E-Pro 12rk

kk5fe · 03-17-2019, 09:10 AM

My son in law and daughter just bought a new Epro 12rk and like some on here said, the sales guy doesn’t know that much about them. I see from some posts that the fridge will run on the battery inverter which would be awesome. I asked about that when we were at the dealer and the sales guy said he would have to check... he thought it was just 110volt.... which it true but he didn’t seem to know about the inverter. Is that true?
They will be picking it up this coming Saturday and I’ll go along and will make sure either way and have them test everything. (Which really isn’t that much....)
The other thing I think they would be interested in is the ARB awning some of you have used. Looks pretty nice. I need to look more into how to install that. If anyone has installed that and has photos of the process please post them. I’d love to see it.
Thanks all!.

SeaDog · 03-18-2019, 08:20 AM

Looking at the specs for that rig I didn't see where an inverter was offered. The 12rk does come with a 3 way frig Gas,110V, 12V. could it be you are talking about the converter?

kk5fe · 03-18-2019, 09:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SeaDog

Looking at the specs for that rig I didn't see where an inverter was offered. The 12rk does come with a 3 way frig Gas,110V, 12V. could it be you are talking about the converter?

Thanks for the reply. I’m not sure which specs your looking at. The E-Pro 12rk comes with a straight 110 volt fridge. The specs from the factory say the 12rk doesn’t come with a 3 way. Plus there is no propane system at all. No heater or water heater.
I’ve read that it does have a 12vdc to 110ac inverter to keep the fridge running while driving. I didn’t see that from the specs and was asking if anyone that has one could verify. Either way they will find out when they pick it up. If it doesn’t have one it’s easy enough to add one. They aren’t that expensive.

SeaDog · 03-18-2019, 10:21 AM

You know better then me maybe I read the specs from FR wrong I was looking at this page at the bottom for standards and options. http://www.forestriverinc.com/brochu...robrochure.pdf

kk5fe · 03-18-2019, 11:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SeaDog

You know better then me maybe I read the specs from FR wrong I was looking at this page at the bottom for standards and options. http://www.forestriverinc.com/brochu...robrochure.pdf

Ha! No worries my friend. Honestly I had to look it over a couple times to see how they worded it.
Also I just saw you’re retired Navy. Thank you for that. My Dad was Navy during WWII. Aviation Ordinance in the Solomon’s

D.B. Cooper · 04-09-2019, 04:38 PM

We are researching this trailer also. You are very correct, there is a lot of conflicting info on this model and sales people will give you different answers. What did you find out about how the refrigerator is powered? Is it able to run on battery power while on the road? Also, how is the battery recharged? Thanks for any help.

kk5fe · 04-09-2019, 05:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by D.B. Cooper

We are researching this trailer also. You are very correct, there is a lot of conflicting info on this model and sales people will give you different answers. What did you find out about how the refrigerator is powered? Is it able to run on battery power while on the road? Also, how is the battery recharged? Thanks for any help.

Hello! Yes we found out lots of info after my son in law picked it up.
So while the fridge is a 110vac only, the outlet Is connected to an inverter. I actually believe a couple outlets are. So the fridge does run on battery power. The unit came with two 12vdc batteries.
The batteries charge two ways. Either when it’s connected to shore power at home or in a park or while connected to your vehicle while driving similar to any other camper.
We are meeting them this weekend at an RV Park not far from here with our camper and they will be in theirs. I’ll have more time to go over it then if you have any other questions.

Dn0el · 08-07-2019, 07:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kk5fe

Hello! Yes we found out lots of info after my son in law picked it up.
So while the fridge is a 110vac only, the outlet Is connected to an inverter. I actually believe a couple outlets are. So the fridge does run on battery power. The unit came with two 12vdc batteries.
The batteries charge two ways. Either when it’s connected to shore power at home or in a park or while connected to your vehicle while driving similar to any other camper.
We are meeting them this weekend at an RV Park not far from here with our camper and they will be in theirs. I’ll have more time to go over it then if you have any other questions.

Hi. We just bought a used EPRo 12rk. We are still trying to figure out a few things. I think I can run the fridge while driving if it is plugged directly into the inverter. Are you certain the batteries charge while on shore power? We were told they only charge when driving.

**bikendan** · 08-07-2019, 07:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dn0el

Hi. We just bought a used EPRo 12rk. We are still trying to figure out a few things. I think I can run the fridge while driving if it is plugged directly into the inverter. Are you certain the batteries charge while on shore power? We were told they only charge when driving.

All RVs come with a CONverter, which charges the battery when plugged into shore power.

kk5fe · 08-07-2019, 11:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dn0el

Hi. We just bought a used EPRo 12rk. We are still trying to figure out a few things. I think I can run the fridge while driving if it is plugged directly into the inverter. Are you certain the batteries charge while on shore power? We were told they only charge when driving.

Someone already answered but yes the battery charges on shore power. Really wouldn’t make sense that it wouldn’t charge on shore power. If so depending on what you have running, you may only get a couple three days out of the battery.

Dn0el · 08-08-2019, 04:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kk5fe

Someone already answered but yes the battery charges on shore power. Really wouldn’t make sense that it wouldn’t charge on shore power. If so depending on what you have running, you may only get a couple three days out of the battery.

Yes, it only makes sense! We picked up the trailer and used it that night. No shore power. We only got an hour out of the battery running just a few lights. I am going to leave it plugged in at home and see how we make out this weekend.

kk5fe · 08-08-2019, 11:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dn0el

Yes, it only makes sense! We picked up the trailer and used it that night. No shore power. We only got an hour out of the battery running just a few lights. I am going to leave it plugged in at home and see how we make out this weekend.

Sounds like the battery was almost dead to begin with if it just lasted an hour. Or it’s bad but plug it in first to check.

Dn0el · 08-10-2019, 09:31 AM

So. We are all set on our first outting. The 12rk pulls great. At home getting set up the fridge ran great on shorepower. When I hooked up to the truck and switched to the inverter it seemed to stay running. Now that we are at our unserviced site the inverter kicks out when I plug in the fridge. The three green lights blink and two go red. When I unplug the fridge I can reset the Inverter no problem. The inverter is 700watts, I know some early 12rk had 300watts and needed upgrading. Any suggestions on the issues or how to correct it? The trailer has 1 12v battery btw.

Dn0el · 08-13-2019, 05:49 AM

Just an update. My neighbour pointed out that my battery terminals/connections had some corrosion. I cleaned that up. Yesterday I unplugged from shorepower and was able to run the fridge on battery/inverter. It may have been the corrosion or the battery may have need to be charged after laying up at the dealer for weeks/months, or a combination of both. Now I want to see how long we can run on just the battery. We’ll try in a couple of weeks. I want get my set up so we can go three nights on battery/solar only.

Bev4banff53 · 08-20-2019, 04:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by D.B. Cooper

We are researching this trailer also. You are very correct, there is a lot of conflicting info on this model and sales people will give you different answers. What did you find out about how the refrigerator is powered? Is it able to run on battery power while on the road? Also, how is the battery recharged? Thanks for any help.

Ditto about the the conflicting info from sales people. None of them seem to know anything about it. It was like pulling teeth to find out how the fridge runs and if the unit comes with batteries or propane, or whatever.

However, the fridge is powered by battery while on the road. I actually have two 6 volt deep-cell batteries in sync and they will power my fridge without shore power for about 3 days. (Just can't run the microwave without shore power.) I make sure that my battery power doesn't drop below halfway.

But, I must say that I did have another huge issue with my unit. I bought my brand new E-pro in April of 2018. I put 9000 miles on it - over 3 separate trips. Then a year later, by chance I happened to open up the kitchen area and was shocked to see that the cubby that the microwave sits in was in the process of "falling down" from the inside ceiling of the kitchen! Had I driven down the road and hit even a slight bump, the cubby and the microwave would have come tumbling down! The quality control of the build of my unit was obviously pretty poor. Fortunately, Forest River covered the repairs at no charge to me. I haven't had the opportunity to take it on the road since the repairs, but if this happens again, I will steer clear of Forest River forever!

kk5fe · 08-20-2019, 05:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bev4banff53

Ditto about the the conflicting info from sales people. None of them seem to know anything about it. It was like pulling teeth to find out how the fridge runs and if the unit comes with batteries or propane, or whatever.

However, the fridge is powered by battery while on the road. I actually have two 6 volt deep-cell batteries in sync and they will power my fridge without shore power for about 3 days. (Just can't run the microwave without shore power.) I make sure that my battery power doesn't drop below halfway.

But, I must say that I did have another huge issue with my unit. I bought my brand new E-pro in April of 2018. I put 9000 miles on it - over 3 separate trips. Then a year later, by chance I happened to open up the kitchen area and was shocked to see that the cubby that the microwave sits in was in the process of "falling down" from the inside ceiling of the kitchen! Had I driven down the road and hit even a slight bump, the cubby and the microwave would have come tumbling down! The quality control of the build of my unit was obviously pretty poor. Fortunately, Forest River covered the repairs at no charge to me. I haven't had the opportunity to take it on the road since the repairs, but if this happens again, I will steer clear of Forest River forever!

Par for the course.... I’m guessing this is your first camper? Reason is there are no campers that are perfect. They all have shoddy workmanship. I’ve owned three different campers by different manufacturers since 2004. I know many other people that own other brands and all have had their share of issues that maybe shouldn’t have happened.
It’s a lightweight house on wheels that gets pounded as it goes down the street. Somethings going to give.
Don’t get me wrong... I’m not saying it right or giving them a pass. I’m just saying that if you didn’t go back to forest river for this, then you may as well hang it up. They all have problems. Honestly forest river is one of the better ones that I’ve seen.

Dn0el · 08-20-2019, 06:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bev4banff53

Ditto about the the conflicting info from sales people. None of them seem to know anything about it. It was like pulling teeth to find out how the fridge runs and if the unit comes with batteries or propane, or whatever.

However, the fridge is powered by battery while on the road. I actually have two 6 volt deep-cell batteries in sync and they will power my fridge without shore power for about 3 days. (Just can't run the microwave without shore power.) I make sure that my battery power doesn't drop below halfway.

But, I must say that I did have another huge issue with my unit. I bought my brand new E-pro in April of 2018. I put 9000 miles on it - over 3 separate trips. Then a year later, by chance I happened to open up the kitchen area and was shocked to see that the cubby that the microwave sits in was in the process of "falling down" from the inside ceiling of the kitchen! Had I driven down the road and hit even a slight bump, the cubby and the microwave would have come tumbling down! The quality control of the build of my unit was obviously pretty poor. Fortunately, Forest River covered the repairs at no charge to me. I haven't had the opportunity to take it on the road since the repairs, but if this happens again, I will steer clear of Forest River forever!

I am about to test how long I can go running the fridge on one 12v battery. Would I get more time out of 2x 6v batteries? Could you post a pic of how you have them set up? If I could get 3 days I would be all set. We rarely go longer than three days at a time right now.

Bev4banff53 · 08-20-2019, 08:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kk5fe

Par for the course.... I’m guessing this is your first camper? Reason is there are no campers that are perfect. They all have shoddy workmanship. I’ve owned three different campers by different manufacturers since 2004. I know many other people that own other brands and all have had their share of issues that maybe shouldn’t have happened.
It’s a lightweight house on wheels that gets pounded as it goes down the street. Somethings going to give.
Don’t get me wrong... I’m not saying it right or giving them a pass. I’m just saying that if you didn’t go back to forest river for this, then you may as well hang it up. They all have problems. Honestly forest river is one of the better ones that I’ve seen.

You are correct; this is my first RV. And, I am aware of the shoddy workmanship; I have two brothers who own RVs (one has FR Class C and the other has a Class A) and they both have had numerous issues. I guess I was just venting, because, yes, I will probably buy another RV one day in the future (there is a Class C that I am drooling over at the moment). At any rate, I am just glad that I caught the issue before my whole rear kitchen was completely damaged!

Bev4banff53 · 08-20-2019, 09:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dn0el

I am about to test how long I can go running the fridge on one 12v battery. Would I get more time out of 2x 6v batteries? Could you post a pic of how you have them set up? If I could get 3 days I would be all set. We rarely go longer than three days at a time right now.

I have no idea if you would get more time out of 2 6v batteries than 1x 12 volt, but I can bet there will be someone on this forum that will know! I'll try and get a pic or two for you in the next couple of days of how mine are set up (my hubby did it for me), but it may take me a bit to figure out how to post the pic to this forum. (Can't recall how to do that....sorry!). Anyway, I'll be in touch. I know that I do have a short video of him hooking the batteries up...maybe I can get that posted here and that would be even better.

Dn0el · 09-05-2019, 01:48 PM

Just hooked up a 100w solar panel by nono.
Cloudy day and it is holding the battery at 12.4v with the fridge running. I've used the bike rack to mount it for now, not for travelling. I am pleased with the set up so far. My goal is 3 days run time for the fridge off grid.

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