... and in winter you can pack snow and run no power to the cooler.
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... and in winter you can pack snow and run no power to the cooler.
The benefit of the 12V fridge IMO, is that it can be operated while traveling, when the propane is supposed to be shut off. So if there are long legs of travel between camps, it is nice for keeping the ice cubes from melting. But ya, on batteries alone, the heating element is a serious draw on the batteries.
These days propane fridges and heaters do NOT operate with a constant pilot light so as the appliance cycles on and off the propane supply is also turned on and off. This is why I drive with propane and fridge on.Quote:
Originally Posted by BCMtnHound
Do you shut off the fridge before pulling into the gas station?Quote:
Originally Posted by DanoT
I am pumping diesel and the fridge is on the other side of the truck from the filler spout, so the fridge stays on.Quote:
Originally Posted by BCMtnHound
My fridge has an automatic pilot, but once lit, it's always on until I turn off the fridge. I leave it running on propane while driving, even when getting gas, and the gas inlet is only about 3' away from the fridge vents on the side of the camper. Haven't died yet.Quote:
Originally Posted by BCMtnHound
I continue to watch this thread with great interest. I'm awfully close to selling my diesel burning pepper wagon and older F-150 for a new F-150 and finding a good camper. It's time.
I have a raft of questions, but need to get them ordered and such before I start shot-gunning them at this thread.
Unrelated to my quest but mega rad: https://seattle.craigslist.org/see/c...772198635.html
Wow that kicks ass. Showed that to a friend who got a delica and now they are kinda bummed. Lol
I used to live about a block from this guy. Honestly seemed a bit sketch when I stopped in but based on how many cars going through seems to be selling them.Quote:
Originally Posted by Bobcat Sig
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76 horsepower at 4,000 rpm lololololQuote:
Originally Posted by Bobcat Sig
Sounds great to tour Kansas.
You will be hard pressed to find a good camper that is light enough for an F150. F350 or possibly get away with F250.Quote:
Originally Posted by Bobcat Sig
The only time my fridge is off is when I am pumping gas or propane.
Nearly all U.S. RV refrigerators can work on 12V. Maybe you're talking about absorption vs. compressor units? Compressor units (electric only) are very energy efficient and can run on a cabin battery for many days. With a solar panel and a few hours of sun every couple days they will run indefinitely. Temperature control is far superior to absorption units. They just work better, chill down no matter the weather conditions, set and forget temperature control. No contest.Quote:
Originally Posted by McScrundle
The only advantage of an absorption refrigerator is that it can run on propane. They do not chill below 45F or even higher in some conditions (wet, humid or hot). They are very inefficient when used on 12V mode, so much so that the rule is just don't do it unless your engine is running. An absorption unit in 12V mode can drain a cabin battery in a few hours. They need to be level to work properly, and on unlevel ground the membrane can rupture, ruining the unit and making your RV smell like ammonia. I know. Temperature setting with an absorption unit is guesswork -- a setting of 5 could result in icing up one day and 50F on another day.
If you have an absorption refrigerator and make it work for you, that's cool and there's no need to swap out. I made mine work well enough on most trips for 12 years. But then I got a compressor refrigerator in my new rig and I'd never think of going back to a 3-way absorption fridge. If you're buying a new camper or RV and have a choice, get a compressor unit. If you plan to do extended boondocking, get a solar setup.
Oh absolutely, I swapped my propane fridge out for a compressor fridge almost immediately. This summer it couldn't keep food below 60F, making it perfect for growing bacteria.Quote:
Originally Posted by GeezerSteve
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I've spent the last few days gutting and starting the rebuild of my '82 Winnebago (GM 6.2l diesel with Banks turbo--it can go uphill at like 30mph).
I put in one of the knockoff Webasto diesel heaters ($200 on eBay) and am super stoked about it. It sips fuel and cranks nice, dry heat.
I'll prob hit the road early Jan for 6 weeks or so in search of good snow and touring locations. Of course, if things here in Tahoe get better, I might just stick around.Attachment 260123Attachment 260124
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Geezer Steve posted some reasons why a 12-volt compressor fridge is better than an absorption 12/propane/120 fridge.Quote:
Originally Posted by McScrundle
But for me it came down to the fact my fridge was 80s vintage, so about one-third as efficient as a modern DC model. It was a strain on my electrical system and I could get a propane fridge at a junkyard for $20.
If I had $1,000 handy I’d definitely buy a new 12-volt fridge.
The propane frig has a freezer section in the trailer and it freezes so 25F or so.Quote:
Originally Posted by GeezerSteve
More info on the knock off Webasto? Looks sweet!Quote:
Originally Posted by climberevan
As far as the whole fridge debate goes, the compressor fridge is the way to go if you're building something. My 3 way fridge works on propane, or AC. The 12v mode does nothing but draw about 14+ amp hours when read off my Trimetric, which will nuke my 255AH battery bank in about 10 hours, assuming no solar input, or other draws, oh and also it melts my ice cream, so double bad.
That said if we're only talking about ski RV use, my fridge more keeps my spaghetti sauce from freezing than cooling anything down. In the desert I flip to propane mode, and melt my cheese when I drive off and forget to re-light it when I stop.
As far as turning the gas off when driving, the risk is if you get in a wreck and your bottle is open. The pilot (at least mine) will extinguish itself going any faster than about 30 and shut the gas off once the thermocouple cools (seconds). Some fridges have no standing pilot, using a piezzo style igniter instead, and probably keep struggling to re-light until you stop, probably not a good idea to leave on, but any gas that builds up will blow out, so little explosion risk.
This guy is scoring some true gems of japanese squibularity. I wonder if this harebrained idea is pulling profit. Right area. Close to pacific distributors, especially down from Canada. As long as they're 25+ years old, I wonder how much supply is really over there on the other side of the sea.Quote:
Originally Posted by Bobcat Sig
^ apparently a lot. There’s a guy in southern Virginia doing the same thing, always wanted to check out his inventory. Some of it looks like it might be hell to get parts for, and I wonder how much a pain the RHD is.
How level is level? My driveway is just under 5°. Then again, I don't even know what kind of fridge I have!Quote:
Originally Posted by GeezerSteve
Listen to the man, Ryan. ESPECIALLY if you might want to tow around your little motorbikes with a camper on. Half-ton trucks limit you (for the most part) to pop-ups. Depends on your comfort level though. Hard-sided campers can certainly be done on half-tons (see Norsemen, et. al.), but they're not really designed for it, and you'll be aware of that fact on icy mountain roads. I probably have the lightest camper that any red-blooded american is running on an F-350, and I'm glad I didn't get any less truck. Other than the turning radius, the new F-350 rides nearly as well as my 2016 Tundra (non-TRD) did. The new truck with the camper on it gets 2-3mpg more going up the mountain than the Tundra did empty, and closer to 6mpg better if both are hauling 4k lbs.Quote:
Originally Posted by DanoT
Scratch all this if you dig a pop-up like the FWC Hawk.
Hit me up any weekend you're at Meadows and come chill in the camper.
These old JDM campers look cool as hell, and I'd have bought one if I knew it would be reliable and serviceable (and had enough power...). Given those concerns, the price of admission feels a bit high--high enough to make that guy a profit if people are paying asking prices. Caveat: no personal experience with these, so maybe I'm missing something. The delica at my local hill certainly looks more awesome in person than they do online.Quote:
Originally Posted by jaja111
6mpg better in a 350 vs a Tundra? Is the 350 a diesel? Otherwise I find that pretty amazing.
yes, diesel, and 6mpg is only when hauling a load, which really seemed to make the Tundra mileage unhappy when driving uphill at altitude. Same would be true of a Vortec 6.0 for instance. Neighbor has one of those and mileage seemed comparable to the Tundra.
The F-350 is by no means god's gift to MPG, as some people might claim (sure, you CAN get 21mpg on the freeway under the right conditions, but I could get 19mpg in my Tundra under the same conditions). Real world mileage for the 350 has been 18-19mpg freeway at 65mph-ish and 12-13mpg put-putting around town--basically the same as the Tundra there.
Running Tundra up to mountain unloaded (except for 3 people + skis/boots/etc), I'd get around 10mpg.
Same trip in the F-350 with another 3.5k lbs of camper = 13mpg
I sorta had to guess on what the Tundra would get with comparable weight + mountain so I could be off. Here's the math:
Hauling up mountain, Tundra, 7k lbs trailer, driving speed limit (which made for lots of near redline time) = 6 mpg (may have been lower, I think there is a limit to how low it will read, can't remember).
Hauling up coast range, Tundra, 3.5k trailer = 8mpg.
Extrapolating for altitude/weight, estimating 3.5k camper on Tundra would be 7mpg.
13mpg Ford - 7mpg Yota = 6mpg.
All of the above got around 20mpg coming back home (1hr down, 1hr flat).
For the record, Tundra had 33" KO2s, which are heavier and slightly bigger in diameter than stock, so maybe the 6mpg loaded gap is more like 5mpg? Incidentally, 33" tires were more accurate on the speedo according to radar signs. Also on this point, I think I would have spent much less time near redline with the stock 32" tires.