Solar or mains power for a long hire?
Short hires run on solar and battery with nothing needed from you. From about three weeks, or through sustained overcast weather, plan for a 10A power point on site that you provide. The day rate does not change; the difference is whether the trailer can keep its batteries charged from daylight alone.
How the power works
A VMS board or LED trailer sign carries a battery bank and solar panels. In good light the panels keep the batteries topped up and the sign runs indefinitely with nothing plugged in. The batteries are the buffer for nights and cloudy spells.
When solar alone is enough
For a hire of up to about two to three weeks in normal Melbourne weather, solar and battery cover it. This is the usual case for events, short roadworks and campaigns. You do not need to organise anything on site, and there is no power to pay for.
When to plan for mains
Two things push a hire toward a mains connection: duration and weather. From roughly three weeks, the odds of a long overcast stretch that outpaces the panels go up, and a flat battery means a dark sign. Winter, and any hire with the panels shaded by buildings or trees, brings that point forward. In those cases plan for a 10A power point on site that you provide, and we bring the leads.
What a mains connection means for you
A standard 10A power point within reach of where the trailer sits. On a council or civil site that is usually straightforward; in a car park or a nature strip it may need a temporary supply or a lead from a nearby building. Sort this out when you book, not on the day, and tell us if a 10A power point is not available near the trailer’s position.
Running it as a screen trailer
It is the same trailer whether you hire it as a sign or as a moving-content screen, and the power works the same way: solar and battery for a short hire, a 10A point for a long one. Continuous full-brightness video does draw more than a static message, so for a long screen run tell us the content and we will confirm whether the site needs mains power.
Related questions
- At what point do I need to arrange mains power?
- As a rule of thumb, around three weeks. Shorter hires run on solar and battery with no site power. From about three weeks, or through a run of overcast weather, plan for a 10A power point you provide.
- What connection does the trailer need?
- A standard 10A power point on site. You arrange it; we bring the leads. If a 10A power point is not available near where the trailer sits, tell us when you book so we can plan around it.
- Does mains power cost more?
- The day rate is the same either way. The cost is whatever it takes you to make a 10A power point available at the site.