Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

flboy, Howdy;

Sounds like you've been doin' quite a bit of chin rubbin' an head scratchin' about those monitors.
Awaiting your report on how they work for you.

hank
Ps. Save me a piece of pizza

pk4013 wrote:Excellent conversion! I see that you placed your freshwater tanks inside and you have a fill door on each side of the trailer, I was wondering if you would explain how you connected the 2 tanks together.

Thanks

Thanks. I just ran both tanks together through a "T" connection right at the pump inlet. I used flexible water line and ran the offside tank over underneath the trailer and back up through the floor. If I lived in a place where things freeze, I'd have insulated the line underneath. Here's a picture to help. The tanks run down at the same time and find level.



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I finally connected up the gray water vent to the black water vent! This was something I needed to do as the lack of vent would cause water not to flow well out of the shower. The downside was that the Air Admittance Valve (AAV), needed where it is for when the tank is drained, had to be raised up some. You can see where that is now. I suppose the new vent hose should negate the need for the AAV, but it is only a 1" hose... probably not enough when the gate valve is wide open during tank dumping.

I basically used 1" flex hosing and put "T's" in the riser for the black water vent pipe and the gray water pipe I have the AAV installed on.












I also added an outlet primarily for the electric Space Heater, but can be used for laptops ansd etc. at the dinette. This is something I though was missing when I used the space heater. Another item off the list. :-)

hankaye wrote:flboy, Howdy;

Sounds like you've been doin' quite a bit of chin rubbin' an head scratchin' about those monitors.
Awaiting your report on how they work for you.

hank
Ps. Save me a piece of pizza

Not too much.. just a little.

With the stones... maybe the pizza will turn out better.

Out here working on a few things inside and getting ready to install the electric jack. This AC rocks.



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I installed the new electric jack. It could not have been easier. All the holes lined up. Just one wire to find 12 VDC through a 30A fuse and three bolts. It is grounded through the chassis and comes with some star washers to ensure an electrical ground through the paint.

I tested it out. It works well. It is slower than I expected, but as long as I don't have to crank, all is good. No ideas on reliability... will let you know if it breaks. It also comes with an emergency hand crank. That works too, but is a pain to hold down on top while turning so it does not slip off. Hopefully, I won't need that. The access for the crank is through a plastic removable cap on top. I am going to adapt a bit for my 18VDC Lithium battery powered drill. If that works, that will be my backup.




A cheap vinyl cover to keep the weather off while parked/stored.

I ended up getting another Inverter identical to the one I already have to keep on board as a backup since the inverter is a critical component to run the "comfort" appliances such as the Fridge, TV, Microwave, etc. when boondocking. I ended up returning the 600W inverter I bought for a fridge backup because it would occasionally trip when the fridge compressor came on. Apparently the fridge has a a very high surge and that inverter could not handle it consistently and tripped. I do not think it was working at its rated specifications in any case ... I know those fridges can have up to a 10X instantaneous surge for a second.. but that is crazy that a 600W inverter with 1000W surge could not handle it.

In any case, I bid on and got the same exact 1500W (3000W surge) Pure Sinewave inverter for only $40.00 more which I know works to run my Fridge and AC together. Because I can't help myself, I took the cover off to inspect the workmanship and quality since this is a Chinese made inverter (what isn't Chinese made these days). The Chinese have come a long way on some stuff. This inverter is running quality Japanese electrolytic capacitors rated for 250VAC and all the FETs are name brand and overrated for the circuits as far as I can tell. Another thing I noted was how large the current carrying circuit board traces are and the overall thickness of the Printed Circuit board in addition to the very heavy heatsinks with thermosat controlled fans. That, with what appears to be heavy Gage copper transformers, is impressive for the $$. The one I have has been working great so far. Hopefully I don't need the backup...

What I haven't done is tried these with my HF Radio and etc. operating nearby. I'd like to see if the inverter is throwing off much EMI (known for harmonics on the switching frequency). That check is for another day, but nothing a few snap on ferrite beads strategically placed couldn't handle, I hope, if that is the case?

Will the tailgate down clear the electric Jack ?


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Padilen wrote:Will the tailgate down clear the electric Jack ?


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Probably not. The tailgate did not clear the manual one (just barely caught the edge) so I am pretty sure this will hit because it is larger. I leave the tailgate locked when the trailer is connected so I or somebody else doesn't drop it on the jack. My last truck had scars on the tailgate from a trailer incident.

flboy, Howdy;

My neighbor has a TT equipped with an electric jack. He's got
a length of PVC pipe that will fit over the head of the jack, rest
on the A-frame and has a rounded cap stuck on the top. That
thing hasn't budged in the 2.5 years we've been next to each other.
It would travel well so you could take it along if you wanted to.
Just a thought ...

hank

hankaye wrote:flboy, Howdy;

My neighbor has a TT equipped with an electric jack. He's got
a length of PVC pipe that will fit over the head of the jack, rest
on the A-frame and has a rounded cap stuck on the top. That
thing hasn't budged in the 2.5 years we've been next to each other.
It would travel well so you could take it along if you wanted to.
Just a thought ...

hank

Must be a large pipe? 4" or 5" diameter?

Good idea on locking the tailgate. Mine would hit also. I am thinking of having a Fabrication Shop build me a custom cross piece and moving the bracket back further from the tailgate. I am fortunate to have the tongue length to do so.
I think I will compare different speeds as that might be important to me. Thanks for the post.

Mine wouldn't clear with my hitch. But it does with my moms (mine now) weight distributing hitch. So a little longer hitch may work. Don't want it to extra long though. I may also look into plates for my aluminum frame to use my hitch as a weight distribution .



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flboy, Howdy;

flboy wrote:

hankaye wrote:flboy, Howdy;

My neighbor has a TT equipped with an electric jack. He's got
a length of PVC pipe that will fit over the head of the jack, rest
on the A-frame and has a rounded cap stuck on the top. That
thing hasn't budged in the 2.5 years we've been next to each other.
It would travel well so you could take it along if you wanted to.
Just a thought ...

hank

Must be a large pipe? 4" or 5" diameter?

Just went over an measured, 8" OD so probably 7.5" ID. The cap is
Dome shaped. May need to go to a regular Plumbing supply place,
couldn't see anything for it at HD.

hank

Wow... that is a large pipe Hank... not sure I'd want that on there. In any case.. thanks.

To change the subject:

I added an accessory tonight that took 5 minutes.. Needed a place for the plastic grocery bags that you always have too many of. I use them a lot for trash, dirty/wet laundry, etc.. when I am camping and needed a convenient place to store them. Just doing my part to trash the planet.. Just kidding people... lighten up.

To change it again:

I also serviced the batteries tonight. The water was above the plates on all three, but they each took about a quart of water to top off... First time I have added anything to these and I have had them ~11 months or thereabouts. I guess that is normal??? Maybe they were not as full as they could be from the beginning?