Randyretired

Electric resistive heating is energy intense and this system is no different. Running this on solar is probably not going to work well, especially on an RV with limited roof space. However, in floor heat is very plesant.

Many of the EV manufactures are moving to LFP batteries. These don't use cobalt. Chile has the largest mines today but lithium is found in a number of places and is plentiful. Of course gearing up to mine and prepare lithium will take time.

Finding a truck that has been taken care of was my thoughts when looking. Some are trashed at 400,000 miles. I also wanted an air locker. Took a while but I bought this 2001 around 17 years ago. It has an ISX and been pretty good. I am in CO

I have never bought anything from Texas but I have purchased RV's, trucks and cars from a number of states and brought them back to Colorado. I have never run into what you describe. One dealer in AZ started to talk about some strange procedures and taxes but when I refused we were able to talk with someone that was aware of proper procedures. When we purchased from a dealer they did whatever and sent the paperwork to us to take in here. No problems. When we purchased from a private party they signed the title over and we brought it back home. After a quick inspection we took the information in and registered the vehicle and received a new title. Taking plates from one vehicle and putting them on another has some consequences here if caught. I would talk with a state person to see the correct proceedure and maybe talk with your home state to determine the best way to do this.

I have seen a difference in how aggressive the laws are enforced in small towns. Town income is always welcome in small towns. A few years ago the county sheriff made a case for more LEO's but the county budget was tight. An agreement was made to increase the LEO's with the understanding that most of their time would be road enforcement with enough citations to cover the additional cost. Those jobs were in jeopardy if the funds were not collected. How forgiving do you think they were?

Walmart.com has a 13,000 watt Duromax generator for around $1,000. It is dual fuel and electric start. I have one just a little smaller and so far it has been great.

The 650 watt panel will certainly produce a little bit of power but it will take a long time to add much of anything to an EV battery. This time of year a perfectly aimed 650 watt panel will produce around 1,800wh hours on a sunny day. A panel laying flat maybe 1,300wh on a bright sunny day with no clouds or haze here in Colorado.

What it says on the driver's license may not be complete. In Colorado my driver's license states Any motor vehicle with a GVWR of less than 26,000 pounds in a single unit or combination. Yet there are exclusions for RV's. This license despite the wording is all that is required for my HDT and trailer. At least some LEO's are confused by the wording or even more.

I had an insurance question that the agent said was covered but I asked for it in writing. The insurance company responded but I still can't figure out what they said. They basically said maybe unless.... I will be looking for a new insurance company.

It certainly depends on the jurisdiction. The small town near us may write at 1 to 5mph over and likely to write anything over that. It also depends a little on the LEO. There is at least one up there that may let 1 to 5 slide.

bought a mini split that I run off of solar. For that reason I wanted one that is very efficient. SEER is a measure of how efficient an AC is. The higher the SEER the more efficient the unit is for cooling. Mine is a 21.5 SEER. That is higher than average for mini splits but if I was to do it again there are more efficient mini splits available. Ours is 12,000 BTU. Signature Solar has a 12,000 BTU mini split that has a SEER of 30. You can Google SEER to see how much more efficient that is. For our 40' Teton the 12,000 BTU mini split cools better than one of our 15,000 BTU RV AC's but not as good as both. The one 12,000 BTU mini split keeps us cool into the lower 90's. If you need more cooling there are larger mini splits and some even run 2 mini splits. Once the BTU's are greater than 12,000 the efficiency seems to fade noticeably but I haven't been shopping lately so there may be some better units. If you will be heating with the mini split there are ratings for that to. I think it is HPSF? or something like that. There are units that will work below -0. Some of the other advantages of mini splits is the nearly silent operation. Most units will have a rating for that. I should add that if you will be on the grid the higher efficiency (SEER) units are not necessary. Hope this helps.

Boondocking for the first time can bring on fear. Most of us that have spent time boondocking have learned that problems like you described are very rare. In fact I feel safer boondocking than in many neighborhoods. Like many here we have been boondockers for years, even decades and have never had, seen or even heard of that type of problem. Our neighbor has wanted to boondock but he also has fears and won't do it. In his case I think it is a fear of the unknown more than anything. We do lock our doors and try to be aware of our surroundings and we have protective measures but we love our time boondocking and do it often.

There are YouTube videos on how to spray foam. It sticks very well if the surface is clean. Cover what you don't want covered. It is permanent.

Spray foam?

We have boondocked in AZ, NM, WY, NV, ID, UT, CO, OR, NEB, and AK that I can remember. We haven't been east much.

We are in Colorado and there are a lot of areas to boondock with large RV's. Especially during the summer months. Most are limited to 14 days. We have an HDT and a 40' 5er and almost never stay in campgrounds. With all of the boondocking in AZ for winter camping it would be easy to boondock year around.

We boondock off of Forest Service roads from time to time. We scout the road first but occasionally we have had an interesting time pulling out of dispersed camping sites. For this reason I bought an HDT with two airlockers. One time we were about 300 yards off of the Forest Service road just off a marked trail. It rained for several days. The road out was a muddy wet mess. By driving slow and scouting the road first we generally don't run into a problem. One time we missed the turn to the campsite we chose. Turning around was very difficult but eventually we did it.

NM-B is a little cheaper than UF

Ferrules also work for that. Good suggestion Kirk.

Glenn, there is no way I would tell you to do that. However, I have been known to do that. Romex is often used in RV's but it is a solid wire that can not withstand flexing and is not really best suited for RV's. The extension cords are usually stranded and more flexible. Probably better suited for RV's but not necessarily designed for that.

The HF inverters are not as high of consumption as LF so that isn't bad but still x2 is a little more than 3,000 watts a day. With the small inverter our charging amps during the day are higher than our largest load. Depending on your usage that may be true for your setup most of the time.

We rarely need the generator. Maybe 3 hours all of last summer. Usually because of clouds. It isn't that hot or humid where we stay. In anycase the mini splits don't use that much for cooling but a lot more for heating. Where we stay the daytime temps may get into the lower 90's. One mini split easily handled that. Where we used more power is at night for heating. As soon as the sun set it was jacket time and the overnight lows were in the 40's. Battery capacity was challenged but it generally held up. When fall came the heating demand increased and the solar output also decreased. By the first of November it took a sunny day, all day to recharge the batteries (3,700 watts). Based on that I wouldn't think you will need the grid or generator much. We have been getting by with a 2,000 watt inverter and the idle consumption is minimal. How much is the idle consumption on your inverters? That may make a little difference.

Even when it is cloudy you will get some energy. Heavy clouds and rain maybe not much but a little more when the clouds lighten a little. We have 3,700 watts and that is more than enough during the summer. Fall and winter when we use the mini split to heat it falls short. Then we need to use the propane some, especially during heavy clouds. Looks good and you will certainly enjoy it.

I read the political comment as directed to me. Obviously that was wrong. I am sorry.