Bignosecitrus
New Member
We, wife Daydre' and dog Citrus (a big nosed German Shepard) are anxiously awaiting our departure for Sacramento to mount the new Cougar on the mighty 2002 Ford Superduty. I say mighty because my largest truck in the past has been a 98 F150 short bed which was light and nifty to drive however the 02 diesel is more like a locomotive. Oddly enough they get the same fuel milage - 20 mpg driven at 65 mph.
Anyway, Marty tells me ATC is on schedual for completion between the 25th and the end of the month.
It has been a different build for the guys as I specified that the camper have two 110v systems. One for pure shore power and the other for 12v inverter system that can charge either by the truck running, shore power or solar panels. We have a cabin (18' trailer w/ add on of 350 sq ft) Lopez Island that has been my learning experience. Briefly the lessons are: get as much battery as you can afford, and or have significant recharging capabilities, use an inverter of at least 1000 watts so you cam operate a small tool like a drill or recharge battery tools. You never know when you might want to add something else to your system. And be sure to have the ability to "condition" the battery bank to prevent sulphate crystal accumulation between plates.
I am using two 12v Lifeline batteries, very expensive but at 72lbs each should last a very long time if treated well. A Xantrex inverter / charge controller of 1800watts with 40 amp charging on shore power.
When we get to the solar charging we will use Unisolar 68watt thin film panels that can be rolled up and stowed away (when needed they can be unrolled on the ground). The solar charge controller will be a Morningstar 30 amp unite with 4 stage charging (includes a conditioning stage).
This arrangement allows us to use common 110v accessories, lights and refer. So there is more wiring than usual in the Cougar. For heat we will be using a Wave 6 catalytic propane heater, tried it out in the cabin and performance was very good with very little propane use.
Very excited to see how it all works... ATC is also enthusiastic to work with the concept.
Chris and Daydre'
Anyway, Marty tells me ATC is on schedual for completion between the 25th and the end of the month.
It has been a different build for the guys as I specified that the camper have two 110v systems. One for pure shore power and the other for 12v inverter system that can charge either by the truck running, shore power or solar panels. We have a cabin (18' trailer w/ add on of 350 sq ft) Lopez Island that has been my learning experience. Briefly the lessons are: get as much battery as you can afford, and or have significant recharging capabilities, use an inverter of at least 1000 watts so you cam operate a small tool like a drill or recharge battery tools. You never know when you might want to add something else to your system. And be sure to have the ability to "condition" the battery bank to prevent sulphate crystal accumulation between plates.
I am using two 12v Lifeline batteries, very expensive but at 72lbs each should last a very long time if treated well. A Xantrex inverter / charge controller of 1800watts with 40 amp charging on shore power.
When we get to the solar charging we will use Unisolar 68watt thin film panels that can be rolled up and stowed away (when needed they can be unrolled on the ground). The solar charge controller will be a Morningstar 30 amp unite with 4 stage charging (includes a conditioning stage).
This arrangement allows us to use common 110v accessories, lights and refer. So there is more wiring than usual in the Cougar. For heat we will be using a Wave 6 catalytic propane heater, tried it out in the cabin and performance was very good with very little propane use.
Very excited to see how it all works... ATC is also enthusiastic to work with the concept.
Chris and Daydre'
