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- Thread starter
- #342
hell I don't care. Give it to him for free 
- Thread starter
- #343
anyone wanna buy my wind turbine. I've decided the mast put up and take down is too much hassle for the short weekend trips I generally take. Solar and a small generator are going to be my off grid choices.
$180 - less than I paid (with the 12v rectifier/convertor - turns 24AC into 12DC)
$180 - less than I paid (with the 12v rectifier/convertor - turns 24AC into 12DC)
My big thing will be insulation. Probably will go 6x10 with 2x2 studs (ripped 2x4) for 2" insulation, foam insulation + a vapor barrier. If I had to tear everything out and redo, it would be bad, so probably will start from scratch.
I will also be "demanding" about the electrical system and locations.
I will start a thread so you guys can push me in the right direction when I get stupid!
I am a ways out - probably a new year thing with what little bonus I get from work :\
Dont overcomplicate the electrical. Make as much stuff 12 volt DC as possible. Find a TV that uses a dc power supply (my Samsung was DC powered through a small brick), along with any other accessories you can. They even have 12v appliances (albeit probably either really cheap, or really expensive)....have all your lighting be 12v DC LED. Use USB sockets for chargers, or CLA adapters, and never look back. If you run 120volt (for ac, big battery charger etc), the have a shore power plug that feeds a master electrical box with a switch. Have your charger plug into that, as well as a surge protector that houses your other devices. You can take the 12 volt AC-DC power supply from the TV (or a larger 5 or 10 amp power supply), and put it on the surge protector, and wire a socket or andersen connector to your 12 volt fuse block. it can supply power to the 12volt system while connected to shore power, and be disconnected or shut off if using batteries. If running an inverter, you can move the surge protector from the master box over to the inverter and back as needed. Keep the charger plugged in ONLY to the shore power outlet. That way, it will charge your batteries when connected to shore power (whether RV campground hookup, generator, house power, etc). Wire in whatever solar supply you put together, directly to the batteries.
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- #346
I used this:
WFCO 8700 Series Power Center Converter/Charger & AC/DC Distribution, 25 Amps DC Output
It's a 12V 5 circuit distribution panel with fuses when using 12V
It's a 12V battery charger/power supply/110V distribution panel with circuit breakers when plugged in.
IE: you get 12V/110v distribution boxes and a charger for one price.
WFCO 8700 Series Power Center Converter/Charger & AC/DC Distribution, 25 Amps DC Output
It's a 12V 5 circuit distribution panel with fuses when using 12V
It's a 12V battery charger/power supply/110V distribution panel with circuit breakers when plugged in.
IE: you get 12V/110v distribution boxes and a charger for one price.
- Thread starter
- #347
Got started on TV/Speakers. And pulled out the faulty HWH to replace.
I wrestled with the whole outdoor speaker thing but realized 9/10 I've got the door open and I'm in the enclosure so: 5 speakers total. 2 inside, 2 on the doors for outside listening and of course a sub somewhere. amp will likely be car audio 5 channel to keep it 12v friendly. as far as a controller, I'm undecided. If I could find a slick setup with a blue ray player and USB/Bluetooth interface that I like, I'll get it.
TV swivels outside and inside.
I wrestled with the whole outdoor speaker thing but realized 9/10 I've got the door open and I'm in the enclosure so: 5 speakers total. 2 inside, 2 on the doors for outside listening and of course a sub somewhere. amp will likely be car audio 5 channel to keep it 12v friendly. as far as a controller, I'm undecided. If I could find a slick setup with a blue ray player and USB/Bluetooth interface that I like, I'll get it.
TV swivels outside and inside.
- Thread starter
- #349
So I made the following decisions:
Stereo will be controlled by a Pioneer Double Din unit. I toyed with Class T amps, Bluetooth only controllers, etc... But bottom line is that for a similar price to any of those things, you can get a dedicated DVD player/Bluetooth/4x50w amp/touchscreen/remote/12v power/radio/it'll take the output from the TV, and send DVD output to it as well. If I plan on a blueray, I have a player on my laptop that I can use.
Subwoofer is a small 8" efficient self powered band pass 12V 'car stereo' sub with 80W RMS. Toyed with using the sub that came with the Yamaha speakers, but it was a crap 5" sub in a plastic box with a super heavy 110v amplifier that was rated at 60 watts (input power) so presumably 40 or so RMS. Thought about gutting it and rewiring it for passive use, but didn't bother.
2 windows will be installed. The first will be a sliding screen window on the left side of the trailer, across from the door. This will facilitate cross breezes, as well as allow us to look out while lying down. The other window will be a porthole style 12" that will be mounted on the front of the trailer allowing us to see outside the enclosure area to the front of the camping area.
For clothes storage, I'm going to be mounting cabinets near the rear of the unit up high. I'm flip flopping between:
A: Mount the cabinets to the ceiling frame, near the rear of the trailer
or
B: Mount the cabinets to the top of the ramp door with removable (wingnuts or similar) hardware
Option b would allow the items to be loaded into the cabinets with the ramp door all the way open and then lifted into place when full. Using removable hardware obviously allows the ramp to still function in the unlikely event that I use it for the go-cart etc... Option A obviously doesn't allow the easy loading option, but avoids having to remove the cabinets when using the ramp.
Stereo will be controlled by a Pioneer Double Din unit. I toyed with Class T amps, Bluetooth only controllers, etc... But bottom line is that for a similar price to any of those things, you can get a dedicated DVD player/Bluetooth/4x50w amp/touchscreen/remote/12v power/radio/it'll take the output from the TV, and send DVD output to it as well. If I plan on a blueray, I have a player on my laptop that I can use.
Subwoofer is a small 8" efficient self powered band pass 12V 'car stereo' sub with 80W RMS. Toyed with using the sub that came with the Yamaha speakers, but it was a crap 5" sub in a plastic box with a super heavy 110v amplifier that was rated at 60 watts (input power) so presumably 40 or so RMS. Thought about gutting it and rewiring it for passive use, but didn't bother.
2 windows will be installed. The first will be a sliding screen window on the left side of the trailer, across from the door. This will facilitate cross breezes, as well as allow us to look out while lying down. The other window will be a porthole style 12" that will be mounted on the front of the trailer allowing us to see outside the enclosure area to the front of the camping area.
For clothes storage, I'm going to be mounting cabinets near the rear of the unit up high. I'm flip flopping between:
A: Mount the cabinets to the ceiling frame, near the rear of the trailer
or
B: Mount the cabinets to the top of the ramp door with removable (wingnuts or similar) hardware
Option b would allow the items to be loaded into the cabinets with the ramp door all the way open and then lifted into place when full. Using removable hardware obviously allows the ramp to still function in the unlikely event that I use it for the go-cart etc... Option A obviously doesn't allow the easy loading option, but avoids having to remove the cabinets when using the ramp.
- Thread starter
- #350
I have hot water!!
Really, really hot.
60 degrees (140) on high!!
So, naturally I put it on low.
Really, really hot.
60 degrees (140) on high!!
So, naturally I put it on low.
- Thread starter
- #351
Side sliding window installed
Stereo/TV/Subwoofer all hard wired with 15amp fuses and marine switches.
Canopy modification/apron measurements given to the pro sewer.
Sliding storage drawer (pantry) installed.
Long damn day.
Stereo/TV/Subwoofer all hard wired with 15amp fuses and marine switches.
Canopy modification/apron measurements given to the pro sewer.
Sliding storage drawer (pantry) installed.
Long damn day.
- Thread starter
- #354
Why not?
Clearance and accessibility.
- Thread starter
- #356
Gotcha.
Struggling with another option.
There's about 20" or so of ground clearance. Admittedly there would be less with a flat tire.... but in either case, I"m going to have to jack the thing off the ground slightly to switch wheels, so, maybe it's 22" or so once it's been lifted up. I'm not planning on a lot of heavy rock crawling, so the likelyhood that i'm on some type of berm or other obstruction with limited access to the underside, is low.
Can't put it on the tongue - not enough room with the propane tank.
Can't weld on a hitch for the rear, since it's a ramp door.
Was considering mounting it on the side, but the side that has room already is a little bit heavy in comparison to the other side.
Roof? Talk about accessibility
Struggling with another option.
There's about 20" or so of ground clearance. Admittedly there would be less with a flat tire.... but in either case, I"m going to have to jack the thing off the ground slightly to switch wheels, so, maybe it's 22" or so once it's been lifted up. I'm not planning on a lot of heavy rock crawling, so the likelyhood that i'm on some type of berm or other obstruction with limited access to the underside, is low.
Can't put it on the tongue - not enough room with the propane tank.
Can't weld on a hitch for the rear, since it's a ramp door.
Was considering mounting it on the side, but the side that has room already is a little bit heavy in comparison to the other side.
Roof? Talk about accessibility
You might be able to mount it low on the ramp door. It would depend on how wide a tire and how much room you have once the ramp door is dropped down. If you're not going to be loading stuff in the rear (quads, machinery, etc.), you could always put thicker bumpers on the top of the ramp door to space it off the ground a bit when it's in the down position.
Underneath, I'd be thinking about going to a junkyard and crawling under some GM pickups and grabbing the spare carrier that uses a cable winch to raise/lower the tire. Otherwise, you will need to fabricate up some sort of a cage to slide the tire in/out of. Simply bolting it to the bottom of the trailer would not be one of the options I'd consider, as it would be really difficult to remove/replace lying on your back, holding the tire, and working a ratchet.
And there's always the option of carrying a bottle of 'fix-a-flat', and a 12v compressor....
Underneath, I'd be thinking about going to a junkyard and crawling under some GM pickups and grabbing the spare carrier that uses a cable winch to raise/lower the tire. Otherwise, you will need to fabricate up some sort of a cage to slide the tire in/out of. Simply bolting it to the bottom of the trailer would not be one of the options I'd consider, as it would be really difficult to remove/replace lying on your back, holding the tire, and working a ratchet.
And there's always the option of carrying a bottle of 'fix-a-flat', and a 12v compressor....
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- #358
I really like the ramp door idea. Hadn't thought of that at all. I'll have to measure to make sure it's feasible. Thanks for that.
As far as the underneath mounting, I was just going to pull the mechanism off my 60 - since that's on 35's and they obviously won't fit underneath.
As far as the underneath mounting, I was just going to pull the mechanism off my 60 - since that's on 35's and they obviously won't fit underneath.
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- #360
Good point, forgot about the trailer 3 pack idea. I can keep them in my 12 car garage on my sprawling western style ranch and work on them with my gold plated floorjack and diamond studded wrenches...
