And so it begins.......

[Unka Jack]

The Tuson controller is mounted and wired. Note the "drip loops" on the wires, this helps prevent any water following the wires background into the controller. As per the manual, the unit is waterproof. The loops are just added insurance.

This has been a week for wiring. I converted the scare light to LED. First I removed the original bayonet bulb mount, then ran new wires from the fixture back to the switch. I purchased some LED patch lights in blue from Amazon (
5-Pack Blue 5050 24SMD Led Panel Dome Light Lamp Auto Car Reading Interior Lamp DC 12V With T10 / BA9S / Festoon Adapters).
I then cut a disk to fit the blue lens from some scrap aluminium. The patches come with mounting foam on them, so I just drilled some holes for the wires and pressed them on.
I also put a slight bend on the bottom of the plate so it would aim some light towards the ground.
I then just soldered the wires I parallel to a heavier wire that could be crimped to the trailer wiring.
The plate was. Then placed into the lens
Then finally crimes to the new trailer wiring and attached.

I was quite pleased with the brightness.

[Unka Jack]

Oops, uploaded the same pic twice. Here is the pic showing the bend a little better.

[Unka Jack]

Hello again,
One of the decisions I made earlier is to split my DC system into two. The first will be the "house system". The second is the actual "trailer" portion. This includes the brakes, breakaway switch, electronic sway control, running lights, turn, brake, backup lights and a dedicated battery to run them. Here is a picture of the fully wired junction box at the front of the trailer.

All the connections are crimped heat shrunk and screwed into terminal blocks. Some might say overkill, but I can rest easy knowing it will be easier to troubleshoot if I have to. Also all the wires are colour coded with a legend on the inside of the cover for when I will inevitably forget what I've done.

[Unka Jack]

For the battery, I've decide to move the battery and box to the tongue of the trailer so that it will be close to the electric jack that's being installed. Found a box on Amazon that I liked, but didn't like the price. Went to my local welder and worked out a deal. I used up some of his scrap pile, did the cutting and bending, and he would do the seams.


For $30 CAD, I have a nice shiny aluminium diamond plate battery box. All I have to do is weld the brackets to the tongue.
When all is said and done I will be selling off the parts that were removed from the trailer that I no longer need.

[Unka Jack]

Battery box is now mounted. After getting it all together and dry fit, I had to redesign the frame and mounts. Turns out I didn't leave enough room to weld direct to the frame so I added tabs, drilled and tapped the frame and bolted it to the frame. In retrospect probably better that I can remove it if I have too.
The box only hangs 5 1/2 inches below the frame and is flush with the top.


Now that the trailer battery is installed, I added the power jack.
No more cranking!!!!
(Unless there's a problem)
Put the tanks on the tongue to check for fit and there's lots of room all the way around.
Another few jobs off the list which is happily getting shorter all the time..,

[Unka Jack]

The plastic has all been repaired, now off to the paint shop. After being given the final word by my other half that the TT must be ready for use for next spring, the decision to save time and spend money was made.
Here are some close ups of the repairs.

The crack was first joined together using MEK. Then a paste of ABS and MEK was made using some old cutout from the original end caps and some ABS plastic welding rods from Harbor Freight. After which the job of sanding down to an acceptable finish.

Just to show I can goof up royally, I made the original speaker cutout too big. Luckily, I was able to use the cutout to make a ring and bond it into place using the paste.
FYI, MEK is nasty stuff. I worked outside all the time and if there was no wind, I used a fan to blow away the fumes.
As soon as I get the parts back from the printshop, I'll post the after pictures. In case you're wondering, I asked the shop what they use and they said adhesion promoter and auto paint.

[NorCal Matt]

Thanks for the update Jack! Can't wait to see more!

[Unka Jack]

Finally the inside skins are going back up! The insulation is on. This winter I'll find out if my idea for a thermal break works. Thought long and hard about what I was going to use. Many ideas, foam tape, felt ribbon, thin wood etc popped up and were discounted for one reason or another. I finally decided on melamine tape the pre-glued kind used on shelf edging.
It went on easily using an electric heat gun and a welders glove.
Slowly but steadily it comes together...

[Unka Jack]

Just out of curiosity has anyone used Stainless Steel for inside skins? If so, how has it worked out? were there any problems with galvanic corrosion?
Thanks.

[rugjenkins]

Corrosion should not be an issue. SS is the number 1 fastener outside of aluminum rivets. Cost is the factor here. And so is the weight. But I like the idea.

[PurdyWagon]

Where did you buy the sealant removal discs and cutters? I find them in large quantities (40 discs) for hundreds of dollars. do you know anywhere to get smaller quantities for less money?

[Unka Jack]

I got them from Grainger. They may have to order them in.

[raphspeaks]

Originally Posted by Unka Jack

Finally remove the backing and apply to the cleaned tank side with a 1/4" top and bottom clearance. Be careful, you only get one shot. The sensors are to fragile too remove and reapply. With the sensors attached, just have to connect the wires. The beauty of this system, is that all the sensors are connected in parallel, only 2 wires.

Did you have any issues with the tank monitor sending unit next to that metal cross member? I've read that you'll get interference if not insulated from the frame.

[raphspeaks]

What a great thread! I'm going through a lot of what you did. Spending lots of time with a plasma cutter and a welder getting the last 8ish feet of thr rear back in order.

A wealth of knowledge here. Thanks for sharing.

[Unka Jack]

Originally Posted by raphspeaks

Did you have any issues with the tank monitor sending unit next to that metal cross member? I've read that you'll get interference if not insulated from the frame.

To be honest, I'm not at that point yet. I took advantage of having everything open during the repairs to install the system. I did follow the manufacturers advice of keeping the sensor 2" away from any nearby metal. The pictures may not show it very well as the driveway asphalt is almost the same colour as the rusted frame. The manual goes on to say that if it is too close, the usual effect is not showing empty when it is or fluctuating if being emptied or filled rapidly.

[Unka Jack]

Does anybody have any closeup pics of where the interior aluminium meets up with the front end cap? The only ones I have, have the curtains blocking which interior skin goes over or under the end cap.
Thanks

[2Rhinos]

What product did you use to insulate the floor? What was the process?

[Minno]

On our trailer, the end cap went on over the interior aluminum walls. I'd bet money that every trailer is different, depending on what technician put them in.

Kay

[Unka Jack]

2Rhinos, I used 2" styrofoam panels carved to size and fixed in with 2 1/2" screws and fender washers.

[Unka Jack]

Minno, on mine I know that the centre and upper panels went over the cap into a plastic moulding. It's the middle panel beside the window that I can't see in my pics. ( lesson to all, take way more pics than you think you'll need! ) If anybody has a pic of that it would be much appreciated.