Time to get serious about this! (Several questions)

[David_L6]

OK..... I'm trying to build two cargo trailers for "light duty" camping. One to two nights max. First priority: I have a 6' wide X 6' tall X 10' long plus 2' V nose that we mainly use to haul my son's dirt bikes to hare scramble races. We don't camp at the races (or haven't yet). We also use the trailer for hauling one 4 wheeler. Here is where one of us (possibly both - but not at the same time) will be using the trailer for camping. I can't put so much stuff in the trailer that I can't get the motorcycles or 4 wheeler inside. Everything has to be removable or fold up against the wall. I have a portable A/C that will go up in the V ahead of the rack that the dirt bikes tie down to. Also have a small - approx. 1' square by 4' tall aluminum locker for helmet, boots, chest protector, etc. that will be going in the V next to the A/C. I'd like to run the A/C (have a generator and some places have RV hook ups), and I'd also like to be able to run lights, a TV (morning news mainly as I don't plan on spending much time inside the trailer), and a coffee pot off of battery power. There will be no sink, toilet, shower, microwave, or cooktop built in. I just want to set up this trailer with bed for one person, AC power to run the A/C and DC power to run everything else.

Once I get the 6' X 10' I have a 7' wide X 6.5' tall X 16' long plus 3' V nose that I'll be outfitting. First thing I have to decide before I start that one is whether or not I want to be able to haul both 4 wheelers in it or just one 4 wheeler and make the front part more "camping oriented". The big trailer isn't top priority right now though. Now I need to get the small trailer usable as a "hard side tent" at minimum as I'm going to be missing some good ATV rides in the near future if I don't.

Questions and links to follow....

[David_L6]

Pictures of what I'm working with. Click on pics and then click on the little magnifying glass icon at Imageshack to see the whole picture.

Not much room on the tongue but I can get a couple of batteries there. BTW, the mud is from my son getting his truck stuck - with the trailer - at a 4 wheeler ride last weekend.



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Inside... They sure do fill up fast!



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I'm going to buy spare tire holder and get the spare out of the way. Already have one located that I like the looks of.

[David_L6]

Is this what I need to run off of AC and DC and charge my batteries when I'm plugged in to AC?

http://www.progressivedyn.com/all_in_one_pd4000.html

If that's what I need I'll just buy two of them and use one in each trailer.

[David_L6]

Anyone ever see one of these beds / have experience with them?

http://www.rvpartsnation.com/product/87 ... g-full-bed

[bigbendhiker]

Is this what I need to run off of AC and DC and charge my batteries when I'm plugged in to AC?

http://www.progressivedyn.com/all_in_one_pd4000.html

If that's what I need I'll just buy two of them and use one in each trailer.

I have the PD4045 and will hopefully being installing it in the next couple of days. It should work well for your needs and give you plenty of room for expansion. It might even be overkill if you are truly only going to have an air conditioner that will be using 110v AC.

[David_L6]

Is this what I need to run off of AC and DC and charge my batteries when I'm plugged in to AC?

http://www.progressivedyn.com/all_in_one_pd4000.html

If that's what I need I'll just buy two of them and use one in each trailer.

I have the PD4045 and will hopefully being installing it in the next couple of days. It should work well for your needs and give you plenty of room for expansion. It might even be overkill if you are truly only going to have an air conditioner that will be using 110v AC.

Thank you. Please let us know how the install goes and post some pictures if possible. I'm not concerned about "overkill".
At present, A/C is all I plan on running off of AC but who knows what I may add in the future.... I learned a long time ago to not cut corners on important stuff. If I buy too small now, I'll have to buy again later and end up spending more $ in the long run.

[Shadow Catcher]

I have the PD and one of the selling points is a lack of complaints and good customer service. We had a problem caused by miss-wring by the manufacturer. I found the problem and called PD on a Tuesday afternoon and had the replacement power unit the next morning. I have done additional wring and now use all of the 12V fuses.

[David_L6]

Anyone ever see one of these beds / have experience with them?

http://www.rvpartsnation.com/product/87 ... g-full-bed

I will not be buying this bed anytime in the near future. They want $239 for shipping!

[bigbendhiker]

Is this what I need to run off of AC and DC and charge my batteries when I'm plugged in to AC?

http://www.progressivedyn.com/all_in_one_pd4000.html

If that's what I need I'll just buy two of them and use one in each trailer.

I have the PD4045 and will hopefully being installing it in the next couple of days. It should work well for your needs and give you plenty of room for expansion. It might even be overkill if you are truly only going to have an air conditioner that will be using 110v AC.

Thank you. Please let us know how the install goes and post some pictures if possible. I'm not concerned about "overkill".
At present, A/C is all I plan on running off of AC but who knows what I may add in the future.... I learned a long time ago to not cut corners on important stuff. If I buy too small now, I'll have to buy again later and end up spending more $ in the long run.

Ok, I installed the PD4045 about a week ago and I finally have time to post some pictures. Once I built the box to install it in, the installation was pretty straightforward. Just connecting one wire at a time until you're finished. I have added many outlets to my homes over the years, but prior to this I have never installed a breaker. So if I can do it without smoke or throwing any breakers so can anybody else. (I did read a lot of Bruce's electrical posts - Thanks Bruce ) I am using 11 of the 12 available 12vdc circuits, but only some of the fuses are installed as some of the fixtures are not installed. They are waiting for me to finish some other construction chores . Same with the 110v ac breakers. Some are not turned on yet. I have almost every light on its own circuit, but if I find later that I need additional 12vdc circuits I can easily combine some of the lights on the same circuit. Some are LEDs and don't draw much current. The ones that are still incandescent will probably be changed over to LEDs later. Following are pictures of the PD4045 and some of the working circuits.

Inside front of PD4045


Top and behind converter


Front outlets have power


Reading lamps with power


Porch light


12vdc light switches with illuminated indicator lamps


If you have any questions, I'll try to answer.

[David_L6]

Thanks for the pictures. I'll look at this in more detail this weekend. Off to work now...

[David_L6]

If I were to use two 6 volt batteries rather than one or two 12 volt batteries would I still use the PD4045 or would I have to buy something different?

[nuclearfly]

If I were to use two 6 volt batteries rather than one or two 12 volt batteries would I still use the PD4045 or would I have to buy something different?

You should be able to use two 6V batteries in place of 1 or 2 12V batteries anywhere... you just have to wire the two 6V batteries in series to produce 12V instead of 6V (which is would be produced if wired in parallel).