MB 1120 Coming to America! Purchase, Build and Now Travel!

[VerMonsterRV]

Bravo Zulu on all of the above and yes, would LUV an owner's manual!

Is the JDB BMS the same as used by Overkill Solar? If so, the 120A units have worked well for us.

Yes, but it is a new 200amp version. They also have higher amp ones available. The manual from them is kind of written for an electrical engineer who is also Chinese though (which I am neither). Good thing is there is enough information on the web to figure things out. Also JDB has been pretty good with answering questions. This unit has 3 different temp sensors and a heating pad output which I am not sure all versions have. Plus the battery cable terminals are pretty stout copper posts.

Can you share some details of the filtration setup you have? Is it just connected to a separate drinking tap or runs through the whole freshwater output?

Here is a link to Alibaba Home Use Uvc Led Water Filter Water Purifier For Hot Water And Coffee Machine - Buy Led Uv Water Purifier,Reverse Osmosis System Water Purifier,Home Reverse Osmosis Water Purifier Product on Alibaba.com . It is a link for their multiple filtration unit, but I wanted just a single filter. They sent me a "sample". So far if I were to try and resell them (and I really don't want to) I would try and get just a few small changes made to make them even better for RV use, but nothing major.

So we filter all water going into our water tank. Then for the all the taps in the habitat we refilter with a 10" Pentek 5 micron carbon filter. With those 2 steps we get good tasting drinking water from most places. Then for when we are not in areas with "safe" drinking water we have a second 10" housing with a .5 Micron Doulton ceramic filter. This is the housing with the UVC from the company above. It has a flow switch so when there is water flow the UVC powers on. UVC needs no warm up time and this unit is up to 5l a minute (which is similar to the ceramic filter). The kitchen faucet we have has 2 different handles on it. One is the main hot/cold tap which is just the 5 micron filter. The other is a smaller handle that has a separate outlet that is to the UVC. This will be just for drinking/cooking water.

I second being interested in your new water filter details. I apparently missed what went wrong with the Tern ceiling window?

I don't want to bash anyone's products but we don't feel that some of the Tern products are up to full time use standard. IMHO the Tern roof windows are their weakest product (we noticed the plastic turning yellow, the lifting mechanism starting to fail and the screens not retracting well into the accordion stack, and they are only 2 years old). Luckily for us we were able to buy the previous version with the manual crank so they were not super expensive. Now with the newer pricing on the electric opening version I feel they are way overpriced for what they are. These new SideWays windows were only about 20% more money than the current Tern roof windows and are not even close in the quality. The Tern windows felt fragile, and the SideWays are very robust. And fortunately for us SideWay makes this roof window are a replacement for the Dometic roof windows that the Tern roof windows cloned. So they dropped right in the existing hole. In the USA our choices are pretty limited for doors and windows, but if you look to Europe you have many more options (but at a higher cost). Really wish the shipping from Europe was less expensive for some things. Still waiting on an European company to ship an entire container to the USA and stock the most common sizes, problem is they all seem to be backed up just supplying European builders so not much incentive for them.

 

[Geo.Lander]

I don't want to bash anyone's products but we don't feel that some of the Tern products are up to full time use standard. IMHO the Tern roof windows are their weakest product (we noticed the plastic turning yellow, the lifting mechanism starting to fail and the screens not retracting well into the accordion stack, and they are only 2 years old). Luckily for us we were able to buy the previous version with the manual crank so they were not super expensive. Now with the newer pricing on the electric opening version I feel they are way overpriced for what they are. These new SideWays windows were only about 20% more money than the current Tern roof windows and are not even close in the quality. The Tern windows felt fragile, and the SideWays are very robust. And fortunately for us SideWay makes this roof window are a replacement for the Dometic roof windows that the Tern roof windows cloned. So they dropped right in the existing hole. In the USA our choices are pretty limited for doors and windows, but if you look to Europe you have many more options (but at a higher cost). Really wish the shipping from Europe was less expensive for some things. Still waiting on an European company to ship an entire container to the USA and stock the most common sizes, problem is they all seem to be backed up just supplying European builders so not much incentive for them.

There is no way any of us on here should be afraid of honest reviews of products and services in the RV and truck industry. Builders and product manufactures should be honestly and independently peer reviewed so we can can all make the best decisions for for our builds. Exactly what you have done here, quite frankly I am sick of hearing about this manufacturer over that because of sponsored youtubers or IG content plugging crap quality overly priced nonsense. Good job Jon!

 

[luthj]

Full timer gear should provide 10 years of nearly daily usage without significant repair. Just that simple. Unfortunately we find ourselves in a somewhat niche interest/market, so paying a premium for lower volume (and mixed quality) stuff seems to be common.

Euro stuff might be fantastic, but its very hard to tell without first hand accounts. I bet in Europe they wax lyrical about this or that superior product in North America, which probably isn't as good as they believe. Though its not hard to beat the generic RV garbage that is floating around in NA!

 

[Victorian]

There is no way any of us on here should be afraid of honest reviews of products and services in the RV and truck industry. Builders and product manufactures should be honestly and independently peer reviewed so we can can all make the best decisions for for our builds. Exactly what you have done here, quite frankly I am sick of hearing about this manufacturer over that because of sponsored youtubers or IG content plugging crap quality overly priced nonsense. Good job Jon!

agreed, honest real world reviews are much needed. No product or manufacturer is perfect! What it comes down to is how the service department will take care of you when things go sideways. I have seen very expensive European windows that had hardware falling off with virtually no support from the manufacturer. I’m sure tern would have no issues repairing or replacing the sunshade if you would ask them. aside from that, if I would be full timing I would probably go with real glass also. It’s just a totally different animal than just going out a couple times a year.

But I don’t agree with the blank statement we hear all the time about “ Chinese garbage” . Yes, there is tons of crap out there, but also tons of amazing stuff, like our campers and Arctic tern
. Before someone gets on the soap box telling me that we should buy the panels through North America. We tried! I have several miserable failures of Canadian made panels in my shop. The quality is well below what our guys in China produce. To top it off, customer service is lame with those guys. They are trying to weasel their way out with “ fixes”. We are talking about defects that can happen when an amateur builds these panels in your garage …. Don’t worry, I won’t mention any company names as per my lawyer advises me. I have seen other made in USA panels with the same issues.

 

[VerMonsterRV]

@Victorian , I agree with you completely. I have had some fantastic stuff that was made in China and some less than great. And the same is true from products from any country. The trick has always been finding a company (from anywhere) that cares about the quality of the product and will stand behind it 100% without making you leap through hoops. We had one of our new Marquart shocks (Germany) leak soon after install. I sent them a picture and they immediately sent out 2 (yup 2 to make sure even though just 1 was leaking) replacement shocks and even paid for the shipping. That is a company I can recommend as there will always potentially be problems, but they way they handled it proved what they stand for.

I do still believe the Tern windows are a pretty decent product, they do have plastic lenses which do scratch (we have polished ours a few times) but they seem to be holding up and are way lighter/lower cost than the glass equivalents. Not sure but I am guessing the manufacturer might be different than the roof windows as the design/quality seems different. We will also likely be replacing our Tern entry door. We had an issue with the interior plastic degrading to the point of the surface turning a shade of yellow to brown. If it got damp you could also smell a chemical odor. This was after 1 year after installing it. Tern replaced it and was fantastic to work with saying there was a problem with that batch of plastic. We installed the second door which we have now. It has also turned yellow, but just not brown yet but it looks just like the other one. It has also had a couple of the internal springs break that return the latches/lock to position. Once it starts with the chemical odor we will need to replace it. I am looking for a quality fiberglass door with a full length stainless hinge, multiple locking points and a window. If I was in Europe I would know what to get, the issue is the shipping cost which is out there for something this size. I mean how can the shipping cost from Europe for a single door be 25% of what it cost to ship our entire truck? Although I really don't want this project I may just make my own, with a door sized panel from @Victorian (if it would be available). Trick would be finding the fiberglass extrusions for the frame (if anyone knows of a good source please let me know). I could make my own frame but that would be significantly more work and would require making a mold. KCT sells the latch mechanism, the hinge is easy and I think SideWay could sell me the glass with the pressure vent for altitude.

So, talking about quality issues. Well our UVC sterilizer flooded 4 cabinets. We will not have it for Alaska (the .5 micron ceramic filter is still in place) as we are starting the northward trek today and there isn't time to get a replacement. The seal around the 2 end caps failed allowing a significant drip to go on while we were away (took about an hour sopping up the water and leaving things out to dry). And this is a problem we have seen with some stuff from China. The stuff can really look well made (as this sterilizer did) but they just missed the QA bit. I am trying to work with the company now, I am guessing these caps were "permanently sealed" from the factory so no repairing. But I am awaiting their response. I am a bit disappointed as it looked like a really nice product.

 

[ekibike]

Oh, and this is for the LN2 owners. A fellow LN2 owner in the UK generously photocopied his English owner's manual so I can finally read it. He said it was ok to share so if anyone wants is just let me know.

A copy of the owners manual would be great! We spent 4 hours in middle of nowhere New Mexico translating the clutch bleed procedure on 1 bar of cell service once so any opportunity for something for the truck that's in English is very exciting. Also, I always love getting caught up on your travels and your build - thanks for putting in the time!

 

[VerMonsterRV]

A copy of the owners manual would be great! We spent 4 hours in middle of nowhere New Mexico translating the clutch bleed procedure on 1 bar of cell service once so any opportunity for something for the truck that's in English is very exciting. Also, I always love getting caught up on your travels and your build - thanks for putting in the time!

Send me a PM with your email address and I can send it along. For the clutch bleed process though I would think you would also need the EPC/WIS which I also have. It is also in English and I bought it for around $10 on eBay as a digital download.

 

[ekibike]

Sending a PM now, thanks! We have multiple German shop manuals, hence the translating. I'll visit eBay shortly for the English docs.

 

[VerMonsterRV]

Quick update, we have started our trip north through British Columbia with a couple of stop overs to see some traveling friends. The first stop was to visit a friend that we haven't seen in about 6 years. She was crew on a sailboat we cruised with in Indonesia and is a fellow traveler. Her transport of choice is a motorcycle. Great to see her. The second stop was hoped to be a meet up with a really nice young family but they were off in Baja in their RV. But they generously offered parking at their house while we were in Vancouver. it worked out great but would have been way more fun if they would have been there. Here are a few pictures from the trip so far.

Some of the best Indian food we have ever eaten. What a lucky find and it was a short walk from our Vancouver friends house.


Lighthouse in Vancouver on our way out of town


Our friend Ivan's van on our way north


We just passed through Prince George. In a few days we will start the ALCAN highway, looking forward to it.

 

[VerMonsterRV]

And we have made it to Alaska, sort of. We are in Haines and will need to re-enter Yukon in order to get to the main part of Alaska. we could have continued on through Yukon but wanted to see a bit of the coast. And I have to say it was worth it.

Out on our hike today just south of Haines


This was still in Yukon right before we dropped down into Skagway AK


One heck of a snow blower on display in Skagway


This dogs paws were huge, he just wanted a bit of a pat then he was on his way.


So over the next few days we will travel the Haines highway (which is supposed to be pretty scenic) north back into Canada then northwest back into Alaska. And yes, we have been having some fantastic warm sunny weather. Probably won't last but we are soaking it up while we can.

 

[RoamIt]

Awesome, thanks for sharing the pic's! Helps motivate us on the front end of adventures to keep working towards it.

 

[Victorian]

On your way down, you must visit Vancouver Island! Would love to show you around ;-)

 

[VerMonsterRV]

Awesome, thanks for sharing the pic's! Helps motivate us on the front end of adventures to keep working towards it.

Although we were pretty driven to get our truck built and on the road, reading build/travel blogs and watching some YouTube channels fed the desire. So glad to help if we can feed the fire of others.

On your way down, you must visit Vancouver Island! Would love to show you around ;-)

Unfortunately our current plan is to head back south through Banff and Jasper N.P.s, so a bit farther east. Or maybe you could take a much needed vacation and come east (come on, everyone deserves a nice vacation ) . Then down through Idaho. Then with any luck do a few more upgrades and maintenance items and get ready to ship the truck to South America from Texas (we already spent a bit of time in Central America on the sailboat so we are considering skipping it, but who knows).

And we spent a bit of time watching this mom and cub on the beach (we have a 30x zoom point and shoot so the pictures are not the best, plus I am no photographer). They even went for a swim with the cub riding on the mom's back. And the cub running around chasing birds while mom was rolling rocks in search of something to eat. We are right near a salmon spawning river and I am guessing they are hanging out there waiting for the fish to arrive.

 

[VerMonsterRV]

And the fun in Alaska continues. A few days ago we did a boat trip to the Columbia Glacier and yesterday was a kayak on Glacier Lake. After a hike today we are off to the mountains and another glacier. So here are a few trip pics.

 

[VerMonsterRV]

Just got back from Wrangell - St Elias National Park. Very cool place with great access to the Root Glacier. Did a couple of days of hiking up the glacier and had a blast. On the way out we got to watch a moose having lunch in a roadside pond, best viewing we have ever had of a moose. The towns of McCarthy and Kennecott were pretty interesting for different reasons. Kennecott was the center for copper mining and the park service has some of the buildings preserved with exhibits. McCarthy is more touristy in a laid back way, plus a local Alaskan classic car club was doing a show there when we arrived. So now we are off to Anchorage to do some errands and then south to the Kenai peninsula and hopefully some white water rafting.






Met back up with our friends in the MB 1113. We saw them in passing in Skagway when they were getting off the ferry while we were getting on. Great to spend a few days with them.


14 stories of copper processing. Very impressive wood building.


This is in the town of McCarthy. We walked out pass the town to go to the small bush plane airstrip (who doesn't like to look at bush planes). On our way back this guy pulled over and asked if we wanted a ride back to town. Usually we would prefer to walk but it isn't every day you get to ride on an original REO Speedwagon, so we hopped on. Ends this guy also owns a couple older Unimogs and was fun to chat with.


This moose was pretty comfortable with tourists. Just continued to plunge its head beneath the water looking for plants to eat. Probably watched it for about 10 minutes.