2020 Ram 5500 DIY Composite Panel Camper Build Thread

DirtWhiskey

Western Dirt Rat
Not a clue on the amps. Probably a ton. The goal of this build is to not have to worry about that stuff sir. ?

But yea, it will wired to the lithium bank, like the air compressor and everything else.

Truck is 100% separate system. Keep it as it came from factory.

ALL auxiliary everything is wired to lithium bank.

Ah got it. Very smart. Does the BMS support 600+ amps out on those battery banks? In my setup the camper is removable and I have a canopy for work/shuttle mode that goes in its place. My guess is 50/50 split between work and camper mode. Winch is going in the front for now although I would prefer rear mount for the reasons you state.
 

mk216v

Der Chef der Fahrzeuge
Great products and service here!
 

RAM5500 CAMPERTHING

OG Portal Member #183
Great products and service here!

Also a great option everyone seems to be happy with that uses them
 
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motorman

Active member
now that you have the 800AH of batteries . . .

what do you think your AC run time would be?
with your dual alternators is your solar and the related complexity still required? (i guess this is truly dependent on if you are a 'driver' or 'parker')


speaking of AC

are you still satisfied with the RecPro unit?
any reason to go w/ a 12V unit over this?
there are about 2000 reasons to stay w/ 120V and use the scratch for the EG4
 

RAM5500 CAMPERTHING

OG Portal Member #183
now that you have the 800AH of batteries . .

what do you think your AC run time would be?.

This is likely the question i am asked most, and its simply impossible to answer. But for reference. I camped in 100F+ for 3 days this summer and the camper is so well insulated, i only need to run it for 1.5-2hrs for the camper to become an icebox, and it stays cold for 4-5 hours easily.

I was most surprised/impressed by this. With my single 300ah battery, 2 hours of running the AC dropped it down to about 70-75%. Insulation is a huge factor here, so if youre trying to run this on say a sprinter van with minimal insulation, you'd likely need to run it a lot more.

with your dual alternators is your solar and the related complexity still required? (i guess this is truly dependent on if you are a 'driver' or 'parker')

Funny, just discussing this with a friend. Short answer is no, not at all.

BUT.... In the event a break down, or something happens to the vehicle and its not running, i'd be dead in the water powerwise without the solar. Its VERY rare i stay in the same camp spot one night, i am much more of a driver/explorer than i am a parker. So even with the new huge bank, the Sterling 60amp DCDC had it back to 100% SOC within 3-4 hours of driving everyday on the last trip.

speaking of AC, are you still satisfied with the RecPro unit?)

Abso Freaking Lutely! Worth every single cent!

any reason to go w/ a 12V unit over this?

I cant think of a single one. For the insane $ the 12v ACs are, you can use all that $ for more batteries, which can be used for all your other stuff as well. I simply don't understand the benefit of the 12v at their price point.

The other thing i cant grasp the popularity of is the "Mini Splits" everyone and their mom seems to like now. They are an ungodly PITA to install and have tons of possible failure points.

there are about 2000 reasons to stay w/ 120V and use the scratch for the EG4

Absolutely!

ONLY Downside i see with my Houghton Bel Air (rec pro unit) is the footprint it takes up on the roof. Its huge, no doubt.

But for me, having a slightly smaller solar array was well worth the trade off.
 
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motorman

Active member
Funny, just discussing this with a friend. Short answer is no, not at all. BUT.... In the event a break down, or something happens to the vehicle and its not running, i'd be dead in the water powerwise without the solar. Its VERY rare i stay in the same camp spot one night, i am much more of a driver/explorer than i am a parker. So even with the new huge bank, the Sterling 60amp DCDC had it back to 100% SOC within 3-4 hours of driving everyday on the last trip.

so solar is now not required
but is the fall back 2nd or 3rd level of redundancy if you experienced vehicle trouble
even more of a factor as you are primarily a solo adventurer
makes perfect sense to me and ill plan for it in the future but not mandatory on the front side
 

RAM5500 CAMPERTHING

OG Portal Member #183
so solar is now not required
but is the fall back 2nd or 3rd level of redundancy if you experienced vehicle trouble
even more of a factor as you are primarily a solo adventurer
makes perfect sense to me and ill plan for it in the future but not mandatory on the front side

Correct. Sterling also makes a 120amp DCDC which would charge the bank even faster.

For me, with the solar as well, I don’t need it.

But if ya have dual alternators and are a driver vs a Parker, that would be a great initial component that would function great before the solar is installed and you can base your needs off of it at a later date after assessing your real world usage

One thing I’ve learned over the years and preach is paper specs literally NEVER match real world specs during use.

So it’s best to do it in stages

my .02
 

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