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Thanks Jeffe, for your sage advice, and sorry for my belated response. It was great seeing you guys again at QZ, and that’s truly a very sharp rig you’ve got as well!!
Kevin, after doing a bunch of deep contemplation, and after talking with a few fellow late model Cummings folks at the QZ rally, I’m now planning on sticking with diesel…
My previous 07.5 first gen 6.7 was uber solid, except for the Dodge spec’d emissions
add-ons, so lots of issues (most under warranty) – however, in spite of these several first year 6.7 beta maladies (turbo’s, DPF, CEL’s), the truck was truly amazing…So in 16 I traded in for another 6.7 3500 DRW,CC, 4×4, however, this time (somewhat reluctantly) with DEF…Now at 7yrs and 84k miles, I’ve yet to have even a single CEL or shop issue as it appears that the bulk of the NOx emissions is now done chemically in the exhaust track – this post-beta update has proved a far better strategy and so far a VERY reliable truck 🙂 !!… I haul a 2009 single-slide Eagle Cap 995 (60g water, two 30# LPG, heavily optioned), can exceed 5k lbs… The truck hauls it effortlessly, hills, towing or not (occasionally towing a 4,500 UTV trailer) – Even when FULLY loaded for bear (ugg!) I’m a bit over the 14k GVWR (although honestly, due to the DRW this has never once been even slightly perceptible!)…
Still, a Great truck with no complaints, but after seeing a whole bunch of interesting rigs at QZ, I’m now considering for my last and ‘final truck’ a new chassis cab 5500 6.7, with a flatbed and storage side boxes – My hope, and longevity willing is that this would be the rig to see me through to the last of my camping days – lol!
Hope this helps,
Phil
Well, what I’d do (and DID!) on my former 2500 LB Ram was to install Tembrens…
Timbrens are essentially cylindrical hollow rubber blocks and are very easy to install atop the axle…Note however that a ‘proper install’ requires about 3/4” of space (when unloaded) between the top of the Timbren and the truck frame rail…
You won’t even notice them when unloaded, but I would avoid their HD model because it’s meant mostly for the most severe loading…
They are available from etrailer and guaranteed for life…
Phil
Being a diesel guy at present, it may not be my place to offer any solid advice, however in consideration of the relatively uber light (2000# +) camper and in the interest of better MPG I’d be tempted to lean towards the 3:73…I say this mainly because of the 10 speed tranny (in which you could manage a downshift where needed), and because of the higher torque of the new 7.3.
Phil
Agreed on the shunt based battery monitor, and since you’re considering going lithium make sure the monitor is also lithium compatible such as Victron’s BMV 12 or their Smart Shunt 500amp (either displays status from smartphone). This shunt (measuring sensor) installs into the neg battery cable…
Now might be a good time to ask the factory what make and model of onboard converter-charger, and solar controller, and if possible upgrade the solar controller to a higher amp capacity to allow for more head-room, this for the addition of more panels, and if possible, request a MPPT type controller instead of the standard PWM type…
More info would be helpful, but know that Lithium batteries will charge fine so long as the controller outputs somewhere between say 14.0 and 14.6 volts.
Maybe they’ll ship the camper without a battery so that you can provide your own?
https://www.victronenergy.com/battery-monitors
Phil
On-board generators are not nearly as efficient, quiet or vibration free as say a Honda 2200i…I would definitely ditch the costly on-board generator and redirect the capital towards better options such as:
Repurpose the generator box for Lithium batteries (4), use the existing OEM battery box for a decent inverter such as Victron’s MultiPlus 3000 inverter-charger, and add at least another 200w of Solar…Concurrent with solar, this should get you at least 4-5hrs run time on your air conditioner without a generator…You could also add a soft-start (in lieu of start cap) for your air conditioner, but since there’s very little dreaded voltage sag with lithium (similar to grid power) not as critical as with a lead acid batteries..
Depending on your skill level (optional), you could also add a sub-panel and relocate the air conditioner, microwave and house receptacles to the sub…When on inverter power this would automatically disable say the OEM converter-charger, and (if applicable…) refer heat-strip (still located at the main panel) from the inverter output, which helps conserve batteries by preventing inadvertent battery discharge…
Phil
If you’re new camper has a conventional Progressive Dynamics 3 stage charger (for lead acid batts), it’ll work well with Lithium simply by adding their Charge Wizard dongle which will let you kick it into the 14.4v Boost mode – this is a better option than their dedicated lithium charger because it stays at 14.4v indefinitely, even after the battery is fully charged (not good for lithium)…FWIW, due to the high charge receptivity of lithium, I charge strictly from solar harvest alone and not from the truck, and all you’ll need from your solar controller is 14.x volts (not to exceed the BMS cut-off of 14.6v).
Also, for more battery space you may be able to mount the batteries elsewhere (preferably in the interior) and just re-purpose your battery box for other storage.
Phil
So I have 2 100ah 12v AGM battery’s and a battery monitor with a shunt. Not a Victron but I think it works OK. I think I will try going charger only if I have the room.
Thanks for all your help. I appreciate it when I can talk to somebody knowledgable about these things.
Ha, Your plan sounds like a solid one to me, and glad you already have a SOC meter but trust that I’m still a work in progress having earned a ‘Master’s Degree in mistakes’ (Ugg – the best teacher EVER!!)…
Phil
There’s a few variables worth considering such as, total battery capacity, charge wire size (and length if excessive), battery type and total available charging amps from all sources…
For example, often a lithium battery (LiFePo4) is capable of a maximum charge rate as high as it’s amp/hr capacity (say, 100amp/hr capacity receiving 100amps current – though this uber high rate somewhat at the hidden cost of longevity), which makes Lithium the King of the Hill for rapid charge acceptance, an especially important attribute when considering solar harvesting (e.g. exploiting the ‘peak harvesting hours’ window)…
Though lithium may or may not be in your future (??), either way the best place to start would be to understand what ‘the system’ is really doing and go forward from there – JMHO… So my first step would be to install a good shunt based SOC meter (assuming you don’t already have one?) so that you can ‘actually see’ the activity traveling in and out of your battery, and know the battery’s current SOC (state of charge), etc. This will better help you arrive at a more proper diagnosis, and in the long run serve you well indeed in seasons to come…My personal favorite’s are Victron’s BMV 712, or their ‘Smart shunt’ both of which are smart phone capable and lithium compatible, the latter (as lithium prices continue to drop) in the event you later decide to change battery types…
A good SOC meter (Li compatible, such as Victron) will use both a coulomb counter and an embedded ‘look-up’ table to help arrive at an accurate SOC…
Phil
Hi Larry, for clarity maybe consider the possibility of keeping the present WFCO power center intact as is, but if you have sufficient room (say, beneath a cabinet) adding a PD charger (charger only – not an entire PD power center) to supplement the WFCO. Also, to ensure that the wire size coming from the charger to the battery is not undersized. Sorry for the confusion. As far as the charging rate goes for conventional lead acid, a charging rate of about 20% or so of overall battery capacity is what’s normally recommended…
Phil
Well, I’m not all too familiar with the WFCO unit, but assuming you can disable the charging function of the WFCO, A PD charger would do nicely, especially with the optional ‘Charge Wizard’ dongle which (via led and button) will allow you to monitor the charge cycle and even drive it into the higher 14.4v boost mode…
The main reasons that lead acid type batteries have lower charging efficiencies (meaning longer charging times than say a Lithium aka, LiFePo4) is because of inherent chemical sluggishness, and because of the timely absorption charging phase in which voltage is then lowered to 13.6v to finalize the charging, and this wasted inefficiency manifest itself in the form of heat…
BTW, when selecting a new PD charger, know that they seldom output their advertised rated amperage (usually only about half…) so in my view (assuming more than one battery) it may be for example best to upsize from say a 45a to a 60a unit.
Other things worth considering would be sufficient size (AWG Gauge) of the charging wire, and to add solar to help reduce the depth of discharge (DOD).
Phil
From reading the Kenai’s spec’s I’d say most any half ton might well carry it (??), but I’m with you on the 1 ton…Why??
Because, after owning our very first camper (purchased new), we we’re shortly after able to verify that as an activity truck camping was definitely for US but after gaining a bit of hands-on experience, far better to determine the things that we felt were lacking and a few issues that were most important to us (understandable, different per individual). Within 4yrs this led us to our larger long-term camper, but one that would also require a more capable truck – Ugg! (from a 3/4ton SRW to a 1ton dually)…
We’ve had this 2009 camper now for 12yrs (from new) with probably 175k mi on it, and prepping to head to the Smokey Mts…It’s been a fantastic camper!
Over a time, water, generator storage and interior space had become much higher priorities…
I must say however that the Kenai looks very impressive 🙂
Phil
The best way to find out would be to simply disconnect the camper’s battery cable and see if power remains say with the lighting, but if so, know that the truck battery is a starting battery (not a deep cycle battery), so depending on your usage it could be inadvertently drawn down before you even realize it – IMO you’re far better off to supplement with solar.
Phil
The diesel versus gas debate has been going on in every forum I have participated in as long as I can remember. Wouldn’t it be great if we had something similar to guide us when choosing a spouse or deciding on a job? The thing I like best about lists is they always bring me to the exact conclusion I was hoping to find! 🙂
Why hasn’t someone come out with marriage insurance?? Lol 😂
Sorry to hear of your difficulties…The cleanest approach would seem to be return it to the factory and have them do new sidewalls ($$), so it depends on how best to arrive at your level of satisfaction…Instead, I might be tempted to cut open the affected area with say an exacto-knife, make the corner repair and then recover again, trying to keep the seam gaps tight, then caulk…Either way you go the corner will need to be opened up…
Phil
We boon-dock almost exclusively, so we use this… reads in 4% increments, accurate to within 1%…Sensors self stick to the outsides of tanks, so no more guessing or fouling… Had ours since 2009 without ever a problem…They make several different models with different options…
Phil
Hello Phil, I posted a reply to Cooper about the Renogy 50DC combi controller. I personally been using this control for about a 1-1/2 year that keeps 3-100Ah Battle Born batteries charged as well as managing 480 watts of solar. This unit has a built in DC to DC controller as well that isolate the truck batteries when the engine isn’t running.
Hey Alex, Nice, looks like you’ve got all bases covered!!
Phil
In my case (having 440w of solar and a single 200a/h lithium battery), I disabled the charge wire coming from the truck at the pig tail since with sufficient solar theres really not much need for it, and because of lithium’s characteristically high 1C charge receptivity rate, to avoid any possibility of alternator overload…
After doing such, after a month or two of vehicle non-operation I rudely discovered the truck batteries had died, but luckily my uber trusty Optimate 6 maintenance charger (with recovery mode) was able to bring them back to life.
Hey Jefe, I purchased the Wilson x 5G (their latest model) a few months back primarily because at one of our favorite Oregon beach campsites (Tillicum beach just south of Waldport) we could only rarely if ever catch even a hint of cell service, and when we could it was mostly only momentary but as I said mostly not at all…
With the Wilson, I was able ‘enough of the time’ to get service and even slip in a couple of short youtube clips, though at certain times service would still be spotty…I tend to believe some of the spottiness was due to ‘signal crowding’ at the local cell tower, but it at least worked well enough (though somewhat intermittent…) to get our email and to stay abreast of news events…
Although I cannot recall the specific instances or exact whereabouts since having acquired the booster, there have been another maybe two or three times in our travels where recep was not otherwise happening unless the booster was on, and for some odd reason we have a similar kinda intermittent problem at our house…I was told that because of investment in 5G (though not coming to our area) my carrier was not spending moola to maintain our local 4G, thereby causing the poor recep problem – I have no way to know whether or not this is true, but the booster did allow me to make a cell call from inside my RV garage…
So my experience is admittedly relatively recent and limited, but after much frustration, I took the plunge based mostly on my seasoned and credible camping pal who has always sworn by his.
It does at least provide me with a bit of additional peace of mind when out on the road…Hope this helps,
Phil
