Finally got my 400 Watts of Solar Installed on Travel Trailer

I won’t go into all of the details of the installation. I will touch on the things that I did different. I used the solar panels and the MPPT controler that I had installed on the motor home that I traded in. I purchased New Screws and heavy duty cables for the solar panels. I installed the solar Panels in a Series Parallel which for me is the best way for traveling down the road or days when I am parked in partial shade. The one thing I did different mounting the panels, was I put putty tape under the brackets before screwing them to the roof. Then I put dicor around the brackets and on the screws, insuring no water leaks.

Next I drilled a 3/4th inch Hole in the roof from inside one of the upper kitchen cabinets. Then I drilled a 3/4th inch hole in the side wall between the bathroom and the kitchen running the panel cables through a weatherproof Solar Double Entry Gland.

I Added a Wireless Backup Camera to my Travel Trailer

I added a RV Backup Camera Wireless HD 1080P with 7 Inch Monitor. It is a 4 Channel System with IR Night Vision, for my Travel Trailer. It will support 4 cameras. Got it off Amazon for $80. It works great with a color monitor. I got it to help me when backing up the trailer into a camping spot. It will come in real handy especially if I’m alone. The Camera and monitor kit came with everything That is needed for a simple install.

I installed the Camera on the back of the Travel Trailer about 4 inches below the center clearance light.

 

I drilled a 1/2 inch hole below the center clearance light. I removed the clearance light and fished a wire from the camera up to the clearance light and spliced the wires into the clearance light wires following correct polarity Positive and negative wires. I then mounted the camera bracket using sheet metal screws and sealed everything with a rv clear sealer.

Easy Way to Access Storage under Dinette Seat

I was tired of always having to remove the seat cushions in the dinette to access the items stored there. (mostly Kitchen stuff pots & pans) So I decided to cut a Opening in one end and add a door so I could just slide the tray out without having to remove the cushions on the dinette seat.

As you can see it was a pain to remove the cushions and lift up the seat to access the storage under the dinette seat. To remove the plastic tray I had to remove one of the seat cross members to get it out or install it. Since the tray sat on it’s lid It would slide easy if I cut a Opening for it to slide out the end.

Added Struts to Under Bed Storage

The lid for my under bed storage compartment did not have any struts to help lift it up. with the new Cool Gel Memory Foam Mattress it was just to heavy to try and lift and hold it up with one hand while getting something out or putting something in. The old mattress was a Stuffed Cotton Rag and did not weigh very much. Thats why no struts. So I decided to add struts.

New Cool Gel Memory Foam Mattress now to add some 67Lb struts.

I did it Again Part Two of Two Parts

As I said in Part One I traded my Motor Home and purchased a Small Travel Trailer. It is a 2019 Keystone Hideout 178LTS. Why a Travel Trailer you may ask? Because of the wifes illness and the motor home not being used, I decided to get a small Travel Trailer to be used for short trips and camping and fishing. I wanted something small and light weight to tow behind my Jeep Grand Cherokee which with the 5.7L V-8 engine which can tow a 5K to 7K Travel Trailer easy. Like I said in Part One I’ll always have a RV, and I like to work on them and modify them to suit my needs. So the 2019 Keystone fit my needs perfectly. I did not want a new one or one that was built from 2020 to present as they are mostly junk and poorly built. I wanted one with a good sized bathroom, which was one of the short comings in the Axis motor home that I had.