2001 Provan Tiger (F250 4X4) modifications

[Esmi]

So I bought this F250 Provan Tiger CX 4X4 a couple of months ago to put an end to my Vehicular ADD.

It is a blend of all the cool things an adventure vehicle should be. Small enough to go lots of places, large enough to stay awhile. Just the ticket for me and Mrs. Esmi’s someday trip to South America.

I bought it from the original owner, who is not a forum member here. I scoured all four corners of the internet for two months before I found this beauty. In a bit of serendipity, the owner had lived on a ranch ten miles from me for years and years, before moving to Arizona. In fact, his kids still live on the ranch, so he was kind enough to deliver the Tiger right to my door after we had made the deal.

I think it’s what I need. It is complete, and ready to roll. It is field tested with 180,000 miles (the prior owner was a “birder” of some acclaim, and used the Tiger extensively in his birding operations.)

Unlike many Tigers, it came from the factory with no generator, no roof A/C, no oven. A very basic unit by Provan standards, and just right for us.

It is ready to roll right now, with the addition of our camping stuff.

But.

No one at our house has any time to go anywhere. So I have started monkeying with and improving the Tiger.

[Esmi]

The first performance enhancement was to upgrade the stock bumper with one that will hold my stuff.
Attachment 102312

We replaced it with killer diller super custom bumper and storage system from Overland Hardware.
Attachment 102313

I was looking for storage for “outside” gear and we came up with this system. It is a permanently mounted bumper basket that will hold leveling boards, ExPo-tactical lawn chairs, perhaps a ladder, and portable solar panels. All good stuff to have, and none of which fit well inside.
Attachment 102314

It has pockets which are sized to snugly fit two standard 5-gallon cans.
Attachment 102315
You could even hang a Trasharoo from the spare tire, if you were so inclined.

[Esmi]

As noted above, the Tiger came sans generator.

The P.O.'s use of the rig involved lots of travel, and not much sitting still, so his electrical needs could be met with the engine alternator charging the "house" batteries every couple of days.

I am more of a loafer, and I envision more sitting and less moving. So I am looking into solar systems.

A dear friend of mine is disassembling his camping situation and has offered me his system. Because he is smart and because it has already been thought through and "extensively tested" (ie cheap) I will probably use his former system on the Tiger.

Here's the info, as he sent it to me:

Here are the details of the major components of the system. I also have various items like a battery fuse and a panel circuit breaker. I tossed my batteries because they were toast after 6 years of abuse. You will need at least 200 Ah @ 12V. I would recommend Sonnenschein sealed batteries, but they are super expensive. The AGM type can work well. Mine lasted 5 years without a hitch.



The entire system is probably overkill for a small camper, and it weighs a fair amount...but if you have the space and want a nice system this is the way to go. I can leave them with you on Sunday, you can stare at them for a few weeks and then decide whether or not you want them.


Panel is pretty new (2 years old?) KC130TM ($250-300 new)
http://www.kyocerasolar.com/assets/001/5186.pdf
this is a pretty standard 12 V 100W panel. It is rated at 130 Watts, but you should consider it a 100W. You can add more panels in parallel and they do not have to match. They simply need to be 12 V panels of similar power output (~50-200 Watt).



Charge controller (mine is an MX 60 MPPT, the new version is a FlexMax 60) ($500 new)
http://www.outbackpower.com/products...llers/flexmax/
This is the key to a good system. Not only is it a fully programmable charger that will automatically equalize flooded batteries, or carefully finish-charge sealed batteries, it is capable of temperature compensating, and it has a Peak Power Tracking feature that constantly monitors the state of the Photovoltaic array and moves along the Voltage-Current curve to find the peak power point. This boosts the total energy available from the array significantly in any given day. This charge controller could handle a total of about 700 Watts of Photovoltaics.


Inverter (mine is an FX2012, the new version is an FX2012T) ($1,800 new)
http://www.outbackpower.com/products...rter/off_grid/

These inverters are bulletproof, and they will act as a charger when you plug them in and remove your solar panels.



Jose

Any comments or concerns about such a system?

[Overland Hadley]

I like the bumper. Looks like just the tool for ''ExPo-tactical'' gear.

More photos of the rig?

[suntinez]

If I may ...

Before the spare tire relocation, my Tiger XL in the background getting all its roof vents replaced.





Pepper thinks all motorhomes are Tigers.



From the coach door:



Esmi, it looks like a nice solar setup you have planned – are your two coach batteries 6V or 12V? I think if you are sitting more than moving, solar is definitely the smart way to go.

I’m not sure if you’ll need the fancy inverter, although I know that’s the way most folks do it. The new Siberian has both an inverter and a converter, but not sure why.

Is the old generator/storage compartment at the rear still accessible with the tire in the new location?

Yes I am stalking this Tiger

[ed604]

Hey Esmi, love the bumper!

I like the extra storage with the hard top! Cool truck and killer bumper.

Ed

[jebers53]

A solar system is a must get for your tiger,if you plan on extended days sitting without driving, and this system is good and if priced near a simpler system, why not? If you are mostly driving to a camp for a night then moving on, you probably don't need a solar system, as your truck will charge your battery. How big (watts) defends on your daily usage of amps. For example our 2008 tiger newer compressor type 2 way fridge is the major amp draw, about 3.5 amp and it runs about 8 hours out of 24. So that is close to 30 amp hours of battery drain a day just for the fridge. We run our xm radio and inverter for about 5 hours a day @ 2.0 amps = 10amp hours, so just those 2 use 40. The rule regarding deep cycle batteries is not to discharge more then 50% so a 100amp rated battery shouldn't be drawn down below 50 amps. So start with rough figuring your 24 hour amp hour draw,fridge + lights+..., then double it for your battery size. So 2 x 220 amp/ 6 volt batteries like these, http://www.impactbattery.com/lifelin...h-battery.html would give you 110 12 volt amp hours which would provide 55 amp hours ( never use more then 50%). Then size your solar panel needed to charge the battery. Ask your friend how many amp hours the system will provide on a sunny day. Hope this helps.

As noted above, the Tiger came sans generator.

The P.O.'s use of the rig involved lots of travel, and not much sitting still, so his electrical needs could be met with the engine alternator charging the "house" batteries every couple of days.

I am more of a loafer, and I envision more sitting and less moving. So I am looking into solar systems.

A dear friend of mine is disassembling his camping situation and has offered me his system. Because he is smart and because it has already been thought through and "extensively tested" (ie cheap) I will probably use his former system on the Tiger.

Here's the info, as he sent it to me:


Any comments or concerns about such a system?

[mhiscox]

That, my friend, is a nice enough solar setup--the Outback inverters are about the best around--and it's a good starting point. However, I am nowhere near as gung-ho on solar setups as many and always put in my pitch for the more flexible, in my humble opinion, small, quiet portable generator, of which the Honda eu2000i and eu1000i are the usual benchmarks. You can have the generator in lieu of solar or as an adjunct, and given that you sound to have a head start on the solar route (and you need the inverter in any case) maybe go ahead with a generator as backup.

I'm not any less green than most solar advocates, but it's the same issue as a Nissan Leaf versus a Chevy Volt. The backup gas engine in the Volt takes away "range anxiety" and keeps you from being stranded as can happen in a Leaf. Add a small generator to your solar setup and you'll have electricity available, even for jump starting the truck if need be, regardless of sun conditions and current requirrements. The generator is an even better idea if you'll have petrol anyway for some reason and/or if the storage space is still available, but even then (and even if you live in Sunny California) the generator is worth serious consideration. And while the calculations need to be done as jeber53 discussed above, I'm guessing you may find the space requirements for the necessary panels prohibitive. (And if you have/keep the original Tiger 3-way absorption refrigerator, the draw may be much higher.)

By the way, it's true that you can always idle the truck to charge the batteries, but this is bad for the engine, your peace of mind and the fellowship of fellow campers. A small, quiet generator is a much more elegant solution.

[/soapbox]

[lqhikers]

just my thoughts.

we have always used solar only,if you live in the west and have a well thought out solar
system i doubt that you will ever need a gen.

we have run all of our different rigs solar only and have never had a time that we did
not have enough power for all needs.(frig/freezer,t.v.radio,yes even computer,not for me but for wife)

of course you have to change your mind set from home with unlimited power to
back country use with limited power.example,the biggest power drain is your
furnace.it will drain your batt load real fast.to counter this we also carry a catalic heater
no power drain,no noise and unless it is below zero keeps us plenty warm (not that
we boondock in sub zero weather anymore!).

sure you have to consider sun exposure for solar but do you really need to park in the shade when you
camp?,if you do make sure you can transfer your solar to portable use with extension cord.

and as a closing thought there is no such thing as a quiet gen,not if you are truly camping
in the beautiful west,if we are parked and we hear a gen start up we will always pack up and move to another location.
greedy? yes,but we do love our peace and quiet!.

as a fellow tiger owner will be following you mods.(you better follow through on you holding tanks straps before its to late,
don't ask me how i know!)

drive slow and enjoy "its the journey"

Les,lqhikers

[mhiscox]

we have always used solar only,if you live in the west and have a well thought out solar system i doubt that you will ever need a gen.

We'll be disagreeing on this one, as my personal experience is that outside of the couple of months that make up the sunny Oregon summer, a 100 watts of solar here will seldom keep up with the draw from a good-size compressor fridge, and certainly not with a 3-way RV fridge.

I rarely run my generators, as my trucks have large battery banks that get charged by the alternator when moving. But where there's no traveling involved, even large battery banks will need an additional charging source. If you have a truck big enough for the required panels and you're in a place where solar can keep up, that's just great. I'm usually not

But it's an empirical question and the owner can install his solar system and then see if it meets his needs. If he comes up short, then maybe he'll want to consider alternatives.