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ALLOY

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Everything posted by ALLOY

  1. Make sure to leave room around it for the 6/8ga wiring and getting a screw driver to the terminals top and bottom. The switch below has 2-50 (6ga) amp and 1- 30 (10ga) amp inputs. I was able to cut the hole in the PVC box to rotate the switch and be able to cover it with the face plate. The LED indicator lights on the BSS switch interfered with the Progressive EMS so the LEDs were disconnected. ****System says the image limit is 102kB but the image is only 54kb
  2. I had a Smartplug on our trailer. The cords are fantastic even at 15F. The issue had was working with dogbone adapters. I never wanted to buy the expensive Smartplug male cord ends so I would drag out the 50' Smart cord then plug the dogbone into it. Smartplugs are great for boats where the shore plugs are the No.1 cause of fires but I haven't heard of the issue with RVs
  3. When I added a 2nd 50A I found the SS shore power receptacles to be $$$ but the guts were the same as the plastic ones. I used the plastic one. Also went with a KISS manual transfer switch. https://www.bluesea.com/products/9019/AC_Rotary_Switch_-_OFF_%2B_2_Positions_240V_AC_65A On both receptacles I installed a 50A GFCI breaker.
  4. On 3 sets of Michelin tires we ended up with 1/2 to 2/3 of the warrantied tread life. Each time Michelin authorized the dealer to give us 20% off but only if we bought Michelin tires. The 3rd set of Michelins were replaced with BF Goodrich KO2. The 4th set of Michelin that came from the factory on our truck are down to 2-4/32" after 20,000 towing miles. These will replaced with TOYO AT2 for summer use. The KO2 will continue to be used in the winter as they've proven to be an excellent tire when towing in the snow. I know a couple of people that run the KO2 all year but not for towing. I don't notice any difference in tire noise because of the diesel engine in the truck. https://broadmag.com/toyo-open-country-at2-vs-bfg-at-ko2/
  5. Just read this. We've traveled somewhere between 600 and 800 miles on FSR this year. The trailer has IS. On 1 road we bent 1/4" plates supporting the airbags on the truck. No damage to the trailer. I'm wondering if 4k suspension has enough travel.
  6. Thanks Chad and John. At this time of year we consume +/- 65Ah (845Wh) from dusk to dawn. Our solar will then bring the batteries into float around 10:00AM. One could say the power for the rest of the day is being wasted. Better to waste it keeping thing quiet. I was looking at line losses. Ten guage wire will carry 10 amps of 120V for 200' with a 5% loss. I'm thinking this might run a 40A battery charger/converter. Didn't think of the portable solar. In our last trailer a LED light caught fire close to a Victron 150/100 controller. Insurane wrote the controller it off due to smoke damage but the electronics are sealed and it still works. We already carry portable panels. This may work!
  7. We are drycamping at beautiful site next to a lake. The only thing wrong with the site is the people that pulled in 3 days ago are running a generator (Champion) for 4 hours either morning, afternoon or evening. The generator is not being loaded which makes me think it is only used to charge batteries. This situation has me thinking about how a solar system could be used to charge the battries in another trailer that is 200'-300' away. I'm thinking 110v extension cords from an inverter to a battery charger or the shore power plug in the other trailer. Ideas?
  8. Just to be clear XPS isn't Urethane Spray Foam. You don't want to use spray foam in an RV unless there is a properly installed / 100% sealed vapor barrier. I've seen mold around the staple holes in a vapor barrier. Even the best foam spayed under ideal conditions is 5% open cell which means the foam will absorb 5% moisture/condensation. Also avoid ISO Board. ISO Board works great to insulate against heat (sun) but not cold. It contains a gas that when cold turn to liquid thus reducing the R rating.
  9. Best insulation (but not the easiest to install) in a RV roof is XPS (extruded polystyrene). It should be fit as tight (cut the pcs 1/32" oversize) as possible and then caulk any gaps so there is no air flow around it. If you want more insulation adding another layer of 1/4" or 1/2" foam will reduce the thermal bridging.
  10. The ideal solution would be to take the weight off the tires and suspension.
  11. Chlorine pucks for pools are slow release......I wouldn't used them in a FW tank.
  12. Remember reading somewhere that Honda use a pure sine wave inverter.
  13. ALLOY

    My Build

    Couple of issues I've seen with solder. The acid/flux travels 2"-3" up inside the wire which over time corrodes the wire. If there is ever an issue with the terminal especially at fuse connections (these work by generating heat) the solder melts.
  14. For a 50am service Victron uses a inverter on each 50 amp leg This may be of interest. Before choosing the voltage take look at solar for a 48V bank..a MPPT controller needs 80V min input to charge a 48V bank. The panels that made the best use of the space on my trailer are 70Voc. Running 2 of these in series meant a jump up to a 200V $$ controller. I started to look at micro inverters for the panels and pass though inverters....similar to battery (Tesla) back up.
  15. My buddy was looking for 4 LED lights for his truck. He got such a deal on Aliexpress that he was able to buy 6 for the cost of 1 Rigid (also made in China) LED. A year later 2 were working, brackets were rusted, powder coat was peeling. Then he bought 4 Bright Source LED (made in China) from a local supplier who flies to China to check quality at 1/2 the cost of Rigid. Once these warm (have to let LED warm up to test Lumen output) up the light output is a less than Rigid because the control board is not as good but 2 years later all are still running and look good. There's a moral to the story but I can't think of one.
  16. Residential range , as in 230VAC residential? HW tank? ....230v would make balancing the loads easier. What about a generator? Transfer switches would be interesting.
  17. I know people that have painting done in Mexico. They send someone from here that knows how to do the work to keep an eye on things. The work is good......seen allot worse up here........a high end 5th I looked at had so much orange peel that it look like it was sprayed with gravel guard......people were happy with it though.
  18. - Champion uses 192cc @ 3100w - Honda uses 163cc @ 2600w , 196CC @ 2800w , 270cc @ 3500w
  19. I had an after thought....a larger generator makes sense if it has 230V output.
  20. X2 on Honda/Yamaha and linking 2 x 2000w...ever since we picked up 2 x 2000w our Honda 3000 hasn't been used. Extended run fuel caps are a good addition. I don't run propane because I like to to keep the generators away from the trailer. Advantage of propane is it easier on the engine and it doesn't go sour like gas. Regular gas that has ethanol will go sour in 2-3 months. Premium grade gas here doesn't have ethanol in it. I left premium gas in an engine for a year and didn't have a problem...not something I'd try again though. We keep a container of fuel stabilizer in the trailer for the times that premium gas is not available
  21. Thank you TX appreciate the input......$120 that's allot of ferrite. What type and locations have you installed the ferrite?
  22. There isn't much room for anything. We have the center console on our F350. When I was looking at installing radios I wanted it to be quick disconnect to prevent theft but I didn't go any further once we started looking a bigger trucks. I had these pages bookmarked http://www.havis.com/products/BASE_VMT_HDM_F250_2017_F150_15_17-123765-84.html https://forums.radioreference.com/pictures-your-shack-mobile-setup/224953-ford-f350-super-duty-install.html http://www.powerstroke.org/forum/6-7-powerstroke-interior-discussion-2011-2016/261885-cb-radio-location-2.html
  23. Kirk & John T This is a good read on troubleshooting a heater. On another forum I read that rust from the heater exchange can foul the propane jet.
  24. One setup carries 1/2psi propane same as in the trailer. The other setup carries 300psi propane....didn't think I'd could turn the tank off before propane spaying out of a leaking hose at 300psi caught fire so I went the 1/2lb route.
  25. When we started winter camping we wouldn't use the water system because of flushing and refilling antifreeze in lines. We changed the system so the water lines are sloped toward the low point drains, the HW tank and back to the FW tanks. Setup/take down for winter trips takes 10-15 min. Installed one of these frost free valves on each side of the trailer which are great for the shoulder seasons. http://www.woodfordmfg.com/woodford/Wall_Faucet_Pages/Model-22.html
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