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Hi thread. I've done the conversion bus thing a few times now: 1954 PD4104. 671 supercharged two stroke detroit, 4 speed non synchro manual. 35' long.   1969 Gillig DT16. NH262 flat 6 cummins, 15 speed non synchro, tandem drive. 40' long.  https://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3753465 scratch building a bus is loving hard when everything that can go wrong, does go wrong. Have full-timed it in bumper pulls as a kid and pickup slide ins before.. Thinking of taking the above eff tree fiddy now that it's nice and going full time again with a 35-40' toyhauler.
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Aug 13, 2019 21:47
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More on licensing. Out west if your travel trailer/5th wheel is over 10,000lb gvr you'll need an endorsement. In California if you breach 15,000 gvr on the trailer you'll need a non-commercial class-A. NV has a "J" endorsement for RVs that let you tow up to the class C limit of 26,000 combined. Over that it's non commercial-A. Towing. oh for the love of god keep your electric trailer brakes in top shape. Keep them adjusted, check them often. Harnesses are known to fray and you'll lose the brakes which is fun. Definitely agree with tires, Don't buy lovely rubber. The couple hundred saved is long forgotten when the may-pop does. In the absolute best case you're sitting on the side of the road dealing with the aftermath. Don't yardsale your rig over some cheap tires. Pickup GAWRs (gross axle weight rating) are rated by the weakest link, be it tire load, axle load, spring load. 3/4-1 ton pickup frames are typically similar, i'm not gonna get into this area. You can have a tires rated for 6000lb, on an axle rated for 8000lb, but if your springs are limited to 5,000lb, that's what you can carry. This is what typically your highway patrolman will check. The door placard for the GAWR and tire loads. There's a huge aftermarket for bolt in air-springs or helper leafs to up the weight capacity of the vehicle. You must keep in mind both the axle and tire's limits. SRW (single rear wheel) Isn't likely going to have the tire capacity to go with an additional few thousand pounds of hitch/bumper load. Actually holding the load and moving the load are two different things. DRW (Dual Rear wheel) Is inherently more stable than the single counterparts. This is evident cornering downhill, crosswinds, and highway maneuvering. Accelerating the load factors on your vehicle's engine power and how it delivers the power (transmission and final gearing). You can have a gutless wonder and a pile of gears to turn it into something workable however you'll need to be patient. Nice thing modern trucks, there's no shortage of power. Buses all fall into the gutless wonder category. Stopping the load typically relies on the trailer's brakes to stop the load of the trailer. A good brake controller is a must to go heavy. Modern trucks have them integrated. Drum brakes fade, and fast. keep that in mind. Campers now are switching to electric discs. Diesels get the option of an exhaust brake that works as additional braking capability for your tow vehicle. The idea there is to reduce the load on the service brakes. Old trucker's rule is the gear you climbed it, is the gear you descend it, for a newer truck, go 1 gear down for descents. As for the braking system used on the truck, nearly everything built in the last 20-30 years in the 3/4-1 ton range will have 4 wheel discs. Most every diesel will have something called hydroboost instead of a vacuum booster. They essentially double the line pressure over vacuum boosted brakes. Air brakes are found on class 7-8 trucks/buses. Discs are becoming commonplace here too. I can go into more detail about these work if requested. Costs? haha. $Texas$. Bus conversions have all the costs of an R/V coupled with the costs of a class 7-8 truck. Insurance is cheap due to R/V classification. Tires new can be a few hundred per. They'll almost certainly age out. with six to ten tires..yeah. Some engines hold 5 or so gallons of oil and double that in coolant. Common buses will use class 8 truck brake parts and hardware. Some tag axle buses will have suspension parts specific to that manufacturer, like MCI. Eagle's torsilastic uses no air spring but a torsion bar instead. They *do* wear out like everything else. Fuel economy for these vehicles are all over the map. If you set out expecting 5mpg you'll not be disappointed. Typically they hold over 100 gallons of diesel too. You *can* do a bus on the cheap if you're good with a wrench and handy with resources. schoolies are the base for entry into cheap bussin'. Most have "juice brakes" and are built on class 4-7 chassis' with medium duty diesels pushing em along. I have seen some awesome toyhaulers built from a schoolie like this one:  As for tow rigs? I pour way too much money in my 30 year old 1 ton with a 7.3. Prior to that was a F250 with a 6.0 Powerstroke. We all know what those like to do. Because of that, I got it for drat near free. I traded it for the first bus, the PD4104.
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Aug 15, 2019 16:55
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Batteries/inverters: https://www.victronenergy.com/ more lithium/battery management: https://www.elitepowersolutions.com/ budget restricted: trojan 6v golf-cart batteries. Solar is heavily dependent on the roof space you have available. If you have the real estate angling panels during the winter isn't as crucial. Portable panels are also a thing. Generators? I can't really weigh much here other than big and quiet. Over a kW of solar or so feeding Victron inverters with some LiFePO4 batteries will let you boondock with a single a/c unit. 350W panels can be had, so this is an attainable number with limited roof realestate The first bus was 30A and kind of sucked. 50A service is luxury living. Aircon can still happen on 30A, but do be aware of what the coach is pulling at any given time. Rear view cameras rock. I'd like to go wireless to a tablet and will share my findings when that happens. Using this now which is a combo dual dashcam/rear view/backup camera/gps/clock/speedometer with lane assist: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07CLYP56B/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
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Aug 16, 2019 04:29
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Suspect Bucket posted:RV buying and selling is a shitshow x.x I would honestly avoid Craigslist unless it's a sub 5k rig, and go buy a listing on RVTrader. Dad bucket had lots of luck with that. Seconding this. Getting the shitters full experience on a walk through is pretty off-putting. Extra photos like the roof to show the world the EPDM layer isn't hosed. Tires with date codes, the UVW certificate. Make drat sure they know how to drive whatever vehicle it is you're selling. The hilarity of selling a 15 speed manual bus when people never drove stick before, "but I'll figure it out!" haha. no. Craigslist sucks. Facebook marketplace killed it, then itself imploded. Try RVTrader. I've been browsing CL casually for a RV. Ad after ad has had barely any information, much less decent photos of the vehicle.
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Sep 6, 2019 19:23
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everdave posted:
seconding this. What engine? trans? Was it maintained? with records? how're the tires? Diesel is a huge selling point, but it can be a double edged sword if it has been neglected.
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Sep 10, 2019 02:14
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So with all the recent insanity goin' on and being stuck at home with not enough problems to solve I've gone out and bought a project.  big old honkin' truck camper. Aluminum frame Insulated as all hell babbies first genny dry bath + shower new roof in 2015. Full manuals, blueprints, service documentation, etc. It was allowed to get really wet with the old roof, there's a couple areas that need some refinishing, being aluminum, nothing is soft or structurally unsound. Gonna fix it up during the shelter in place rules, update it, and go see what's around Truck of course gives no fucks that it's back there.
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Mar 22, 2020 05:29
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Blacknose posted:
What are you planning for Wattage and power conversion? Suspect Bucket posted:That oowwwnnnnss boonneeessss. A proper beast. Hopefully the wet spots won't give you too many surprises. Kilz and bleach and best of luck! Post more pics. 1. Killz is the poo poo! It's our friend. 2. Frame is aluminum, so the soggy stuff isn't as bad as it could be. 3. Firehose of project progress: https://imgur.com/a/IItauhv Pic dump commencing. If you guys don't mind, I'll firehose the project in here too, and try to give as pointers and details on how to deal with old camper things. As it was purchased:      The cabinet next to the door had been super soggy. walls and floor were crispy. It's the first project. Strip it down to the frame/insulation. This uses standard styrofoam insulation. The last luan layer is glued to it. There's no removing it. Make sure it's dry. Paint it with killz. Later on the new luan/plywood layer will be epoxied to this.  Bunk cabinets, bed, strom window and trim stripped. This is an upcoming project after the cabinet is completed. A new 1/4" sheet will go towards the front as its obviously perished. The sheet closer to the camera is fine and can be reused. During a water test the front cap was leaking at the EDPM to front cap seal. This will be fixed with our best friend, Eternabond. I'm going to reseal the window too.  Pulled the gross jackknife sofa out. It's not going back in. the luan behind it has perished, and into the fridge wall and does include the area behind the fridge. The 3/4" deck below the sofa is solid.  EDPM roof and the walls scrubbed. also a good test for leaks. The front cap and kitchen window leak.  Some parts of the cabinet will have to be repaired, which is done with liquid nails and sheets of 1/8" plywood. Clamp in place, let cure overnight.  Primer and kills everything.  First coat of color  Order 60' of window seals. The windows on this coach are held in with urethane to the metal frame. The rubber acts as a secondary line of defense against water intrusion. Reverse view window at the base of the door  Dinette window. I used to do coach windows back in the day, it's a tedious but not hard project. Get the seals hot and wet. Line the inner lip up with the frame and wiggle it in with your thumb. A video is probably needed to describe this process...  This is the leaky kitchen window. Naturally the PO used silicone to try and seal a urethane bonded piece of glass. The frame will come out and it'll get fixed on the bench. While the frames are out, the filon walls can be pressed back into shape with epoxy.  TV Antenna removed, Roof caps and vents Eternabonded. Fridge vent and access hatch installed. Its approaching water tight! The fridge access hatch surround will be replaced later. There's a way to bring yellowed plastics back using hydrogen peroxide and UV exposure though that's not gonna be done with this.  plywood cabinet trim repairs:  Alright so power. Planning for 3/600W of solar going to a 3kW Victron inverter running on two Victron LiFePO4 batteries. The Victron batteries speak canbus, and can chat with the inverter using Victron's VE.bus BMS . It'll relay cell voltages and temperatures which is very important for the chemistry. This will also handle short protection using their BP|100 batteryprotect current monitor that also speaks VE bus. The 2.5kW LP onan generator stays for the time being as an emergency backup power solution. LiFePO4 and lead acid's discharge rates are different, a BMS is required between the trucks' starter batteries and the coach's power batteries. WIthout thisthe LiFePO4 set will try to overdraw the truck batteries. While on shore power, boondocking, or with the generator, our Chevrolet Volt can be charged off this entire system using L1. The Volt can not backfeed the system for additional capacity. We can build interfaces that monitor all of this tech. Here's a graphic I drew up to try and explain everything visually. The bms/short protection is integrated with the inverter in this drawing. 
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Mar 26, 2020 19:25
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Blacknose posted:3 x 100w panels into an MPPT controller feeding a 220aH AGM battery, with a split charge relay as a backup and no mains hookup. That's a pretty good setup for vanning it. 300W shouldn't be any problem for boondocking. The fridge I might reskin with some ferrous metal. Otherwise it'll get replaced for a chest type 12v yacht style job. Table stays, Husband and I both work remote, so it'll be handy. the little island it sits on we've been talking about cutting down as we both trip on it often. I do kinda wish it had a wetbath over a dry one, eh whatever. The truck build is here Weights and capacities as follows: cursedshitbox posted:
As for wood vs aluminum, I think there's tradeoffs that about equal it out. Lance stuck to wood longer than anybody else and they're significantly lighter. less insulation, lighter/fewer appliances and amenities, etc. Typically aluminum frames come with the higher end campers which are going to be heavier. Bigfoot is a great alternative to this. They use wood on a boat-hull like construction. Also heavy as a moon. Slides turn these things into planetary bodies worth of mass they get so heavy. To have a slide meant sticking to a 8 or 9' floor length. This coach is 11'8" and about the largest I'd be comfortable throwing on this truck with cargo. There was a Lance 1161 that has an awesome floorplan, but a hair too heavy for the 37's ratings. I'd use aluminum vs wood for the argument of strength and resilience to the elements. In the TC category I was primarily looking at Arctic Fox (aluminum) and Bigfoots(wood).
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Mar 26, 2020 20:22
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Cabinet ceiling back on  Bunk stripped, cleaned up, window frame fixed:  And first sheet laid down.  Awning removed to repair its mounting system and the wall. 
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Mar 31, 2020 01:46
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you might be able to replace just the lid. See if you can take it apart. In the US market they're a standardized 14"x14" hole. I replaced both the fans on my camper, you're welcome to any of the old stuff if it works for you, just cover the ride.
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May 13, 2020 01:07
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The silverado and burban' of 13' vintage are rated for more or less the same. F250s of that vintage are rated a little higher. Excursions run all over the map based on engine. They're basically F250s. That's right around of what a 30' travel trailer weighs, much less when you pack it with your favorite camping goodies. IMO GM's LS engines are better suited to towing than Ford's 2v/3v 4.6/5.4/6.8. I'm personally just not a fan of them. If you're sold on a suv style vehicle, why not a 350 sized van? Do pull the buildcodes and opt for a towing package for better engine/transmission cooling, stronger springs, and lower gearing. For towing a 30' TT i'd recommend a 1 ton for the extra overhead and upgrades over the 3/4 tons. You can reasonably get away with using a 3/4 ton using a load equalizing hitch, trans cooler, airsprings, etc. (A brake controller is a given regardless of what you do). Your tow vehicles rear axle weight limit is likely dictated by the capacity of the tires. The axle ratings on the door plate are always the weakest link(tires/spring/axle). The door plate will give you everything you need to know outside of curb weight so you can shop using that information. Don't overload the tires. 8000 in tt is around 1600lb on the tongue.
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Jun 21, 2020 05:06
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therobit posted:
Dynamat/sound deadening/etc do wonders for old trucks. new door/window seals, and a stock muffler will do wonders to quieten one down. The insulation in the 90' is gonna be long expired, not to mention marginal when new. Modern trucks are sooo good and quiet though. My 90' is still fairly loud as i've yet to pull the dash and replace all the insulation behind it, nowhere near as bad as it was when I first bought it though. There's also none on the cab back or ceiling. Mostly now it's turbine whine. Floors and door seals made a huge difference. If you do go that route, ditch the vacuum booster for the f-superduty(89-97) hydroboost system.
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Jun 21, 2020 19:29
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They're all built with the same parts from Dometic. The difference is in the quality control and finish work. The best thing you can do is go to a dealer and look at a few. Open the cabinets, baggage doors, and compartments, have a look around. Look at how the cabinetry and structures are put together. If there's cheap construction methods that stand out at the user interface level, imagine what is tucked away out of sight. The exterior windows can be a tell too, though those manufacturers are now owned by Dometic too. RV manufacturers love to hide mistakes with trim. No matter if it's a Jayco or a Momentum, they're built with the same cheap pieces from the same catalog. One uses MDF and the other uses a laminated hardwood in its construction. Those cheap components is what returns a lot of bad reviews. If you plan to stay out for a week or more, you want more fresh/holding tank capacities. Know that this can cut into what you can bring significantly. For instance the 50 gal cap of the 193BHD comes out of the 1183CCC weight. This means after filling you're good to tote 768lb of your favorite camping things along.
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Jun 26, 2020 18:47
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cakesmith handyman posted:A couple hundred kilos over weight for a couple hundred yards wouldn't harm anything, and if it breaks well it was going to break soon anyway and better then than at speed on the highway. This. Don't do it for an extended time ie: on roads. otherwise you're good.
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Jun 26, 2020 20:50
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therobit posted:CSB, you seem really knowledgeable about this stuff. Is it just from having campers a lot over your lifetime or is it aligned with your professional background? Anyway thanks. bit of column a, bit of column b. I grew up in several, the family was pretty nomadic by conventional standards and kinda loosely adhered to it doing buslyfe like things as an adult. Professionally I dabble in a dozen or so different industries to keep the beer flowing and the projects rolling. I don't directly work in the industry or adjacent to it currently, when c19 subsides that'll most likely change with the rebuild of the truck camper. Blacknose posted:You need to check out their project thread in AI. when c19 happens and a stay at home hobby is needed
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Jun 26, 2020 22:20
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Mr. Crow posted:Why am i seeing so many used campers with a couple thousand miles or less? Do these things generally fall apart without TLC or do people not buy them and never use them? Yes and yes. Blacknose posted:A lot get used a handful of weekends or one big trip a year and sit on the drive the other 350 days a year. Big boomer energy. ^^^ This is also right. Went to mendo last weekend to unplug and distance from the world for a couple days with the unfinished camper.  10/10 would recommend.
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Jul 7, 2020 02:48
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New forum! Let's liven this place up! Here's a little more from the July4th trip now that the build thread has caught up. The technical aspects of the trip will go into the project thread soonish. The hubby and I went to this spot in Mendocino for a couple days: 39.378764,-122.649329 Somewhere on the way there. Stopped to look everything over before the downhill section.  The first setup wasn't all that level. Pretty annoying honestly.  Moved forward a touch, perfectly level though the step is now about 3' off the ground lolol. I moved the step over from the center to the side so we could climb the jack to get in/out.   Being right next to the creek though was awesome. Quiet outside of the waterfall which was the best background noise.            Went on a handful of hikes too  View from the picnic table as the sun was going down.  View of dinna + the camper  It's quite livable for the two of us. Huge, actually. Bring a couple good books, a project or two, and kickback for a couple days. Made some sourdough pancakes on the first morning out.  Then later made some sourdough bread!  Of which, the thermostat is broken. So I cycled the burner and door intermittently to keep the oven at the right temp. 
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Jul 17, 2020 21:23
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Do you have trailer brakes? If no, stay slow, stay behind the semis. Your truck brakes will overheat otherwise. Tow haul. Note whatever gear you climbed it. That's the gear you descend it. Flip it into manual mode and make it hold the gear.
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Jul 18, 2020 03:14
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Mud Shark posted:Gotcha, thanks. I do have trailer brakes but they are the regular electric ones. Worth it to turn up the gain or am I going to risk locking them up? Set it to where it works in unison with your tow vehicle brakes. Too little, and it pushes the tow vehicle. Too much, they'll try to stop the tow vehicle over its own brakes resulting in fade. There's some good braking tips and such in the trucking CDL handbooks. stab braking(won't apply to you), threshold braking, etc. I generally try to select a gear that allows for natural engine braking and no use of the brakes. That's a balanced dynamic that's good for descending hills. It typically works out to be ~the gear the hill was climbed in. outside of that, a 10mph window. Say 30-40mph. When the vehicle creeps to 40, steadily and quickly brake it back down to 30, then release. Don't linger on the brakes, but also don't bounce off the ABS system. The point is to bleed speed without overheating the brakes. You'll do fine!
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Jul 18, 2020 05:15
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Any bus or class A is gonna need a full size wrecker and you'll be on the hook for it without a very generous roadside plan. Know what entails with bus ownership. A class A is marginally easier to own. A bus is better built. The class As are on a standard truck ladder frame, sorta like smaller econoline based buses and schoolies. A Prevost can be thought of like a unibody. It doesn't matter a lot, the tow guy is gonna grab it by the axle. Class Cs can be moved by typical 4500/5500s if they're not huge. Preventative maintenance will do you well in preventing breakdowns. If you're not handy with a wrench I'd argue the point of sticking to classA/ClassCs. They run hydraulic brakes and smaller commonly found powertrains. Some Schoolies and larger E450/550 vans are the exception. No Prevost runs juice brakes or light/medium duty diesel engine. That said, air brakes are easy to learn, as are the heavier duty drivetrains. 90s vintage Prevost might have a Detroit 92 or 60 series in it. Both are very well known powerplants. I've personally never had a bus towed. Working as a professional it was very rare that it couldn't be fixed on site, by that point the tow was the cheapest part of that day. Arguing point for the big boys, if you do break down you can be accessed by road side truck repair crews. I'm not certain a mobile heavy duty diesel mechanic is gonna wanna work on a downed RV with a 6.8L v10 or ISB. Truck stops like Petro and Loves run mobile divisions in their shops for road side assistance. To scratch build a bus, take your budget and multiply it by 2-4 times, and your allotted time by 2-6 times depending on how devoted to the project you can be. This also works for old project campers and projects in general. Case in point the TC I'm currently overhauling, I took the initial estimates and doubled it. So far it is tracking true on both counts.
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Jul 29, 2020 02:48
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Thats on par with most holding tanks, they'll get almost all of it but generally they'll be a little left. When you go to refill your tank leave the drain on to flush out the old, also sanitize it at the same time like rdb is saying. You can do a UV water filtration system and add the .5 micron filters if you really care.
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Sep 24, 2020 18:41
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Doing a tank flush between seasons is something we all get to deal with. It's not a huge ordeal. The mini RO systems like what I'm using wastes a lot of water which cuts into the duration of boondocking.
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Sep 25, 2020 03:47
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That turned out great, nice work!
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Oct 13, 2020 04:47
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TangoFox posted:I for some reason never realized this thread was a thing. Oops. Nice setup! What did you do to get 19.5s onboard? What did you do for mods?
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Oct 26, 2020 01:29
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TangoFox posted:
There ya go, I was wondering about the adapters. Centramatics rule. I was hesitant for going the 19.5 route primarily for ride quality. live axles, leaf springs, bench seat, and 19.5s don't mix well. My neck and back are bad enough already. Toyos just seem to ride that way regardless of size or type. Have you had any issues with the Lance over the 90k miles its been on the truck? Dual slides and side entry, that TC is huge! I think the next one I build will have a side entry. Sounds like a well bulletproofed truck. Used is always the way to go in my opinion.
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Oct 26, 2020 03:02
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Definitely into 450/550 territory at 7500lb wet. Even then you'd be throwing parts and work at it. Hats off to you for making it work out with what you have, and doing it the right way. Do you fulltime?
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Oct 26, 2020 18:25
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     The build works a treat! cursedshitbox fucked around with this message at 20:02 on Nov 19, 2020 |
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Nov 19, 2020 19:59
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Hasselblad posted:Nice. I guess the only upside from losing both of our pups this year is the freedom to head to the desert with the camper without worrying about them.     Nah, not using the genny for anything other than days of rain. 3.6kW liFePO4 + 900W solar + 3kW inverter. build thread
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Nov 20, 2020 01:00
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ddiddles posted:
What manufacturer are you using for solar and the batteries?
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Nov 29, 2020 19:18
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ddiddles posted:
Ballin. are you rolling your own battery management too? Right now I'm averaging 2.45kWh over the span of day parked in the depths of the desert SW. It's nearly break even right now due to winter, solid mount panels, and my fridge. Similar plans with boondocking to stay where HVAC isn't needed, though I burn through a lot of power for other things. Holding tank cap will likely be your limiting factor depending on how efficient you are with water usage. Worth monitoring your daily electrical draw to determine your needs then building from there. Budget for worst case scenario.
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Nov 29, 2020 22:32
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ddiddles posted:Yeah you can get a decent BMS w/balancer to add to it for $40. Oh that's awesome. Any plans for thermal management? Over the span of 24 hours, the fridge. It hungers. Dual compressor, runs on 12V/120. (Isotherm CR195). They're pretty efficent, however the controller has them spinning up more often than I'd prefer. I've done some paper logging, though I'd like to get some actual sensors on the thing and log to find out why. For maximum intermittent draw? Kettle(1500W), A/C(~1350W), Microwave(1300W), 3D printer(~1000W).
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Nov 30, 2020 03:55
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Blacknose posted:Currently in my build the 12v solar/leisure system is totally separate from the vehicle electrics, but I'm thinking I may want to be able to top up the leisure battery from the alternator if solar can't keep up and to keep the starter battery from dying when the vehicle is unused for a bit. I don't have hook-up/shore power so that isn't in the equation. Anything cheap will be a hack or diy-land from my experience. I was thinking of doing a similar thing but in the end just dropped it due to costs.(I wanted to move 2-3kW) 30A isn't much, you can find solenoids rated for 100% duty cycle at that current. Even if you wanted to transfer 100A back and forth there's solenoids/contactors available. you could scrap together a little embedded project that compares the voltage of the two batteries, with the state of the engine's alternator being active. I'm gonna assume your MPPT solar controller will stop power backflow so we'll remove it from the diagram below. If the alternator is active, close the contactor and charge all batteries. however if the alternator is not active, the starting battery is lower than 12V and the leisure battery is charged, close the contactor and charge the starter battery. Open contactor when voltages equalize. on 30A you should see some kind of log graph as the voltage of the leisure battery slowly drops as the starter battery rises. Pop the contactor open when they're roughly equal. it isn't pretty but it'll work. You'd want to set some boundary conditions, as in open the contactor if the voltage dips too low, or too high. If you double up your voltage sense inputs (1 per battery, 1 per leg of contactor) You can check the fuse state remotely and have it warn you that it popped a fuse. I personally would want some kind of switch or indicator panel telling me that it's equalizing the batteries and why. Fuse everything appropriately. If you wanted to go deep into the rabbithole you can spin a board with a power fet on it to reduce moving parts. (this, safety margins, and boundary conditions is basically what you're paying for in a DC-DC charger) You could do this with some analog logic as old-school alternator regulators work in a similar fashion, though a microcontroller and some resistor dividers will get you to where you want to go. Rooted Vegetable posted:Please say more about this item's use cases while on an RV trip? Go on a trip long enough and you can rely on your genuine Dometic parts to take a dump in a bucket. cursedshitbox fucked around with this message at 19:20 on Dec 1, 2020 |
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Dec 1, 2020 19:16
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Hasselblad posted:Then you have not actually lived in it yet. Gotta christen the can or it doesn't count! French Canadian posted:
This owns. It'll probably be a moneypit. hope this helps. Big diesel pusher? yeah it'll need some more care than say a minnie winnie with an oldschool big block. The newer the platform the more expensive the powertrain will be to repair. Towing can be astronomical if you don't have a membership with that benefit. The big one is catching up on all that deferred maintenance because it was 'cheap'. While you're in there, look for incidentals that can cause a bad day. Even better if you can bring an experienced hand in to guide you. Get it checked over with a local competent rv/diesel mechanic. Most of em are on medium duty bus/truck chassis so they're all generic under the beige panels and swoopy graphics. Tires almost always age out before they mile out. Can you handle buying 7-9 of em all in one go? Windshields can be a pain to source on the older models. There's soft costs to operating in this size. They take more energy to heat, to cool, move, fit in fewer parks if they're 35 feet + in length, etc. The upside? spaaaaaaace. Even the Griswolds will be jealous of all that poo poo you can haul along.
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Feb 10, 2021 18:06
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rdb posted:
How's the new Jayco been? Does it stay pretty warm in the freezing weather? French Canadian posted:I always think about how nice it would be to have a tiny piece of land just to park our motorhome on it for a month or two at a time. I realize a lot of counties don't allow living in RVs per se, but I figure that sort of thing is workable. Would need water and electricity I guess. Maybe I could buy some land next to a nice neighbor and pay them some dollars for it. Lotta places have legislation against this very thing unless its basically an hour to a few hours from any kind of services. I know of a few counties in NV/AZ that are fine with it. Electricity? lol solar. connecting to local power can get expensive. septic tank + well are basic musts. If you're gonna fulltime and Travel? There's LTVA that let you camp out from September - April. Some offer dump stations, trash, and potable water. It's extremely cheap for what you get. Lotta snowbirds do it. I've been to a couple sites. Also consider looking for someone that needs an extra hand on their farm/ranch/etc. I have lived in an rv on someone's land as a skilled worker. I work for em, get a little coin, and have a place to stay.
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Feb 12, 2021 05:31
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Solar makes the whole boondocking thing possible.. Long-Term Visitor Area. The Bureau of Land Management link doesn't really give you all that much to work with. Cost runs ya $180/season as of 2020. Some have better amenities than others per the pdf link at the bottom of their page. Midlands is alright. No water. Gotta drive to the arizona side of blythe(Ehrenberg) to a laundromat, pay $2 to the laundromat to fill up. Its a little outta the way, and coming back into CA means visiting the inspection station. Its spread out over a few major branches, a little flatter and easier for big coaches to get into. The dump station is a bit hard to find the first time. Someone cut the tiedowns on my easy up tent there after being there a couple weeks. Not sure why. I won't be returning this season. I've found some dispersed options further in the wilderness in that area anyway. E: The camp host there is an awesome older gentleman that takes covid seriously. I've no qualm about dropping by next fall. Imperial Dam is yuge. Full bike ride loop of the place is about 15 miles. Got pretty busy around the holidays. Its well developed, clean, and generally nice. Everything from solar powered tents to Prevosts. There's a solar/battery installer and mobile mechanic services offered. The church that's there offers services such as LP. Yuma also has LP for pretty cheap. I'd really like to see this expand to a national level with yearly service rather than just the southwest during winter. It ends in April due to the normal wildlife.. cursedshitbox fucked around with this message at 06:36 on Feb 12, 2021 |
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Feb 12, 2021 06:28
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rdb posted:Its been doable. I should probably skirt it but meh. I looked under it and its actually insulated underneath, slides are sealed really well, and over all its ok - for a camper. It uses as much propane as a normal house. We will hit 0F next week and that will be its real test. Looks well insulated for a slide. Insulated underbelly does a lot. Installing a skirt would help. No matter what they'll still be chilly and muggy. My next question was gonna be how much LP are you burning. My setup stays surprisingly warm though I've been avoiding the whole below 0C thing. French Canadian posted:How do you plan to keep your water and waste systems from freezing? They can be optioned with tank heaters... won't do anything about exposed knife valves though. People put up skirts or wrap the valves with the electrically heated cord you get for exterior home plumbing to try and thaw em out. Some use forced air from the furnace to heat the tanks/valves. My first bus and my current truck camper use this method. View of Imperial Dam from the mountain it is near. 
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Feb 12, 2021 17:30
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French Canadian posted:I am not seeing any...dam water. Just outside of view! Colorado river comes through here. There's a small powerhouse at the dam too. Lotta kayakers, boaters, and people on side by sides.    Yeah right now its southwest only. ACOE parks are supposedly really nice. I've yet to visit one. Likely will at some point this year. rdb posted:
That's not tooo bad given the temperatures. The first bus would suck down two 30s in 3 days during winter if I even attempted to keep it over 68* inside. I paid $2.40/gal or something in Yuma. Last round was 6-7 weeks on a set of tanks with some left over in one. Furnace is set to keep it over 55*. Genny was eating most of my LP, which turned out was due to my fridge/freezer. Shut the freezer down for the winter solstice and I've had to run the generator once this year. pulled in 3.3kWh a couple days ago so I'm technically able to run the setup on solar only. Its still off for the overhead.
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Feb 12, 2021 18:44
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rdb posted:Are you full timing it now? That spot looks nice. Yup. almost 90 days in. I've been at Imperial Dam for the last 8 weeks or so to bed in all the systems and learn how to work with the coach. Rolling northward soon. very soon. The standard Einstein cycles like you have are a set it and forget it kinda thing, the one in the bus used so little gas it was un-noticable. Fridge/freezer is an Isotherm CR195. It's a 12/120V yacht fridge that hongers for power but the groceries stay fresh far longer than they have any right to. Living in the SF Bay my veggies/bread would be moldy after 3-4 days. Out here? I've had bell peppers and bread last for weeks without issue. They're independently controlled with each having their own compressor. Given I was freezing ice cream, ice, and some frozen frenchfries, it wasn't worth the power consumption during the yearly solar minimum. Problems since setting out: new rad cap on the truck. Bathroom door binding due to tight tolerances, shaved it. Genny needed its mixer adjusted for cold starts. Stove igniter for one of the burners came unplugged. Minor leak at the bunk window during a huge thunderstorm, fixed with butyl. Current min/max/mean: Holding tank days between fill/empty: 5/15/10. RO system off. Can stretch it to 20-30 days though it'll suck. LP days between refill: 28/43/. average topoff: 7.6 gal. 0.118kg-lp/day. Not much data here. on the third fill so far... Solar yield per day: 1170Wh/3310Wh/2195Wh Generator run time: 9 runs in 2020, 1 in 2021. Mean run time per recharge ~1.2hr. Vehicle MPG: 9.46/10.61/9.60. A regear would be nice but the cost to go from 4.10 to 4.56 isn't worth the fuel savings and the lump of turbocharged iron moves it along fine in the sierras as is. Provisions run anywhere between 5 days when we first set out to a maximum of 4 weeks. Mean is ~15 days.  off on a corner of the LTVA down a twisty atv trail that scares off unladen pickups:   Burro pals 
cursedshitbox fucked around with this message at 19:41 on Feb 12, 2021 |
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Feb 12, 2021 19:39
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Seconding the Tekonsha P3. Having it will make a night and day difference towing. Especially in the mountains.
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Feb 18, 2021 01:22
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ddiddles posted:Good to hear that it can freeze and not instantly explode, I have nightmares of turning on the sink in the morning and hearing lines popping. The whole point of PEX is to not burst when freezing. That's what its supposed to do. Any RV built in this millennium will have it. Now that doesn't take into consideration RV faucets or the pump itself  Me personally? pump on during the day. I shut it off when I'm not around. Water heater when it is needed otherwise it stays off. For poopin' etc, get the tablets for the black and the gray tank. Really helps manage odors.
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Feb 20, 2021 05:41
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