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Old 06-07-2023, 10:54 PM   #1
LuckyDog23
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New Member / Winnebago Refugee

Hi all,
We have finally decided on which FW we want to use for long leisurely cross continental trips. Our little Winne is getting to the FORD decade of its life - that’s the fix or repair daily. So far needed to replace microwave (caught on fire)fix fridge (bad burner tube, cheap fix) new inverter, a bit pricey, water heater just crapped out and is gas only, plus it’s way too small for the kind of cooking and storage we need. So I have two questions I thought may have be other folks’ as well. We plan to get a generator, a propane model if we can. I’m so over absorption fridges and need to choose between either the 4 door 12v or just get the 18 cu ft residential GE model. I have a counter depth GE Profile at home and it’s perfect for two people who are both retired and cook three meals a day. It’s a 24 cu ft and I can stash about a week’s worth of fresh fruit and veggies plus have tons of space for dairy and planned leftovers. I’m thinking an 18 cu ft would handle a week of meal prep especially if I bag up stuff for freezer. I generally prep a dozen bags at a time at home and we used to eat them on trips until microwave self destructed (it was a GE from Home Depot and the control board failed spectacularly. I’ve nothing against GE microwaves, I had had four in my various houses but California roads are really really bad and it vibrated itself to a bad board. Being a 2003 model there were no parts. All this led up to buying a new Montana. I guess it’s likely there are other people here who eat a primarily carnivore/paleo template diet. It’s important to me to have a fridge that will keep our food at a safe temperature. So I took the liberty to say what we are all about.

Money is not a consideration for this rig but weight is so we’re sticking with a pretty much medium FW, since we will be pulling it with a 6.7 l powestroke F250.
So weight of fridge may factor in.

We do not share a bed so a king is a bit over the top, so to shave of weight and facilitate bed making and not have to buy all new sheets etc, I’m getting a queen. DH suffers from serious insomnia and is up for long hours so he gets the comfy couch and I get the bed where I can’t hear snoring.

Those are really the only changes I am considering currently. We will probably have a generator and a 400 w solar - we follow the NASCAR circuit and there’s never hookups, there’s no using a generator between 10 pm and 8 am at most tracks, so having solar and an inverter ( especially where there is absolutely no shade ) would be a big plus.

I’d love to read comments on my ideas.
 
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Old 06-08-2023, 06:44 AM   #2
mlh
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You might wont to check to see how long a 30 pound bottle of propane will last running a generator, not very.
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Old 06-08-2023, 07:46 AM   #3
Foldbak
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Welcome. What model rig did you get? If you're boon docking I wouldn't recommend a residential fridge. It won't last long. Even with lithium batteries. I have a 400 watt solar system with an inverter, Onan gen and lithium batteries. With two 30lb LP tanks I can go for about 7 to 10 days. Depends on the weather. If it's sunny I only run the gen about 50 minuets a day.


Prior to getting the lithium batteries I was running the gen about 2 or 3 hours.
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Old 06-08-2023, 08:45 AM   #4
LuckyDog23
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Good point!

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Originally Posted by mlh View Post
You might wont to check to see how long a 30 pound bottle of propane will last running a generator, not very.
Lynwood
I just read the thread about EMD and one member’s post about hot weather and a bad pedestal and got me thinking. We were in two different places where the demand on electricity was such that voltage dropped at the park. Our EMS detected it and shut off. The EMS we have is hardwired to the electrical bay in the coach we have now. Saved our bacon for sure. As did our gas powered genny. We needed it to keep the AC on for extended hours. At racetracks we leave AC on due to have a dog who’d perish in the heat. So I definitely will ask about this. Even in a park, power can be an issue.
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Old 06-08-2023, 09:54 AM   #5
mhs4771
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Can't talk about 30 Lb Tanks, as we have 40's. When running both AC's (15K each) they will drain a 40 Lb Tank in approx 8 to 10 hours when temps are in the 90's. This is running an Onan 5500 Genny, your results may be different depending on size of AC's and Genny.
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Old 06-08-2023, 10:06 AM   #6
Jay Merritt
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Quote:
Originally Posted by LuckyDog23 View Post
I just read the thread about EMD and one member’s post about hot weather and a bad pedestal and got me thinking. We were in two different places where the demand on electricity was such that voltage dropped at the park. Our EMS detected it and shut off. The EMS we have is hardwired to the electrical bay in the coach we have now. Saved our bacon for sure. As did our gas powered genny. We needed it to keep the AC on for extended hours. At racetracks we leave AC on due to have a dog who’d perish in the heat. So I definitely will ask about this. Even in a park, power can be an issue.
We carry a Hughes Autoformer voltage booster for places where the EMS shuts off the power due to low voltage.

We have experienced places where the voltage dropped to 95 volts
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Old 06-08-2023, 01:04 PM   #7
AZ Traveler
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Liane,

Welcome to the forum! If you are boondocking a lot, recommend you up your solar to 800 watts or more to support your residential refer.
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Old 06-08-2023, 06:42 PM   #8
LuckyDog23
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Decided on model and fridge option

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Originally Posted by AZ Traveler View Post
Liane,

Welcome to the forum! If you are boondocking a lot, recommend you up your solar to 800 watts or more to support your residential refer.
Just got back from dealership after touring all the Montana offerings and a couple HCs as well and we’ve decided on the 35 ft 3123RL. I was skeptical about the bypass doors in the kitchen and after seeing it in person they look very workable. The stove is awesome - big with a really nice oven. Large single bowl sink and I got a chance to see the 12v refer and it’s a really nice size. Double what my motorhome has. I especially like the bottom freezer so we don’t get an avalanche of frozen meat when we open the top freezer. I have two fridges at home - a 25 cu ft Whirlpool French door and a 27 cu ft side by side in the garage which came with the house. They both have their advantages but looking at the four door 12 seems like it will allow access to one side with the slide in.

As for true boondocking, we don’t really do much but we go to NASCAR races and camp in parking lot fashion crammed in skinny lots (like slide outsbump into your neighbors’ at times!) but we are there three or four days max, nothing extended. We own a little Patriot genny we bought to keep our game freezer at home running during the incessant power outages foisted upon us as wild fire prevention. If we can rig a way to carry it on the back of the trailer that’s an option we can consider. But we cannot pick it up as it’s too heavy. It can power the house for lighting and refrigeration. We’ve learned a lot on power conservation and management in the 20 yrs of camping in a 30 amp service rig. I even made a chart of appliances we can use simultaneously. Any combination under 30 lol.

I was a bit disappointed in the workmanship of the cabinetry. Painted not glazed, finger tip joints visible, stapled plywood drawer boxes but the couch and chairs are great. The flooring is great, no carpet. But the true value looks to be in the four season ability and the Legacy package options.
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