2001 Provan Tiger (F250 4X4) modifications

[suntinez]

One other thing needed help right away, and that’s the bathroom sink/shower.

Unlike the GT/XL, this Tiger’s bathroom has its own sink and is several inches wider – I measured 28” wide at the sink height, plenty big enough to actually move around in. Initially I thought I’d remove the sink - do you really need two? But it’s integrated with the showerhead and not in the way so its stays. With only a one-basin sink in the kitchen instead of two-basin kitchen sinks like my other Tigers had, it kind of makes sense. I just have to get used to using it. With a latching medicine cabinet in there for toiletries, shouldn’t be too hard.





This Tiger doesn’t have a hot water heater, but all the plumbing is in place for it so my guess is the original owners removed it at some point.

The sink needed some help though. It didn’t drain well, the faucet had major leaks, and the diverter to the showerhead was broken off. So onto removal … under the decorative/waterproof covers, I found more Provan screws so I don't think the sink had been removed before.



The one screw in the corner near the faucet took as much time to remove as everything else combined. Lucky that I have this little ratcheting angled skewdriver for these problems.



Once the sink was off I could see that someone had siliconed the feed lines, but that’s not where the leaks were. They were inside the 4” faucet.



Something else I saw was that there was a thick skin of slime across the head of the trap – and a gagging smell coming from it.

When I poked through the slime, there was a living, swimming marine biology experiment in progress. YUCKO - gloves on! I dumped that mess and pressure cleaned everything I could get to. Undoubtedly the root cause of the slow draining issue. The kitchen sink trap will definitely be getting removed to check out.



So another Walt’s RV find for $12 to replace the bad faucet, reattached (minus that corner screw) and everything is working again.



The weak point of the plumbing in these units is on the opposite side of the bathroom wall, in the closet. This is where the city water feed line enters, and the low point drains are for winterizing. It’s the closest exposure to cold that the small lines get and there are problems.

This Tiger is no exception, and what I saw in there under the insulation was a little scary. But that’s a different story and for a little while longer, cold temps are not a problem. So for now, time to hit the road ...

[Esmi]

Doggone it Linda, you make it look so easy and fun that I'm thinking of considering getting a Tiger again.

Keep up the good work, and thanks for the thorough documentation (both of your trips and your mods).

[suntinez]

Smitty, you’re not the first Tiger owner to have seller’s remorse – I think it happens every time actually. Thanks for doing your part though, and enduring the loss - for now!

A couple nights ago I was messing around with night shots and thought I’d see what the differences were between Travis’ LEDs, the LEDs I ordered from LED Trailerlights and my usual single candle. Exposure on all these pics was the same.

Travis’ lights were actually a cool green color



Just one of the 1141-252 BA15s was a bright white.



But the candle is still my favorite for just hanging out in the evenings.

[camperman]

The one screw in the corner near the faucet took as much time to remove as everything else combined. Lucky that I have this little ratcheting angled skewdriver for these problems.

That thing is handy! I discovered a lot of problems with that screws.

[suntinez]

That thing is handy! I discovered a lot of problems with that screws.

That little tool has saved my bacon and sanity more than once, it's one of my favorites.

Couple more small fixes and doodads inside. Also there's no hope for this thing, so out with the rear passenger marker light:



and in with this one:





Except for being a little ladder challenged lately, a straightforward swap. After adding the missing front license plate and this, should be all legal outside now.

After getting some input from those who know far more than me, I went with a very basic 2M ham radio setup.
Kenwood TM-281A, Comet lip mount and 5M cable, Comet SBB-25 antenna, and a small external speaker.



There's a funny angle on the antenna due to using the lip mount on the sloping hood. Understand that there’s a different one with a swivel, but this'll do. It’s not a drill in fixture, will come right off if it starts bugging me - which it might.





After spending time hopping in and out to squeeze into tiny campsites,



and while the dash was apart, it was time for the rear-view camera. I went with the Boyo Vision VTB500 camera, mounted high in the rear.



A bit of a project running the wires for it since I wanted them inside. It’s hooked up to work in reverse, or whenever you turn it on.





That should help with the big blind spot directly behind.

[ExpoMike]

Nice upgrades Linda!!! I so need to do a backup camera too.

[suntinez]

Nice upgrades Linda!!! I so need to do a backup camera too.

Thanks Mike - I figure the cost of the camera is less than the cost of one deductible

I've collected assorted bits of documentation about these Tigers over the years. Something that came with this one which I've never seen before is some structural drawings of the coach frame. They seem similar to the astro-based renderings that I've seen.

Just thought I'd share them for other Tiger folks out there. These are just pics of the docs, one day I'll get around to scanning them in for better resolution.

Driver side:


Rear wall:


Passenger side:


Roof:


When installing the roof vents/AC one thing I discovered is that the roof is very thin - maybe an inch+. The gasket for the AC unit is thicker than this, so had an issue with the bolts backing out some. I'll just keep an eye on that, now that I'm aware of it.

This is a well known issue in these earlier Tigers - not enough insulation space. So while you >can< gingerly walk around on the roof, it's probably not a good idea to setup lawn chairs. I believe the newer ones have much thicker walls.

[TACODOC]

Awesome. Quite an upgrade from the Astro based Tigers. Glad the bottle opener cross decked over

[1leglance]

very impressive Linda and I really like that you use your rigs to learn what you need to improve vs the never ending builds that never get used.

[Alpentalic]

A bit of a project running the wires for it since I wanted them inside. It’s hooked up to work in reverse, or whenever you turn it on.






That should help with the big blind spot directly behind.

Nice, I think I will do that on mine, will also help with backing the trailer into the driveway as well.
Can you tell me what model of Pioneer deck that is?

Thanks!