Modification: Adding a Second House Battery

Recently, I completed a major modification to the RV. This modification is one that will greatly extend our camping time when there is no hook ups at the campground but still being able to enjoy some of the comforts of home. I added a second deep cycle house battery to the rig.

For this entry, I'm not gonna take you through step-by-step on how to add another battery; rather just show you the highlights of some of the challenges I faced and the solutions I came up with in completing this project. So, let's begin.

One of my first questions I had was, "Could I even put another battery on the trailer?" I have seen numerous other travel trailers have a second battery installed and some even came from the dealership that way. I figured that the area dedicated for batteries on a TT was standard and that they were suppose to be able to hold two. I was wrong and, of course, my RV was one of the special ones. The area on the frame dedicated to the batteries was not wide enough to hold two group 24 batteries in battery boxes. Take away the boxes, then two group 24 batteries would fit side-by-side. So what were some of my solutions?

After brainstorming with the wife on different solutions to mount two batteries on the TT we came up with three. One, was searching for a double battery box that would hold two group 24 deep cycle batteries side-by-side. That was impossible to find. There were battery boxes that would hold multiple batteries, however, not the size I was looking for. The second solution was to mount wider "rails" to the frame so two batteries, in individual boxes, could sit side-by-side with plenty of room. However not having the proper tools, like a welder, to attach the rails to the frame would make this solution extra difficult. So the third solution, which is the one I went with, came from another RVer online and it was his solution for the same problem. I decided to use a plastic tool box that was the same width as the area dedicated to the batteries. Two group 24 batteries could fit side-by-side and with a few modifications to the box, it could become a battery box easily.

 The original setup from the dealership.

Removing the battery box and relocating the LP gas line, two Group 24 batteries will fit side-by-side.

Top down view of the batteries side-by-side

View from underneath of the new battery box trying to fit in the battery rack. Note the overhang. The battery box fits width ways but not depth. 

View showing the lip of the front rail. Note that this side of the battery box fits in nicely.

The battery box. It's a DeWalt  tool box. This one I have already started modifying by adding vents and cutting a groove on the bottom to accept the lip on the rear rail due to the overhang from the box. 

View from the top down of one of the batteries in the box. Note the cardboard at the bottom to give the batteries enough lift inside the box. 

The box installed in the battery frame. Both batteries fit side-by-side and they are wired in parallel in order to give longer amp hours without increasing voltage. Not only are they wired positive to positive and negative to negative, the positive wire from the RV is on one battery and the negative wire from the RV is to the other battery. This keeps the charges balanced between the two batteries.

View from the top down.

View from underneath  Notice the groove cut into the bottom of the box to accept the lip from the rear rail.

Finished product.

Review: 25 Annual Manufactures RV Show at the Alameda County Fair Grounds

On Sunday Jan 13, 2013, we attended the 25 Annual Manufactures RV Show at the Alameda County Fair Grounds. We always like going to RV shows to see whats new in the RV world. It gives us a first class hands-on experience which we find better than any online or magazine review could give. So, lets begin.

Lets start with ticket purchase. They did provide an online coupon to save $2.00 per person which was nice. A little bit of savings never hurts, however, you better be prepared to have your email address bombarded with the offers. That's why you give them a fake!  We printed our coupons and headed off to the show. The only unfortunate experience we found here was that there was no online ticket purchase. You could only buy them at the show AND they only accepted cash. We've seen better.

So when we arrived at the fairgrounds we were greeted with a booth to pay for parking. No problem, we figured as much. Ten dollars to park! Again, only accepts cash. We thought that was kinda steep. Especially when they wanted us to park in a dirt lot. Hey, at least it was close to the entrance.

Once inside we were bombarded with the product booths. Which is fine if only they were for products that were related to RVing. Instead the majority of the booths were for upgrading your home and not the one on wheels. We just smiled and said no thank you, we rent, and moved on. But once we made it through the labyrinth of booths and red carpet, we were greeted with a wide array of RV's just waiting to be viewed.

All the RV's were inside; which was very nice to get out of the elements. Every style one could imagine was there. Class A and C motor homes as well as Class B conversion vans. Travel trailers and fifth wheels, along with pop ups and tent campers were available for view as well. It goes on and on. We saw that the majority of manufactures were there including Winnebago and Airstream. We were in awe at the sight of so many RV's in one place. Which made us wonder whats new for 2013?

Well whats new for 2013 is an improvement in style from the previous designs especially in the toy hauler lines. Toy haulers are RV's that have a "garage" at the back of the rig to store your ATV, dirt bike, golf cart, etc. It seemed that those types of RV's were marketed to young families that really were not into the camping experience rather the off-highway vehicle (OHV) weekends. And it showed in the RV's graphics scheme and overall look of the rig. Now RV manufactures of toy haulers are looking at a more conservative and higher quality both inside and outside the rig. Gone are the checkered flag graphics, they've traded for a more sweeping complementary color package for the exterior. Gone are the chrome and black leather interior for warmer wood tones and inviting family home feel. We felt that the toy hauler has finally grown up.

Another improvement we found was from Cruiser RV. They came out with a new line of travel trailers called Fun Finder. They are a recycle of their Fun Finder X line in terms of sizes and floor plans available but with some differences we found both good and bad. It was nice to see that Cruiser RV upgraded the feel inside the coach with warm wood tones with brushed metal hardware for their cabinets. And their exterior color schemes and graphics package shows a more elegant and refined look as well. The quality of construction is the same using lightweight materials and attention to detail you would find in most of what Cruiser RV makes however, there are some drawbacks to their new designs. For starters, is the lack of a front window on all the floor plans for the Fun Finder line. Windows bring light into the RV and we know from experience (owning a Fun Finder X) that there are not enough windows to begin with. So, it was unfortunate to see that Cruiser RV removed one, really giving a dark feel to the inside of the RV. Another unfortunate note is the downgrade in appliances. They still use quality products but went for an all black look instead of the brushed aluminum look which again adds to that already dark cave feel when you step inside the rig. But the new line is wider and taller but still is lightweight enough to be towed by most light-duty pickups and most SUV's.

This brings us to our best and worse in show.

For our best in show we decided to go with another travel trailer. The 2013 Creek Side 20FQ by Outdoors RV. It is a perfect combination of style and functionality together with floor plan layout and weight control that made this travel trailer our pick. If you are new to the RV lifestyle and don't have much to spend then check out the 20FQ. It features a walk around queen bed up front with full bath with shower about mid way down the RV. A full kitchen with dinette completes the back portion of the RV. With amble storage both inside and outside the RV and plenty of room left over for people to move around inside it makes one wonder how did Outdoors RV accomplish all this without the need for a slide-out. Check out their web site to learn more: http://www.outdoorsrvmfg.com/creekside/model.php?id=126

The worse in show had us scratching our heads wondering why is it that when an RV manufacture has a blank canvas of an interior and can plan a layout anyway they want to, they decide to go the cheap route and make it look like it was put together from IKEA. Well that's exactly what KZ did when they brought out the 2013 Spree Escape. With rough corners and ill fitting transition seams between components the Escape looks like something that was put together over one weekend using parts found in the RV section at your local big box store hoping they would fit perfectly and nobody would notice. Don't believe me? Check them out for yourself: http://www.kz-rv.com/spree-escape/index.html

Until next time...

Checklists, checklists, and more checklists!

In preparation of any camping trip, one should go through their RV and check to make sure they have everything they need to make their trip fun and headache free. Especially when they bring their RV out of winterization. This was kinda the case for us during our last camp out. I found that during our stay at Dosewallips State Park, I was quickly reminded that I forgot to pack a few key items for any trip. For example, towels, table to BBQ at, tables to eat at, green scrubby pad, and so on. During the winter months, those items and some others were removed from the RV to use in the house. I forgot to put them back in the RV prior to leaving. Hence the title of this blog entry. Checklists are a great tool to help you remember what to pack and what not to forget. Even if you have a duplicate item in your house and the RV, say hand soap, it's always good to check to make sure it's full. Checklists are an easy way to take the guesswork out of what to bring. I recommend downloading a copy of a pre-made checklist for a typical RV and customizing it. There are a lot of good checklists out there but they probably have items on there that you don't need. I downloaded one for a full timer RV and went to make an excel spreadsheet. By combining the full timers and my ideas I came up with my own checklists. I use the tabs at the bottom of the spreadsheet for different areas in the RV like kitchen, bathroom, storage compartment, etc. Now I can go through and check off the items, even if they were already there, and go buy replacements if needed.

Checklists don't stop there. Sure they help remind you of items to bring but they can also help you remember step-by-step instructions on how to do things. Airline pilots use them all the time to make sure they go through the steps on how to operate the airplane. Lets hope they do and not only rely on memory and just "wing it!" These checklists can be prepared for just about anything. You can have your "pre-departing the house" checklists to go over stuff like check the tire pressure. Or check the torque on the lug nuts for the wheels. Then you can have your "At the campsite" checklist for setting up your campsite and plugging in the shore ties. Whatever you can think of, you can make a checklist for it.

So bottom line, don't just think that you'll remember everything needed for an enjoyable trip. Sure you think your memory is a steel trap and you'll remember everything. But think about it; it's better to have checked it and not needed it, then to have not checked it and realized it was something you could not live without. It's okay to make a checklist to remind you what to bring, how to do stuff, etc. The more complete it is, the better your trip will be. Which reminds me, I have to go and check on a few things... Till next time!

Review: Puyallup RV Show

Today we went to the RV Show and Sale at the Puyallup Fair Grounds in Washington State.  According to the web site this RV show is billed as, “Every leisure need from tent  trailer to your vacation home on the lake.” Well the show does have its good features and we’ll cover those later, let’s start with the web site.

Buying the tickets online was very easy. A straight forward interface let you select how many tickets you wanted and then let you pay online with a major credit card. After purchase, the site took you to a screen where you could print your tickets. The web site even sent you a friendly email confirming your purchase. However with this ultra cool high tech way to purchase tickets there was an additional charge for convenience. I don’t understand why an additional charge is needed for having one computer talk to another computer. I even used my paper and ink from my printer to get tangible tickets. Where did it cost them?

Getting tickets online meant that we could skip the line and head straight to the entrance gate where we were welcomed to a vast array of RV’s waiting to be toured. There was a table as soon as you walk in where you can pick up a bag with some show information and various deals. Also included was a show map which was very helpful because this show was big. Not only could we tour the RV’s outside, there was a pavilion with row after row of RV’s inside; along with several booths demonstrating the latest gadget and gizmo to make your RV experience that much more enjoyable.

One thing was for certain, we had a lot of ground to cover if we wanted to see everything. We started inside, due to the clouds outside threatening rain, and were surprised as to the floor layout. It showed a market trend of what consumers seem to be interested in, travel trailers and fifth wheels. The building was stuffed with them. A lot of the major players, i.e. Jayco ,Holiday Rambler, Lance, and Forest River, to name a few, were available to tour however we were surprised that some very key manufacture’s were not there, i.e. Airstream, Cruiser RV, Winnabago, and Eco were a no show. Also another issue we found strange was the lack of sizes of the different RV’s that were on display. If you were interested in a rig from 26-31 feet, that show had it. With slides, with-out slides, bunk beds, outdoor kitchens, toy hauler, automatic everything, and automatic nothing could be found. But if you were looking to something smaller that could fit in the tighter campsites, your selections were lacking.

Outside the pavilion treated you to a display of more travel trailers and fifth wheels with very few class a and class c models to see. If you were in the market for a class a or c, you were wasting your time. But outside was nice and you were introduced to a couple of new ideas. One was “tiny houses.” They look like a glorified tool shed on steroids and on wheels. They have wooden sides and a shingled roof but are completely towable and street legal with hookups to the campsites. The neat part is that you could purchase one of these tiny houses built for you or you can purchase just the blueprints and build one yourself. Another was pre-manufactured homes were on display. We toured a couple of them but were not really interested. This blog is in fact all about RV’s so back to that. Along with the tiny houses there were tiny rv’s in the form of teardrops trailers. These trailers are a throwback to the era of having an affordable, towable with the family car, RV without breaking the bank with modern conveniences available. They are perfect for the weekender who just wants to camp and be able to sleep off the ground.

The show did treat their patrons to a couple of freebees while there. One was a complimentary ride in a train towed by a tractor for those that wanted to get to the other side of the fairgrounds but didn’t want to walk. Also it was big fun for the kids. Another was when you entered the show they handed you a card that fit an ATM looking machine in the pavilion. If you didn’t mind getting your email address sold six ways to Sunday, you could get some coupons for a free pair of garden gloves or a $1 off on a purchase at a few home improvement booths at the show.

So grading the quality of this RV show had us scratching our heads. It definitely had a vast abundance of RV’s to look at and tour. Product booths were available complete with the pushy sales people to get the product in front of you. Parking was easy and so was getting in. There was a food court available if one was hungry as well.  However the layout of where stuff was could have been better. Sometimes we got turned around and found ourselves walking past the same RV a few times. Also there could have been seminars made available for those getting into RV’s for the first time and needed an introduction course, or for the veterans looking for new ideas or had questions. In all we would grade the 2012 Puyallup RV Show a C+ based on the examples above and past experiences going to shows around the Puget Sound.

This brings us to the Best In Show for both trailers and motorhomes.

For travel trailers we chose the Surveyor Sport SP-189 by Forest River. This RV is perfect for the couple who are just starting out their own RV adventures. It is small, lightweight and have all the amenities of the bigger travel trailers while keeping the cost down. If you want more information goto: http://www.forestriverinc.com/nd/default22.asp?nav=rec&page=survw&choice=brochure

For best in show in the realm of motorhomes we went something non-standard. In today's market where the price of a gallon of fuel seems to keep rising and rising showing no end in sight; it's a welcome relief that there are some manufacturers out there trying to keep the RV dream alive by creating economical motorhomes. Trying to squeeze out every little bit from every gallon burned. Our selection is the Tahoe 190 RBS by MPV. This is a rear bath with a slide out class c motorhome featuring the main sleeping area over the cab. Perfect for the couple thats looking for something small but wants a motorhome. For more information visit: http://www.mvprv.com/products/Tahoe2/index-tahoe.html

Dosewallips State Park: Apr 27-29 2012

Located in Washington. Had a good time at this park.  Surprisingly the park was people and kid quite for the most part. The only real noise came from Hwy 101 that ran right next to the park. This is not an official review of the park. That will come later. Just a quick post about our first camping trip of the season. It was great to get out and get back into the fun that is RVing.