Quote:
Originally Posted by swiderskij
This is a great list and have many of these on my list! Overall, this chassis and design gets a A+. It is the small things that need to be upgraded.
Here is the list of items I did (or will be doing shortly).
1. Installed 3 MAXXAIR deluxe fans replacing the 3 fans/vents installed by factory. All in one functionality and brings air in/out, quiet, temperature and remote controlled and very low profile on roof. Only issue i have to find power for front fan since the installed vent had no fan or power.
2. Entertainment: Installed a Dish Playmaker satellite dish (single receiver to living room) and ran wire access with the Winegard 2.0. Dome and wally receiver only $350 and easy install in an hour. Dish is great since you can month-to-month and turn on/off anytime. Replaced the antenna switch with antenna/cable/satellite switch faceplate in bin. Having the single receiver Sat receiver gives us more options when the cell phone coverage is limited in remote areas. The Winegard Connect has its +/-s. Plus is a single source for internet connection using either your home, Cell Jetpack (I use both Sprint and Verizon) and will switch automatically. Minuses are: the HD OTA antenna is not nearly as powerful as other dedicated OTA antennas and the cell/internet signal strength/bandwidth is much lower than using the jetpack directly. I suspect Winegard has some algorithms in the firmware that lower this substantially. Also cuts out from time to time and need a reset. I think i will be just connecting devices directly to Jetpacks... Added, directly via HDMI ports, 4k Apple TV to front room TV and an Amazon FireTV stick to rear TV. Both work wonderfully. Will probably swap out both TVs for smart/4k TVs in future.
3. Installed 2 175W solar panels and upgraded the solar charger controller to 30Amp. Now have 350W of charging to batteries which should cover refrigerator. I can add another panel or two if needed. Will upgrade to 2 (or 3) lithium batteries.
4. Replaced tail light bulbs with high intensity led bulbs which provide enhanced visibility.
5. Purchased a 7 - 6 pole trailer electrical harness adapter to accommodate towed vehicles and trailers with led lights. I have read where some folks thought the trailer tow wiring was not correctly wired and this may have been the issue. The Ford F550 trailer harness needs this adapter to fix the led light issue.
6. Added 2” foam gel pad to the overhead bed (aka the Loft). This is where i go to read and chill out with a great 270 degree view.
6. My TO Do List is below:
A. Fix plumbing issues and move Fresh tank drainage, water filter and winterize port to the Wet Bay bin and also re-plumb to be capable of adding water to the freshwater tank from the city water port connection. Also add water and waste tank sensor in wet bay and water pump switch. This is the first RV i have had where the plumbing was from decades ago.
B. Swap out the theatre seats for a more upgraded and comfortable set. Also possible shorten up the dinette seating if that is possible to provide more aisle room.
C. Long term swap out the two 13.5k roof ACs for two low profile 15K ACs. Maybe a heat pump on one as well although I have been told the Spyder control panels is not programmed for the heat pump.
D. Maybe look at going to the F550 chrome bumper replacing the big plastic bumper installed by thor. This should improve airflow for engine and transmission.
E. The rest of the items on JUDGE’s list.
CHASSIS UPGRADES; The Ford F550 4x4 chassis requires “no enhancements” and drives better than any other rig i have had. I have owned 4 winnebagos (1 class A gasser and 3 class C View/MB chassis), 2 tiffins (Class A DPs), 2 fifth wheels, a TT and cabover camper. Driving 1/4 to 1/3 of each trip makes the trip quite enjoyable driving this rig and the wife is quite comfortable driving for a few hours each day. She likes the power and road control....
|
Great post.... thanks for sharing!!!
How did you resolve getting power to the front vent that had no fan? I thought of adding a fan but didn’t want to be tearing the ceiling apart to run the wiring.
Thor Forums
