2021 RAM 3500 Tradesman | AEV Prospector | FWC Grandby

[ramblinChet]

Recently I decided to pursue an intermediate solution related to charging my house battery during extended stays of 2-3 or more days at a location. My travels have been slowing down and instead of remaining at a location for 1-2 days now I am gradually slowing the process down and sometimes remaining longer. This places a heavy burden on my OEM Four Wheel Camper 12V house battery which is due to be replaced when I have the opportunity. If I drive every day or two, my DC-DC charger normally helps but consider that I am often traveling shorter distances now. In short, I am losing on both ends of the equation - I am traveling less and remaining longer.

This Renogy 200 Watt 12 Volt Monocrystalline Foldable Solar Suitcase looks like a great temporary solution. I still plan to install solar panels on my roof along with a Lithium Iron Phosphate LiFePO4 battery. I have a Battleborn 100 Ah at home in my Jeep so that may be an option. One wonderful fact is when you are able to angle the solar cells to face the sun the absorption rate increases so 200 watts perpendicular to the suns rays will beat 200 watts parallel with the earth's surface. I also purchased a forty foot extension so I am able to place the solar panel away from the vehicle. Consider the vehicle in the shade with the panels several feet away in direct sunlight. We shall see how this works.

And finally, the fact that the solar suitcase was on sale at $100 off the normal price, I also qualified for an additional 5% discount, and shipping was free. This was an easy decision.

 

[ramblinChet]

Life is slowing down significantly as we all are waiting for SpaceX Starship to launch. Here is Super Heavy Booster 7 sitting on the Orbital Launch Mount - this time at night. No ship was stacked up top and the next morning B7 was pulled from the OLM. Over the past two days there has been additional work taking place on the OLM in preparation for launch.


Here is my Snow Peak Trek 1400 titanium cookset that I have been using for ten plus years. This is additional gear purchased for backpacking long ago that still works just fine. If I was purchasing new gear I would not limit myself to titanium although for backpacking; ounces equal pounds, and pounds equal pain.


Exploring miles of beach in Texas has been fun - this day I was exploring Brazos Island. Just in case you are interested, the last battle of the War of Northern Aggression took place here one month after Lee surrendered to Grant in Appomattox.


Here is where I found myself in an interesting situation on Clark Island near South Bay Pass. While approaching this area I noticed only a few tracks crossing with some of the tracks looking like they were in soft places. I exited my vehicle and walked out to inspect and discovered the top few inches were very soft in areas. One of these days we can enjoy a lengthy discussion on ground pressure, what you can learn by walking versus driving, etc. I will summarize right now and let you know that if you "walk on your heels" you can approximate how much a tire will deform the soil if it is at a normal street pressure. In this case, I decided I was not going to risk becoming stuck while by myself in a large open area that was soft and adjacent to the water.


My solar panels arrived and I immediately unboxed them, read the instructions, and put them to work. I was parked on the side of the road here for a few days talking with other adventurers who were here to witness the launch. Some had relocated to the area and have been visiting daily for that past few years.


Here is a shot back on the beach where I have been camping most frequently. Having these solar panels has taken my relaxation to the next level. Previous to this, it seems that when I stopped for a few days my house battery was on life-support. The fact that I am now driving shorter distances and staying longer means I was losing on both ends of the equation regarding using my alternator and DC-to-DC battery link to charge my house battery. Now I am producing excess power daily and my house battery is very happy.


Here are some fellow space-geeks hanging out a few evenings ago. We had a nice big fire and many long and interesting conversations. A close friend commented on this picture and though it was quite interesting that in the foreground we have a band of dirty humans huddled around a fire similar to what has been going on for countless years. Then in the background we have some of the latest technology that is being designed to assist humanity in occupying other planets, and it is illuminated by man-made light.


Here is the lower belly of S20 in the rocket garden. All the tiles you see are PICA-X material.


This is a common site during the evening here on the US/Mexico boarder - we have had some beautiful sunsets. Note also that B7 is clear of the OLM and chopsticks on Mechazilla. Rumor has it that SpaceX are targeting 20 March for this first orbital launch. I suspect B7 will be paired with S24 and it will be one heck of a show. Elon Musk says, ""I think it's got, I don't know, hopefully about a 50% chance of reaching orbit...but I am guaranteeing excitement."

 

[RAM5500 CAMPERTHING]

Awesome Photos!!! I'd love to see a launch up close someday!

As for the charging...

If you havent done so already, take a really close look at the wiring in the FWC if you ordered it and had it setup to charge the house while driving..

Longgggggg, very frustrating story short, mine (2018) Hawk was GROSSLY under wired from the factory and at BEST i'd see 8-10amps of charge while driving.

After redoing all of their horrendous wiring, with new 4awg, i was seeing on average 45amps while driving and topping the house bats off very quickly.

FWC tried to argue my claims of their shoddy wiring, until i sent them the actual instructions for the BlueSea ACR they installed.

Right from BlueSea, the instructions said 4awg minimum. FWC used 10-12awg for some pretty long runs, so yeah.... The voltage drop going on with their grossly undersized wire was nutso.

Just My .02

 

[Kingsize24]

I've seen those very wires. And it isn't just for that. Alot of the wires on that camper are bare minimum. I wish I could say others are better, but unfortunately they are not. I think that's why, for me anyway, it's best to buy their blank slate models and do it myself. I TRUELY hope that changes in the future. Especially since they've been shown that before.

Jason

 

[ramblinChet]

Awesome Photos!!! I'd love to see a launch up close someday!

As for the charging...

If you havent done so already, take a really close look at the wiring in the FWC if you ordered it and had it setup to charge the house while driving.

Thanks for your kind words and suggestions @RAM5500 CAMPERTHING

When placing my order for my FWC in late 2020, I asked if I was able to pay extra for heavier wiring for the DC-DC charge circuit and was politely told no. It was folks over at "Wander the West" that had also spoke of undersized wires for the charge circuit and solar also. With the solar I was planning to wire my panels up top in series so the higher voltage may reduce some of the loss although I still need to figure out what I am going to so up there and then perform the calculations. Most likely, I will be replacing that wire also.

 

[RAM5500 CAMPERTHING]

Thanks for your kind words and suggestions @RAM5500 CAMPERTHING

When placing my order for my FWC in late 2020, I asked if I was able to pay extra for heavier wiring for the DC-DC charge circuit and was politely told no. It was folks over at "Wander the West" that had also spoke of undersized wires for the charge circuit and solar also. With the solar I was planning to wire my panels up top in series so the higher voltage may reduce some of the loss although I still need to figure out what I am going to so up there and then perform the calculations. Most likely, I will be replacing that wire also.

It might have been my write up on Wander The West you’ve seen.

I did a huge step by step with a ton of pictures and such I posted on there.

My write up had real time readings of both setups and such and the FWC fan boys got quite mad and pissy. It was quite funny really.

The owner of FWC at the time even chimed in on the thread and I posted the Blue Sea ACR instructions screen shot recommending at least 4awg and he shut up quick.

Longggggg story short, it was considerably easier to wire a completely “new” system than it was to integrate it into the FWC rats nest.

I did it so as not to mess with factory wiring (because I already knew I was going to sell it and not keep it long because of all the issues) and some potential buyers might want it all stock.

The buyer for mine and myself spent over an hour going over what i did and he kept it as such and as far as I know, still going strong.

Definitely worth the effort

I never got around to replacing the wire for the solar because of how deep it was integrated into the camper walls

 

[ramblinChet]

This is what happens when you fail to read the tide charts and fall asleep in a 2WD rental vehicle. He spun the tires the day before and recognized he was just digging himself in deeper so he continued to enjoy his time on the beach and spent another night.


The extraction was brutal and I walked away from it. Another guy with a 3500 diesel dually offered to help prior to my arrival so I sat back and enjoyed the show. Since there were now tow hooks up front and the rear of the truck was only a few feet from the dunes the diesel dually had to pull from the side. I stepped in and suggested we anchor my snatch block to the rear of the 3500 with a short winch extension strap and I could slowly and safely reel in my winch from the opposing side thus pulling the stuck truck straight back. My offer was refused and the diesel dually hooked a horrible looking strap to the rear hitch assembly and began tugging really hard at an oblique angle from the rear quarter of the truck. Of course the diesel dually hooked his side of the strap to the ball on the rear and then spun around to wrap the strap around the bumper of his rig. Atone point the opposing side of the truck was jerked with the wheels about a foot or so off the ground. Not very safe. Not very professional.


My forty foot solar extension cables arrived and I sure am glad I opted for the forty foot 10 AWG ones. I crunched the numbers and voltage loss is right at 3% which is acceptable and now I have a huge amount of flexibility with regards to where I place the panels in relation to the vehicle.


Did I mention that I have noticed some sand building up on the floor of my camper while spending time on the beach? It has gotten to the point that I only clean out the sand at the end of each day prior to going to bed. It's not that big if a deal but when you are entering a vehicle directly from the beach two or three dozen times per windy day...sand happens.


These guys and their vehicles were totally cool. Their club publishes photographs on Instagram under #clubjimnymty and they are based out of Monterrey, Mexico. They had a dozen third generation Suzuki Samurais and invited me to wheel with them in Mexico when I am in the area next year. If you have never wheeled an ultra-light vehicle you would be amazed at just how capable they are.


Here is another vehicle in the group decked out with a roof-top tent, awning, snorkel, rock rails, winch, etc. Again, a really great group of adventurers and I do plan on taking them up on their offer to wheel in Mexico.


This is one of the few pictures I have of me on South Padre Island during Spring Break 2023 - the other pictures would likely get me in trouble with forum administration. We discussed wind, how about three days straight of 20-25 MPH winds while being sandblasted the entire time? To put this picture into perspective, the lighter sand is flowing over the ground in waves - this is what it was like the entire time and I had fun. Pointing the nose into the wind was a huge benefit and if you move forward of my truck around twenty meters, the road ends.


Driving along the wall. I took this picture originally as a sort of joke to share with some friends but ultimately decided this is not an issue to joke about. One close friend of mine stated I should shoot anyone I see coming over and I replied to him that paradoxically, I would be shooting myself. The Democrats want the votes, Republicans want the cheap labor, the Mexicans simply wish for a better life. I am not sure what the correct answer is but I do know that this is where ethics, morality, history, nationality, and religion all collide. I know one thing for sure - if I were a young man with a family and all that stood between me significantly improving their lives was some goofy laws written by men wearing funny robes, and a few hundred miles with a wall in the middle...I would risk my life without blinking an eye.


The launch date for Starship has been pushed back approximately one month so here is one last night on Boca Chica Beach watching work being performed on the SpaceX Orbital Launch Mount. Targeted date for the first launch attempt is April 20th so there is still time for you to make arrangements to drive down and witness history.

 

[Kingsize24]

Hate that it keeps getting pushed back. Been on the edge of my seat waiting on this for over a year now, but specifically the last 2 months.

Family Adventure Vehicle Build Thread

Family Adventure M1102 Trailer Build Thread

2018 Ram 3500 Cummins 4x4 G56

 

[ramblinChet]

Hate that it keeps getting pushed back. Been on the edge of my seat waiting on this for over a year now, but specifically the last 2 months.

It's going to be one heck of a show and I plan to see, hear, and feel it. I was still working at NASA LaRC during the last two shuttle launches and I was invited to attend. Let's look at the thrust values to put everything into perspective:

VEHICLE	THRUST in millions of pounds
SpaceX Falcon Heavy	5.0
NASA Space Shuttle	7.5
NASA Saturn V	7.6
NASA Artemis I	8.8
SpaceX Starship	16.0

 

[Kingsize24]

It's going to be one heck of a show and I plan to see, hear, and feel it. I was still working at NASA LaRC during the last two shuttle launches and I was invited to attend. Let's look at the thrust values to put everything into perspective:

VEHICLE	THRUST in millions of pounds
SpaceX Falcon Heavy	5.0
NASA Space Shuttle	7.5
NASA Saturn V	7.6
NASA Artemis I	8.8
SpaceX Starship	16.0

If I can get down there from Colorado soon enough I hope to see it as well. The Bowen Bed is going on that week though.

 

[Kingsize24]

Recently I decided to pursue an intermediate solution related to charging my house battery during extended stays of 2-3 or more days at a location. My travels have been slowing down and instead of remaining at a location for 1-2 days now I am gradually slowing the process down and sometimes remaining longer. This places a heavy burden on my OEM Four Wheel Camper 12V house battery which is due to be replaced when I have the opportunity. If I drive every day or two, my DC-DC charger normally helps but consider that I am often traveling shorter distances now. In short, I am losing on both ends of the equation - I am traveling less and remaining longer.

This Renogy 200 Watt 12 Volt Monocrystalline Foldable Solar Suitcase looks like a great temporary solution. I still plan to install solar panels on my roof along with a Lithium Iron Phosphate LiFePO4 battery. I have a Battleborn 100 Ah at home in my Jeep so that may be an option. One wonderful fact is when you are able to angle the solar cells to face the sun the absorption rate increases so 200 watts perpendicular to the suns rays will beat 200 watts parallel with the earth's surface. I also purchased a forty foot extension so I am able to place the solar panel away from the vehicle. Consider the vehicle in the shade with the panels several feet away in direct sunlight. We shall see how this works.

And finally, the fact that the solar suitcase was on sale at $100 off the normal price, I also qualified for an additional 5% discount, and shipping was free. This was an easy decision.

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How are you liking this so far? I need in intermediate solution for now until our fully finished solar roof mount system is complete. We want to keep using our trailer to camp in as I build it out.

Family Adventure M1102 Trailer Build

It's from the military this way. Was a pretty damn good start.

expeditionportal.com

 

[FAW3]

Solar comment & related experience: My Hawk has the FWC mounted 160watt panel on the roof. I initially had the two paired AGM 75ah batteries and the standard FWC wiring (meaning limited charging from my truck when on the road). My power loads include roof mounted fans, propane furnace, LED lights and the 130qt compressor refrigerator. I've camped a lot in both cold and hot weather. With this set up I at times found I was over discharging the AGM's. This was often due to being in partial shade or having a low sun angle and/or cloudy days.

After my first year owning my Hawk I upgraded the then 5 year old AGM's for a single 100ah lithium battery. A lot of weight was saved, the voltage profile of a LI battery is much better than lead acid or AGM, and of course the battery discharge range is much broader. I have room for a second battery but as yet have not needed it. I also bought a 120watt portable solar panel and extension cord. The portable panel really makes a huge difference and also allows me to choose campsites with less concern over having sufficient "sun exposure". The OEM solar controller set to LI-ION keeps the battery charged just fine. To me I think the best solar set up on a truck camper is to have a panel on the roof AND a portable panel.

The final component was recognizing that the furnace and fridge were the primary power hogs. For the fridge I added 1/2" closed cell foam insulation to better insulate the box. For the furnace I recognized that adding a sheet of "DenDry" under the mattress created an air space of insulation which was helpful, and I upgraded my bed coverings to include a good down comforter, a wool blanket and a dog all of which keeps me warm with the furnace set at 55-60f which saves both electricity and propane.

Safe travels!

 

[Kingsize24]

Solar comment & related experience: My Hawk has the FWC mounted 160watt panel on the roof. I initially had the two paired AGM 75ah batteries and the standard FWC wiring (meaning limited charging from my truck when on the road). My power loads include roof mounted fans, propane furnace, LED lights and the 130qt compressor refrigerator. I've camped a lot in both cold and hot weather. With this set up I at times found I was over discharging the AGM's. This was often due to being in partial shade or having a low sun angle and/or cloudy days.

After my first year owning my Hawk I upgraded the then 5 year old AGM's for a single 100ah lithium battery. A lot of weight was saved, the voltage profile of a LI battery is much better than lead acid or AGM, and of course the battery discharge range is much broader. I have room for a second battery but as yet have not needed it. I also bought a 120watt portable solar panel and extension cord. The portable panel really makes a huge difference and also allows me to choose campsites with less concern over having sufficient "sun exposure". The OEM solar controller set to LI-ION keeps the battery charged just fine. To me I think the best solar set up on a truck camper is to have a panel on the roof AND a portable panel.

The final component was recognizing that the furnace and fridge were the primary power hogs. For the fridge I added 1/2" closed cell foam insulation to better insulate the box. For the furnace I recognized that adding a sheet of "DenDry" under the mattress created an air space of insulation which was helpful, and I upgraded my bed coverings to include a good down comforter, a wool blanket and a dog all of which keeps me warm with the furnace set at 55-60f which saves both electricity and propane.

Safe travels!

Honestly, thank you for your input. Hopefully I didn't derail this good man's thread too much!

Jason

 

[ramblinChet]

How are you liking this so far? I need in intermediate solution for now until our fully finished solar roof mount system is complete.

Power delivery is far better compared to what I expected although I would strongly recommend the same 200 watts and 40 foot 10 AWG extensions. I am in no rush whatsoever to complete my main install up topside and to be honest, may decide not to do it at all.

The great thing about the kit is it comes in a protective case so I could loan it to another or sell it so someone to be used for another application. Or keep it as a spare.

 

[renglekirk]

To me I think the best solar set up on a truck camper is to have a panel on the roof AND a portable panel.

Agree with the above, @Kingsize24 Depending on what all your doing a DCDC charger is a great choice too, but if you're able to spend an afternoon in the sun with a 200w panel properly angled you'll pull in enough power to sustain you for at least the next 24 hours, assuming you have a set up similar the one here. Your flat roof panels then function almost as a backup. I've been running a set up like this for a while and love it. Anytime I know I'll spend a night or two I take the extra 5 minutes and set up a dedicated panel. I'll rotate it maybe 3/4 times throughout the day and it does the trick. Having a decent Lithium battery can help float you through a few cloudy days too, and you don't have to worry over discharge. It's definitely worth the investment if you know you'll be using it a lot.