My toy hauler thread

[Poboy kartman]

"Mooooom she touched me!"
"No I didn't"
"You kids be quiet and stop Fighting".... "Or Ill make you ride in the Battery Rack"

Pffft! More like Eric will hitch a ride on it if you don't watch him close. I swear, I only took my eyes off that couch for a second!

 

[supermanotorious]

do any battery gurus see any problems with me connecting the output wires as so? talking about the negative run, dashed line instead of the 3 arrows on the left, trying to save wire if ya know what I mean

 

[supermanotorious]

well I'll be darned, I can fit the batteries side by side rather than end to end, the widest part of the battery is lower than the top frame rail of the cradle which also represents the bottom of the c channel frame rails the cradle will hang from

I got my sheet metal cut to shape to protect the front and bottom of the cradle from road debris

this thing is so freakin heavy which makes me a little nervous but I must proceed and see what happens

got the battery watering system and it is so cool, had to cut the manifold hoses to length but that was easy

 

[supermanotorious]

omg this thing is going to weigh 1,000 lbs

 

[supermanotorious]

test hanging the cradle with batteries in was just as much a PITA I thought it might be but I think this just might work

I tried to get the c channel to flex but it didn't

so I took it down, finished welding the panels on and hit it with dark gray primer

maybe tomorrow I'll get it installed

 

[supermanotorious]

I realize now I could have 2 extra inches of clearance, the batteries barely protrude in to the c channel space and though I wanted some room for them to breathe, I gave too much IMO

 

[supermanotorious]

between the cables and the watering system configurations, I dunno what to tell ya boy

 

[supermanotorious]

I swear, it's never easy when you want custom. Doggone battery lugs are too short for multiple terminals, and this is before adding the generator starter wires and the converter input, I ordered this copper bar from Amazon to make shunts/buss bars to accept all those connections

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000H9LG7A


sweet and clean fuse placement, yes, I'll have to get on my back, on the ground to replace it but thats fine by me

 

[supermanotorious]

its a rainy day here in Phoenix, no winch orders, no other pressing projects although finishing the hitch mount for my generator and installing a new stereo with backup camera in my Avalanche are in the hopper SO I'm trying to finish this battery project today

well I finally win with Amazon Prime, I have the batteries together, copper cut and drilled and it's laid out for measuring cable lengths, darned if I am short 2 terminals and I realize now it's because this inverter requires terminals where the last one did not

so the terminals are same day delivery and free shipping with $35 in qualified purchases, I ordered the Serpa style holster for my Glock I've been wanting for a while, a 110v "car" style receptacle for my Avalanche inverter and I'm expecting it all later today, how sweet it is

 

[supermanotorious]

DONE! save for mounting the inverter remote, just dunno where I want it and how to fish it there

 

[supermanotorious]

well $h!t! I put on weight- not what I wanted at all but I guess that's the way it has to be


original tongue weight: ~1,128 lbs
minus existing batteries ~130 lbs
. new weight ~1,280 lbs


so a gain of about 150 lbs, welp I did add roughly 360 lbs to the trailer so I dunno

 

[Kartorbust]

Your gas mileage or your truck won't notice the extra 150lbs.

 

[supermanotorious]

that I know but tongue weight max is 1,000 .......

 

[Kartorbust]

Yeah I guess that extra 152lbs from where you started could pose some problem. I never understood tongue weight at all.

 

[supermanotorious]

I can load weight behind the axles which will help with tongue weight but I want it to be "smart" weight (essentials), I dont want to just add weight to the trailer for the sake of balancing it

Yellowstone in 3 weeks!

 

[Kartorbust]

Man I haven't been to Yellowstone park in over 20 years. Barely remember the park or Old Faithful, but I remember parts of the trip, even though I was only 2 and a half.

I don't suppose adjusting the axles would be feasible for it? Probably mess up the handling characteristics of it too much.

 

[supermanotorious]

I've been having to use my 3-ton floor jack to aid in linking the weight distribution bars, a huge PITA to have to take the jack with us to campgrounds

the tongue jack is rated for 2,500lbs and "skips" or grinds gears when trying to lift the rear of the truck

I took it apart but found no evidence of which gears were skipping, not at the motor, the gear box, or threaded shaft

so I picked up the Harbor Freight 3,500lb electric jack and a 2 year warranty, I returned the hitch extension from THIS thread (can you believe that LOL) for a $20 credit

 

[supermanotorious]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C0axnj1pxkI

 

[supermanotorious]

We often get to our campsite(s) late at night since we head out after we get off work. I've noticed it would be extremely helpful if I could see the RV wheels as I reverse in the dark. I compared reviews for some lights on Harbor Freight and bought the ones below. I had to resurrect the reverse wire in the pig tail as it was cut very very close to the black jacket for the whole bundle. When the truck is in reverse, the lights come on! I have yet to see it at night and will try to get a pic of that later today.

I will likely add a switch in the truck near the dash, a quick disconnect at the rear bumper, and a relay to the system so I can flip the lights on as I cruise down the road without having to put the truck in reverse.

http://www.harborfreight.com/automo...12-volt-halogen-vehicle-work-light-93904.html


update to add relay wiring

 

[supermanotorious]

I need to adjust the passenger side so it hits the wheel like the driver side light does, what would benefit this system more than anything would be having the lights spaced a few feet outward of the trailer so the tire sidewalls would be illuminated