I was thinking we may be able to add a Modification to your rig Section via Cindy.
To give inspirations to would be GN's to make changers to make life on the road even better. eg: extra storage solutions, inside and out. Water storage, Fuel, Sat dish, chairs, Where and how others carry their fold up boat trailers.
I've done a few mods on my Motorhome to improve storage & access and I'm currently working on a frame to hold my solar panels on the roof that that I can tilt up to 35 degrees when we're parked up to maximise solar input. My Idea is to mount it just after the peak infront of the air con. This way we can park (hopefully) with the cab facing to get the most sun light, that way our awning will be in the shade. At the moment with where the panels are we have to park with the left side facing the sun, so the awning area isn't that shady.
I've drawn up my plans & hope to do the mod in the next few weeks so its ready for this years winter migration north.
Regards Steve.
Edit Typo.
-- Edited by madaboutled on Monday 11th of January 2016 11:07:13 PM
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Steve, Di & Ziggy We named our Motorhome "Roadworx" because on the road works "On The Road Again" Ford Transit with 302 Windsor V8 conversion, C4 Auto, 9 Inch Ford Diff All Lighting L.E.D., 260 Amp/h AGM, 530 Watt Solar + Kipor Backup Gen.
On motorhome ..Yep added two extra 80 watt panels. Increased wire size from regulator to batteries .. Rear box across the rear .Hmm My son grabbed it and fitted to front of trailer .. Assist air bags to rear suspension to soften the ride on low boost .. Water injection to motor on hot days . Turbo diesel no intercooler . Helps keep engine clean and temps cool powering up hills .. 80/20 mix metho .. Fitted shield in void between between fridge and vent above for better flow, venting ., fitted HED driving lights just outside grill radiator intake . For much better night driving . Wider side annex . 12v outlets for external chilli / fridge connection ., fitted filters on both drinking and tap water ..
Ok Good idear, well with our pop top Jayco discovery ( 17.55.3 ). I've fitted 2x 120 Watt solar pannels and the controler lives in one of our wardrobes beside the bed. Sat tv and the dish now lives on top of the bed while we are traveling. The usual fridge mod with a couple of 12 Volt computer fans to help with the heat. This didn't work and have looked at replacing the fridge with a compresser type, cost being the main factor. Fridge works down south,but head north and the fridge falls over, temp wise. Next to useless.
0ne 200 Amp battery ( sealed flooded AGM ) and this lives under the bed and extra 12 Volt power points around the inside of the caravan and one outside for the awning lighting,and strip LED lighting along the full length of the awning and this turns night into day. Also installed a 6 way fuse pannel to look after the extra 12 Volt points.
All of the 12 Volt points are the merrit type, as i hate the cigarette lighter type. One last thing is i fitted into the boot a water cartridge filter and plumed that in to the mains water supply, this is so that all of the mains water goes through the filter first.
On motorhome ..Yep added two extra 80 watt panels. Increased wire size from regulator to batteries .. Rear box across the rear .Hmm My son grabbed it and fitted to front of trailer .. Assist air bags to rear suspension to soften the ride on low boost .. Water injection to motor on hot days . Turbo diesel no intercooler . Helps keep engine clean and temps cool powering up hills .. 80/20 mix metho .. Fitted shield in void between between fridge and vent above for better flow, venting ., fitted HED driving lights just outside grill radiator intake . For much better night driving . Wider side annex . 12v outlets for external chilli / fridge connection ., fitted filters on both drinking and tap water ..
What size wire did you put between the regulator and the battery?
The existing looked like 4mm added another 6mm2 in
Parallel . The barriers are directly under regulator about 2.5m at most . Bit tricky getting both cables in reg ..
So far I have added an extra 100 amps of battery, some additional wiring to provide 12v by the bed, 4x LED strip lights with dimmers, still a few bits to do though :)
I was thinking we may be able to add a Modification to your rig Section via Cindy.
To give inspirations to would be GN's to make changers to make life on the road even better. eg: extra storage solutions, inside and out. Water storage, Fuel, Sat dish, chairs, Where and how others carry their fold up boat trailers.
Would this be good or not. Just a idea.
Regards Jim
"Hints Tips & Great Ideas" is already there Jim. There's not much gets posted there. I always check it, I like to see what mods others do to make things more efficient, or life easier.
Your post has got some people throwing ideas out there.
Cheers Pete
-- Edited by wasn_me on Wednesday 13th of January 2016 11:20:58 AM
The existing looked like 4mm added another 6mm2 in Parallel . The barriers are directly under regulator about 2.5m at most . Bit tricky getting both cables in reg ..
I often come across the problem of not being able to get multiple cables into a terminal socket. I get around it by using clipsal screw connectors. They're available in 2x6mm sq. & 3x6mm sq. Available from 240 volt retailers.
Fit a large wire in the terminal (the reg. in your case) & run the large wire to a convenient location to connect with the multiple wires. This method is only suitable for weatherproof situations. I have used this method under vans & located the terminal inside a waterproof junction box.
You can also use this method to clean up visually unsightly multiple wires.
Had the Coromal ATM upgraded to 2.2t as we were at the limit before adding any fruit. I wanted to put in an extra battery, a 3000w Inverter, Solar Panel, extra 100l water tank as well as ability to hold another 100l Grey Water, Diesel Heater. Had to put in S traps under Sink and Wash Basin to ensure we didn't get smells from the grey water tank if and when used.
To get the ATM weight upgrade I had to install a Breakaway unit and replace the Tyres to larger Load capacity ones.
Also added a fan on the back of the fridge to suck out the hot air and a gauge for water and battery.
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Glen
A diesel Nissan Pathfinder towing a Coromal Element 542.
As was mentioned previously that is what the 'Tips, Hints & Great Ideas' section is for.
Things that I have done on my 1999 Van but are often standard or commercially available include ..
Feet on corner steadies
Water & waste hose storage under van.
Slide out storage unit on my rather narrow pantry.
Wire storage racks for all of my Corelle crockery
Wire storage for my glass wine glasses & porcelain coffee mugs
Installed LED option to all internal & annex lights as well as turn, tail & break lights
S/steel saddles for attaching guy ropes via snap connectors to awning guy ropes
'Pegs' for holding all common use tools in front boot
Direction air scoop to send more air into bed room from A/C if required
Water tap on A frame
Most of the common Fridge mods
Digital array for Winegard TV antena
A range of holders in the en-suite for towels & toiletry. Plus others in the bedroom for clothes.
secure hanger rails in clothes cupboards & a belt hook too.
Special secret storage places for valuables & a 'wallet' fixed to the inside of her bedside drawer for SWMBO's rings & watch etc.
A range of common use items like glues, tapes, caulking compound, cable ties, spare wheel bearing, grease, electrical & plumbing bits etc etc, in plastic containers under a lounge seat.
Fishing rods held in clips in a corner of my bedside cupboard (replaces the bazooka on the tug's roof racks). Hooks & reels under another lounge seat.
Base of bedside cupboards dived into four sections to separate various foldable clothing items.
Handle from bucket attached to the Hayman Reece WDH to make it easy to carry & manipulate.
Dust cover for HR DWH.
Alignment marks on the back window & centre of front of van to aid in hook up. Of course one of those V guides around the tow ball for when I get it wrong. Plus a lock for the tow coupling.
WDH lock pins chained to the A frame attachment to prevent loss or mislaying.
Edit .. Just thought of a few more ..
Key operated safety chain on van door & disabled the internal slide lock.
Key hooks on LHS just inside the van door. Lanyards & large name tags on spare keys (spare car key in van & spare van keys in car). Includes some for CP entry/amenities keys/cards if needed.
Small white board & message pad on RHS just inside the van door.
Edit 2 ... Just remembered .. magnetic knife holder for my kitchen knives just beside the wall mounted paper towel/glad wrap & Alfoil dispenser.
not forgetting the plastic bag holder inside the under sink door & the hooks in the spice slide out area for all of those plastic/silicon kitchen spoons, slices etc.
Of course all of the shelves are lined with the non slip plastic stuff. The single electric hotplate, toaster & jug sit permanently on this sort of matting & never fall of. But I don't do dirt roads. I protect wine bottles with lengths of pool noodles.
Then there is the rail across the 4 seasons hatch over the bed to hang shirts & things to dry or whatever & the fixed bedroom fan. A wall 'pocket' for the TV remote on the wall on SWMBO side of the bed ... eye mask on my side.
Buggar That's enough ... I'm off to bed .....
That's all I can think of off the top of my head.
Oh yes, ..... Traced out all of the van low voltage wiring to draw up a wiring diagram & weatherproofed the main junction box at the same time.
Marvelous what you can come up with watching others over a decade or more.
-- Edited by Cupie on Thursday 14th of January 2016 12:32:14 AM
-- Edited by Cupie on Thursday 14th of January 2016 12:45:30 AM
This is a good idea for modifications that aren't just little tips and addons (which is what the hints and tips is for). Modifications such as suspension mods, electrical mods, layour mods, or any other interesting modifications. Leave out the key hooks, whiteboards, knife holders etc.. etc.......
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Yes I am an agent of Satan, but my duties are largely ceremonial.
Golly !!!! You lot have so any great ideas - lets see them copied and pasted into the Tipe, Hints and Great Ideas. I know I would then start checking them - currently I don't bother as so seldom used. Look forward to hearing all the other great ideas and mods done by GN's
As for you Jim - have you got all the warranty stuff done yet mate ? Remember if you do mods while your van is still in its warranty period, Jayco may choose to decline the claim - just as car makers do
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Cheers Bruce
The amazing things you see when nomading Australia
Obviously this is why most secondhand caravans have got more holes drilled in them than Swiss Cheese. We were amazed at the mess previous owners had left behind when they traded their old van on a new one, with wires & tubing hanging out in every nook & cranny. God knows what they'd been doing? Be bought a brand new van with everything we needed fitted to it & haven't touched it in over 4 years. A lot of ''amateur mechanics/plumbers/ electricians fiddle with their vans because they're bored & don't have anything better to do or don't have an interest. A can of beer in one hand & a screwdriver in the other, seen lots of ém. Don't forget the additional weight of additions & modifications. There are lots of what appear to be overweight vans getting around with stuff hanging off the van & tug.
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Cheers Desert Dweller.
Our land abounds in Natures gifts. Of beauty rich and rare.
You can do a lot of things to improve your van by the way of mods, especially if you bought a second hand van that met most of the needs but lacked some things you required.
On our van:
Underslung the axle to get an extra 100mm clearance, because it was way too low.
Fabricated new shock mounts and fitted a set of Monroe gas shocks.
Added 280W of solar panels and 2 X 105AH AGM batteries,
Upgraded the gas struts from 250N to 350N to allow for the extra weight of the panels
Fitted a decent Kenwood car stereo and speakers so that I was able to listen to MP3s and hear the TV better.
Rewired all the rear signal lights, because the manufacturers didn't have a clue when they installed it.
Fitted a rear view cam and cabling with a waterproof connector on the end.
Replaced the under rated 12V cable from the anderson plug back to where I fitted a pair of posts near the battery charger with 6 B&S (it originally only went to the fridge)
Enabled the DC-DC function on the charger because it wasn't connected by the manufacturer and ran 8 B&S from the posts to the charger DC input
Ran an 8 B&S pair from the posts to the fridge via an ignition controlled relay
Wired in a DC socket, audio sockets and antenna socket behind the TV where it should have been fitted in the first place.
Fitted an Anderson plug so I can use the 35L Engel in the van (to keep me beers cold )
Shortened and re-routed the water tank filler tube behind the inlet port to get rid of a kink that made it difficult to fill.
Now it works like it should have done when it was new..
and I didn't do the mods with a beer in one hand, I always find a safe place to put it so I don't spill it.
And I agree with Desert Dwellers that if you don't have a clue about doing things like that, you should probably leave well enough alone, and just buy a van and live with the restrictions it has built into it.
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Yes I am an agent of Satan, but my duties are largely ceremonial.
Obviously this is why most secondhand caravans have got more holes drilled in them than Swiss Cheese. We were amazed at the mess previous owners had left behind when they traded their old van on a new one, with wires & tubing hanging out in every nook & cranny. God knows what they'd been doing? Be bought a brand new van with everything we needed fitted to it & haven't touched it in over 4 years. A lot of ''amateur mechanics/plumbers/ electricians fiddle with their vans because they're bored & don't have anything better to do or don't have an interest. A can of beer in one hand & a screwdriver in the other, seen lots of ém. Don't forget the additional weight of additions & modifications. There are lots of what appear to be overweight vans getting around with stuff hanging off the van & tug.
Not looked at too many second hand vans but I'm sure that there are lots that fit your description.
A basic principle when I do mods is that should I (or a new owner), ever decide to remove the mods, then it can be done without leaving an eyesore. I ensure that all mods add value & do not detract from the appearance or functionality of the van.
I don't drink beer & my technical/trades background allows me to do my mods in a very old school tradesman like way.
Holey Dooley!! Now where do I start with this topic....
At the front I guess.......
Changed the ball coupling out to a DO35 one....really like these for ease of hooking up...no annoying thump from a slightly loose ball etc.I reckon they are that good I went and put one on my (largish) box trailer.
Bought a stone deflecter from Jayco...threw away the useless mudflaps that came with it and replaced them with the ribbed truck mudflaps...don't blow back in the breeze now,...plus added a WDH as well....not really needed ...but does help to keep the show level.
Installed some poolside matting in the boot...just so if any leaks...nothing is sitting in moisture.
Speaking of boot leaks...removed boot lid and replaced it with ally strip on inside to keep hinge mounted properly after Jayco,s poor attempt at self tapping through (and mostly missing) wood reinforcement on inside. Boot doesn't leak now ...and is dustproof as well.
150 watt solar and controller added..before delivery.
Added an extra support strap to both water tanks...shifted wiring and hoses to more safer locations while I was under there.....
Put Jayco mudflaps in front of wheels to stop them tossing stones forward....added long truck mudflaps behind to keep mud and stones out of rear part of van. Remounted rear bar properly . Jayco,s Effort was as poor as p**s...and it took a bit of doing....as the bar had been flopping up and down for a little while before I discovered it....strong and solid now
Mounted 2 jerry holders on rear bar...use 2 water jerries from super doodle with tops cut out to stow hoses, tent pegs, levelling blocks etc.
Added a couple more power points inside ...and 2 more 12 volt outside (merit )
Removed TV bracket ...and the queer little swing down cupboard near it (we don't watch TV..even at home)Removed the TV antennae mast from roof (base is still there ...all wrapped up for whenever or if we part with this van.
The usual fridge mods...made fridge work like it should now...even in 35-40 deg. temps.
Shade ends for awning...plus a awning rail fitted on fridge side of van so as to add more shade on that side.
Bolted (instead of screwed) the bed mountings at foot end of bed
Removed battery where it had just been plonked anyhow to rear corner under bed...making space under there more usable
Rewired fridge wiring on 12 volt with heavier wiring so it can use solar and house battery when stopped for a break when on the road. The truck batteries have a cutoff that isolates van at 12.5 volts ...and then another one which isolates the 2 batteries in truck at 12.3. The solar almost runs fridge in van by itself....giving about 5 hours extra before low voltage on controller works (11.5 I think).
LED upgrades to all lighting inside van.
The really only major warranty items that have been fixed by Jayco were..Brakes made to work properly (wiring issue)
..Bouncy floor near fridge / kitchen / table. This required addition of more bearers under floor of van.
..A water leak behind sink in shower module...plus a long crack in one wall. A new module was the fix here.
. Cracks that appeared in the panel above boot door. Van is currently undergoing repairs by Jayco for this ...2 years after purchase!!
Upgrading wheels and tyres to match truck...from 29.s to 31,s ....with white sunnies which are stronger than the original alloys.
ATM upgrade to be more realistic.
I,m sure there are other mods...but cant think of them now....and given the service I have received from Jayco.....I would buy another one.
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