Upgrade recommendations for Tear Drop & TV

[SoCal Tom]

I think I have a plan for the water system. The goal is simplicity in setup, and use as well as saving space and money. I don't have space for an easy gravity setup, and my main travel companion only weighs 80lbs, so I want a system he can use and setup easily.
So I'm planning a hybrid system. It will use water jugs as the main water supply, with a dip tube that can be inserted into one can or the other, as needed.
I have two RV water pumps, so I'll put one of those into service, and I have a place on my galley bulk head I can install a faucet. I won't add a sink, I still use wash basins on a table for dish washing, and I'm working on emptying a tide container for a hand washing station.

If for some reason the pump doesn't work I can still pour out of the jugs, and I can remove the when I get home to lighten the tongue for easier maneuvering of the trailer. I'm still planning on a zodi shower eventually. So I'll still be able to take the jug somewhere convenient for showering ( showers attached to the side of the trailer just look like a mud puddle making system to work around).

I'll only need to spend money on the faucet $40 and the tubing $25 to make it happen.
Tom


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[luk4mud]

^ Sounds like a good plan. I am a big believer in the KISS system.

 

[SWbySWesty]

Sounds good! That's what I do now (minus faucet). It also makes refilling your water supply on the fly easier if you have to walk down to a river or something

 

[SoCal Tom]

So I got the water system basically installed. One small leak I can fix tomorrow, and I need to make a dip tube to pull the water out of the can. I used a hose bib for the water outlet. The thought being I would have flexibility to hook up a hose if I needed to. What I didn't think about was how bad water sprays out of it, water goes everywhere. I'll make a small hose to connect to the end to better control the flow.

I also did a little redneck engineering. I had an old aluminum truck bed box, that I had cut in half years ago. I split one of the pieces in half, then used the pieces to make an open box to carry the water cans.
Here's a pic.

Tom


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[SoCal Tom]

Here is a pic of the faucet in the galley. the little strain relief hose works perfect for controlling the water.
Tom


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[SoCal Tom]

Did the spring over today, added about 5 inches of clearance. Still plenty of room to get it in the garage. Makes my 24" tires look tiny. really changes the character of the trailer. Now it looks a lot more like an off road trailer.
Tom


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[SoCal Tom]

While doing the spring over, I noticed the original springs didn't flex much when I jacked it up, or jumped on it. Made a few measurements and ordered some 1000lb/pair springs from Northern Tool. They got here yesterday and so I put them on today. The are much more compliant, as best as I can tell the old springs were probably rated around 3500lb for the pair. Since the trailer weighs about, 900lb, and less than 700 were carried by the springs I think it was the right thing to do. The frame is about an inch lower than it was before, but hopefully it won't beat up the trailer as much when I pull it down the road.

I also notice a post where someone here took an and IKEA LED strip and removed the transformer and mounted in on a RTT for lighting. Well a while back I got infatuated with the DIODER kit at IKEA, and bought one. ( It was shiny and had buttons and knobs to turn I couldn't resist its power). Anyhow, it was a complete waste of money, but since I saw that thread, I decided it would be awesome in my galley, so I mounted it today. The Dioder set lets you turn a dial to change the color coming out of the LEDs, it can also cycle through the colors. While I can see no practical need for this, its awesome.
Here are some pictures, it does green, blue purple, yellow and red. I've heard red is good if the bugs are out. It also draws a lot less power than my old light.
Tom

 

[SoCal Tom]

It’s been over 3 years, so I thought I would update the thread. The dip tube idea didn’t work out well. It was difficult to prime, so I installed a bulkhead fitting in the bottom of the tank. I honestly thought it would leak, and then I would get a Pre threaded tank from Frontrunner, but it’s been holding tight almost 3 years now. I also moved the water to the top of the fenders for better weight distribution.
I had to replace the roof, so it got a paint job as well. a recent camp photo
Tom


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[SoCal Tom]

It’s been another 5 years, so another update.
The galley has been pretty stable for a while. Camp chef oven twists out and the Waeco CF 35 pulls out.

The water cans now sit on the fenders. The PS can has a gravity drain that primes the pump, the DS can uses a dip tube once the pump is primed. Once I prime the pump I shut off the gravity tank and use up the other one.
Mounted a tankless water heater, primarily for washing dishes. The most recent upgrade was mounting the solar panels on the roof. 3x50 watts give me 300 to 400 watts of charging on a sunny day, more than making up for me needs.