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Old 05-26-2018, 03:00 PM   #1
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Isata 3 optional solar panels

Still researching, but the Isata 3 seems to be the best value for it's size.

The Isata 3 comes with a standard 1000 watt inverter. The optional solar panel comes with an 1800 watt inverter instead. What will the additional 800 watts do. Simply extend battery time, or allow you to use additional appliances?

Also, does the full wall slide place additional stress on the slide mechanism, and would it be better to add leveling jacks with the slide system
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Old 05-26-2018, 07:35 PM   #2
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I had 18 Isata 3 FW with the solar panels and levelers. I only had for 3 or 4
months and about 3500 miles. For me we had too many problems with it and
just cut our losses and moved on. The big problem was the slide it fail too many times and we just didn't trust it anymore. I only had a 1000 watt inverter so don't know about the 1800, but more is better.
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Old 05-26-2018, 10:07 PM   #3
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We have an 18 isata 3 FW, and love it, we have had a few minor problems as with any RV. We love it and have spent a lot of time in it camping and working in it, in remote locations along the west coast. We have the solar package and hyd levelers with propane gen. They all work well together and I would not trade it for any other product out there. The level of help/ information from other owners and Dynamax reps make this place and Dynamax Rvs above and beyond better than you can get elsewhere. There is always upgrades to make to an RV so find what will work for you. There is some great info on this forum, find what works for you and what doesn’t. The solar seems to keep the battery’s charged for our trips dry camping. And I would never go without the auto levelers, they are great. We haven’t had any major problems with our 24FW, and wish you luck. Happy camping!
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Old 05-27-2018, 01:15 AM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by okiebug13 View Post
I had 18 Isata 3 FW with the solar panels and levelers. I only had for 3 or 4
months and about 3500 miles. For me we had too many problems with it and
just cut our losses and moved on. The big problem was the slide it fail too many times and we just didn't trust it anymore. I only had a 1000 watt inverter so don't know about the 1800, but more is better.
I went to the Tampa RV Supershow last January to compare MB sprinter based RVs. While I liked the idea of a full wall slide of the Isata, the quality of the product compared to the LTV Unity wasn't there. The bathroom quality of the LTV is something Dynamax should try to benchmark towards.
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Old 05-27-2018, 07:20 AM   #5
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We were not price shoppers when we purchased our Isata 3. We looked at the LTV and it was just too small. They have a slide, but it's about a foot deep. We were also at the Tampa RV show and I saw about a dozen travel trailers I would rather own than a LTV.

But in the spirit of continuous improvement, looking at other lines is a great idea. Another place Dynamax might want to look is at the front profile design of the Navion 24G. That design in the front of the Isata 3FW would really be nice

Also, the Marbella cabinetry Winnie uses really looks high end. That with the artdeco design was nice.

When re-design time rolls around, I would have those ideas on the discussion list.
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Old 05-27-2018, 09:10 AM   #6
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I agree with Dave, Marbella curved cabinetry & latches, art deco,... not sure what they use for the mechanics of the slides.

We also liked the non-bunk front low-profile with shaded window, the compressor-based 12VDC/110VAC frig, the larger shower, 9" XITE, Remi blinds, heated drainage, Mercedes OEM fog lights, 12VDC TVs...

If the Winnie 24G had side windows in the rear bedroom slideout instead of the large rear window, the rear pass-thru storage of an RW, larger batteries, we would have gone that route.

We also considered going with a VIA 24T.

The Winnie 24G has been lengthened to 25'-8" with the rear slide retracted.
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Old 05-27-2018, 01:57 PM   #7
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Originally Posted by DanM33573 View Post
Still researching, but the Isata 3 seems to be the best value for it's size.

The Isata 3 comes with a standard 1000 watt inverter. The optional solar panel comes with an 1800 watt inverter instead. What will the additional 800 watts do. Simply extend battery time, or allow you to use additional appliances?

Also, does the full wall slide place additional stress on the slide mechanism, and would it be better to add leveling jacks with the slide system
I don't know if they offer an 1800W inverter anymore. My Isata 3 has a 1000W and it is fine for most things. I put an extra 200W of solar for a total of 400W. I too love my Isata 3 FW and have had a few problems but fixed them as they popped up. Never had to go to a dealer yet as I fixed everything myself which is what I prefer. My FW Slide is working just fine and I keep it well lubricated with dry lube on the tracks and silicon on the seals and rollers. 20,000 + miles and I wouldn't trade it for anything else.

My best upgrade to date are the Battle Born Lithium Batteries. For the two of them you save 80 lbs have twice the power and they maintain over 13V down to 20% state of charge. I can run my slide in and out all day without running the generator.
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Old 05-27-2018, 08:32 PM   #8
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No one answered

[QUOTE=DanM33573;1821545The Isata 3 comes with a standard 1000 watt inverter. The optional solar panel comes with an 1800 watt inverter instead. What will the additional 800 watts do. Simply extend battery time, or allow you to use additional appliances?[/QUOTE]
No one seems to have directly answered this question, so I will.

The "inverter" converts 12v battery power to 120v AC for appliances like a residential refrigerator, microwave oven, and appliances your family might like to bring along, like a curling iron or blow dryer or toaster. It's only important when you are "dry camping" or boondocking, with no pedestal to plug into.

This is where you start reading labels and learning about watts. A typical microwave is 1500 watts. You could not run it with a 1000 watt inverter. You could run it with an 1800 watt inverter, but you couldn't run much else with it. A hair dryer or toaster is probably also about 1500 watts, and a coffee maker isn't much less. A residential refrigerator is 1200-1400 watts. You couldn't run any two of these at the same time. With careful management, you could run any them all, just not together.

This leads to a second, more difficult question. If you're really serious about boondocking for an extended period of time, you have to figure out how much solar you need for the power use you expect (and how many batteries). The refrigerator uses 1200 watts, but not all the time. Maybe its duty cycle is 33%. If solar power generates an average of 400 watts over 24 hours, you can run the refrigerator indefinitely without drawing the battery down--if there are no cloudy or rainy days. Figuring out how to do this is the subject of many extended discussions on this and other forums, and I won't attempt to summarize it here.

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Old 05-29-2018, 11:59 AM   #9
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Originally Posted by DanM33573 View Post
Still researching, but the Isata 3 seems to be the best value for it's size.

The Isata 3 comes with a standard 1000 watt inverter. The optional solar panel comes with an 1800 watt inverter instead. What will the additional 800 watts do. Simply extend battery time, or allow you to use additional appliances?

Also, does the full wall slide place additional stress on the slide mechanism, and would it be better to add leveling jacks with the slide system
Solar option does not come with an 1800w inverter. I had to check my own price sheet to figure where you got that.

I know someone might have recommended it..to run a hair dryer or maybe microwave...but we never changed over.

I'm sure we could look at a custom request if we still carry the 1800 watt...but I think all the big stuff is switching over to the 2800 watt inverter/charger.
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Old 05-29-2018, 12:11 PM   #10
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Unless I am reading it wrong, a pdf was sent out last week comparing the Isata with several other RV's and it is listed near the bottom as an option
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Old 05-29-2018, 12:16 PM   #11
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The pdf is the Isata 3 Sprinter comparison.....Optional 2 Roof mounted 100w solar panels / 1800w inverter
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Old 05-29-2018, 12:26 PM   #12
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who sent it out?
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Old 05-29-2018, 12:33 PM   #13
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I believe you did....but I am not sure. I will try to attach
Attached Files
File Type: pdf Sprinter Comparison Grid Sheet1.pdf (103.5 KB, 83 views)
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Old 05-29-2018, 12:59 PM   #14
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more than likely, the 1800w Inverter upgrade with the Solar is for the additional outlets that might be powered thru the inverter, so that you can power more 120v items than the typical 1000w inverter that may be more for just the residential fridge.

Our rig has the Magnum 2000w inverter, and it powers ALL 120v outlets in the whole coach, including the fridge, microwave, etc. When on the Inverter(dry camping, or just parked), we can do basically anything we can do otherwise, with the obvious exception of air conditioning, since that would only be with the generator or shore power anyway. While the water heater is also 120v, it has a duel power with propane, so it can be used either way, or both at the same time.

If you think that you are really going to have a lot of time 'un plugged' where you don't want to be making use of your generator, then yes, it's a worth-while option... if you're just a 'weekender' and use the RV for vacations, then no, probably not.

Sometimes we forget that Solar is really the 'last' power source that we can make use of... meaning that while driving, the Alternator is charging your House batteries, the generator running charges the batteries, and when plugged into shore power, the batteries are being charged. Since solar power is ONLY for charging the batteries, it ONLY comes into play when neither of the other 3 are in use. That may be very seldom for many, even when traveling for weeks.
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Old 05-29-2018, 02:42 PM   #15
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I believe you did....but I am not sure. I will try to attach
I think one of my sales guy put that together...they should date that however as its fairly old.

In any event...yes, 1800W would not let you power anything any LONGER, but it would cover more devices, like a microwave.

We have tested a Keurig on the 1000W and frankly that's the only one I care much about. However...I am coming arodun to the idea of being able to run the toaster in the morning off the inverter. While making toast on a pan results in a much better product...it takes forever when I'm trying to make eggs. A 4 slide toaster is around 1600 watts.
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Old 05-29-2018, 02:55 PM   #16
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I think one of my sales guy put that together...they should date that however as its fairly old.

In any event...yes, 1800W would not let you power anything any LONGER, but it would cover more devices, like a microwave.

We have tested a Keurig on the 1000W and frankly that's the only one I care much about. However...I am coming arodun to the idea of being able to run the toaster in the morning off the inverter. While making toast on a pan results in a much better product...it takes forever when I'm trying to make eggs. A 4 slide toaster is around 1600 watts.


How do you make toast in a pan? That is a serious question.

I used to have those wire bread holder that were placed atop a gas burner. After that I used a long fork. Didn’t work well.
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Old 05-29-2018, 02:58 PM   #17
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Butter each side and fry it. like grilled cheese without the cheese. I guess it is more grilled bread than toast....but add some jelly and it works the same. Goes good with some eggs over easy.
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Old 05-29-2018, 03:05 PM   #18
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Butter each side and fry it. like grilled cheese without the cheese. I guess it is more grilled bread than toast....but add some jelly and it works the same. Goes good with some eggs over easy.
I had to eliminate butter and all spreads from my diet. I may try it with a little olive oil.

You put the jelly on before grilling?

This topic is far more useful to me than how many different programs I can have on multiple televisions at the same time in a space smaller than my living room.

No offense intended to those who are TV dependent. I am a recovered TV addict.
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Old 05-29-2018, 03:08 PM   #19
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No, jelly is after, just for those that want it.

For two pieces, I like one with jelly (simply fruit) and one with just butter. So the egg whites get eaten with the jelly one and the just butter is to sop up the yolk.

We cook a lot more with olive oil as well. land'O'lakes actually does a butter/olive oil hybrid that is easier to spread. We like that.but of course straight olive oil would work as well. Grill the bread up...not as dry as toast and doesn't get soggy like regular toast can as it sits. Gives you a nice caramelized glaze on the bread.
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Old 05-29-2018, 03:10 PM   #20
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I think one of my sales guy put that together...they should date that however as its fairly old.

In any event...yes, 1800W would not let you power anything any LONGER, but it would cover more devices, like a microwave.

We have tested a Keurig on the 1000W and frankly that's the only one I care much about. However...I am coming arodun to the idea of being able to run the toaster in the morning off the inverter. While making toast on a pan results in a much better product...it takes forever when I'm trying to make eggs. A 4 slide toaster is around 1600 watts.
My kurig pops the inverter as soon as it try’s to heat up. The only other thing plugged in is the tv and it’s not turned on. Mine is a single cup one and it’s new. It must draw more than 1000w. I haven’t tried the big one I have in the house.
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