SSLance's 2016 300DS trips and mods thread

[SSLance]

So, I'm just back from yet another weekend at a race track where I boondocked with my RV in paddock all weekend and I have to say, I LOVE the upgrades we made to our electrical system. Every change we made to the factory setup works seamlessly and just as designed. The solar panels do a great job of keeping the batteries topped off and the battery monitor has taught me what uses the most power and how to manage keeping a nice enough reserve on the batteries to make it through the night.

I'd like to eventually permanently mount solar panels as I typically put my suitcase panel up on the roof and I'm getting too old and weak to carry them up and down the ladder...

I did also add the 5startuning tuner to the RV last fall and I LOVE it as well. It's not that it makes that much more power but it really makes it better to drive by the way it changes the way the transmission shifts. I can go into more further detail if anyone is interested but just know this, if you ever get frustrated because your E-450 downshifts on a hill and then won't upshift again or gain any speed...you should look into this tuner.

The rest of the RV is still plugging along as well. We have moved from Missouri to Phoenix, AZ and plan on really putting it to use out here in the next few years exploring the great SouthWest US.

[Creeker]

Thank you for posting all of this.

I am still researching Class C's and after finally being able to do a walk thru of a Concord, we decided we would need more storage for our time on the road, so we are now looking into a 260DS.

However, I had assumed that all RV's were already set up for the auto switching of power like the Class A's.

You've given me food for thought.

[wahoonc]

Originally Posted by Creeker

Thank you for posting all of this.

I am still researching Class C's and after finally being able to do a walk thru of a Concord, we decided we would need more storage for our time on the road, so we are now looking into a 260DS.

However, I had assumed that all RV's were already set up for the auto switching of power like the Class A's.

You've given me food for thought.

With the RV industry NEVER EVER assume anything. I have seen supposedly identical models built within a few weeks of each other have things done differently. In some cases it may be a running change on others... who knows. I have seen some Class C's with the auto switch. I actually prefer mine the way it is. I made a short pigtail with a 30 amp plug on one end and a 4 outlet box on the the other. During a weather emergency I can run my RV generator and run cords from the house to the RV pigtail.

You just have to shop and decide which model is best for you. My bride has been looking at a Leprechaun 311FS because you can put a washer/dryer in it.


Aaron

[Creeker]

We looked at the 311 and liked it a lot, but it is a little long for our purposes, which also counted against the 300DS.

Additionally, we want the Chevy body for the front passenger legroom, and above a certain length the Chevy it is unavailable. I think the 300 is the largest Chevy, which was difficult to find in my area for the walk thru.

[SSLance]

Originally Posted by Creeker

You've given me food for thought.

I bought my RV slightly used... When showing it to me, the previous owner had let the house batteries go dead...so He started the Genset to be able to run the slides out. We sat there for about 15 minutes with the Genset running and still couldn't get anything 12V in the house to work.

It was then that he remembered he needed to plug the shore power cord into the Genset outlet. I knew right then that I'd eventually fix that as it seemed crazy to me... Maybe ti was because my only other experience with an RV was with an older Class A...but regardless...and automated electrical system just makes more sense than what these rigs come from the factory with and it isn't that hard to upgrade them.

I wouldn't let the lack of this option keep me from buying an RV, just know going in that it can be upgraded pretty easily and cost effective. Our RVing experience is SO MUCH nicer with the big batteries, inverter, solar charger and automated switches.

[Creeker]

I'm looking for used as well, but bear in mind that mechanical and electrical know-how are not second nature to... at least me, lol.

I can muddle through some things mechanical, but I wouldn't want to try to muddle thru anything electrical. I'd be paying for someone that knows how to do most of that.

I don't understand why some dealers and/or manufacturers don't offer roof solar and all of the associated controllers/inverters as an add-on to start with. It would seem there is profit to be had and since most of their business would be financing the purchase, I think people would throw that in the option bucket.

[Witch Doctor]

Originally Posted by wahoonc

With the RV industry NEVER EVER assume anything. I have seen supposedly identical models built within a few weeks of each other have things done differently. In some cases it may be a running change on others... who knows. I have seen some Class C's with the auto switch. I actually prefer mine the way it is. I made a short pigtail with a 30 amp plug on one end and a 4 outlet box on the the other. During a weather emergency I can run my RV generator and run cords from the house to the RV pigtail.

You just have to shop and decide which model is best for you. My bride has been looking at a Leprechaun 311FS because you can put a washer/dryer in it.


Aaron

I'm surprised yours is set up that way, for some reason mine was set up with a auto transfer switch, now that is two different things including the mounted big foot control at the entry door. I'm surprised, I don't think it has anything to do with it because of the 2 different chassis Ford vs Chevy, I guess in time we will find more different things between our units being the same model. Happy Travels Aaron...[emoji196]

[wahoonc]

Originally Posted by Witch Doctor

I'm surprised yours is set up that way, for some reason mine was set up with a auto transfer switch, now that is two different things including the mounted big foot control at the entry door. I'm surprised, I don't think it has anything to do with it because of the 2 different chassis Ford vs Chevy, I guess in time we will find more different things between our units being the same model. Happy Travels Aaron...[emoji196]

Model year changes...

You also have a solid counter top, glass stove cover, and the LED strip under the awning that I didn't get with the 2016 model year. I got cloth seating versus the pleather. From what I gather they no longer offer the cloth option. There is a disclaimer on the website and in the brochure that specifications are subject to change without notice.

Aaron

[Witch Doctor]

Just had steering stabilizer installed, I'm hoping that will take some of the floating out, my wife keep oversteering. I admit it didn't bother me at all but it was hell on her. I was told that there was a steering damper already on it, wrong there was nothing at all just rack and pinion. We will see, it differently wants to keep the front end straight. If we ever get a blow out this should really help the control. Bought it at Etrailer, took about 45 mins to install. Also changed the oil, it was really black for only 4500 miles on it. I put in Mobil 1 syenthic. I also was surprised how small the oil filter was. Just getting ready for a trip to Florida, starting to get cold here in Virginia.

[SSLance]

So it's been a while since we've done much with the RV (moving halfway across the Country will do that I guess) but we are back on it now. We took a week long trip to California in June to visit Paso Robles and watch a friend's car race at Sonoma. The trip was fun but we realized a few things that bothered us about the rig so I set about fixing them when we got back.

The cab has always had horrible wind and road noise and the California roads seemed to make them even worse (or maybe it was the long straight drive across the Mohave). I guess I was surprised at what I found when I pulled all the plastic trim out, but then again, maybe I shouldn't have been.

Not a stitch of sound deadening or insulation ANYWHERE in the cab under the trim.






Check out this craftsmanship



Up inside the cap, look at the fiberglass just screwed to the roof of the cab. NO sound insulation there or on the bottom side under the plastic headliner which just acts like a speaker\amplifier.



I have used products from Raamaudio before on my car so I picked up this package with about 40 sq ft of insulating barrier and 40 sq ft of ensolite sound deadener and got busy peeling and sticking.

Package # 1 -------- 20 Sheets of RAAMmat BXT II (37.5 sq ft) and 3 yards of Ensolite IUO Peel and Stick Foam (41.625 sq ft) - RAAMaudio Inc.







I also covered the top of the cab under the cap with the insulating barrier but didn't grab any pics of that.

I then put a layer of the sound deadener on the back side of all of the plastic trim pieces.



Notice the wires to the dome light held in place by mat, this will keep them from tapping on the inside of the headliner while hitting bumps.



I then picked up some plastic door edge trim from Autozone and put it along the front and back edge of the headliner where it meets (and digs into) the wood platform under TV. You can see it in this installed pic.



I had 4 pieces of mat left and one decent size sheet of foam so I put the rig all beck together and test drove it to see where to put the rest. The reduction in wind noise was noticeably better and the bump\rattle noise was 100% eradicated from the front cab portion of the RV. We still had some wind noise coming from behind the upholstered panels covering the transition from the cab to the house.

[SSLance]

I used the last few pieces of mat I had left to cover up the holes behind the upholstered trim pieces the best that I could.





And then gave the back of the upholstered pieces a covering of sound deadener as well (no pics).

The corners of the inside the cap got stuffed with leftover insulation and the panel behind the TV was covered with mat and sound deadener before reinstalling it. Basically my thought was to insulate the cab from the cap as best as I could from both the inside and the outside.

I haven't driven it again yet but I'm sure this helped with wind noise even more. The next culprit is the house door. Not sure what can be done to quiet it down as it's pretty thin. The top doesn't seal real well so may try some better weather strip up there first.

While I had the interior all apart I also permanently mounted the Big Foot control panel.



No more tripping over the stupid box under my feet... Yay!!

You also may have noticed the Compass \ Temp rear view mirror I also installed. No more touching the windows to see how hot or cold it is outside while driving down the road.



And finished up with a machine polish and fresh coat of wax on the cab and cap portion.



We'll head out on another trip soon and I'll report back on how the upgrades worked out. I know one thing, for sure it can't be any worse than it was before.

Hope you all are still out and enjoying your RVs...

[wahoonc]

Looking good!

I like the idea of how and where you mounted the Big Foot control panel.

As far as the wind noise behind the seats, carefully check the for the seal between the upper and lower section right behind the doors. Also the sealant, we had both issues. I am half deaf and could hear it. The foam seal was hanging out on the inside, so it was shoved back in place, then we found they had not completely sealed the seam on the outside. It caused a whistling sound at speed.

Heading out tomorrow for a few days in the mountains to get away from the heat here in the Sandhills.

Aaron

[SSLance]

Just made a quick 2580 mile round trip to KC and back and I must say the wind noise in the cab is greatly reduced and the bump noise is completely gone.

I now hear road noise from the rear tires and a bit of wind noise from the house door, which I'll address next.

Love my temp mirror mod, nice to watch the temps climb outside while you travel without using the old "feel the window with your hand" trick.

Speaking of temps...I think we are done taking the RV anywhere temps are going to be above 90 degrees the whole time. The AC struggles mightily to keep it comfortable in the house in temps like this and is SO noisy while it's trying. When we have to stop two hours before our final destination just to start the Genset to run the AC to start to cool the house down so we can sleep halfway comfortable...it gets old.

That said, did an 11 hour day followed by a 10 hour day to get home in a two day window and felt great when I climbed out of the seat at home. Love how this rig rolls down the road.

[wahoonc]

Sounds (pun intended) like I will be adding the sound deadening mod to my list!

What brand/source of the mirror did you use? I love that idea!

Check back in some of the older threads, at least one of the Texas members added a second air conditioner to the bedroom. They put in a 13.5 and ran a separate 20 amp line. If you are staying in campgrounds they usually have a power pole with 50/30/20 service, so you can use both the 30 amp and the 20 amp plugs. Or I don't see why you couldn't build a 50 amp adapter box.

Another couple of options, upgrade to 50 amps so you can run two units, or add a load management device to be able to run the two units.

I live on the East Coast so shade trees are readily available, won't camp without them in the summertime.

Aaron

[SSLance]

Originally Posted by wahoonc

What brand/source of the mirror did you use? I love that idea!

I picked it up years ago from a friend that junkyard shops a lot, I think it's out of a 2000ish GM car. He got me just the mirror and the temp sensor and I had to build the wire harness for it...but not that big of a deal. Hardest part was figuring out how to get the old mirror off the wedge without breaking the windshield.

Regarding the additional AC unit, I've thought about that and it could be done for sure but I don't think it would help with the noise issue when the AC is running constantly.

I don't like the huge temp swings with the thermostat either, seems like it's 4 or 5 degrees each direction between cycles. Has anyone ever seen a better higher end thermostats that will run the HVAC units in our rigs?

[wahoonc]

On the thermostat issue. No there aren't any aftermarket units to replace the stock POS. However, check the manual, you can close the gap to 2 degrees from the stock 4+. It does help... some.


Aaron