Randyretired

I sometimes follow a trucker going through an unfamiliar city. Often they know the best lanes to be in but I stay back, waaay back. All I am looking for is the lane they are in and one can determine that even if there are cars between us. One of the advantages of an HDT is the ability to see far ahead to watch for problems. I go out of my way to stay clear of truckers that block that view. Following a vehicle closely reminds me of the commercial for insurance about mayhem caused by other drivers. It is very distracting to have someone do that.

I added a 35 watt solar panel to keep the truck batteries charged. We boon dock a lot.

If you google how to cook with a microwave convection oven there is information available. Google has information on RV ovens also.

Some people need ongoing medical treatment and have a need to see doctors regularly. We are not full timers but we are some of those people. We move between 3 areas and have doctors in each area. When my DW needed medical care and a hospital stay she chose to use the Mayo Clinic. That is in an area we seldom visited. We have seen Bill's for our medical needs in places outside of our where our domicile is greater than in. We have chosen not to quit RVing but to find ways to continue.

A 10,000 pound winch will easily require 5,000 t0 6,000 watts or more.

The generator should be able to run the AC along with lights, water pump and maybe a TV but not much more. The refrigerator and water heater will likely need to be on propane and it may be necessary to shut off the AC to run things like the microwave. 1 AC will likely struggle to cool the RV in the desert heat during the summer but if you go up in elevation it may meet your needs.

I have 2 gooseneck equipment trailers and a gooseneck dump trailer. Each has a removable hitch that slides up a tube. I insert a 5th wheel pin when pulling with a 5th wheel hitch and easily change back to a gooseneck when needed. When I purchased these trailers I made sure these could be changed to 5th wheel pins with only minor or no modification. On the HDT I had some years ago I built up a flat area behind the 5th wheel hitch and installed a gooseneck ball. I prefer the air ride hitch so the gooseneck wasn't part of this build.

I found that some on the internet recommend a winch rated at a minimum of 1.5 times GVW. Finding wire big enough to run that will be a challenge and finding batteries capable of supplying that kind of power will also be a challenge. A few years ago I was asked if I could use our HDT to pull out a MH that was stuck. We eventually got him out but not without a lot of digging. Moving a stuck vehicle takes aot of power. We also boon dock a lot and our HDT is equipped with lockers on both rear axles but if weather strikes we prefer to wait it out if we can. We have a side x side UTV to go into the more remote areas. It has a winch.

We are on Medicare and our plan doesn't require a referral but many specialists won't see you without a referral. Even with a referral it takes time to get an appointment. We are not fulltime but we have had to stay at home or in other areas due to the wait. Then if you need to address a problem we have had to stay for an extended time to deal with it.

The electric wire necessary to run a large winch is substantial. The longer the wire the larger the wire needs to be. I had considered a receiver hitch front and rear with a winch setup to plug into the receiver. The electrical wire needed to the back of the truck was pretty big as I remember. 12,000 to 15,000 winches are readily available but for a MH I think bigger would be required. I had a 12,000 lb winch on a pickup with a small camper and at least once it didn't have enough to get us out without a lot of digging. Another time we didn't have anything to tie the winch to. After that I decided it was safer to not rely on the winch. The fact it was there made me to brave.

Putting 4000 watts on the roof is going to cover nearly everything. There are some 400 watt panels that are about the same size as 330 watt panels but still that many panels will cover the vents and most anything else on the roof. Not much room for anymore up there.

Glenn, Just a quick glance it seems 4,000 watts will generate less than 100 amps at 48 volts. I did it my head so check it. 4000 watts divided by 48 volts. One 100 amp will easily handle all the panels can generate.

Before I had Medicare I had an employer based plan from UHC based in Colorado. I routinely saw doctors in AZ and CA. UHC always paid and never questioned it. Frequent travel is not just an RV thing. There are a number of people who frequently travel. It seems like a person could explain they travel a lot and ask will the insurance pay in states beyond where the plan is based. A direct answer from the insurance provider would be more reliable than a forum discussion based on?

Many thanks Glenn! As far as looks, anything that is different turns some people off. I think it looks fine. The RV AC is so noisy and inefficient I can't wait to not have to use it.

Thanks again Glenn. What is the seer rating of the units and how far back from the rear of your 5er is the unit mounted?

Thanks Glenn. I have been leaning towards the Pioneer 12k and I think you convinced me. I put a hitch on our Teton and planned on tapping off of that. I have gauges and a pump from fixing auto AC's so it should be fairly straight forward. How much power do the units draw on average?

What size mini splits do you have Glenn? I am thinking of adding one to our Teton. Much more efficient and quiet. We will probably use it more for heat than AC.

When on 30 amp service we turn the water heater and refrigerator to lp and we can usually get by unless we need the AC a lot. Then it becomes a little more complicated. As stated above maybe 2 things running at the same time anymore and the breaker may trip. Even with only 2 things running it may be pushing the circuit beyond engineering specs but one can get by. I think it comes down to how bad do you want to be there.

Glenn and others have installed mini splits on mobile RV's. I am considering it but I would like to know what problems you see with it as I am still in the planning stages.

I ordered something and received an email it had been delivered to our PO Box but it wasn't there. I asked at the Post Office what happened. A few hours later they called and said it was mistakenly put into the wrong box. I think someone returned it. They handle a lot of mail so mistakes happen but many times in the past the item just disappeared. I hope you have success finding your item.

I have been a rancher out West and as a teen I did as chirakawa described for a weekend fishing trip but I but I do not call myself a minimalist. I enjoy having things like heat, a microwave, a bed and so on. When we boondock we don't give these things up. And sleeping on the ground is not something I would want to do now. Most ranchers would not live as you describe as they are to busy to add hardships for fun.

The OP suggests that boondocking is the same as being a minimalist. I don't see it that way. Many have setup their RV's to boondock with solar and other amenities to facilitate long term stays off the grid. Sometimes we boondock for weeks and our RV is setup to comfortably do that. While it is true that an RV can be used for a minimalist life style other accommodations can also be used for that. Boondocking can be comfortable or minimalist and does not require a minimalist lifestyle. We frequently boondock in some pretty remote areas and I have seen some pretty nice RV's hidden in these same areas. I wouldn't call that a minimalist lifestyle but it is certainly boondocking. Meaning OTG in a remote area. We are building a house in a fairly remote area in the middle of 140 acres surrounded by large ranches and land locked BLM. It is certainly remote but it will not be OTG. We have been ranchers and prefer this. We also don't typically stay in RV parks but we RV just like a lot of the fine people on this forum. Where we stay doesn't define an RV just as ones lifestyle doesn't define boondocking.

Where I worked for a number of years jewelry was forbidden for that reason. When we were married I told my DW I don't want a ring because I can't wear it most of the time. Still don't wear any jewelry.

Remote areas are not necessarily reserved for small RV's. I have seen some big rigs in very remote areas. If remote means difficult access then all RV's are out. Nothing can get further off road than walking. Next might be horse back and so on. My description of remote is where there is little human activity and close to nature. We have a 40' 5th wheel and we camped where we only saw others maybe twice in a number of days last summer. Wildlife including deer and elk were seen every day. We also spent a lot of time exploring the area in our side x side going where no RV could travel. We often carry the side x side with us under our car on our HDT. For our comfort we carry 220 gallons of water and we can carry 190 of waste water if required. We carry 120 pounds of propane and have solar. We can stay weeks without moving. Is that not boon docking? Or do we have to many amenities for this to be boondocking?

Whenever we spend time in the backcountry, which is frequently we always find a lot of others doing the same. Sometimes small groups and sometimes just one person. And the living arrangements are as varied as the people. High end rigs to a sleeping bag on the ground. We enjoy it and it appears many others do too but we also enjoy going to more crowded areas occasionally such as Yellowstone.