Nearly there

[Dee Lirious]

So ! getting ready to jump in. Is there a term for not full timers but 97%'ers ?
Have my heart set on an Escape 5.0 5th wheel BUT with my previous experience of life living off grid I have come to appreciate the necessity of things like POWER, like the old song, "I'm here for a good time not a hard time" but I hope a long time !
I plan on as much boon-docking as possible assuming that the borders get opened up before I get setup completely. I suspect that it will take me a year to get everything lined up right.
The ONE thing that I am really waiting for is the Ford 2021 / F150, 3.5 Eco boost HYBRID ! It is supposed to have the capability of supplying 7.2 Kw from an electrical panel built in and have an on board 1.2Kw Lithium battery.
It is designed for contractors/workers and should be able to supply power to charge the 5th wheel batteries and if you run the engine, all the 120/240 power you would want in a RV. Seems to me like a huge game changer in comfort and convenience.
Anyone have any thoughts on this NEW option ? I have never been in an RV before and right now my biggest concern is that I have the numbers right and the new F150 3.5 ltr Eco boost 4x4 super crew , 6.5 ft box is enough muscle.
Although I have never RV'ed, I have enough experiences under my belt to not be unduly concerned about jumping into the deep end. I will survive !

[UncleTim]

Get two solar panels. And you should be all set. Mine is a solar power generating machine when the Sun is out.

[Perry Butler]

Originally Posted by UncleTim

Get two solar panels. And you should be all set. Mine is a solar power generating machine when the Sun is out.

And a Zamp port, for the portable you will buy for one day every 100 days.

Enjoy,

Perry

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by Dee Lirious

The ONE thing that I am really waiting for is the Ford 2021 / F150, 3.5 Eco boost HYBRID ! It is supposed to have the capability of supplying 7.2 Kw from an electrical panel built in and have an on board 1.2Kw Lithium battery.
It is designed for contractors/workers and should be able to supply power to charge the 5th wheel batteries and if you run the engine, all the 120/240 power you would want in a RV. Seems to me like a huge game changer in comfort and convenience.

The truck could be used as a generator to charge the trailer battery after a few days, or a source of 120 V AC power to the trailer, but as you have realized it won't be able to provide high power for very long without starting the engine. That lithium-ion battery has a capacity of 1.2 kilowatt-hours (kWh, not Kw), which is about the same amount of energy as the trailer's optional dual battery setup, or as the capacity of the hybrid battery in a base Prius. For instance, it could power a microwave oven at full power for about one hour, if no other AC power were used. It could be very useful, but there are limits on how often, when, and for how long a truck's engine can reasonably be run at a campsite.

The rest of the truck is the same as other F-150 variants, so it will work fine as a tow vehicle for an Escape.

[Dee Lirious]

I lived off grid for 10 years and right now drive a Mitsubishi Outlander Hybrid plugin, so although I have not Rv'ed, I have had power shortage anxiety more than once. being in Northern Ontario totally off grid and NEEDING electricity to stop water and other incidentals, like ME from freezing I was at one time at the point where I had 5 or 6 different size generators, from a 4 cylinder diesel Perkins kicking out 35 kilo watts to a tiny 1000 watt inverter.
My thought was that having a truck with a built in generator would be what I liked to call the backup to my backup's backup ! I plan on going full time and boon docking. Never readjusted to city life after the woods. The biggest aggravation with small generators is fuel, From what Ford is saying, this truck is designed for using the generator a lot . The on board lithium is a joke to be sure, you could pretty much hook up a couple of cell phones and an Ipad and get comparable battery life ! Since I am an old gezzer now, I decided I want a good time, not a hard time. The two solar panels, the batteries it comes with, a small Honda geny and later throw in a couple of the lithium and peripherals. The BIG advantage of the truck with the 7.2 kw option is that you can run drills saws and other tools to work on tweaking the trailer in the middle of nowhere. I am even thinking about getting the composting toilet and have an extra fresh water tank in place of the black tank. My idea of boon docking is a month or more without hitting civilization. I am one of the few people who likes all this social distancing ! It seems that the bigger problem is going to be actually getting my hands on a 5.0 and the truck !

[tractors1]

I'm of the same mind as far as the Ford battery & power system. Sounds good, but I'd be REAL cautious about boondocking somewhere and relying on it for my sole power source.



I have the 160W solar which works well, a Honda 2000i I carry maybe twice a year when I might need AC, and a Tacoma with an in-bed 400W AC outlet, which lets me run a real compressor or provide backup power for the trailer should I ever need it (never have.)