Mods for the T-2363 for Full Timing

[niteowl]

I am hoping to do some mods to my year 2000 T-2363 to make it comfortable for our 14 months of full-time travel. I have the electrical and framing diagrams. (Thanks LaRue!)

Let me tell you how I plan on using the trailer. We will be traveling (speaking) through the mid-west (IL, IN, PA, OH) with some visits to other areas (FL, OK, TX, MI, NY, NJ, GA and others). Because of our schedule, I expect that we will be traveling most days with only a couple of days of dry camping at a time. We will be using the trailer right through the winter. This is guiding my thinking.

I’ll have about two to three weeks in July to do all the mods. Then we are off to the races…

Now here is the crazy part. Right now I am sitting in central Africa trying to buy the things that I need off of ebay. Because of time constraints upon our arrival in the USA, I want to get as much purchased ahead of time as possible. However, that means I don’t have access to the T-2363 now to get measurements, etc. Welcome to my life…

Okay, here goes.

THINGS WE WILL MOST LIKELY DO…

1) Repaint the trailer tongue are and rear bumper with the Por-15 paint “system”. It is supposed to be a special very durable paint that ends rust and is used widely in the antique car restore market. It needs special surface preparation, and afterward, top coating with another paint as Por-15 is UV sensitive. The tongue area is rusting and pealing and this is one job I hope to only do once. Anyone out there who has used this stuff on their trailer? Any thoughts?

2. Install electric tongue jack. H & H 3,500 lb jack. I have purchased, off of ebay, and am not even sure it will fit into the hole in the unit’s tongue. Anyone know? Any experience with this unit or any comments and suggestions in general on tongue jacks?

3. Install 6 volt golf cart batteries. I thought I was going to try to install just two of them, but after seeing emam’s mod I may consider doing four like he did.

4. Install a tow vehicle battery charging system to charge the trailer batteries while we drive. I purchased 0000 (four ought) welding cable to run to the back of the tow vehicle and an Anderson heavy duty plug to connect it to the trailer system. I still need to purchase a battery isolator. I am thinking about installing the isolator inside the trailer (under the couch) to make it easier to change tow vehicles in the future. I am leaning toward the Hellroaring BIC-95150A battery isolator. I have T class fuses for the wiring. Any thoughts?

5. I purchased a Vector 2500 watt modified square wave inverter. I basically want it to run my microwave for about 5 minutes at a time (to grab a quick hotdog). Again, connecting it with heavy duty (four ought) welding cables to the trailer batteries. Probably mount it under the couch. I have purchased two transfer relays to attempt to automate the system but am having second thoughts about installing them. Also, maybe I'll purchase a small inverter just for TV and satellite receiver… I am trying to save some money here when I read about the horror stories of the non-functioning expensive inverters.

6. Install an 80 Amp smart charger for the battery pack when on shore power or with the Honda generator. The best deal looks like a rebuilt unit from the manufacturer – Progressive Dynamics for $213. Again, mount it under the couch. Any thoughts?

7. Acquire a new Honda e2000i.

8. As mentioned before, we will be in the Midwest right though the winter. I need to install a tank heater on the grey and black water tanks. Fresh water tank is inside the trailer under the bed. I have purchased two heaters that are dual voltage (110 vac and 12vdv). They appear from the photos to be aluminum foil covered. They are not Ultra Heat brand and I am not sure of the brand. I am wondering if this type is designed more for motor home basement installation rather than hanging out under a trailer. Anyone know? I also have a 12 volt Ultra Heat elbow heater. Any recommendations, thoughts, first hand accounts?

Well, that is it for starters.

I have my “hoping to do” list of mods that I will give on the next installment. It gets even worse… (Satellite TV, internet, propane heater, bar-b-que, and not least, what tow vehicle to buy)

I will appreciate any help, thoughts, experiences, etc. I am open to all ideas.

Thanks again for your ideas and suggestions.

[emam]

We have a Direct TV satellite receiver that we havent turned on once?!?! We find that updating the website and answering emails leaves us no time to sit and watch television. Now at home we watched a few hours a week, mostly Discovery Channel stuff, so we've never been big into the boob-tube thing.

Depending on how much you need to keep up, you might want to consider just using your laptop or cpu rather than waste money on contract with satellite provider and the extra weight of the dish. I finally took the dish back as we never even set it up.

This wont help you till you get here, but once you start buying things, Camping World and Home Depot both have great return policies and will let you return things after you have used them as long as they arent trashed. This goes a long way when you want to try something out a few times to see if you'll use it or it's jsut a gimmick.

The small inverter that can be plugged into the 12-volt adapter is a great way to reserve power when Dry Camping and we use our inexpensive 300watt all the time if only using the lap top or watching a movie.

Depending on where you'll be landing when you first get in, I have a large barn, 30 amp hook up and plenty of space if you need anything stored, delivered or an open area to work on the trailer just outside of Detroit MI. Hate to see it sitting empty

I've used the Por-15 stuff on past projects and it works great. Another thing you might want to look into is once you have everything welded on, have the tounge area Rhino Lined as it will never rust after that. But you have to make sure you have the existing rust problem taken care of first.

Another thing you might want to look into if you will be doing a lot of winter camping is having any water lines that are exposed under the coach wrapped in heat tape. We had a problem with the lines freezing between the heated tank, and the heated coach, but there was a one foot section that just sits out in the open and would freeze?

As for Tow Vehicle, go with a minimum of King Cab (for full-timing you'll want Quad Cab) Short Bed, Diesel. I'm not going to get into the Ford, Chevy, Dodge argument as they all are great vehicles and all have their own quirks. Under a constant load, you'll never have a problem with the diesel as you'll burn up a gas motor pulling non-stop for 14 months. The diesel will just be getting broken in at the end of your trip.

We looked into a brand new model, and then found a used 2003, with full 100,000 mile warranty on a dealer lot that had every option for $20,000 less! We figured we could find plenty of places to sepnd the extra money and would we really need to spend it on repairs when the motor and drivetrain was still under warranty? Save some serious money and buy a newer used model diesel that still has a warranty.

I'd love to have a heavy duty charger for our batteries coming from the truck as the stock model only keeps then level, but wont do much for a drained cell.

[niteowl]

Thanks so much for the reply, emam.

I purchased an HDTV (32”) on my last trip to the States that I will try to install on the bedroom area. I also have a DVD player so I might take your advice and just try for off the air signals and when that’s not possible use DVDs. You might be right that having satellite TV is overkill for me. I’ll put that one on the back burner.

Just out of curiosity, has anyone mounted a dome tv satellite antenna on top of a Sunline that doesn’t have the plywood reinforced top. I am not quite sure how that would work.

I have been trying to locate some sort of mount for my new LCD TV that would have some protection from jarring and jolts. Haven’t been able to locate anything like that. All the mounts I have found seem to be for home or office installations. Anyone found a solution?

I do have a plan on how to hang this thing, but I am not sure about traveling with it on the trailer wall without some sort of shock protection for the LCD TV. Seems like there might be a market for something like that as more and more RVers will be getting LCD TVs.

Thanks for the tips on Camping World and Home Depot. Good suggestion.

Yes, I do think a small inverter will be the “berries” for the TV. I will keep working on that one.

Glad to hear you’ve used Por-15. Was it as good as the hype? What was your impression? Another good suggestion about the Rhino Lining spray. I am not familiar with this stuff so would want to take a look at it.

I “think” all my water lines are inside the trailer. I will double check it but I think I am okay on that. Maybe someone else knows about the T-2363 and if it has any exposed freshwater waterlines on the bottom of the trailer.

Do you have any info or source on the spray-on insulation for the underside of the rig?

Thanks for the advice on the tow vehicle. I will check it out on Edmunds and see what the research shows. Certainly, that would be the ideal way to go. How do you find the ride in a ¾ ton pickup? Do they have the option of a diesel in a ½ ton pickup?

I did do some research on the charging of trailer batteries from the tow vehicle alternator. A big limiting factor is the wire size from the alternator (or tow vehicle battery) to the trailer. That is why I am going with welding cable. You just can’t push the kind of amperage you need for your battery bank through a small wire when using D.C. over any distance at all. Same reason they use huge wires to feed a large inverter from the battery pack .

The battery isolator people I consulted agreed it is possible to put an isolator right on the trailer. You need to be careful, they warned me, not to overload the rating on the isolator with my purposed system. They want a smaller size wire of a certain length, to limit the current flow from the isolator to the battery pack so I won’t overload their isolator. (Of course, you can buy a bigger isolator that can carry the load.) You also don’t want to exceed your alternator’s ratings.

You should be able to get a good system up and running without too much hassle that will rapidly re-charge your battery pack while on the move. Double check your tow vehicle’s alternator output and work backwards in designing a system. 60 or 80 amps should charge those batteries nicely. Avoid voltage drop and limited current flow from using too small of wire.

The 80 amp charger (not isolator) I was talking about is for use when on shore power to charge up the batteries. It is also sized just right to be able to use it with the Honda e2000. (It is MUCH better to use a charger with the AC output of the generator than to use the DC output on the generator to charge batteries. Much more power for charging the batteries will be available.)

Emam, thanks for the very kind offer of the barn and site for doing my setup. It is very very kind. I will keep it in mind and let you know later, if there is no hurry on a decision. By the way, I love your style of doing things. I love that custom truck cap you had made!

We are in a busy period and I sneak away late at night here to get onto the internet for a few minutes to join you folks on the forums. Thanks for all your input and suggestions. It should be fun to watch this all come together or fall apart in the coming months.

Blessings.

[wcoleman]

As someone who has asked alot of questions, it feels good to share a few answers.

As far as the generator, I would go with the EU3000is from Honda. I agonized over this decision, and the 3000 won out because it allows you to run the AC and heat that hotdog you like at the same time. The 2000 will leave you struggling to start the AC compressor by itself. My T30F has the BriskAir unit, and the 2000 wouldn't start it up. If you're camping this summer, the extra $800.00 will seem like chump change when that compressor won't kick on. It weighs substatially more, it is roughly 140 lbs, but it is exceedingly quiet. You could buy two 2000 units and pigtail them with a Honda supplied cord designed for this purpose and get 4000w.
You could run the AC on those two together. However, the 3000 unit is better built, a commercial grade engine that will last longer, the 2000 has plastic gears and aluminum blocks.

As far as sattelite TV, I subscribe to DirecTV at home. After searching and calling for weeks, I finally discovered that you can take a receiver out of your house anywhere in your RV and it will mirror your service in the RV that you have at home. No extra fees or subscription. You just need a dish aligned south on the road to pick up a signal. Pretty easy actually. Of course no local channels or PPV, but so what.

Hope this helps,

Wayne

[Mark]

I agree with the generator response. I have the 2000 as well, and although it worked on my past trailer, I had to be VERY careful with the AC.

I suggest you might also look at a SLIGHTLY larger Yamaha, I think its like 2400 watts:http://www.electricgeneratorsdirect....1868e45bd510c7

I have also started hearing good things about Kipor:

http://www.amazon.com/Kipor-Sinemast...258758&sr=8-34

[niteowl]

It is 3 AM in Tanzania, Africa as I write this. So I guess my screen name is appropriate.

I thought I'd give a short update. First, thanks so much for the advice you fellows gave. I really appreciate it. I am now about six weeks from my return to the USA and starting the mods on the T-2363.

I purchased the Yamaha 2400 generator as per your advice. I just wouldn't have thought to get the slightly larger size but you got me thinking. The Honda 3000 would have been too heavy for me to handle so the Yamaha was my next choice. I purchased it yesterday over the internet at a good price.

I purchased my tow vehicle too. I bought a Nissan Titan 2005 Kingcab, LE, 4 x 4, with 17,500 miles on it. So I have something substantial to drag my 2363 around the country with now. I intend to put a Leer cab on it. I gave thought to the diesel (that is all I use out here in Africa) but decided to go this route this time. I felt I won't own the vehicle long enough to justify the extra expense.

I purchased the new Tekonsha P3 Brake Controller with the Nissan harness. I noticed there aren't many reviews of it on the internet yet so if anyone is interested, I will give you my impressions after using it.

I also purchased a "Perfect Switch" battery isolator. I intend to run heavy wire from the 130 amp alternator to the trailer to charge the trailer batteries.

I sitll don't know how many batteries I will be installing. I need to get some measurements off of the trailer and a friend will be doing that for me soon.

I purchased a larger converter. 80 amps. This will enable the Yamaha genertor to more quickly charge my batteries.

I will be installing holding tank heaters. I have decided against Satellite TV for the time being. I will be putting in a EVDO router for broadband to make the trailer a "hotspot".

All the work starts at the beginning of July. I hope to give an update (maybe with some pixs) if anyone is interested.

Thanks again for your advice. Keep it coming. It has already been a big help.