I have no idea if this will work, I'm just kind of brain storming. I have absolutely no experience in towing an rv or travailing around in one. So I will admit I might be in lala land, but here it goes. I was hoping I might be able to put 3 of those panels on the rv roof and 3 on top of the truck chassis box and if I find I need more power I can set up the other 3 on a portable A frame and set it out if I need it. I'm kind of an electronic freak and I usually use 250-400 amp hours a day. The bank is 1100 amp hours and from what I understand about batt's, that is a good ratio. On a perfect day the flexmax 80 charge controller will put about 70 amps back in the batt bank per hour, but on average it will only put 40-50 per hour when the sun shines were I am now but I should get more amps when I go more south. All of that fits my stationary life style now, but the question remains if I can take it with me on the road? Of coarse space and weight will be an issue because I really don't want to get anything bigger than a 3500 and it would be stupid to get 6 mpg carrying all that stuff. I estimate all the solar stuff and batts to be about 1000lbs and I will have about 1000lbs of other stuff at most. Whether it is worth carrying around for that much power, I'm not sure, I might have to change my power habits. If I was a new to batts and solar and started with nothing, it would make perfect sense to start with 2 batts and a small solar array and see what happens and go from there, but I already have 9 panels, all wiring, flexmax 80 charge controller, xantrex true sine wave 1800 inverter, 10 6 volt batts, or about 7k worth of solar stuff. More than anything I really love getting silent free power all day long to keep up with my power hungry habits.(minus the 7k)LOL.

Oh ya keep in mind I was planning on boondocking 90% of the time. So plugging in to the grid somewhere isn't really an option. Although I have a Honda 1000i gen for the cloudy days.

I wasn't planning on unhooking the rv much because I was going to use an on/off road klx 250s dirt bike to get around when I get to where I am going. I have seen dirt bikes on a trailer hitch adapter, on the back of rv's before so I was going to try that route. That way I don't have to unhook the rv to get the bike out of the bed of the truck.

I included some photos to help better understand. Please excuse the wiring house of horrors, I'm still in the middle of tinkering.

I came here to get info on a finding a good truck for my needs and everyone's been very helpful. The pdf link posted before really help alot, so thanks. Keep it coming. If anyone has any ideas for a good truck for me join in. I can help out if anyone has any solar questions. Although I am far from an expert.

 

In my area about 1 year ago we had hurricane Irean come through and took out power from the grid for 5 days. 1 1/2 month's later we had a Halloween ice/snow storm that took out power for 1 week. And two weeks ago we lost power for a couple days do to hurricane Sandy. Alot of people in NY and NJ still have no power from that storm and are in lines for hours trying to get gas for their generators. There has been violence and price gouging for pepole just trying to get 5 gallons of gas to run there genaratores. I saw my neighbors throw out rotten food from their fridge and they couldn't shower for a week because they had no power. During all those times I didn't even need to run my generator, the solar/battery's provided me with plenty of power for my everyday needs. So that is really sticking in my head, and it will be hard for me to ditch some of that solar.

 

you need the dual rear wheels. the 07-5.9 is a good choice. it needs a cam change, 50 hp nozzles and a smarty jr to gain 6 mpg.

 

So the batteries stay, well as already mentioned you will need dual rear wheels to carry the load and I would stay with the 5.9 engine manual transmission but I would also look for a flat deck rather than a pick up box truck. The flat deck will give more square footage of room on the back and make custom fitting the solar panels easier. You could also build in a custom fuel tank to buy fuel in bulk when you hit a cheap place and even look for a diesel generator for back up to the solar and mount that on the deck to draw fuel from the tank. If you don't plan on using the truck as a daily driver then fuel economy is not that important.

 

CM is a popular flatbed builder among hotshotters in the oilfield. I'd change the headache rack to be no taller than the cab roof as you've mentioned mpg; aerodynamic resistance means more than weight, and the big & little stuff all adds up. A flatbed has worse aero resistance than a standard bed overall (as does DRW)

The weight you want to carry is a real problem, IMO. Set a reasonable goal for the amount of time boondocking (no utilities, propane or water re-supply) and work from there. If you can do without DRW or flatbed, all the better if serious about mpg.

Your trailer choice is too heavy, too boxy and won't last as long as some better choices (several different types). If you get ten years, consider yourself lucky. 5+ is more like it for the average TT. Again, define goals: climate, terrain, etc. How important is fuel mileage? (I average 15+ on level Interstate with a 34'). Some of the goals conflict is what I am suggesting.

You are correct to start by asking questions. But, as the TT is more important than the TV, start over there (in research at least) by asking the same question on www.rv.net in the Travel Trailer subforum. You'll get brand answers (for build quality and climate-handling insulation) such as Arctic Fox.

Or, for highest mpg, longest life and unsurpassed build quality (20+ years then overhaul), Airstream. (I have one of the older upmarket cousins, Silver Streak). Carrying around a lot of cubic space to heat/cool/clean is not fuel efficient in transport or at site. Hell, I'm either sitting or sleeping when inside, anyway. I'd rather have better road performance including higher mpg. A forty year old TT is not unusual when the owner updates it. My folks had their SS -- just one -- for close to thirty years.

I also live and work full-time from mine (and am looking for a better candidate to re-do). I hope to get out of South Texas in a year or two then maybe work summers up north, winters down south. Travel trailers are, reasonably, three-season compatible: no desert-hot summer, and no azz-freezing cold.

A CTD is a great choice. I own one because it is the best for long life & fuel mileage. But wanting to take everything along isn't the answer if longest life (weight), or fuel mileage (DRW, automatic are big penalties as is 4WD) are as important as your posts first indicate.

Dreaming means writing down everything. And then getting a little smarter about what is realistic and what isn't for what I need versus what I might also want. You've gotten a good start. Expect that -- as with many other fulltime RV'ers -- that it may take a truck or two, and a trailer or three before the right combination emerges.

.

 

FWIW, most RVers run 2-4 6 volt golf cart batteries in the trailer. For extra juice, I would run the thr generator, maybe a 2-3 kw. It would weigh a lot less.

 

I'd shuffle some weight around, max out the weight where the batteries already are in the trailer and move the others to the truck.

I'd also get a single rear wheel if you are going offroad a lot. I'd get a better tire than stock in the proper load rating, maybe you can get more lbs rating with a different tire as well.


I'd personally get a new truck if it's in your budget. They have Ford Powerstrokes and Dodge Cummins on ebay base model 4x4s in the mid-high 30K range.

If you don't need a crew cab you can get the Ford in extended cab. People say they are getting MPG comparable to the 5.9 Cummins and I believe they are advertised for more weight (again 'advertised').

 

6mpg...really??? My '07 5.9 gets 21-21.3 on the highway unloaded at 65mph, and averaged 11.85 cross country with my camper pulling my car at 63mph. 6mpg??? I call bs.

 

Here is what I have: 03 - 3500 dually, HO diesel, Jacobs E-brake, 4.10 axle, 6 speed manual, four door, long bed. I also have 50gal tank in bed plus the heavy fiver hitch. I am not 4wd - - have only needed it once in all our travels from Florida to Alaska, Newfoundland, Mexico, all over USA and Canada. I pull a long and tall highend fiver - - 37' and 16000 pounds. I consistently average on the long trips 12.7 or so mpg. That obviously includes some sight seeing along with the road running.

I have a 2000w Prosine inverter/charger. I use 2 Trojan 6v deep cycle batteries. Our typical boone docked day will be just like hooked up except for AC usage. Coffee (electric maker) at least twice a day, mama has to use her hair curler for about 5 minutes each day, TV anywhere from 2 - 6 hours, computer, microwave for maybe five minutes plus many other little AC thingies like charging cell phones, tooth brush, etc. I can run at least 2 days before needing to kick on the generator for a recharge. The Prosine recharges at about 70 amps when batts are down if it is not hot out (charging temp is monitored and controlled).

I must agree to an extent with the excessive battery situation if you intend to move very much. That many is normally a stationary setup, not mobile.

My kingpin weight is about 3500 pounds - - with tanks loaded, two people on board plus "stuff" in the truck, I have about 500 pounds before hitting max GVWR. The truck has been super - - only thing repaired in 10 years is one water pump. Still looks new and runs new. Average 20 mpg on the road running solo. Imagine not having those batteries in the back of the truck and panels all on the roof of the RV - - now you could easily use a standard long bed dually and fit all your "stuff." Just some food for your thoughts.

Bob

 

For me.....i would look for a low milage 94-98.5 Dodge 12V cummins 5 spd extended cab.

the engine is totally mechanicaly injected ( no electronics )

other than the dash cracking and the front draglink these trucks are very very dependable, there are tons of support for parts and best of all you won't need to spend all the money to do delete on the exaust and what not.

this is my opinion, i have owned 3 different generations of Dodge diesel trucks so i'm just going on what i have seen.