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ALLOY

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Posts posted by ALLOY

  1. On 8/10/2021 at 11:23 PM, Zulu said:

    Check out Tucks' Truck and also the Starlink Reddit (new) or Starlink Reddit (old) for more info.

    We've had a fixed home Starlink setup since March and would love to take it on the road next year, but I have reservations . . . mostly about losing access when we return home from the road. So I'd consider buying another unit just for the road. We'll see how Starlink shakes out over the coming months.

     

    We bought Starlink for mobile use. Around half of the places we like to go are either full or do not have service.

    Places near recreational homes (even with wired internet and cell service) are full.

    Remote places with few to no users do not have service.

    For a month I've tried switching to 2 locations that are full without luck. My advice is don't change your location if you need the service.

     

    Edit: I was just on Starlink. A cell that I could switch into and out of 3 days ago is now full. With 5,000+ being shipped/week it's going to happen more often. If it gets down to 1 out of 3 cells we want to use are full we'll go with another satellite system.

     

  2. On 9/3/2019 at 11:26 AM, oldjohnt said:

    Alloy, this is one of those situations where if your RV has the capacity (plenty of solar and inverter and battery) and depending on what the remote RV requires,  there's nothing wrong with trying it out even though its NOT perfect or an ideal operation. Hey go for it.

      John T

      

    We were back at the same campsite a weeks ago with 2 trailers plugged into ours. It would have been better if they plugged in the first day rather than waiting until the 2nd day. The 3rd day our system was at 76% so I brought out 2 more 330W panels. On the 4th day we were back up to 100%. During this I was also charging two 5Ah batteries for my EGO chainsaw.

    Our Starlink dish showed up just before the trip and we were able to change the location to the campsite so everyone tested that out.  At this point Starlink is not as mobile as we hoped. Half of the places we like to go are either full or do not have service.

  3. 4 hours ago, oldjohnt said:

    GREAT POINTS AND DISCUSSION RANDY, From yet from another "Happily Retired" Electrical Engineer and 49 year RV owner, we basically agree, here are my thoughts:

      Sure Lithiums seem to be "the in thing" and fashionable nowadays (so one has bragging rights) and offer advantages such as,,,,,,,,,,, Much lighter weight,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,The possibility to discharge them deeper then 50%,,,,,,,,,,,,,Fast charging,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,Supposed (if all works out as advertised ????) less cost per useable Life Cycles over the long run, etc. etc. Of course, the down sides are HIGH UP FRONT COST and the low temperature concerns.

     That being said, I chose AGM, the reasons being at my age I cant say I will be RVing many more years or will keep the same RV very many years IE may never gain any long term cost benefits to offset the initial high cost. If I were younger and know Id be using the same RV for 7 to 10 hears, weight was an issue, and iffffffffff I usually dry camp,  I WOULD BITE THE BULLET AND CHOOSE LITHIUM

     I think his decision to stay with a 12 volt battery bank versus 24 or 48 is reasonable as he avoids yet another component (24 to 12 Converter) although operating at higher voltages has advantages such as lower current and I prefer higher voltages WHERE PRACTICAL REASONABLE AND COST EFFECTIVE....... However WOW using 12 volt batteries requiring (based on actual load) 200+ Amps out of his battery bank to the Inverter is hefty indeed !!!!!!!!!!!!! although with adequate cables and protection is certainly "workable"  

     He hasn't told us of how he is going to configure (or what so called voltage, 12 or 24 or ???) his four panels ?? The method I chose for my four panels was to use "so called 24 volt" units wired in series/parallel so I send "so called 48 volts" down to my charge controller and on a typical day the Voltage I see  down from the panels to my controller is 70+ volts which works well for the many controllers that accept up to 100 PV input Volts. Having no idea of his loads or any energy audit I view his choice of 1300 flat rooftop solar watts as strictly HIS CHOICE and  "reasonable" (but all subject to loads and sunlight etc etc) to charge (based on sunlight, time and SOC) his 600 Amp Hours of batteries. Again not knowing his loads and use, 600 AH SURE SEEMS PLENTY and may be MORE then needed if he runs ALL EXCPET AC, but hey to run AC for a limited time Id rather have too much battery then too little. The thing I run into dry camping in many say Natl Forest camps IS THERE MAY BE A TOTAL SHADE CANOPY  so my 1080 watts isn't near as big as it sounds lol  Again, if there's roof room and in his budget Id rather have too much then to little solar

    INVERTER SIZE if he needed to run ALL EXCEPT AC he might get by with a smaller 2000 (4000 peak) PSW Inverter like I chose HOWEVER again to run an AC his choice of 2400 watts "might" be in line subject to the AC and any Soft Start etc.  

    Hey there's no necessarily right or wrong answer to some of this, its HIS RV HIS choice HIS budget maybe its different then a couple of us retired engineers may think LOL 

    PS that's my "two cents" worth, and I'm NOT any solar expert by any means, I defer to them and the Vendors for their advice.

    Pleasure sparky chatting with your Randy, looks like were on the same page. Hope our discussion helps John

    John T   BSEE,JD

    Hey John

    I've always gone with (currently 8x6v - suppose to be 940Ah) FLA. Being cheaper I don't worry about protecting the bank with low/high voltage and temperature disconnects. When we are out in the winter the FLA don't need to be kept above 35-40F.  I've a friend who's brother in law sells new / rebuilt golf carts. He's can only remember 1 brand new $$$$$ cart being ordered with Lithium everything they do is FLA or AGM.

    but....

    I've have Lithium in the back of my mind for these reasons: 

    Lithium don't need to be fully charged.  Many occasions there is not enough sunlight to fully solar charge FLA batteries. Each time this happens to FLA the bank looses a capacity. My estimate is we really started with 700-800Ah not 940Ah.  After 2 1/2 years of use I'd estimate we've lost another 75-100 usable amp hours.  I'll be surprised if we don't replace the bank in another 2-3 years.

    Lithium will accept the full capacity of the solar system.  The solar will start charging at 8-9am. When there is full sun at noon the FLA will not accept the full capacity (100 -200A) of the solar system. At 4-5:00pm when the sun slips behind the trees or mountains the bank is still in absorption or the float charge is only 1/4 - 3/4 complete.

    Lithium charger faster from a generator.  In winter there are a few occasion when 2.6Kw of solar is not enough so the generator is needed. I hate running the generator for hours and hours while 1-2 amps (120VAC) are drawn from it so I end up shutting it off before the float charge is complete.

    Voltage drop. The 130 amp (12VDC) draw from inverter sets the low voltage (was set at 11.5V and now 11.0V) alarm off.  This means we only use the inverter when battery SOC is above 70%.   F.Y.I....there is 4 - 4/0 cables (all 40" long) from each 6V bank to a 1/2" x 2" copper buss bar then 18" of double 1/0 (recommended by Victron) from the buss bar (thru a 400A fuse) to the inverter.   

     

     

  4. Few year ago I would filter the water from the house when filling the trailer with 10µ. After 300-400gal the pressure differential on the 10µ filters would rise to 30-40PSI.

    Next I tried 5µ and blew through those right away. After 150-200gal the pressure differential was 50-60psi.

    Lately I'm using 4 filters in series 10µ - 5µ - 1µ and a .5µ carbon then add Sodium Dichlor and use test strip to ensure the proper concentration. 

    For drinking water we use a Berkey. Filtering the trailer water to .5µ means the Berkey last 6-8 time longer (before back washing) in the trailer than in the house.  

  5. On 8/11/2020 at 11:37 AM, phoenix2013 said:

    Alloy, we are beyond "good news", things are a-happening, Old Goat's been busy, For the F series Fords with puck mounting systems a mounting frame has been designed.

    eqMj9kDl.jpg

    Same thing for Ram trucks

    gt3Qouul.jpg

    And Young's is building these.

    VoeAx68l.jpg

    Chevy will be next, they apparently changed their system for 2020. Hitches going into these trucks would have puck mounting already incorporated. 🤔

    No puck system on cab and chassis truck we are looking at but I've been tempted to adapt the puck system to the C&C frame so the bed can be used to carry a camper.

    Our puck system uses pull pins with rings. On a few occasions I found them laying in the bed of the truck so I converted what I can to pins with a safety wire that loops around the pin.

    I adjust the tension of the T bolts in pucks ( that are out of plane side to side) once a years to reduce the play in the system. It takes a bit of force to break the T bolts loose. I've bent the arms on several occasions.  A stronger 1/4" arm or being able to fit a socket or wrench to the T bolts would be great.  

    FYI....We bought a TS TS3. A year later TS came out with the BD5 for the puck system that has a smaller footprint that would free up  some space in the bed.

    On the weekend while hitching at a sharp angle I gave the Binkley head a second tug test and it released.  It there a parts breakdown for the Binkley head? I want (try) to pull it apart and lather it with copper Never-seize.

     

  6. On 8/7/2020 at 10:23 AM, phoenix2013 said:

    They are, I'm in the midst of designing it, STAY TUNED🤔😀 Their website is in the process of "re-design" too.

    The Old Goat 

    qPPvioGl.jpg

    Good news, Thanks.

    Next thing will be will incorporating it into the hauler bodies being made for the F550 / 5500...or maybe a custom build.

    Hard to choose between the (need 4x4) F550 and 5500.       

  7. On 6/17/2020 at 8:18 AM, phoenix2013 said:

    It was a pretty involved modification to the lateral pins with a grease fitting in the center of the pins. That part is is pretty innocuous as is the grease tunnel from the zerk fitting through the center of the pin. But then in order the get the grease to the surfaces in need of that grease you have to drill a horizontal or vertical tunnel from the surface of the pin to the tunnel running through the center, that's a beautiful beginning of a stress crack in a critical part on the Binkley. If TrailerSaver learned about that mod, they acted properly, it's a no-no.

    I bantered around the solution to the Binkley no-grease problem when I was using the product, like running the grease tunnel down through the vertical support ears, zerks on tops and access holes in the top plate. But again I had a heartburn about screwing around in an area that sees forces from few thousand pounds to tens of thousands of pounds.

    I couldn't find much on Young's (Pop-Up) website. Will they be making anything to fit F550/ Ram 5500.

  8. On 1/22/2020 at 12:26 PM, sushidog said:

    Probably not. It would be much easier to just connect them to the outside wheels, making a simple ladder arrangement out of heavier rope.

    I could get 2 of these ropes https://www.amazon.com/Synthetic-Winch-Rope-Protective-Motorcycle/dp/B07FC75DJ6/ref=pd_cp_263_3/139-8800684-4327450?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B07FC75DJ6&pd_rd_r=a367029c-f56b-4f27-a967-148b674075fd&pd_rd_w=BtBnP&pd_rd_wg=CfEPi&pf_rd_p=592dc715-8438-4207-b7fa-4c7afdeb6112&pf_rd_r=ZEF1WPTX1Y8FCVVZBAF9&psc=1&refRID=ZEF1WPTX1Y8FCVVZBAF9

    and use some nylon webbing like this for the ladder rungs: https://www.amazon.com/Webbing-Polypropylene-Climbing-Backpack-Repairing/dp/B07T2TM61G/ref=sr_1_5?keywords=nylon%2Bstrapping&qid=1579723591&s=automotive&sr=1-5&th=1

    Then I'd simply fold the ropes in half, cut the webbing to the appropriate width and bring it to an upholstery shop to sew the rungs around the rope at about 10-12" intervals.

    Then add a another similar rope to loop around a tree for an anchor point and I'll be good to go. 

    Chip

    I'd want a solution that works with more than a simple recovery and doesn't need to be inline with the wheels. 

    If the line up isn't perfect  the rope slips to the inside and there go the brake lines. A turning wheel and a loose rope  is a recipe for disaster.

     

     

  9. On 12/21/2019 at 12:58 PM, Darryl&Rita said:

    Propex has a heater marketed to the VW van crowd. Webasto has their AirTop heaters. Neither of these are electric, but they are intended for use in vehicles, such as yours. as far as electric heaters, any Walmart heater will work, as they have do-over switches, overheat switches, and other safety designs. 

    The Propex 2800 I installed in our 35' trailer works great. At  32-34F it slowly brings the heat up in our 35' trailer but it is worth it because it uses 50% less power than the Suburban furnaces does.  Using the Propex at -10F we loose 1-2 degree/ hour depending on wind chill and it is not set up to heat the basement.   I thought removing the Suburban and installing another Propex but I think that's a project for the next trailer.

     

  10. On 11/25/2019 at 1:42 AM, GlennWest said:

    Oh, it will be fused

     

     

     

     

    Does it controlcharing so the battery bank is not over/under charged?

    FLA is bulk 4 stage bulk - absorb - float - standby - equalize (sometimes)

    Lithium is 2 stage - bulk - float (cutoff after X minutes) with temp & voltage disconnects

     

  11. On 10/21/2019 at 12:43 PM, Vladimir said:

    Thanks guys, I just ordered the BF Goodrich KO2 at Costco today. They were on sale. Still 943 dollars for a set of four.

    I did learn lots about the Costco warranty....or should I say...the lack of it.

    When I complained about the mileage on the Michelin tires, the first question was "did you rotate the tires every 6000 miles". Yes, but at Les Schwab.....that invalidated the mileage warranty.  Costco had no record most of the tire rotations. 

    BTW....when I had a warrenty issue with Dodge....same thing.  No oil changes. I pointed out ALL my oil changes were done at a Dodge dealer.....BUT the dealers did NOT put them in the database!!  

    So it might be worthwhile to keep a paper record of your tire rotations and have the Costco employee sign and date it.

    Next issue.....set of four Costco tires. One failed on the road and I had the tire replaced. NOPE, not covered by the Costco warranty since I no longer had the tire!!!  Guess I will keep the tire next time until I can get to a Costco store.

    I did talk to a guy that ran a tire shop and his quick comment was "yep, we all run the same warranty practices".

    So heads up on that warranty!!!

    Thanks to everybody for the info on BF Goodrich.....

    Good to know, thanks

  12. 17 hours ago, rbertalotto said:

    Thanks, I ordered 25’of pure copper welding wire #8.

    but for my own edification.....how about copper coated aluminum stranded wire?

    Most welding cable is no UL listed.  Without a UL there's no way of knowing what the % of copper is.  The UL must be printed on the wire. 

    The UL for welding cable is UL1276 ....FYI...UL1276 welding cable is not NEC approved for fixed of portable applications

    Tinned coated marine wire is UL1426.

    Wire for the solar installations is UL4730

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

  13. RVs are the worst of the worst construction. Of this bumper pulls are the bottom of the pile with 5ths being slightly better.   

    Bunkhouse trailers are never built well...manufactures build bunkhouse trailers to fit a family budget. We bought a 5th and installed bunks in it.

    I would never have a RV delivered.  My buddy's parents just bought their 4th RV.  After going through it for 1/2 hour they found so many issued they asked if a PDI had been done.  The response "We let the owners do the PDI".

    If and I mean IF everything was assembled the way is should then I'd rate **Arctic Fox (not what it use to be) 5% above GD Momentum which is 5-10% above Outdoors RV which is 10% above GD Imagine and Nash.....BUT.....RVs are never assembled properly. That's why a inspection is so important.

    Never pay for a new RV unless it has an 8-16 hour inspection in which each and every compartment was open and the water system was pressure tested.  If I found a roof (caulking) issue, water leak, frame/slide issue or bad electrical connections I'd refuse to take delivery.

    You'll be allot further ahead buying used.  The first 3 years are the highest depreciation and the previous owner(s) gets to sort out any issues.

    Putting a skirt around the RV helps allot with the heat.

    **The issue with AF is they are build heavy (more than the brochure weight) which affects the carrying capacity. AF should have bigger axles.

     

     

  14. 9 hours ago, jcussen said:

    Tesla has produce over 3/4 of million lithium ion powered cars since 2012. No one but Tesla knowns how many complete battery failures they have had, but most feel a very small amount.  Current cars have an 8 year 120000 mile  battery/drivetrain replacement warranty, There are now Teslas on the road with over 400000 miles.They do have a fairly sophisticated system involving cooling and heating the batteries when charging and discharging.

    I am sure that Battle Born has sold thousands, or 100 of thousands of LI batteries by now, and have never seen a less than glowing report on any of them. These are basically drop in replacement batteries, charging profiles must be changed, but once set up, require no further maintenance. They have a 10 year replacement warranty. 

     

    I think there's more to what Mark is saying and allot is being spent on Lithium PR.  

    I know of 3 BB failures. The customer service was 110% and the batteries they received were upgraded to the latest version so the people would give BB good reviews but it doesn't change the fact that the batteries failed.   

    When I was looking installing Victron Lithium the battery protection system (on top of the BMS) was extensive. I dropped the idea of Lithium once I got into figuring the heating below 34F and shutting the solar system down if the batteries were below 34F.  

     

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