It was a long journey to get to our final build list. After scanning the forum for 6 months and having 20 years of trailer experience, the list was finalized. I hope i dont see something else because on wed mar 9 our trailer entered the cutting room. That sounds horrible. It was a major operation, there are holes everywhere, maybe reace couldnt find what he was looking for!!!!!. On Friday night 3 pictures arrived (email) to verify this.
Because of the long time and all the work it took us to deceide on the "list" and i appreciated everyone sharing their list I thought i would give forward a bit and share mine with the logic i used in each item on the list.
Some points to keep in mind is that each person will have their own specific needs, type of camping, medical considerations, length of stay etc. I am not promoting any particular option or change but I was very pleased to have the opportunity to make the changes that i needed and yes wanted.
I will list the technical things that is currently on the 19, this information came directly from Tammy and or Reace via telephone and or email.
- Max air fan - model 5100k, deluxe manual opening
- looked it up on the internet and seemed ok to me
- Converter - WFCO model 8955, 55A, 3 stage charger
- looked up on the internet and because it is a 3 stage charger it is good for deep cycle batteries, the old converters us to use a timer then drop down to trickle charge, this converter seemed ok to me
- A/C Dometic Penguin, low profile model # 600312, 11,000 BTU
- used because of its profile and only 11000btu, I would have liked one with less btu maybe 8 or 9k
so my 2000i could run it but it is what it is. I have found that ac is useful at times, like when the trailer was closed up for a period of time. We deceided to get it because if we wanted ac it was our only choice. The quick start option might come latter if needed.
- Solar panel - Carmanah 95W ?? - comes with digital display for monitoring batteries and charging etc.
- deceided on this because not as noisy as a generator and we like to camp in semi remote areas and sometimes do not have access to power. For medical reasons i need power every night when i sleep so having to charge the batteries every day by generator was my second choice. Once the panel is installed it runs free from the sun. I have my own deep cycle batteries 2 X 100AH at 12 volt AGM . The bad part is they each weigh 75 lbs. This will add 150 lbs on the tongue weight because they are mounted inside the storage box. I had to get 2 runs of #2 stranded copper wire run from the batteries to the converter area where i will have my pure sine wave inverter (12v to 120v), remember that at 12V there is a lot more current, 10 times more to get the same wattage as 120V. I bought a pure sine wave ( 1000Watt) because the modified ones are not nice to electronic things. Another point to remember is that the inverter is only 85% efficient. I needed all this because my medical device works only on 120V. So i had to set it up to run from 12V batteries. Trailers are typically set up to work on 12v except for things like ,A/C, microwave, TV. The furnace etc all run off 12V. I hope i didnt confuse anyone. I also got 2 air vents added to the area where the converter and inverter will be, under drivers side bench. Heat will destroy electronics so i figured some ventilation would be a good idea.
- additional window over the sink - my wifes request, i guess were out camping for the scenery so the more windows the better
- bike rack ready - great idea had it on all my other trailers, added a couple extra lights by the back window because i have seen too many tail lights covered by bicycles etc. If one didnt want to use it for bikes there are storage boxes that will fit into the same plug.
- blocks for the cot option - we did not get the cot option but i did get the blocks added , they are fiberglassed in place during build, they would be very difficult to add latter, not very expensive now. might need them when grand kids go with us and the cot part can be purchased at any time.
- exterior 110v outlet - good for out side cooking, radio etc, better than using disposable batteries or power cord
- exterior propane quick connect - good for barbecue or for propane light , saves on battery usage?? we have a small 2 burner propane stove that we use outside and the small bottles are very expensive and not refillable.
- Exterior shower added to interior shower pkg - would be good for washing sand off feet or washing dog or even water for dishes etc. If its nice weather we are usually outside 99 percent of time except for sleeping! Cant see me taking shower outside??
- Extra insulation and thermal windows - Insulation keeps heat in and out (sun) thermal windows are tinted and no moisture on windows except when cooking.
- led lights - use one tenth power of regular bulbs so less drain on batteries, you dont have to replace the power you don't use!!!
- exterior led light - same logic as above
- storage box - protects front of trailer and the box is line x covered so really got all that storage for only 200 more. also the batteries are in there under cover. I dont like putting wet hoses and wires etc inside the trailer . The doors open into nice clean storage areas and over time can get dirty.
- two way hot water tank - why not use power (120v) if your at a serviced campsite, it was part of the fee you paid for.
- oven with three burner cooktop -like making oven dishes, if dry camping cant use slow cooker or toaster oven so only choice is propane oven. for medical reasons dont fry food. the bad part is you loose the two drawers so we got one added in the bottom of the wardrobe 3.5 inches high. seemed like a good compromise.
- stainless steel sink and faucet - like real metal, have had plastic before.
- stereo - didnt really get this for the stereo in particular but it is a cd, dvd ,fm , i pad etc so willl save the extra cost of buying a tv with a dvd player to watch movies. may not use it much but a good feature on rainy days. has external speakers and small tvs usually have poor speakers.
- stove cover - seemed like a good idea to cover the burners when storing things on it.
- tv antenna and power amp. - like to check the weather etc and remote areas need the amplifier.
- wall mount extendable arm - need it to hang the tv from and makes it so you can set it to see the tv at any angle
- 2 12v outlets - one by the bed and another one at the table. great for running 12v appliances and just a convenience to have two.
- cabinet door at end of passenger side bench - will be a convenient place to store foot ware. now i only have to remember to use it!!!
- starter kit - the basic necesseties needed, propane tanks are filled and a water pressure regulator i think is a must campground water pressure is usually not very well regulated.
- shower combination kit - read about it on the forum and the shower suction cup holders seemed like a great idea
- Removable power cord - power cords get dirty after a while and pushing it under the bed where we will be storing a lot of clean things seemed like a poor idea. after many years of dealing with bugs crawling up the cord i am very happy to unhook it and put it in the front storage box. on the east coast we have earwigs and they love crawling up the power cords at night.
- Additional reading light over bed - my wife likes to read at night so having one on each side made sense. both are led.
- a 12 x 12 foldable table by bed for cpap machine to sit on
- 2 split plugs , top of duplex plug 120v from converter , btm of duplex plug 120v from inverter(12v to 120v) batteries. the one by the bed headboard and the one at the bottom of the fridge (for tv). this will give me 120V when dry camping from my batteries. i need it when i sleep so a bonus when we dry camp. the only problem is the power taken out of the batteries must be replaced. My research indicates that you should never discharge deep cycle batteries below 50% as this will shorten their life span.
- didnt get the microwave so the hole will come with a door
- I will add a surge protector myself because i believe it protects the electronic components of fridge and water heater etc.
I hope i didnt bore anyone with all this but it might help someone deceide or maybe just make them aware of an option or just what you can change.
wendell
Because of the long time and all the work it took us to deceide on the "list" and i appreciated everyone sharing their list I thought i would give forward a bit and share mine with the logic i used in each item on the list.
Some points to keep in mind is that each person will have their own specific needs, type of camping, medical considerations, length of stay etc. I am not promoting any particular option or change but I was very pleased to have the opportunity to make the changes that i needed and yes wanted.
I will list the technical things that is currently on the 19, this information came directly from Tammy and or Reace via telephone and or email.
- Max air fan - model 5100k, deluxe manual opening
- looked it up on the internet and seemed ok to me
- Converter - WFCO model 8955, 55A, 3 stage charger
- looked up on the internet and because it is a 3 stage charger it is good for deep cycle batteries, the old converters us to use a timer then drop down to trickle charge, this converter seemed ok to me
- A/C Dometic Penguin, low profile model # 600312, 11,000 BTU
- used because of its profile and only 11000btu, I would have liked one with less btu maybe 8 or 9k
so my 2000i could run it but it is what it is. I have found that ac is useful at times, like when the trailer was closed up for a period of time. We deceided to get it because if we wanted ac it was our only choice. The quick start option might come latter if needed.
- Solar panel - Carmanah 95W ?? - comes with digital display for monitoring batteries and charging etc.
- deceided on this because not as noisy as a generator and we like to camp in semi remote areas and sometimes do not have access to power. For medical reasons i need power every night when i sleep so having to charge the batteries every day by generator was my second choice. Once the panel is installed it runs free from the sun. I have my own deep cycle batteries 2 X 100AH at 12 volt AGM . The bad part is they each weigh 75 lbs. This will add 150 lbs on the tongue weight because they are mounted inside the storage box. I had to get 2 runs of #2 stranded copper wire run from the batteries to the converter area where i will have my pure sine wave inverter (12v to 120v), remember that at 12V there is a lot more current, 10 times more to get the same wattage as 120V. I bought a pure sine wave ( 1000Watt) because the modified ones are not nice to electronic things. Another point to remember is that the inverter is only 85% efficient. I needed all this because my medical device works only on 120V. So i had to set it up to run from 12V batteries. Trailers are typically set up to work on 12v except for things like ,A/C, microwave, TV. The furnace etc all run off 12V. I hope i didnt confuse anyone. I also got 2 air vents added to the area where the converter and inverter will be, under drivers side bench. Heat will destroy electronics so i figured some ventilation would be a good idea.
- additional window over the sink - my wifes request, i guess were out camping for the scenery so the more windows the better
- bike rack ready - great idea had it on all my other trailers, added a couple extra lights by the back window because i have seen too many tail lights covered by bicycles etc. If one didnt want to use it for bikes there are storage boxes that will fit into the same plug.
- blocks for the cot option - we did not get the cot option but i did get the blocks added , they are fiberglassed in place during build, they would be very difficult to add latter, not very expensive now. might need them when grand kids go with us and the cot part can be purchased at any time.
- exterior 110v outlet - good for out side cooking, radio etc, better than using disposable batteries or power cord
- exterior propane quick connect - good for barbecue or for propane light , saves on battery usage?? we have a small 2 burner propane stove that we use outside and the small bottles are very expensive and not refillable.
- Exterior shower added to interior shower pkg - would be good for washing sand off feet or washing dog or even water for dishes etc. If its nice weather we are usually outside 99 percent of time except for sleeping! Cant see me taking shower outside??
- Extra insulation and thermal windows - Insulation keeps heat in and out (sun) thermal windows are tinted and no moisture on windows except when cooking.
- led lights - use one tenth power of regular bulbs so less drain on batteries, you dont have to replace the power you don't use!!!
- exterior led light - same logic as above
- storage box - protects front of trailer and the box is line x covered so really got all that storage for only 200 more. also the batteries are in there under cover. I dont like putting wet hoses and wires etc inside the trailer . The doors open into nice clean storage areas and over time can get dirty.
- two way hot water tank - why not use power (120v) if your at a serviced campsite, it was part of the fee you paid for.
- oven with three burner cooktop -like making oven dishes, if dry camping cant use slow cooker or toaster oven so only choice is propane oven. for medical reasons dont fry food. the bad part is you loose the two drawers so we got one added in the bottom of the wardrobe 3.5 inches high. seemed like a good compromise.
- stainless steel sink and faucet - like real metal, have had plastic before.
- stereo - didnt really get this for the stereo in particular but it is a cd, dvd ,fm , i pad etc so willl save the extra cost of buying a tv with a dvd player to watch movies. may not use it much but a good feature on rainy days. has external speakers and small tvs usually have poor speakers.
- stove cover - seemed like a good idea to cover the burners when storing things on it.
- tv antenna and power amp. - like to check the weather etc and remote areas need the amplifier.
- wall mount extendable arm - need it to hang the tv from and makes it so you can set it to see the tv at any angle
- 2 12v outlets - one by the bed and another one at the table. great for running 12v appliances and just a convenience to have two.
- cabinet door at end of passenger side bench - will be a convenient place to store foot ware. now i only have to remember to use it!!!
- starter kit - the basic necesseties needed, propane tanks are filled and a water pressure regulator i think is a must campground water pressure is usually not very well regulated.
- shower combination kit - read about it on the forum and the shower suction cup holders seemed like a great idea
- Removable power cord - power cords get dirty after a while and pushing it under the bed where we will be storing a lot of clean things seemed like a poor idea. after many years of dealing with bugs crawling up the cord i am very happy to unhook it and put it in the front storage box. on the east coast we have earwigs and they love crawling up the power cords at night.
- Additional reading light over bed - my wife likes to read at night so having one on each side made sense. both are led.
- a 12 x 12 foldable table by bed for cpap machine to sit on
- 2 split plugs , top of duplex plug 120v from converter , btm of duplex plug 120v from inverter(12v to 120v) batteries. the one by the bed headboard and the one at the bottom of the fridge (for tv). this will give me 120V when dry camping from my batteries. i need it when i sleep so a bonus when we dry camp. the only problem is the power taken out of the batteries must be replaced. My research indicates that you should never discharge deep cycle batteries below 50% as this will shorten their life span.
- didnt get the microwave so the hole will come with a door
- I will add a surge protector myself because i believe it protects the electronic components of fridge and water heater etc.
I hope i didnt bore anyone with all this but it might help someone deceide or maybe just make them aware of an option or just what you can change.
wendell
