Hi Sergei, loved your pictures. sorry i cannot offer advice, as i am starting from ground zero with my Argosy. can tell you that a larger, higher tow vehicle is very comfortable on long driving days,,,, donna, dieterdog
Hi Sergei,, all sounds great,, good to see you post,,, cannot wait to see the finished product,, too bad about Mother Nature,,,,tis the nature of the beast you know,,, dieterdog
Saw it, read it, but forgot that I said essentially the same thing there as here. Must be a case of early old age!
__________________ Lew Farber -Certified Master RV Tech (currently on Forums sabbatical) WBCCI #1456/VAC (assoc) #1456 AIR # 10325 CHARTER MEMBER: FOUR CORNERS UNIT
We cut eight 2 5/8” holes in the centre panel of the trailer for the Zee-Puk Xenon down lights only to find that the original wiring for the unit runs all through that space.
So we did what we should have done in the first place: popped out the entire centre panel.
You will need help to do this. It’s one 20’ long piece of aluminum.
If you install new lighting this way, you can more easily run your new circuits and also avoid damaging the original wiring.
Two photos show the panel removed and the aluminum J mold extrusion that the centre panel snaps in and out of.
Four 18 w pot lamps to each 12v dimmer. The dimmers are by FriLight of Sweden.
Removing the panel also shows us that there is a nice 20” x 30” clear space near the front door, exactly were I would like to install a skylight.
We will price out the European caravan models against the marine type WEST MARINE sells here.
That will be a nice effect! I happen to know where you can get a screaming deal on a new Fantastic Fan with thermostat and rain sensor , now that you have the ceiling open. Check the classifieds .
__________________ Lew Farber -Certified Master RV Tech (currently on Forums sabbatical) WBCCI #1456/VAC (assoc) #1456 AIR # 10325 CHARTER MEMBER: FOUR CORNERS UNIT
The floor, neah the whole project looks stunning. Having a 24' Argosy I'm loving the pictures of the shell up rebuild. But I still don't how you're going to pull off towing all this down the road with the Sprinter. I love the size of these vans and since GM quite producing the Astro/Safari a couple of years ago I wonder what I'd replace our's with. One thing for certain I'd want more, not less capacity and the Sprinter is lacking everywhere but wheelbase.
Mercedes-Benz 2.7-liter turbodiesel engine at 154@3800rpm
243 pound-feet of torque @ 1800rpm
Payload capacities up to 3,011 pounds are available.
Towing capacity maxes out at 5,000 pounds.
Curb weight for the Sprinter 2557# for the mini + driver, fuel, etc. and the van's maxed. Generally that means a significant reduction in towing capacity. The stock Argosy 24 is ~4,000 dry and your talking about diesel gensets and supplies for living "off grid"?
You may be talking about the Sprinter VANS. (The payloads range from 3308 to 4824 pounds, depending on model).
I have the 158” wb CAB and CHASSIS. The curb weight is 4536 and the GVWR is 10,200 pounds.
The Combined Gross Weight Rating is 15,200 pounds.
The renewed ARGOSY will come in around 5000 pounds.
It will be tight but I’ve bought the truck and we’ll see how things work out.
I am comfortable with all of this.
No diesel genset by the way. I’m going “under the hood”, using the Sprinter’s optional Power Take-off. The belt driven generator weighs 32 pounds. ( Well, I guess maybe that is a diesel generator but it’s using the Sprinter’s Mercedes motor.)
I think a diesel-powered trailer – cook top, heater, water heater, will weight less than standard propane set up.
The main component, the WEBASTO diesel fired coolant heater, weighs only 6.5 pounds.
Looking at the specs for '07 it appears Chrysler is responding to the need for larger engines. After all, just about any province in Canada is way bigger than all of Europe. Shoot, we've got States the size of the whole continent! The 3.5 liter gasoline V6 is ho hum, but with the 3.0 liter V6 turbodiesel (184 hp (135 kW) and 295 lb-ft of torque) now we're talking!
Love the pictures, keep 'em coming. It's like a How-to manual for my trailer! How come you got a polarity light in your '76 and I didn't in my '78?
All I have for indicators is a battery charge that's sort of like an old stereo VU meter with red/yellow/green zones. No indicator from the Univolt for AC, at least not that I've found. Everything is located in the closet, street side back in the bathroom. Given the "shower" arrangement I'm not thrilled about it all being back there where mosture can get to it.
Marine panels seem to be big on the reverse polarity protection. I'd think it would be worth having. You're plugging into unknown sources on the road and if someone goofed on the wiring you could end up damaging some expensive electronics. Ideally it would indicate "Polarity OK" which would then be an AC connected light. I did a quick search on line last week but need to look into it more. The marine supply stores surprisingly didn't seem too out of line with their prices. Some of the panels had switches for "shore power" and generator; even a generator start button which would be discusstingly civilized matched up with a propane Yamaha with autostart . I think a low voltage alarm would be handy too, that's something that can be really hard on some equipment.
I guess it couldn’t hurt anything to keep the polarity light but the fact that your 79 does not have one helps convince me the light is outmoded stuff.
In the days before the lugs on standard plugs being two different widths and in the days before 3 prong plugs / outlets were universal, it probably was wise to have the light.
It will be very hard for me to plug the MARINCO 30 amp 3 prong cord into a very old 2-opening device.
Good idea about the 120 v /12 v combined distribution panels. I will check the marine catalogs to see what there is.
Marine stuff will mostly work in trailer applications. They are both forms of mobility. Marine things seem to be better built.
I think the point of the polarity light is that the outlet you're plugging into may be wired backwards. Who know's what "handy man" may have last worked on the wiring in the ma'n'pa campground outside Hooterville . That's the reason all the marine panels have them; you pull into a slip in Mexico or the Carribean and "code" is non-existant.
I think it's not in my '78 Argosy because it was a way to cut cost. I don't have an indicator light from the Univolt or any sort of tank gages either. The other possibility is it was removed by a PO. I do have a GFI main breaker and I'm pretty sure those weren't around back in '78.
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, now that you have the ceiling open. Check the classifieds
.
. I think a low voltage alarm would be handy too, that's something that can be really hard on some equipment.
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