Pagin all camper,and RV peeps

[1-tonmudder]

For starters I know ZERO about the workings of this so that why I'm askin.I am wantin to buy a Bread truck to use for our antique/flea market trips and will be wantin to add some bunks and a/c (possibly a unit from a camper or travel trailer) as well as be able to run a TV and a few other small things.So I'm assuming that a normal camper a/c runs off the batterys and you just have to keep them charged,is that correct???? How hard/expensive will this be to accomplish,is there a better way to do what I'm wantin other than what Im thinkin or should I just break down and buy a tagalong camper????

 

[kgblazerfive]

They run off of both the batteries and when you plug it in. Not sure what they use but thats how mine works plug it in and it seems to have a bit more ummph.

 

[doubletrouble]

I am on my third travel trailer and all of mine have had to either be plugged into a 110 power source or have my generator plugged in to run a/c. The a/c draws ALOT of power. It takes a minimum of 3500 watt generator to run a/c.

 

[K85 Octane]

you will need to be plugged in or run something like the Honda 3000. The smaller Honda run in a pair configuration will also produce plenty to run an AC, plus they are lighter in weight and you can carry one away for other things.

Just have all your normal 110 stuff run off some kind of spider box and have the box run off a generator or plug in. You can still have smaller stuff run off an inverter, like a laptop plug or small tv, but for the most part that drains your batteries a lot and shortens their life. Make sure to put a few cigarette lighter plus, those come in handy using some inverters or plug in electronics.

 

[Blue85]

Sorry, very little A/C can be done from battery. You plug in or run a generator. A standard RV unit is 13,500 BTU, which draws about 14A while running - about 1680W. At 12V, that would be 140A continuous without accounting for the inverter efficiency. The starting current would be 1.5x this. Inverters don't like starting motors anyway. So the run time would be measured in minutes.

If you will camp out in the thing, why not just start with a motorhome? You can get an older one cheap and it already has appliances, beds, bathroom, 12V/120V systems wired in, propane, generator, etc., etc. It's a ton of work to replicate these systems into something else (probably gutting an RV to do it anyway). Then just put a little cargo trailer out back and you have everything.

 

[1-tonmudder]

Thanks for the info guys.

Sorry, very little A/C can be done from battery. You plug in or run a generator. A standard RV unit is 13,500 BTU, which draws about 14A while running - about 1680W. At 12V, that would be 140A continuous without accounting for the inverter efficiency. The starting current would be 1.5x this. Inverters don't like starting motors anyway. So the run time would be measured in minutes.

If you will camp out in the thing, why not just start with a motorhome? You can get an older one cheap and it already has appliances, beds, bathroom, 12V/120V systems wired in, propane, generator, etc., etc. It's a ton of work to replicate these systems into something else (probably gutting an RV to do it anyway). Then just put a little cargo trailer out back and you have everything.

I want the four cyl cummins eng and I cant afford anything diesel in a reg RV. My wife has been lookin at some Fema trailers that are at or about the same price as the P30 vans I've been lookin at.My PSD has almost 400K on it and I know it wont last forever and was kinda wantin somethin that was not dependant on my truck to be moved.

 

[k20]

Friend of mine got a mid-80s motorhome built on the g30 platform. He put about $2k into it for new interior (now its got all new upholstery, real wood floors, pimp stereo & TV, etc etc), about $800 into the brakes/engine, couple hundred on exhaust, and then a new set of tires. He paid $800 for the whole thing. So as it sits he has ~4000 into it and its pretty awesome. Its got the 350 in it and he cruises down the interstate at 75 and gets 8-9mpg. He does admit it gets sluggish climbing the mtns especially when hes got the fresh water tank full.

After he got his a quick look on craigslist (to see if he got a good deal) showed a ton of the g30 based motorhomes for sale in his condition or a little better for not much more money.

 

[Blue85]

You can get 10MPG in a small class C or even go with a B for better MPG and pull a trailer. I know that Diesel MPG is alluring, but price out the whole rig with all the mods you want, compare that with the price of the ready-made RV and see if you would ever drive enough miles to "save" with diesel. Gas has lower purchase price, maintenance cost and insurance premium. You'll have to do the math for your own usage. Personally, I hate making big payments during the months the rig isn't in use, but maybe you are more concerned with pulling torque than money.

 

[1-tonmudder]

The main thing Im lookin at is what will do the job and me be able to pay cash for.I'm willin to wait or work on somethin a little at a time to not have a payment.With the exception of our home we are debt free and want to stay that way.I could also use the cummins in something else if the camper thing didnt work out. I dont think the mileage difference is really enuf to be a factor especailly when you consider the $$$ difference at the pump.

 

[Fordum]

If you are running a gas engine, you can use the same tank for the genset and the engine.
They actually make small diesel gensets, but they are high, and I have no idea where you would find one.
Maybe a marine outfit. The last one I saw was on an inboard diesel boat.

Check around and see if you can find a place that scraps out travel trailers.
You can find all kinds of beds, three way refrigerators, and air conditioners.

Three way refrigerator works off 12v, 110v or gas.

Camper air conditioners are expensive.
If you don't mind the looks, there are several trailers, vans, whatever, that have a window units mounted in windows or holes cut in the side.

Works great, just looks.........