problems while I’m sleeping. This includes day time while it’s charging via sola panels or drawing power via charging phones or running the fridge. Thanks
G'day Paula,
Based on the information we have from Hard Korr in the downloadable user guide there doesn't seem to be a reason why you couldn't pop the unit in a cupboard in your caravan. This battery box has specifically been designed to be fairly portable, so there will likely be some caravan specific options out there, however, there isn't any reason we can think of that will stop you using this as you've described.
The giant power batteries all have around the same dimensions 330L x 220h x 173w for the 120,130,140ah those dimensions are right on the limit of the box so just wondering if I can go ahead with the 140.
G'day Hayden,
The limitation here is the physical box/battery size, so as long as it will physically fit in the box then you can go for a 140Ah battery, generally the largest that will fit are 130Ah, but if you've found a larger capacity that will still physically fit then you should be fine!
I am looking at putting the Kickass 120AH battery in the box, the dimensions for the battery are given as 332L x 172W x 222H which is very close to the max dimensions of the box. Just wondering if someone could let me know if the battery will fit. Would like to measure myself in store but there are no stores near me.
G'day Josh,
We're confident that our dimensions are as accurate as they can be, so you're right if it does fit it will be a very very close fit. Unfortunately we're not sure whether it would fit or not. We've been asked about this particular combination before, but as we're not able to give it a go for ourselves we're not sure if it works.
Same as above’s query. Your specs show max length to be 324mm, I’ve got a battery 328mm. Has it got a couple of mm each side to fit this?
G'day Rick,
We've measured this a few times with the most accurate gear we've got, and unfortunately, we don't think anything larger than 324mm will fit without damaging the box.
On HardKorr's site, this battery box details specifies this- 330mm (l) x 180mm (w) x 240mm (h) Note: batteries longer than 324mm will sit at a slight angle inside the box. This will not affect performance.
Will this unit be able to charge a laptop? If so what type of 12V plug do I need to get? My e-bike is charged by 12V using 240V, but wanting a solar unit to be able to charge the e-bike battery for when camping. Can you advise on what type of 12V cable I need for this? * Does Snowy's sell these sorts of plugs? I am also looking at the Korr 200W Heavy Duty Portable Solar Panels, and a Lithium battery (still to do research on the battery). Thanks very much.
G'day Heath,
Ok, great questions & I'm going to answer them as clearly as I can!
Ultimately the Hard Korr Battery Box is literally just an empty box with hardware to turn a battery into something with functional usage.
The box itself is not the variable when it comes to whether or not your laptop or e-Bike can charge, its the battery you will put inside it which is important.
Firstly, when it comes to the physical charge connections between your items and the battery box, the most simple option would be for you to purchase an inverter that will plug straight into the Battery Box and then allow you to plug a 240V plug into the other side.
Out of those 2 items you are wanting to charge, the e-Bike will have the highest power draw requirement, so first things first is to look at the specifications of your bike and find out what the wattage requirement is for charging.
A quick google suggests that on average an eBike requires 540W, so in this example you would be getting an inverter with a max wattage that will comfortably cover this.
It will also mean that your laptop or any other smaller appliance will happily charge from the same source.
The other thing to note about the inverter you chose is that it needs to be Anderson plug compatible, as the 12v ports on the battery box will not output enough watts.
In terms of the battery to go inside the box, I have a few thoughts!
I would definitely be going for a lithium battery hands down, you'll get a larger capacity for a smaller size. I'd say you'll be wanting to get a 100Ah capacity minimum just to be sure, and I also would only be charging during the day with solar panels connected to keep the battery topped up.
If you are intending to do your charging overnight you will first need to look up the Ah of your specific e-Bike battery, as they will all vary, aswell as your laptop. Add these together and make sure you've got Ah that is atleast double that so you're not flogging your battery. I would say that the 100Ah would be ok for this, but triple check.
The 200W solar panels you have mentioned would be absolutely perfect, and they come with a lithium capable solar controller which is exactly what you need.
It will literally just be a plug and play type scenario.
So, to cap it all off you will need a Hard Korr Battery Box, a Lithium battery, an inverter with anderson connection to cover your max Wattage requirements, and solar panels with a solar regulator.
Hope that all makes sense, and please let us know if you have any other questions!
Does the box have circuit breakers
G'day Sean,
The Battery Box doesn't have circuit breakers, generally, they're used in 240V systems. The input/outputs are limited to 10A or 50A depending on whether you're using the cigarette plugs, or Anderson plugs. The User Guide can also be downloaded at the bottom of the specifications section if you're needing any more information.
Yes, it has two 50A auto reset circuit breakers. Each circuit breaker supplies two 50A Anderson connectors that are wired in parallel and mounted one above the other on the side of the lid.
Thanks for your feedback Jenny! At the time Leece answered this question back in 2020 the Battery Box didn't have circuit breakers.
We really appreciate your comment, as we missed this info doing our update.
Thanks!
Is the battery box vented so charging gases are not contained with the box? I couldn’t see any vents in the video.
G'day Greg,
We've checked and the battery box has no vents. According to the instructions, which you can download above, the box must remain sealed whilst it is charging or in use.
Can this be charged from car dc cigarette socket?
G'day Da,
You can charge the DC, however you won't be able to do this via the cigarette socket. You'll either need a DCDC charger, or a VSR Kit to set up a dual battery system.
Do I need any additional parts to connect a LifePO4 battery to this box? And how do I charge the battery from the mains?
G'day Steve,
There are no additional parts required to use a LifePO4 battery in the Battery Box. If you want to charge the battery from mains power you can just use a standard car style battery charger, you'll just need to ensure it's able to charge the battery size you choose.
Hi, literally just completed the purchase of that box and now need to get a battery. What model would you recommend? We will be running lights and a fridge. Thank you
G'day Olivier,
*UPDATE: We now sell batteries! You can find our range here.
We don't actually sell batteries, so we'd recommend dropping into your local battery retailer for some options. Generally, we'd suggest a battery around 110Ah or more to run a fridge and some accessories.
HardKorr has a few batteries to fit this box including a 100Ah Lithium and a 105Ah AGM.
I was wondering if the Anderson plugs are input and output? I.e can I run isolator and solar into two of them and power my fridge off the other one? Cheers
G'day Ben,
There are a number of Anderson Ports, with 4 x 50A ports that can be used for input or output, so yes based on your description you should have 1 to spare.