Dawn Patrol Build

[Gatorbait]

So I laid underneath it and pressure washed it for about an hour. There was about a 1/4" layer of gunk EVERYWHERE. I was completely covered in it, ruined my baggies Anyway, it's spotless underneath now. I'm going to hit it with some undercoating to protect against the salt in the snowy areas.



Then I bought a "universal" reese hitch that wasn't even close to being the right size. We ended up having to cut the plates off and use some old trailer stock to replace it. It's a million times stronger than it ever would have been. That universal slotted bullshit was a horrible design.







I wanted to use OSB for the floor because I like how true and flat it is. They only had 3/8" in my area, I called everywhere looking for 3/4". The closest place was lakeland, which was almost a 2 hour drive away. It was tongue and groove too which sold me. So I went out there and picked up some sheets. I'm going to use it for the bed too. The tongue and groove makes it line up real nice and secure. I managed to use only 2 sheets of it.

[Gatorbait]

I mocked up the bed today, gonna start on the cabinets tomorrow.





Now I have a good idea of how big of a water tank I can get. What's the typical capacity that people get? There's a 25 and a 39 gallon tank that can fit in the spot nicely.

Also, how much ventilation do these 12V truckfridge's need? Do I need to cut out a vent for it or is it okay enclosed in the cabinet?

Another question that will help me out. What's the rule of thumb on inverters? I have 2 x 140 Watt panels, 2 x 200 Ah batteries, not sure what other information you'll need. It would just be for basic use: TV, microwave, accessories, etc.

Thanks in advance.

[boywonder]

25 gallons x 8 lbs/gallon=200 lbs and 39 gallons x 8 lbs/gallon=over 300 lbs............just keep in mind the weight of water that you are hauling.

Yes vent the truckfridge as much as possible.

I did two things; stop the rear cabinet panel where the condenser mounts so that the top rear of the fridge is vented, and I added a 24V muffin fan that turns on with the fridge to suck air out of the top of the cabinet. A 24V fan is very quiet (and turns slow) when run on 12V. Three things, actually...I also insulated the cabinet with ultratouch denim insulation.

[boywonder]

You have ample solar and battery ah, so any inverter up to about 2000W would be fine.

Sounds like the microwave will be your biggest load. I have a 1000W inverter so I'm limited to a 700W micro since it pulls about 1000W when running. When choosing a microwave, look at the AC power consumption on the label. For example a 1000W micro roughly pulls around 1400W AC, so you would need a minimum 1500W inverter for comfort.

One small downside of larger inverters is that they use more current when idling then smaller ones. I only turn my inverter on to use the micro. Some folks here carry a small 300-400W inverter that plugs into a cig lighter for charging phones, laptops, bike lights, cameras, etc since the idle current for these little guys is a mouse fart. I have a 300W cheap MSW tripplite unit that I sometimes throw in the van for charging small stuff.

My 700W microwave suits me just fine, but you can certainly go bigger if you want and have the space. Larger inverters require more battery capacity (well, technically lower battery output impedance) and short fat battery cables.

Your other choices when looking at inverters are true sine wave vs modified sine wave and whether or not you want a built in charger to charge batteries off of shore power.

Where are you in FL? I was just in New Port Richey for a week, got back yesterday.

[86Scotty]

I went with this 25 gallon tank. It fits great where my spare used to be, underneath. A lot of folks want their water inside but I'm in the south so outside is not an issue, basically every trailer ever made has the water tank hanging unerneath. Also, it's a lot of weight so the lower the better. The 25 gives us a few showers and about 3 days of dishes and hand washings as well.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/25-Gallon-RV-Co ... 2a39a4bdc5

If you want a regular inverter there are good deals out there, but I have bought two of these and love them. It does it all. I'm pretty sure it's what SMB used for a few years and may still. Pricey, but a one time purchase, nice quiet and reliable.

http://www.tripplite.com/rv-power-inver ... ~RV1512UL/

The van is looking good. I like the under bed storage from the front or rear.

[boywonder]

The inverter that 86Scotty linked to is the same one that we put in the neighbors RV in 2000W size.

These Tripplites are MSW inverter/chargers. Also take a look at Samlex; they are lots of choices for reasonable $$.

[Gatorbait]

The microwave I already have is 700W. I can't think of anything else that will draw close to that. I'm in Cocoa Beach.

I'm thinking of maybe making an aluminum tank on the passenger side in the back. That way I can utilize all the space and tuck it in. I wasn't planning on putting the tank outside. And the batteries are going where the spare was.

[boywonder]

Originally Posted by Gatorbait

The microwave I already have is 700W. I can't think of anything else that will draw close to that. I'm in Cocoa Beach.

I've raced motocross at Sharps in Cocoa many times back in the late 70's/early 80's back when district 8 was still going. haven't been over there in decades.....

Originally Posted by Gatorbait

I'm thinking of maybe making an aluminum tank on the passenger side in the back. That way I can utilize all the space and tuck it in. I wasn't planning on putting the tank outside. And the batteries are going where the spare was.

Raw aluminum for a water tank will get very nasty very quickly.....find a plastic one...there are loads of form factors/shapes.

[Gatorbait]

what can I do to the inside to help? A custom one would help out so much.

[twogone]

http://www.plastic-mart.com/category/33/rv-water-tanks

you can get anything here