What did you do to your RV today?

Speaking of poor decisions, the wife and I did a big leap last week by buying a new to us new motorhome. We have loved our Tiffin RED but after spending 5 weeks in Florida this year we decided we wanted something a little bigger and half bath. So we bit the bullet and bought a 2021 Tiffin Phaeton 37bh. Super happy with it so far. We’ve spent the last week swapping stuff over and getting the RED ready to sell. It should be ready to list tomorrow or Saturday. In the meantime I’ve got two with the same paint scheme in my driveway.

IMG_2296.jpeg
 
white-rhino said:
Speaking of poor decisions, the wife and I did a big leap last week by buying a new to us new motorhome. We have loved our Tiffin RED but after spending 5 weeks in Florida this year we decided we wanted something a little bigger and half bath. So we bit the bullet and bought a 2021 Tiffin Phaeton 37bh. Super happy with it so far. We’ve spent the last week swapping stuff over and getting the RED ready to sell. It should be ready to list tomorrow or Saturday. In the meantime I’ve got two with the same paint scheme in my driveway.

IMG_2296.jpeg
Click to expand...
I’ll be interested what you end up thinking about the bath and a half. Always assumed it would be wasted space, and the double dumping would be annoying. But I’ve never lived in my RV for more than 2 weeks, so I don’t know how wrong I am.
 
OHV Wildcat said:
I’ll be interested what you end up thinking about the bath and a half. Always assumed it would be wasted space, and the double dumping would be annoying. But I’ve never lived in my RV for more than 2 weeks, so I don’t know how wrong I am.
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Already love it. We flew to FL to pick it up and push hard to get home. Stopped for a few hours and we both got up at 4am to hit the road. She went to one, me to the other. No “would you hurry up!” for us. :rockon:

No double dumping on this one. The half bath is over the tank. The rear toilet is a macerator which pumps to the holding tank.
 
So I've been stabilizing on the crap I'm going to carry in my Class C, and with that comes storage upgrades for the last storage space I have. It's the only "large" storage area and it's a PITA to get to because it's under the bedroom slide. Anyway, started by popping out all the paneling and replacing it with plywood so I can mount stuff to it. Out of the left frame is the compartment that is wasted space that I already moved the slideout controller to. I'm also going to put the surge suppressor in there, on a panel next the receptacle you can see. Storage has been the worst part of going from a large bumper pull to a Class C.
LargeCompartmentReplacingPaneling_S.jpg
 
white-rhino said:
Speaking of poor decisions, the wife and I did a big leap last week by buying a new to us new motorhome. We have loved our Tiffin RED but after spending 5 weeks in Florida this year we decided we wanted something a little bigger and half bath. So we bit the bullet and bought a 2021 Tiffin Phaeton 37bh. Super happy with it so far. We’ve spent the last week swapping stuff over and getting the RED ready to sell. It should be ready to list tomorrow or Saturday. In the meantime I’ve got two with the same paint scheme in my driveway.

IMG_2296.jpeg
Click to expand...
We were eyeballing that exact model when at Tawas and then I realized I need a better job. I'm jealous. I think the starter on the generator was louder than the generator.
 
white-rhino said:
Thanks. Pretty happy with the layout. I have a nice 33aa RED for sale that’s significantly less. :smokin:
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I secretly like your Allegro 33AA better because it's a little smaller than the Phaeton 37BH but I like that the 37BH has 3' more wheelbase so it drives really nice. I drove both at glamping world when I was looking at a Nexus Ghost despite my wife saying "no" because she didn't want to spend $150k for something used that she thinks is awful looking. My goal was to try to convince myself to like a diesel pusher (and I did).

My wife really wants a larger class A, preferably the exact one you bought and a separate tiny Class C. She doesn't like how loud our mid-size Class C is inside when driving, and we're both not thrilled with the bathroom because it's tight in there. I am all torso so the shower is pretty rough. It's a little big for short jaunts and it's a little small for extended stays.

I talked to the dude with the 37BH while at Tawas and he said he had an awning on order that mounts to the roof. He didn't tell me how much it costs, but he said it was worth it because they're tired of hauling out tents to do anything outside as they're both skin cancer survivors. They're birders, so they were following the migration from the Gulf of Freedom up into Canada. Might be worth looking into as you travel around to see if you can find an awning.

I really want a Super C with 4wd, like bad. My wife thinks they're hideous and that's what stops that conversation cold. I get 256 hours of vacation a year now and I can buy another week so I think the future with something we can comfortably travel in for extending periods outbound is in our future. I want it to be a small Super C like a Nexus Rebel 28R so we can fit it in small campsites but I haven't won that argument yet.

There were a bunch of Class As and a giant Grand Design 5er stuck in Tawas when we pulled out. It made me really appreciate our Class C being fairly light and having BFG ATs.

Anyway, I guess what I'm saying is I'm jealous of your perfect pusher and that's why I keep modifying my Class C to make it suck less.
 
Everything is a tradeoff. Everything. Over the last 48 years of marriage we’ve done pretty much all options. Started tenting, then a van with a fold down bed, then a GM Transvan, pop up camper, 12’ slide in truck camper, then a 24’ class C, then a 32’ Winnebago, then a Tiffin 34TGA, then a Mobile Suites 5th wheel, then a Reflection 5th wheel, then the RED and now the Phaeton.
I will say I have not found the perfect RV. Size, manueverability, creature comforts, towing capacity all vary. I thought the 33aa was the perfect rig. It is- with the exception of the small single bathroom and limited counter space. Those were the two primary factors for the jump. And of course the Phaeton comes with a lot of small creature comfort things that add up like electric rewind reels and electric locks on all the basement doors. The Spyder control panels are sweet but I’m concerned about long term durability.

I agree that the smaller RV’s are more maneuverable and that honestly concerns me. The 33aa is really mobile and even tho the 37 is only 3’ longer, the wheelbase is an issue. I honestly don’t know if I will be able to get my 32’ trailer in and out of my driveway. (I live on a gravel 1-1/2 lane road so it’s tight)
 
white-rhino said:
I should have added to the post above that our upgrade is also a byproduct of being retired and on the road for extended time. One bathroom for a couple weeks is manageable but it gets old saying “would you hurry up!” :lmao:
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Yeah there is that.

Our inside shower is converted to a pantry. Outside shower or pay for a truck stop shower when out and about.

Saves significant water and there are very few travel showers for anybody over 5'5" :laughing:
 
CarterKraft said:
Back when I first got into this I was happily plugging away with my "smart" **** and cheap chicom inverter, I really wanted the M+ii but I did see some folks bitching that it was not as easy to work with due to having to USB into it for every change.

I wasn't sure how bad that was but it seems like in this case that is a problem.

Would a USB bulkhead simplify the process?
Click to expand...
I have a USB Bluetooth dongle on the M+2. It's usually easy to access. But, currently it seems to be missing some menus and the GX monitor doesn't see it currently. I "think" most of my issues are with the GX monitor. Still trying to update the firmware on that.

Reinstalling the solar panels currently.
 
So one of the biggest problems with my Coachmen Leprechaun 260DS is that while it has a lot of outside compartments, none of them are really ideal for putting stuff in and none of them are very big. Last year I converted the one that had a TV in it to be for my grill and that kind of stuff. Well, I'm sick of using a tiny Weber Go-Anywhere Portable Charcoal Grill which is the only thing that comfortably fits in that compartment even after messing with it. I think I can fit a PK Grills PKGO or a M Grills M80 if I modify them. The Weber Go-Anywhere is fine, except I can't put it on anything because the bottom gets so hot it melts plastic and burns wood because the legs are too short.

Anyway, you might remember from last year:
TVCompartmentEmpty_S.jpg


We don't watch TV, so we removed all three TVs to get a lot of space back:
TVCompartmentModified_S.jpg




Tearing apart the rear compartment:
LargeCompartmentReplacingPaneling_S.jpg


So the goal was somewhere to mount my Blue Ox Patriot 3, somewhere to put all the hoses, somewhere to hang the electrical cords, somewhere to put the Starlink mini (still painting the pocket that goes on the wall below the insect chemicals), a place to mount the surge suppressor (it is hidden by where the receptacle is above).
LargeCompartmentDoneFront_S.jpg


I think I'm going to put either my Weber Smokey Joe back in that rear compartment bowl and move my toolbox of charcoal to where the TV was in the other compartment or buy a M Grills M80 to put back there. Probably do the Smokey Joe for now. Now that I've re-organized this compartment and made everything a home it sucks less to use. The reason it matters so much instead of just piling **** is that the slideout is immediately above this compartment so it's a PITA to get anything in and out of it if you have to move **** around. I still need to hang a fire extinguisher in this compartment, it will go by the orange extension cord. The only other thing not pictured that normally goes in this compartment is a small 2-ton come-along but I think I'm going to build a compartment under the motorhome to house it.

One of the reasons why I wanted the grill to be on the passenger side is then it's easier to put away at night. We've had theft problems in the past, even with cameras, so leaving a $500 grill outside makes me nervous.
LargeCompartmentDoneRear_S.jpg
 
wrath said:
So one of the biggest problems with my Coachmen Leprechaun 260DS is that while it has a lot of outside compartments, none of them are really ideal for putting stuff in and none of them are very big. Last year I converted the one that had a TV in it to be for my grill and that kind of stuff. Well, I'm sick of using a tiny Weber Go-Anywhere Portable Charcoal Grill which is the only thing that comfortably fits in that compartment even after messing with it. I think I can fit a PK Grills PKGO or a M Grills M80 if I modify them. The Weber Go-Anywhere is fine, except I can't put it on anything because the bottom gets so hot it melts plastic and burns wood because the legs are too short.

Anyway, you might remember from last year:
TVCompartmentEmpty_S.jpg


We don't watch TV, so we removed all three TVs to get a lot of space back:
TVCompartmentModified_S.jpg




Tearing apart the rear compartment:
LargeCompartmentReplacingPaneling_S.jpg


So the goal was somewhere to mount my Blue Ox Patriot 3, somewhere to put all the hoses, somewhere to hang the electrical cords, somewhere to put the Starlink mini (still painting the pocket that goes on the wall below the insect chemicals), a place to mount the surge suppressor (it is hidden by where the receptacle is above).
LargeCompartmentDoneFront_S.jpg


I think I'm going to put either my Weber Smokey Joe back in that rear compartment bowl and move my toolbox of charcoal to where the TV was in the other compartment or buy a M Grills M80 to put back there. Probably do the Smokey Joe for now. Now that I've re-organized this compartment and made everything a home it sucks less to use. The reason it matters so much instead of just piling **** is that the slideout is immediately above this compartment so it's a PITA to get anything in and out of it if you have to move **** around. I still need to hang a fire extinguisher in this compartment, it will go by the orange extension cord. The only other thing not pictured that normally goes in this compartment is a small 2-ton come-along but I think I'm going to build a compartment under the motorhome to house it.

One of the reasons why I wanted the grill to be on the passenger side is then it's easier to put away at night. We've had theft problems in the past, even with cameras, so leaving a $500 grill outside makes me nervous.
LargeCompartmentDoneRear_S.jpg
Click to expand...
That kind of project is so rewarding when you get out to a site and you don't have to get into "garage sale" mode as I call it, all your **** out just to use one thing.
 
Grill and table fitment are coming up for me too.

Today's fun, tried to run the AC off solar. Did not go well. For some reason it's only pulling 700ishW out of 1300W of panels. One of the strings may be under preforming. I have a clip on ammeter coming to test strings individually. AC was pulling 1100ish to get the coach down to temp so 400W was getting pulled from the battery. It's supposed to have a 100A BMS. It ran about 20min before the thermal overload shut it off. The positive terminal had melted the plastic around it.

Time to go non OSHA Will Prowse on this thing.

20260525_114958.jpg
20260525_115259.jpg


Yeah, not the greatest construction. The packing tape doesn't provide enough clamping and a couple of the cells are plumped up. BMS is ****. Going to look at good cases and BMS to see if it's worth saving the cells.
 
CarterKraft said:
That kind of project is so rewarding when you get out to a site and you don't have to get into "garage sale" mode as I call it, all your **** out just to use one thing.
Click to expand...
Yeah, I hate the "tornado hit a flea market" hide and seek part of looking for stuff while camping.

It's also been really hard to start doing triage to make this successful. In my glamper, I could bring everything and tons of spare parts. It was really tough not bringing a Fiskar ax for example. I used to carry all sorts of spare parts you don't normally use (waterless traps, several blade valves) and now I'm carrying what I call the minimum for spare parts.
 
Has anyone tried one of these?
"ECO-WORTHY 12V 280Ah Metal Case LiFePO4 Lithium Battery with Bluetooth, Low-Temp Protection, Built in 200A BMS, 3584Wh Max "

I would buy one for a "try before I fully commit" and if it worked out I'd buy two or three more... and gift the original one to my parents. I have enough room underneath the motorhome between the existing chassis battery and the electric/hydraulic pump to mount two of these.

The form factor of this particular battery allows me to stuff it where I had two group 27 SLA batteries. I believe my parents' motorhome which has a slightly different configuration we could stuff one where there are two group 24 SLA batteries long side to long side.

The space limitation in mine is because the power step arm retracts into the battery compartment where someone hacked it out with a sawzall. My connections are all in an adjacent compartment, which I will likely be moving out of that compartment.

Mine (Leprechaun 260DS)
BatteryCompartment_TwoGroup27.jpg


Parents (Freelander 27QB)
BatteryCompartment_TwoGroup24.jpeg
 
From the ones I've seen pictures/videos of, the plastic case one only matches the metal case one in capacity. Different cell packs, different construction, and a slightly different BMS. And for me... it fits in the hole.

I think Wattcycle is trying not to be the next Battle Born. Eco-Worthy seems to be focusing on trying to differentiate themselves from all the other wholesalers.
 
wrath said:
From the ones I've seen pictures/videos of, the plastic case one only matches the metal case one in capacity. Different cell packs, different construction, and a slightly different BMS. And for me... it fits in the hole.

I think Wattcycle is trying not to be the next Battle Born. Eco-Worthy seems to be focusing on trying to differentiate themselves from all the other wholesalers.
Click to expand...
What is the deal with battle borne? They were massive but don't hear much these days about them
 
Provience said:
What is the deal with battle borne? They were massive but don't hear much these days about them
Click to expand...
It's confusing stil..
They created a battery that uses a piece of plastic between the terminals and the bms leads.
The plastic over heats, softens and then causes a loose connection, cycle repeats.
BB doubled down when Will Prowse called them out and said that was a feature. Seems really foolish to me, none of us dorks would bolt **** together like that so it's some sort of real ignorance or malicious planned obsolescence.

Since I learned they are publicly traded I wonder about the latter...
 
CarterKraft said:
It's confusing stil..
They created a battery that uses a piece of plastic between the terminals and the bms leads.
The plastic over heats, softens and then causes a loose connection, cycle repeats.
BB doubled down when Will Prowse called them out and said that was a feature. Seems really foolish to me, none of us dorks would bolt **** together like that so it's some sort of real ignorance or malicious planned obsolescence.

Since I learned they are publicly traded I wonder about the latter...
Click to expand...
Is it like a plastic shunt :confused: only way it could be a feature would be if it prevent some obscure thermal event.

Sounds like some sort of ignorance on their end and "it's worked for many years!" Type of stuff.

I could never justify their price, though they are on the short list of most domestic lithium battery assemblers and that's a good place to be
 
It's really weird, for as long as I've been into RV solar there has been components getting "found out" blue sea had a problem with their mini disconnect switches not carrying rated current.

This BB deal stinks, they have a programmable BMS, they could do anything they want with current/ fusing but they created a thermal fuse of sorts that does nothing but kill the battery.
 
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