2021 Freedom Express 257BHS Mod Thread

[distracto]

In this thread I will be posting all the mods we have done to our 2021 FE 257BHS. These were all done to make the trailer just right for us, and to align with our camping style. While we do a fair bit of full service camping, we also tend to boondock for long periods of time, so we wanted that experience to be comfortable and feel like we were hooked up. Hopefully this thread helps others with their modifications.

We chose the 257BHS for it's decent cargo carrying capacity and wide axles as we wanted to get things out of the truck and load up the coach with our gear.

One of the big items was to get the bikes off the tailgate and onto the trailer. I've added hitch receivers on my previous trailers and know enough not to use the trailer bumper as it is weak sauce.

In the past I've had a shop weld a cross member to the frame and then weld a receiver to that. This time I did something similar, but with a prefab part. It is by Ultra-Fab https://ultra-fab.com/product/accessory-adapter/ This is a telescoping cross member which welds to the fore and aft running frame rails. The shop added some extra gussets along the rear frame rail and then once it had been welded to the sides, they welded the telescoped opening to keep it from twisting inside itself.



I have been very happy with the work they did, so a big shout out to the shop in Chilliwack, BC - Trademasters https://vehiclesolutions.ca/

I also added a Jack-it 2 bike rack to the a-frame to carry our e-bikes or kids' kayaks https://store.lci1.com/jack-it-doubl...em-429756.html. In my solar install (https://www.forestriverforums.com/fo...o4-238536.html) I moved the batteries from the tongue to under the bed so the lithiums wouldn't "go for a walk", and to clear up space on the tongue for storage. For boondocking trips with all the gear, I have two Scepter 5 gallon cans for fresh water on the tongue along with the kayaks or e-bikes which helps to balance the load of the rear bike rack. The wide space axles also help mitigate any teeter tottering from fore and aft loading.



We travelled quite a fair bit last season fully loaded and had no issues with sway while towing or bouncing from the rack. I do plan to get an observation camera to watch the bikes while driving and for security at night, but that's for later.

[distracto]

After a battle with the 12v Everchill fridge, I decided to add to the factory installed 175w panel and 30a controller. For our boondocking, having the solar and large amp hour battery reserve was important to keep us worry free with that fridge and other energy usage.

In order to keep costs down, I added a second controller instead of buying a larger controller to replace the Jaboni 30a that came from the factory. I added a 200watt Renogy panel in parallel (knowing there would be some losses) with the 175w panel that came from the factory and wired them to the existing 30a controller. I then added two identical Eco Worthy 195w panels to a new ePever 30a controller. Both controllers are MPPT.

A second benefit to the two controllers is that if one set of panels is in the shade, the other set will not be affected by that.

Here is an image of the roof now



For the 200w panel I added to the front, I was able to add splitters to the existing cable entry gland and tie it in to the existing wiring no problem.



For the two new rear panels, I had to penetrate the roof to add the new wiring. I chose to go down through the pantry as it is full height and was the only place in the trailer I could get a clean line straight down to the underside of the trailer without running exposed wires on the inside. After many measurements and re-measurements and them measuring again for good measure (ha!) I cut back the roof membrane and drilled a hole into my brand new roof. I was then able to run the wires down through the pantry and through the floor.



To get through the bottom of the pantry to the underside of the trailer I measured in from the outside wall and was able to drill up through the floor and into the space below the bottom of the pantry. Luckily there is a receptacle on the bottom of the pantry so I removed that to help fish up the wires. I found it easier to fish up from the underside and pass them up through the roof than start at the roof and pull the wires down.



I ran a straight shot of #8 AWG cabling from the roof to the front pass through and then into the space under the bed where the final connections were made. I was able to keep all the wiring on the outside of the underbelly, saved me from having to pull it all down, plus there was a perfect opportunity to use existing holes in the steel gussets as cable management.

[distracto]

Once I had all the wiring re-routed to the underside of the bed, I laid out my devices and connectors on a sheet of plywood and mapped out where everything would go. I didn't want a big mess of wires, so I did my best to lay it out so that no wires crossed and it was easy to trace and make my connections.




I then took my two new 170ah Renogy LiFePO4 batteries to my bench, hooked them up to my NOCO charger, brought them each up to 100% charge, then paralleled them and hooked them up to the NOCO charger again and ran them through another charge cycle.



I then put them under the bed and made all my final connections, adding a Victron Smart Shunt into the mix to monitor power usage.



I had a 1000w modified sine wave inverter kicking around so I connected that to the system, but plan to get a 3000w Pure Sine Wave in the future.

We ran this system for two months and based on the smart shunt's information, we haven't dipped below 75% capacity.

I still have a lot to learn, but am very pleased with how this project turned out, and it is a great start to an off grid solution. One more 170ah battery and the new inverter and I should be ready for the zombie apocalypse!

[distracto]

I don't like keeping the poop hose in the bumper, I've seen too many fly out during travel. I had this Plano box and brackets from my old trailer, so I simply mounted it onto the bumper of my new trailer.

Inside it holds the Rhino 45 elbow with blaster (useless on this trailer as there is an elbow in the line leading to the black tank - so not a straight shot for the blaster), spray wand, black tank only hose, gloves, hand sanitizer, extra length of stinky slinky, and other black tank stuff.

It sits on the bumper and is reinforced with two angle shelf brackets. I used self tappers to secure the brackets to the bumper, and oversized washers on the inside to secure the box itself to the bumper. It lives on the same side as the tank flushes so keeps dump time pretty simple.

[Piney]

Nice work- neatness counts for future t-shooting efforts

[distracto]

As we love to boondock, air movement is key. When we bought this trailer one of the things we were looking for was sliding windows as our old 2015 Jayco White Hawk 23MBH had the frameless ones which were terrible for air flow and cross breezes.

This Freedom Express came with two 14" vents, one in the bathroom with a small fan and one in the bedroom with no fan. I wanted to maximize the air flow, so I replaced both vents with MaxxAir fans. I've used them before and love them. I love that they have 10 speeds so while conserving battery, you can still create a good amount of air exchange on the lowest setting and when battery doesn't matter too much you can have them full boar.

There was a sale on the remote controlled one (00-07500K), so i picked that up from Amazon and bought the standard one (00-06200K) from my local shop (North Shore RV - great little shop on the North Shore of Vancouver, BC). I put the remote one in the bedroom and the manual one in the bathroom. Idea was that at night I would have the bedroom one set to intake at the same or slightly lower than the bathroom set at exhaust. During the day i could have them both at max exhaust (or bathroom always slightly higher), and open the windows that are in the shade to create a lot of air flow to keep us cool.

The trick to this install was finding power for the bedroom fan. The bathroom was easy as there was already 12V for the factory fan. So I figured I would use the feed for the lights. I pulled the inside flange down and sure enough, there were the 12v wires for the lights. I T-tapped off them to power the new fan. Of course this was a switched feed, so I needed to find a solution that the lights could be off but the fan could be on. I replaced both lights with push button style so I could keep the switch powered on, and then turn the lights on individually. This was a better solution for the lighting control anyways, I don't always need both bedroom lights on, so it is nice now that we can just have one on to conserve battery and not be forced to have both on. I wish they came like that from the factory!

Here are some pics of the install:

Original vent removed, and surrounding roof material cleaned of old sealant and ready for install


MaxxAir fan frame inserted and ready for fan body


While i had the vents out I made sure the factory actually installed the radiant barrier material, this is the silver membrane to help reflect roof heat


Ready for the interior flange


Completed fans from the inside



All sealed up with Dicor non sag sealant and ready to go!

[W5CRE]

distracto , I take it you aren't aware that the frameless windows can be adjusted and do a much better job keeping the rain out.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XnQ3nsxWPDc

[distracto]

I also added a Jack-it 2 bike rack to the a-frame to carry our e-bikes or kids' kayaks . In my solar install, I moved the batteries from the tongue to under the bed so the lithiums wouldn't "go for a walk" and to clear up space on the tongue for storage.

For boondocking trips with all the gear, I have two full Scepter 5 gallon cans for fresh water on the tongue along with the kayaks (or e-bikes) which helps to balance the load of the rear bike rack. The wide space axles also help mitigate any teeter tottering from fore and aft loading.

[distracto]

Originally Posted by W5CRE

distracto , I take it you aren't aware that the frameless windows can be adjusted and do a much better job keeping the rain out.

Yes W5CRE, I had done some research on that after a scorching trip to the interior of BC in our old trailer. I never did get around to doing it before we sold the trailer.

I still like the sliding panes for maximum air flow, but the rain deterrent is a great reason to "fix" those frameless windows.

[Rolland]

distracto, I'm curious if you've posted the work in moving the Lithiums under the bed? I'm about a year from swapping to Lithiums and considering doing the same kind of thing. No plans at this part to add in an inverter,

Thanks in Advance!

[distracto]

Hey Rolland, basically I rerouted the wiring that was at the battery up through the floor of the pass through and then fastened them up and out of the way and into the space under the bed. I had to make some splices to extend the length. Did that with crimpers and solder.





I will try to do a more in depth write up on how I did it. Not sure how many pictures I took along the way, though.

[Rolland]

Thanks for the photos and info!

[Sammici]

X2 for the pictures! I did a setup in the pass through last year but was never happy with it. Mostly because of the difficulty using the small compartment door access or removing our mattresses and plywood. I just picked up a 200 AH Lifepo4 and dreaded the idea of putting in the pass through and making all new upgraded connections.

After seeing your picture, my DW just gave me permission to move it all under the storage area at the foot of the bed which will be much easier to wire up. Thanks!

[distracto]

That's awesome.

When I ordered my batteries from Battery Hookup, they came in two shipments and we had a trip planned before the second shipment came. I initially installed the single battery in the pass through thinking that's where they would live.... Man that was awkward trying to make all the final connections leaning into that small space!

Never mind that renogy uses a screw down method instead of posts for their terminals, that was extra annoying to make the final connections. I ended up wrapping electrical tape around the ends of anything metal - like my socket wrenches - so they wouldn't inadvertently short out the battery when tightening down the lugs.

[distracto]

After one too many (OK it was two) late night check ins with my wife holding flashlights and a few struggles, I finally got around to installing the two LED floods I had kicking around my garage for a while.




I went from finding a rocker switch to using a panel with USB ports, cigarette lighter adaptor, and 4 switches. This is what I used. Perhaps a little overkill, but gives me charging at the outdoor table that mounts to the side, as well as a 12V port to use to charge inflatables and other items.



Our unit has an aluminum skirt, so that was an easy choice for mounting the panel as I was not going to install anything in the side wall. With the aluminum being fairly thin, i needed some backing to mount to, as well as a way to protect the wiring in the back from moisture and road debris. I came up with the solution to use an exterior rated plastic junction box with the back cut out, this would both protect the wires and connections as well as give the panel something to mount to.

[distracto]

I made the connections in the box, and ran the wires enclosed in wire loom tight to the frame to the rear bumper. The power I stole from the unswitched side of the power stabilizers.



I also then took the time to clean up some of the wiring near the back of the trailer.



So far it works really well. I can switch each light individually so I don't have to blast light everywhere when I don't need to or want to. The extra switches I already have some ideas for - one of which is to install a small marker light under the stairs. Even though I have both an awning light as well as an amber entrance light, something small and discrete will be nice for those buggy sites where we don't want to attract every flying bug to our front door.

I may rewire the whole thing so I can turn off the whole panel when not in use to save batteries, but haven't decided yet.

[distracto]

After having to tighten the plastic screw in plug on the pex end of the low point drain one too many times, I installed a valve as most people have done. While doing this I decided to add a threaded end to attach a spray port for washing off bikes and surf boards etc. On the hot I added a threaded end so I can cap it to keep dirt and road debris at bay.

When we are on city water, I just use a "Y" fitting on the pedestal for max pressure to wash items, but when boondocking, this will give me the ability to spray things with a higher pressure stream than the outdoor shower.

I braced the pex to the underside of the bumper in two places to prevent any twisting on the other connection points.

[distracto]

The wife was tired of the black that is the bedside closet so I built some shelves. They go all the way to the back wall (front cap) and are pressure fitted so no screws into the outside walls. She found some baskets at the dollar store and she's a happy camper now. We left my side as is in case we need to hang anything, plus that's where the laundry hamper resides....

Also added some backing to strengthen the thin wall beside her head - and now I can mount a shelf or basket for miscellaneous items like phone, headphones, books, etc.