by jwh92020 » Fri Feb 07, 2020 1:29 pm
dirtsailor 2003-
No structural changes, keeping the ramp door as it is. What is going in will be modular and removable. He won't always have access to shore power which is why I'm contemplating enough solar to run the frig. I am going to put a 110v inlet on the trailer for those times he has power. My sister in law ordered him one of those 3 pc fold up mattresses that can be a "couch" as well as a bed from Amazon. She got it in a twin size so it's big enough for him to sleep on, but doesn't cover the whole floor. The solar won't be a huge cost as I have a 250 watt panel and a 30 amp controller here that cost me $0 ( I bought 11 panels & controllers for $300, sold 6 for $100/ea, so I'm ok donating one). The frig spiked to 125 watts on it's out of the box start up and averaged 16 watts over 400 hrs. I'd need 2 - 100 amp hr batteries (along with an inverter) to power it. That is a lot of weight to add to the trailer. Just to run a fan, a couple of led lights and a 12v tv, I need 80 ah of battery and 61 (?) watts of panel according to the calculator. Either way, I'll use a panel & controller I have on hand, and if I'm buying an 80 ah battery, for $20 more I can get 100 ah. Honestly, it's not the extra $150 for a battery & inverter to run the frig, it's the weight of the second battery (lithiums are out of the question!!!) I think 2 batteries mounted on the tongue is a ton of weight for a little trailer like this, and mounting them at the rear presents it's own set of problems. Hack, once I get into it, he may end up with an insulated aluminum can with a mattress, a couple of battery (AAA)operated lights and fan. He doesn't know this is happening, so he gets what he gets.