Dreadlocks outfitting of InTech Discover

[dreadlocks]

its just a plastic cover for a dual stage regulator, does your stove expect low pressure or high pressure? My furnace, stove, and wave heater all run off the onboaord regulator.. the 1# appliance tap is for devices that want high pressure, like my lantern mostly..

 

[mep1811]

Firestone Air Spring Kit, you vacuum them down, squeeze em inside the springs and I pumped em up to pressure by hand to keep ass from sagging and being too bouncy..

I think I looked into the Touareg/Q7/Cayenne's capability to take these with their steel suspension, and IIRC they are unable due to the coilover design.. here's a pic of your springs:

As you can see, your not squeezing an air bag inside that.

Your not supposed to run weight distribution hitches either. I made Adaptive Air Suspension a requirement and stood firm on that; its oh so nice, I dunno if I'll go back to steel again for a tow vehicle.

Thanks . I went with steel as I was on a budget and wanted the manual transmission. Certain options required me losing that transmission.

 

[dreadlocks]

Installed an Automatic Transfer Switch for my 15A 120v outlets, I'm done with the fuse box now.. hopefully wont have to rewire this damn thing anymore.. dont think I can fit anymore wires in it.. this lets me install an inverter and if there is no shore power it will take over the outlets, and only the outlets.. fridge will still run off DC, Charger/Heater/AirCon wont have electricity from the inverter.

Next up is installing a 1200VA Victron Inverter w/VE Direct Port, they finally are available on the market and I'm trying to get in a position to work from camp more frequently so this may be less of a luxury and more of a requirement here soon.



Ive also done a fair bit of wiring and wiring cleanup, removed all the OEM Blue Ambient lighting and replaced it with RED and added a few white LED's to lightup the counter top, installed a clock and a few other things of minor importance..

After testing the heater a bit I've decided to put in a 30# Horizontal LP tank for extra fuel capacity, I cant fit a vertical one because it'll hit the spare tire (which I'm considering moving for weight concerns but I digress) and I really want a tank with a fuel level sender that I can wire up inside.. I dont want to have to deal with running out of gas in the middle of the night and I cant spare the tongue weight of a multi-tank system w/changeover.. Full Single 20#: ~37lbs, 30#: ~55lbs, Dual 20# Tanks: ~80lbs..

I think I'll get an 11# shorty tank to put on roof behind axle, Ive been wanting a portable LP fire pit since Colorado is in near constant burn bans.. In a pinch it can be fuel for heating.

 

[dreadlocks]

Installed Victron 1200VA VE.Direct Inverter, runs the Microwave, Coffee Maker, Crock Pot just fine.. now wife wants an ice maker, sigh.







Then I installed, purged, filled the new 30# Horizontal LP Tank, the Fuel Guage is installed inside but its too cold and wet to run the wire to it yet.
LP Tank is secured with stainless steel hardware, w/wing-nut and locking washer so I can take it off and go fill it up with just one adjustable wrench.
At first I just put a nylock nut on it, but went to go take it off and the nut froze ontot he bolt, so hadda burn through two saw zaw blades to get the tank off so I went back to just good ole reliable locking washers.



Next Friday I head into the mountains for a 4d weekend w/grandparents, so I'll be pulling out the trailer in the next few days and putting it in driveway.. then I can button up the fuel gauge wiring and some other stuff I didnt want to do in the back yard on recycled asphalt.

I'm pretty happy right now, big phase of the outfitting is complete.. Furnace, Radiant Heat, Lighting, Fridge, Inverter, Battery, GenSet, LP System.. all built to last and keep us comfortable and boondocking longer.. really only 2 big things left to accomplish.. solar and radio.. I finally have solar designed and an antenna mount that wont get destroyed within a few months like last one.

For Solar I'm attaching a 325W Panasonic HIT house panel to the roof bars, it outputs 60v and will get a Victron 100/30.. then I'm going to hang a second one off the back on the ramp with its own controller, the one off the ramp will be able to deploy while still attached, providing weather cover for rear hitch mounted generator, or pull a few pins and the wife and I can carry it off into the sun and wire it up w/up to 100ft of extension cables.. so it'll have 650W total of solar, with half of it portable.

 

[dreadlocks]

Here's the money shot from the battery compartment:


Here's the fuel gauge, it is powered when external light sensor is switched on and the red back light comes on when it gets dark with the external lighting


and this is a hardwired clock I installed, it has battery backup and DC input.. DC input is switched (same switch as lights/fuel) and it can be shut off yet it'll keep time w/battery.. it auto dims at night so its not obnoxiously bright.. Its mounted in a location it can be seen through the front door, so when cooking we can be more precise instead of going off feel..



The 5 Switches next to microwave are wired in priority/load:

• Solar Charging (Normally On)
• Step Lights/Fuel Gauge/Clock (Normally On @ camp)
• Radio HW (Normally On @ camp)
• Inverter (Normally On @ camp)
• Reserve Battery (Normally Off) - Override the Low SOC (20%) shutoff of the Battery Monitor.

just buttoning up loose ends and cleaning it up for its first trip of the season in a few days.. changed the oil on the generator and got it all ready.. did some test runs for a crockpot and toaster my wife added to the camping kit, inverter runs them well and without all the losses lead sees w/high amp loads its much more reasonable.. (only 2% consumed for toast, 20% for 4h of crockpot/rice cooker on low, 5% for Coffee)

oh and here's a photo of the red accent lighting now that I deleted the blue crap, these are on a toggle by front door next to interior lights that switches from white/off/red for just front trailer accents.

 

[ITTOG]

You have added a lot of comforts. It makes me wonder how much you have increased the value of it. Solid work.

Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk

 

[dreadlocks]

its value to me has increased quite a bit, especially since they made only a handful of these trailers.. but its irrelevant since I'm 20 years from retirement and I cant see letting this go before then.. my two sons love camping and being outdoors, so its worth every penny IMO.

The comforts are to keep us out longer and extend seasons, Ive tried to go tenting in April many times before.. and without a heat source, it was rather miserable at night.. and the kids, as much as I love em to death complicate things.. its alot of time and energy to collect wood and burn it to make mac and cheese or whatever picky crap they require.. I'll have to get my minimalism outta ultralight backpacking, my oldest is mebe a summer or two away from his first overnighter.. then hopefully they still wanna go out with dad when they are older. My old lady isint game anymore after 2 kids, however she'll gladly chill with the dogs at base camp with this setup.

At heart I'm a backpacker/mountaineer and this is my dream base camp.. after a hundred miles of trails its pretty awesome to get back to a lil bit of comfort to recover. (ie Cold Beer/Robust Food/Warm Bed). Looking forward to having some dirtbikes, snow machines, and canoes to help us get deeper into back country.

 

[Alloy]

Then I installed, purged, filled the new 30# Horizontal LP Tank, the Fuel Guage is installed inside but its too cold and wet to run the wire to it yet.
LP Tank is secured with stainless steel hardware, w/wing-nut and locking washer so I can take it off and go fill it up with just one adjustable wrench.
At first I just put a nylock nut on it, but went to go take it off and the nut froze ontot he bolt, so hadda burn through two saw zaw blades to get the tank off so I went back to just good ole reliable locking washers.

A touch of Tef-gel will prevent non ferrous fasteners from galling. Too much and it ends up everywhere. I've been using it for year on fasteners, DC electrical and dissimular metals . . . . .don't use it on electronics


Stainless bolts are soft. Up to 1/2" can be twisted off with a wrench and socket.

Is there room under the trailer for a ASME fast fill tank?

 

[Bayou Boy]

Stainless bolts are soft. Up to 1/2" can be twisted off with a wrench and socket.

Having extensive experience in the saltwater marine environment, that is 100% correct. Antiseize is you best friend with stainless fasteners. I have broken significantly larger fasteners with significantly lower torque than you'd think many times.

 

[dreadlocks]

thanks for the tip, I knew I shoulda put anti-seize on it but I was just test fitting it before filling the tank and got ahead of my self, gotta learn the hard way sometimes.. really didn't expect it to seize on me on its first go. Ive definitely got some on the wingnuts now.. I'll pickup some of that Tef-Jel, thats better than what I had.

there is probably the room under it for an asme tank, but without solid axles I got some pretty decent clearance under it and I kinda wanna keep it that way.. my tow vehicle has decent clearance too and like this it also has terrible approach/departure angles, so this setup is kinda complementary where anything I'm willing to take the audi down the trailer should follow.

 

[Buddha.]

Have you ever considered charging the trailer battery from your tow vehicle in addition to or instead of solar/generator?
I was thinking about doing something like a DC to DC charger, 2 gauge wire and some Anderson power pole connectors. I saw someone had done it and was getting 40amps to the trailer. I priced the dc to dc charger though and at about $500 it's not cheap.

I'm trying to decide if I can ditch the generator. it's about 175 pounds, takes up some room and then I have to bring a gas can or two for it as well.

 

[Alloy]

Have you ever considered charging the trailer battery from your tow vehicle in addition to or instead of solar/generator?
I was thinking about doing something like a DC to DC charger, 2 gauge wire and some Anderson power pole connectors. I saw someone had done it and was getting 40amps to the trailer. I priced the dc to dc charger though and at about $500 it's not cheap.

I'm trying to decide if I can ditch the generator. it's about 175 pounds, takes up some room and then I have to bring a gas can or two for it as well.

I ran 2ga to (12') the front with 200A Anderson plugs thinking one day we would have Lithium and could use the truck to charge batteries.

When tested the 2ga/Anderson plug took the full charge from a 50amp charger.

Our solar system is oversized and maintains our FLA (flooded lead acid) bank Spring Summer Fall.

We have 3000w and 2000w generators.

In the winter we bring the 2000W (easier to store and carry) for battery charging and backup in case a heaters dies. When the solar can't keep up the 2000W is used to bulk charge the batteries. I'd rather run
the generator than the diesl truck.

In the summer we've taken the 3000W to run the AC but haven't use it. . . . . yet. At some point we'll pick up another 2000w. Two 2000w linked together are more power with less size and weight.

 

[mep1811]

Have you ever considered charging the trailer battery from your tow vehicle in addition to or instead of solar/generator?
I was thinking about doing something like a DC to DC charger, 2 gauge wire and some Anderson power pole connectors. I saw someone had done it and was getting 40amps to the trailer. I priced the dc to dc charger though and at about $500 it's not cheap.

I'm trying to decide if I can ditch the generator. it's about 175 pounds, takes up some room and then I have to bring a gas can or two for it as well.

I have had great success with the Toad Charger for the trailer battery. It is not too expensive and does a great job charging the trailer battery.


http://www.lslproducts.net/ToadChargePage.html

 

[Alloy]

I have had great success with the Toad Charger for the trailer battery. It is not too expensive and does a great job charging the trailer battery.


http://www.lslproducts.net/ToadChargePage.html

Some of these have a voltage drop.

This may become more of factor when added to the voltage drop in the wiring.

 

[mep1811]

Some of these have a voltage drop.

This may become more of factor when added to the voltage drop in the wiring.

Never had an issue .