Need more tips and tricks!

Sure would like to see more "tips and tricks" for us Trailmanor owners! After years of tents and pop-ups, I am still trying to figure out ways to best utilize the vast improvements of the Trailmanor.

I like to keep the clutter under control, but at the same time keep things handy. I hang a brass over-the-door rack (ordered from Harriet Carter) on the kitchen side of the bath room wall. This provides plenty of hooks for hanging paper towels, pot holders, plastic bag caddy, etc.

Has anyone tried those "Snap Hooks" suction cups on the inside walls? Do they stay up on the textured surface?

I look forward to seeing more of your ideas!!

???  Sorry about the duplication!!  I had to step away from the computer for a minute, and I think the cat walked across the keyboard!!  He's done it before!  

Or maybe he was chasing my mouse?????

We plan to do a lot of dry camping so right away I'd like to install a 2nd battery in our new 2720SL w/swing-away hitch. Is the stock battery located in the back? If so, is there room for a 2nd battery back there or anywhere else? Is there any merit to using golf cart gell cell batteries in place of the deep cycle type? How about solar panel chargers - anyone have any advice about these? Oh, so many questions and we don't even have the TM yet.

Wade

I can't comment about the room for a second battery on the SL but will offer the following opinions:

Gell cells are good to limit electrolyte spillage but a standard battery (deep cycle) work fine at lower cost.  And 2 identical 6v batteries in series would be preferred over 2 12v batteries in parallel but only if you're starting from scratch.

Solar panels are fine for trickle charging but won't begin to keep up when dry docking.

[Bill]

Yes, the battery is located in the compartment at the back. The stock battery sits in a plastic battery box, which in turn sits in a rather crude cutout in the floor so it doesn't slide around. The cover of the box has a short length of mini-dryer-hose running from it to a small outside vent, to keep any fumes from accumulating in the compartment. There is plenty of space for a second battery in the compartment. I would think that it, too, should be in a spill-proof box, and certainly it should be tied down so it doesn't move around. My personal opinion is that the venting is superfluous - this is by no means an airtight compartment - but others may disagree. If you decide to vent the second box, it should be easy to put a tee in the mini-dryer-hose.

This tends to be a busy compartment, as it is one of only two that are accessible from the outside. In this compartment, we carry our water hose, pressure regulator, sediment filter, toolbox, electrical spares and tools box, small vacuum cleaner, bag of charcoal, and a bunch of other stuff. So make sure the new battery is well tied down, and that the battery posts cannot be inadvertently contacted by any of the other stuff that gets tossed in there. With that in mind, it sounds like a great idea. When my stock battery goes bad, I will probably follow the advice of another poster, and put in two 6-volt batteries.

Bill

Sounds like there is plenty of room for two 6 volt batteries back there. I've got my eyes on 2 Trojan T-105's, which would provide 225AH. They are nearly 12" high and weigh 62 lbs each. I wonder how much weight can be carried back there? If I were to go with the next higher capacity 6 volt, it would be the L-16, which are 113 lbs each and provide 350AH. Is there plenty of height back there? Any idea how much weight is allowed in that location? I'm not sure I would place 200+ lbs worth of batteries in that one spot.

Wade

Do you really need that kind of battery capacity?  I actually jettisoned a 2x 6v set-up for a single 12v to save 60lbs.  

Our 12v marine battery serves our needs quite well dry camping for days at a stretch.  But we are power misers and others may indeed need more juice.

Wade, you are wise not to put 200lbs of battery in the rear of a TM.

[Bill]

Wade -

I have to agree with Jeober, 200[sup]+[/sup] pounds is an awful lot of weight back there. On the other hand, the stock battery (Interstate SRM-24) comes up a bit short for us, especially in cold weather. Its capacity is only about 70 A-H, and if you have to run the furnace, the blower sucks it dry pretty fast. And then you get no heat at all. I plan to replace some of the ceiling lights with flourescents, but that won't make the whole difference for us.

The stock battery weighs 46 pounds. I would think that replacing it with two 6-volt batteries at about 46 pounds each would be within the realm of reason, and should at least double the available capacity. I haven't yet identified such a battery in a Deep Cycle or AGM configuration, of course.  Comments, anyone?

Bill

I would think that 2 x 62lb 6V batteries for 225AH capacity would work if there is room. This is only adding 78 extra lbs to the battery compartment with some loss in extra storage area but a very large gain in reserve battery capacity. I would think that load balancing would be minimally impacted with this enhancement. Anyone care to comment further? I'm sure learning a ton from this group.

Wade

I can respond to the use of the suction hooks.
They don't seem to work on the walls but do work on the windows if they are clean. One use is if you have a wet jacket you can put a suction hook on the window of the door and hang your wet stuff there.
We sometimes use a couple of `over the door' hooks that extend away from the door (Camping World) and lay an adjustable rod over them and hang the whole assembly above the tub on the back bathroom wall. You can hang towels, etc. here.
We are experimenting with some `Packtowls' that are primarily used for camping that seem to dry better than cotton. They have loops for hanging just about anywhere. So far they dry quickly but are not as quick in drying your body. It's a trade-off, I guess.
For storing shoes we are not using the wooden rack that comes attached to the door. Plus I mounted a canvas bag with straps to the wall next to the stove. Each holds two pairs of shoes; enough for the two of us. The straps are long enough to allow the bag to swing out of the way when the door is in traveling position.
Also, we purchased a cabinet from TrailManor to put the day-to-day stuff.
Hope this helps,

Dick_B