Upgrade ideas for the "new" TM

[Shane826]

But if you're now using a ducted system why couldn't it go inside the kitchen cabinets or under the couch? Hey I'm not saying it's a GREAT ideas, just saying it's possible. I've also doodled ways to slide out the kitchen area to add more floor space. Kind of a Rube Goldberg design, but it is do-able.

[BrucePerens]

Originally Posted by Larryjb

transporting even 40 gallons of grey water in a tote would be tough

I settled on a 6-gallon one. It's the most you might practically pick up and dump into a toilet. It fits in the rear cabinet. In my design, a larger one would fit on the A-frame if anyone insisted on having one.

[Padgett]

Some of the later Hi-Los had a side slide but is more difficult when you have a horizontal component as well. Would also need to have a roof. For the moment probably be best to stay with the end slides that use the existing roof. Having one at the back would be hard enough since the floor would need to either go somewhere currently occupied by the lav, wardrobe, and curb side counter or fold to the rear.

[TrailManorMan]

Keep dreaming............I'll be happy if they get back to producing a decent quality TrailManor period. 🙄🙄

[Larryjb]

Originally Posted by TrailManorMan

Keep dreaming............I'll be happy if they get back to producing a decent quality TrailManor period. 🙄🙄

Your sig says your TM is 3980 lbs with full tanks? Is that unloaded otherwise? I thought the TM axle was rated at 3500 lbs max.

The one upgrade I'd like to see is a higher axle rating. I've found it doesn't take much to load the axle up. I know we overpacked, but our trailer axle weight for our trip was 3498 lbs. We will be learning to travel lighter next time.

[Padgett]

One might expect that is total weight. For axle load you need to deduct tongue weight (mine is 435 lbs +/-) and tire/wheel weight (2 @ 35 lbs each) but is the reason I have not fitted (and never needed) a WDH.

Dexter does have a 5k lb axle that can be ordered to fit. About $800 last time I looked and has 6 bolt wheels. OTOH I have seen no report of an axle ever failing.

[TrailManorMan]

Originally Posted by Larryjb

Your sig says your TM is 3980 lbs with full tanks? Is that unloaded otherwise? I thought the TM axle was rated at 3500 lbs max.

The one upgrade I'd like to see is a higher axle rating. I've found it doesn't take much to load the axle up. I know we overpacked, but our trailer axle weight for our trip was 3498 lbs. We will be learning to travel lighter next time.

I have a six bolt 5200 lb. axle, no problems at 3980, fully packed.

[Padgett]

Understand but are not so much new ideas (most have been discussed here before) but "opportunities". The real question is what do the new owners plan to do and do they care what we think ? YWTK

For that matter what they should do is buy/borrow/rent (am flexible) mine to see what can be done from a power/Infotainment standpoint. Have pretty much taken it as far as reasonable.

[BrucePerens]

Originally Posted by Padgett

One place I would work with a hungry generator/inverter manufacturer is for an integrated system that could use the coach batteries to absorb the starting surge for the AC. Then a "soft start" would not be necessary.

The electronics required for battery-assisted start are more complicated and expensive than for those required for soft-start. In battery-assisted start, you must have a full inverter, and synchronize the frequency to the AC of a generator (which is going to be changing in frequency under load as that happens).

Soft-start works by switching in a capacitor for power factor correction and chopping the incoming AC at the leading edge of the sine wave so that the overall power used by a locked rotor is limited and it starts rotating more slowly rather than abruptly as it would with the application of full power.

Ultimately, inverter-drive motors in the air conditioner with more than one phase of winding and a higher frequency than 60 Hz will both solve the hard-start problem and lower weight and power drain. A 60 Hz winding is too big and heavy vs a higher frequency one.

We also need to have the air conditioner recover energy from expansion of the coolant, as the Prius air conditioner does. Note that the Prius AC is electric, not belt-driven.

[klpauba]

Here are some neat, modular insulated panels (Al-EPS Foam-Al sandwich) that come in a variety of colors and overcoated with something that sounds a lot like Valspar's KlearKote (sp?):

https://www.structall.com/catalog/pr...num-snapnlock/

There's even an option of ordering the panels with an integrated extruded beam(s) inside the panel (not an I-Beam, though).

Doesn't look like they offer any curved transition pieces, though.