Trailmanor travels update

[Casey Freswick]

Well, its been a while since I posted anything. I usually post questions for help in a new project. But this time I am putting my projects into practice. I will be adding new states to my travels. I just went 2,400 miles from MI to WA. For the first time taking in the created wonders in the Northwest. My new solar system is working GREAT. The 300 watts of panels are easily charging my 100 Amp lithium battery and keeping my 4.5 cubic inch fridge running off my 3000 watt inverter. I have had a few minor repairs (taillight, broken hinge) but so far nothing major like my last trip, (welded frame, new AC, and fuel filter replaced on TV). I usually travel with my Yukon TV, but this time am using my son's 2400 HD Diesel GMC pick-up. What a dream. With a new sway bar weight distribution hitch even in high winds it never swayed. Given the additional cargo of a SCOUT Camper I dropped off in Yakima WA for upgrades the diesel never changed gears through the mountains. This picture is at a rest area in Wyoming, the highest point on RT 80. 8,000 ft plus.

 

[Casey Freswick]

Effortlessly Raising Shell

On Wednesday night in OR at a stop for the night I was putting my TM the wind gust were stronger than I have ever had my TM in. The TM shook for about 4 hours before all quoted down. But before that as I was putting the TM up, the wind caught the front shell and lifted it up. I was right there and to slow it down and then finished putting it up. BUT, there is lesson to be learned. If I had now been right there I am not sure of what damage may have accrued. Has any one else ever had this happen?

 

[Kidkraz]

I can see that happening. That shell can act like an odd shaped parachute and push the shell faster and quicker than you're expecting. My rig sits in my sloped driveway, and if I don't raise the front up, the shear weight and angle will get it moving pretty quickly. This is a great reminder to those who camp in windy areas or windy days, expect either shells to move faster than expected and be ready to help stop it when its up. Glad you had a great trip.

 

[Shane826]

I have a Ram 1500 with the 3.0 EcoDiesel. Good lord what a difference towing with diesel vs gas! That little V6 tows better than my buddy’s Silverado with a 5.3 V8 gasser. His truck might be rated to tow more but mine will be a much more pleasant towing experience.

 

[Larryjb-HILO]

This is something I don't get. GM is now putting in a 3.0L turbo diesel as an optional engine into their Tahoe/Yukon etc, but the tow rating is less than my older-school 5.3 Tahoe (no VVT, cylinder activation etc).


While you are in WA, Deception Pass is quite the experience. We also visited the Boeing factory. I've heard the sand dunes are quite the experience too, but we haven't visited them yet.

 

[Shane826]

Trust me that little diesel is friggin awesome and you would love towing with it. I was originally holding out for the GMC 3.0 Duramax but it kept getting delayed. When the Envoy frame started having rust holes I couldn’t wait any longer and picked up the Ram EcoDiesel. I’ve loved it, but every report says GM 3.0 >>> Ram 3.0… A co-worker picked up a Chevy and she says it does everything he wants it to do that he used to use a 3/4 ton truck for, and still gets 30mpg on the highway when unloaded. How do you beat that with a full size truck?!?

The gasser has a higher tow rating (Heavier engine cuts GCWR? Cooling concerns?) but when I had my GMC Envoy with a 5.3 V8 it would be screaming in 3rd gear to get up the hills in PA. If you got stuck behind a truck lugging up the hills it was even worse, maybe even downshift to 2nd. My Ram EcoDiesel just a little nudge on the accelerator pedal and it’ll pass anything on the uphills while towing.

 

[Larryjb-HILO]

The new 6 and 8 speed transmissions made a huge difference, along with VVT. My 5.3 has none of that (I assume much like your Envoy). I could barely make it up the Coquihalla without it overheating. We had to turn the AC off and heat on. Our 4.6L Explorer with the 6 speed and VVT did far better. Although we didn't take it up the Coquihalla, we took it up the Grapevine in CA. Alas, I would never buy the newer gasoline engines from GM. Far too many issues, especially with lifters.

Please share some pics of WA for us. We joined HarvestHosts and stayed overnight at a berry farm in OR, just south of Vancouver WA. That was loads of fun for the kids, and we had SO many berries to eat before crossing back into Canada!

 

[Bill]

... When I had my GMC Envoy with a 5.3 V8 it would be screaming in 3rd gear to get up the hills in PA. If you got stuck behind a truck lugging up the hills it was even worse, maybe even downshift to 2nd.

Sounds to me like maybe a less than optimal choice of rear end ratio. With the TM behind, my 5-liter Ford V-8 won't climb the PA hills in 6th (top gear), but will downshift to 5th and do pretty well.

Bill

 

[Shane826]

3.73 rear end.

I definitely think the 4-speed transmission wasn’t helping though.

 

[Larryjb-HILO]

Sounds to me like maybe a less than optimal choice of rear end ratio. With the TM behind, my 5-liter Ford V-8 won't climb the PA hills in 6th (top gear), but will downshift to 5th and do pretty well.

Bill

My Tahoe is the old 4-speed 5.3 V8. The axle ratio on mine is 3.73 which is, I believe, the 2nd from the highest available.

In general, I use the Tow/Haul which rarely uses the 4th gear, especially when climbing hills. So, to keep speed up on a long freeway climb, 3rd gear probably puts you at about 2000 rpm, not enough to keep your speed up. 2nd gear, the engine will be screaming. This is where the 6 speed transmission shines. The variable valve timing also helps big time, but I don't know if your 5L Ford would have had VVT.

 

[Casey Freswick]

Travel update major problem

Well here goes. I am 5,000 miles into a 6,500 trip. We made a quick trip boon docking from MI to Seattle. Drove through mountains to just into CA and back to Seattle on 101 the last 2 weeks. No major issues. I have an electric refrigerator that has run great with my 300 watt solar system and a 3,000 watt inverter (the same one as Rick). I am in MT for a couple of days with family. Last night I discovered that my refrigerator was not working. No electric. Checked the inverter, turned it off, turned it on. At that moment not only the inverter 120 continued to not work but the 12 volt system in the TM stopped working. I thought my battery, a 150 AMP Lithium battery was shot or the BMS shut down the system. I shut off inverter and shut off the connection to the 12 volt system with a circuit breaker I had installed. Went to bed. Woke up. Thought I should try charging the batter. But the solar app and battery monitoring app both showed battery at 100%. Turned on 12 volt system. All lights worked. Very low load. Turned on inverter with no load (disconnected everything connected to 120 power drain except for the inverter itself). Battery indicated a quick drain, 12 volt system started turning off and on (with beeps). Shut off inverter. Battery showed 70% charge, then 69% charge and within a couple minutes 100% charge. Turned on a few lights everything on the 12 volt side seems stable. I do not have a major 12 volt drain. Is my inverter messed up? Or is it my battery? That is the question. In order to keep things cold on Monday traveling down the road I NEED 120V. (As indicated, this system had worked perfectly for the last 4 weeks camping and traveling 5,000 miles).

 

[rickst29]

Please copy this as a new 'electical' thread.

With that said, the Inverter is probably blown. The question becomes 'why?', and the changes which should be made for future reliability will likely be costly.

The only inexpensive cause for the experiences you described would be loosened wire connections or a partly failed circuit breaker. I have seen a couple of cheap circuit breakers fail with an inability to pass large amounts of current high current, while still showing good voltage across the terminals while "on". Check all battery bus bar connector nuts, and the nuts for the wire into the Inverter bolts. If they are all OK, then it's going to be a costly fix.
- - -

When DC -> AC Inverters fail over a period of time (rather than "immediately"), it is typically a case of DC Voltage starvation or highly reactive AC loads - or both. The 3000/6000 Inverter which we both purchased (https://www.ebay.com/itm/335060051180 works great for non-reactive loads, and I have not yet hurt mine in an obvious ways by also using for a microwave rated at "900 watts" for very limited periods of time.

But your 120-VAC only refrigerator may be far more "unfriendly" (reactive) than my microwave. My air conditioner loads are greatly smoothed out by a complex and expensive "start-up" device, which also overrides the "run" behavior: A MicroAire easy start, IMO superior to the cheaper "Soft Start RV" and similar units (https://www.ebay.com/itm/202724244901).

So even though I run the older Coleman Air Conditioner pretty frequently, my 120-VAC loads are very likely less damaqing than yours.
- - -
You most almost certainly address the DC side as well. Your "150Ah" battery is less than 1/3 the size of my own battery bank, inherently capable of less current from the cells (even with a great BMS and AWG 4/0 wires into the inverter.) The 6000 watt peak rating corresponds to input power approaching 600 amps, and every bit which can not be supplied from the batteries and BMS becomes a destabilizing drain on the capacitors and driving circuits within the Inverter.

Over-stressed to many times, the capacitors probably started to fail - leading to a quick cascade of additional failures. You probably need both a bigger inverter AND another battery to run this fridge. Maybe you should buy a different fridge instead?

 

[Shane826]

Rick- Care to elaborate on your MicroAir Easy Start preference?

 

[rickst29]

Rick- Care to elaborate on your MicroAir Easy Start preference?

MicroAire uses multiple sequences of 'Start+Run' for training purposes, while 'Softstart RV' does not. MicroAire proudly proclaims to be USA built. SofStartRV (although a Florida Company) did not mention any USA manufacturing operations.