View Single Post
Old 03-13-2008, 11:21 AM   #3
Bill
Site Team
 
Bill's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: The mountains of Scottsdale, AZ, and the beaches of Maine
Posts: 10,088
Default

Wow! Great trip! I can't answer all of the questions, but let me hit a few. By the way, have you searched the board for the word Alaska?

Two batteries? Good idea. Try to get trolling motor batteries - they are much better for the application than car batteries, and also better than combination motor-starting / deep cycle / marine batteries. There seem to be a minor capacity advantage for 6-volt batteries over 12-volt batteries of the same size, but it is not overwhelming. The key either way is to get all the size you can handle. The advantage of 12-volt batteries is that they can be used independently if needed. You can charge one in your truck while the other powers your TM, for example. Or, if one gets physically damaged / destroyed through some mishap, you simply remove it and keep on truckin'. With 6-volt batteries you can't do that.

Generator? Size? First question - do you foresee the need to use the air conditioner? The interior of Alaska in the summer can occasionally get kind of steamy, I'm told. If you want to use the air conditioner, you will probably need a generator rated at 2500 watts. Some of our members have the Honda EU2000i, which is a nice generator, and for some of them (but not all), it will start the airco. But for some of them it won't. If you don't want to use the airco, then a much smaller generator will do. The Honda EU1000i is more than sufficient to charge batteries, and to run almost any shore-power device. If you buy a generator, you will OF COURSE buy a quiet one, right?

Solar? It has the advantage that it will charge batteries while you drive, assuming the sun is out. It has the disadvantage that it won't charge under cloud cover. I don't know what the usual sky condition will be in this part of the worlds in this season.

Refrigeration. Running the refrig on propane is fine while you are stopped, but while you are moving, you'll want to run it on 12-volt DC supplied by the truck or the solar. A Tundra will send enough electricity back to the trailer to run the refrig - not all vehicles will. I don't believe that the entire TM refrig will reliably maintain below-freezing temps. If you need more freezer space (as opposed to simple cooler space), you might search this forum for Engel. That's one brand of refrig/freezer that will freeze, and others are mentioned in the thread. Prepare for sticker shock.

Four bikes on the back of the TM? Experience here seems to say that two bikes works, but some folks have not had good luck with four. Again, use the advanced Search tool on "bicycles".

Specific mods? You didn't say what year your TM is, but if it is old enough to have square wheel wells, you should retrofit round ones. Again, use the Search tool. And I would install some good heavy truck-type mud flaps just behind the TM wheels. If a tire blows, the chunks can destroy the sewer connections and the gray water tank. Even if the tire that blows is on the other side, it can do damage to the underside of the TM. Oh, and a readily-accessible hydraulic jack is nice.

Bill
__________________
2020 2720QS (aka 2720SL)
2014 Ford F-150 4WD 5.0L
Bill's Tech Stuff album
Bill is offline   Reply With Quote