Placed deposit today!

[Skyjim73]

Well, Diane and I jumped today at the Pomona RV show. After meeting Mr. Eickhoff and running over some modifications we'd like, we put down a deposit on a new 3124KB, for delivery in February 2015. (Why then? That's when we attain the magical age when we can take money out of the 401k cookie jar without an extra tax hit... this and the tow rig in 2015 will be splurges!).

TM is going to factory install the Dometic CR-1110 12V/115V compressor fridge, and Mr. Eickoff also agreed in principal to installation of a Progressive Dynamics power center in lieu of the WFCO unit, provided I can come up with a unit that will match up dimensionally and power capacity wise. I am extremely appreciative of that kind of willingness to be flexible!

Will update in case we have any bumps in the road on the mods, but right now it's all unicorns and rainbows... We are incredibly excited to finally be moving forward with a purchase we've been considering for several years. I would have never considered a TM when our daughter was small and hard on equipment, but with the kid almost out of college and life starting to allow some of those long trips we've been dreaming about for the past couple of decades, we think the TM is the right tool for the mission for us! Hope to make a shakedown trip to Death Valley in February!

[Padgett]

The WF-8955 is 13.875" wide, 11.625" wide, and 9" deep, I imagine that anything close (and the 9" deep may be the critical factor. The tub is on the other side of the wall and would provide the depth limit.

What unit were you thinking of ? Only reason I can think of to change would be to add an inverter.

[tentcamper]

That sound great. Like to 2 mods you are having.

[funpilot]

I have also received approval to get the same refrigerator in my new order to be built. It is good for them to do this with more than one customer so they get different feedback on it. Based on that I also volunteered to do the same upgrade on the power center so they have two of those as well. Or, I said, they could install an inverter version as a comparison if that made more sense for them in exploring these options.

[Padgett]

If you go to an inverter/charger I strongly suggest it have a monitoring panel so you can see what it is doing or has kicked out due to an overload (would also suggest isolating the Air Conditioner from the inverter).

[Skyjim73]

Padgett, i admit to prejudice - I've had close friends who had bad experience with WFCO equipment failing in the middle of nowhere, and was never terribly happy with the charge performance I saw on their units or the battery lifetimes they got over time. Two people I know have done converter retrofits using PD units and experienced faster and more compete battery recharges, though battery lifetime jury is still out since they have only had them for about 2 years. I'm spoiled by having a really strong charging system in my inverter setup in my old rig and I got 8 years out of my first set of golf cart batteries hooked to a charger with bulk output around 25% of the bank's 20 hr amp rating and regular equalization cycles. But I ENJOY fiddling with systems.

PD's 60 amp Mighty Mini Power Center may not fit -

http://www.progressivedyn.com/all_in_one_pd4000.html

The converter unit is mounted long axis vertical rather than horizontal as on the WFCO. Don't think it will clear the bathtub shelf. Might have to go for just a converter changeout. In the 3124 or 2922 that install location constrains things. Don't know if it's the same in all of the "classic" TMs or not.

Ideally I guess I would be putting another big inverter/charge setup in, but the truth is that my wife and I learned that we just did not need or use the 2000 watts of AC capability out in the boonies. It's just not practical in a small RV to devote enough mass to batteries to run even a microwave or hair dryer for more than a few minutes at a time, and while making microwave popcorn 15 miles from pavement without a generator a few times is fun and better preserves the silence you went so far to find, we didn't do it often. The only major comfort enhancement AC could bring us would be the ability to run the air conditioning out in the desert, but that was WAY outside my system's capabilities - or for that matter, my 2000 watt generator's.

So, I'm looking to have a system that allows remote camping with zero or minimal generator use, and a fast and effective charging system is a must have for me. i spend a lot of time in fairly remote spots playing with my big telescopes and hookups are not usually available. Don't claim to have the perfect solution, but this is an attempt to optimize without making the investment in a big Magnum inverter and a really big battery bank, which is the way I'd go if mass and cost were no object. Hoping that a pair of 6V deep cycles and the solar will work with what I perceive as an enhanced charger and do the job for me.

[Skyjim73]

Oh yeah, definitely you need a system monitor! I ran the link remote with my Heart inverter. Looks like I will wind up buying a Trimetric this time around, but I need to settle the configuration first. Will already have the monitor made by Morningstar on my solar charge controller.

[Skyjim73]

Funpilot, that is GREAT! Seems that high-efficiency compressor fridges in American camping vehicles is a trend that is starting to percolate up into the mainstream! I imagine that this could become a regular factory option if enough demand is there. Personally I never want to deal with another absorption fridge, and the CR-1110 ought to use half or less the power on DC...

I'm probably going to have an aux house battery system in my tow vehicle as well to power an ARB or National Luna fridge freezer for those trips too rough for the TM (or where I just want to travel lighter).

[funpilot]

Originally Posted by Skyjim73

Oh yeah, definitely you need a system monitor! I ran the link remote with my Heart inverter. Looks like I will wind up buying a Trimetric this time around, but I need to settle the configuration first. Will already have the monitor made by Morningstar on my solar charge controller.

I have also suggested to TM that if they do this convertor upgrade for you that I could be willing to let them do the same for me as I enjoy doing "pilots" and am reasonably well tempered if they do not work. Since my TM will be built before yours, you would get the benefit of my learning curve, although I am not worried at all about the refrigerator as that should be a slam dunk. As for the converter upgrade, I would like us to do something that has us get an inverter with the monitor as that would be a real option to a prospective new owner than just a brand change (albeit a better brand). So, I invite other readers to make recommendations so that we can help guide/educate TM on what they might want to consider in the future. I thank Rickst29 for doing the refrigerator mod that proved this can work and Skyjim for taking the lead on getting the compressor refrigerator to be installed on a new build. All I can add is some redundancy.

[Padgett]

Mount the PD sideways ? I don't think the smoke will spill out. Doesn't seem to have an inverter though.