Just remember, Ford states that 91+ should be used while towing. It is in the owner's manual.
My manual recommends, it does not require. While I try to use it when under load, I have been places I was glad to even get 87, and still towed just fine.
I didn't say they stated it was "required". "Should" and "recommended" are about the same.
that's a lot of solar panels - did you calculate the power requirements from the get go or add solar panels as needed ? I'm currently at 300 w solar panels and 300 ah batteries and will add 1 or 2 more 100w solar panels, mostly sunny days where I camp and don't need to run the AC when boondocking. I would like to get sufficient power to run the microwave though, but that also is not a necessity.Easiest thing to do is scrap the factory and start over, this is where ours is now.
Impressive, I won't ask how much you put into it, but better to never run out of juice, especially if you have wife and kids .Well, I fell victim to MASSIVE scope creep when I set up the system.
My original intent was to run the fridge when preparing to leave or between trips. About 400w worth of panels and a single big AGM will cover that pretty nicely.
I basically ended up with all the panels that would fit reasonably (Although I do have room for 2 more 200w panels, I don't know if I'll do that or not.) So 1200 watts worth of panels on top and the 400w on the ground....)
Here's where I ended.
3000va worth of inverter (Think 3000 watts give or take). The Victron will power up everything in the coach with ease. It is a beast of a unit and anyone thinking of doing a 'big' solar project or really anything where you remotely think you'll want to run ac or microwave, the Victron is the only way to fly. Expensive, yes, but it has some features that are extremely hard to find (Power assist being the #1 feature. It is out there, but you're going to pay big for it)
Enough battery/inverter that I can power the AC for around 3 hours with no sun and no truck charging. Meaning for our short weekend trips, in the summer, in GA, I can turn the AC on when we leave and when we get to our campsite it will have cooled the thing down some. First world problems, I know. With some solar input and truck charging that run time will be extended of course.
Not to mention, all of the Victron stuff works together sooooo very well.
If anyone wants to poke around my solar data, feel free:
https://vrm.victronenergy.com/installation/488934/share/26ec45af
I will never ever again melt a 30 amp connector on a parks crappy connection. I limit my AC input to 24 amps and the Victron will kick in the rest when needed. I can actually power everything in the camper off of a 15 amp circuit if I want so long as the loads are semi-intermittent.
Here's an example. AC and Electric water heat are on, and I've limited the AC input to (something, I don't remember exactly, maybe 20 amps?). It is pulling the make-up current from the battery bank. As soon as the water heater is finished, it will switch over and charge the batts. Totally automatic, no input from me needed.
I also run some circuits in the house when the camper is parked and idle, that's where the 400w worth of ground panels come in. I'd installed a generator panel a while back that runs 6 circuits in the house. It is a simple matter to run a 30a TT cord from the camper back to the house and power them at will. This summer it will be powering the mini split in my master bedroom. I should have plenty of spare power to run it with the longer days.
At the risk of going on forever, here's my build thread over on an RV Forum.
https://rvthe.us/community/threads/26djse-solar-upgrade.896/
Random additional picture. Here we are doing a bit of a load test. I don't do this very often because I used leftover car audio wiring I had from back in the day and only had enough for a single 1/0AWG run to the Inverter. Plans are afoot to double that, I've actually already got the cable, I just have to find the time.
Lol, I have no idea. I did try and shop smart, but there's no getting around Victron being pricey, but you do get what you pay for with them.
Our set up is an old '88 Prowler Lynx 18 ft travel trailer (4100 GVWR). Haven't hooked the Ranger up to it yet since I bought the Ranger last August after camping season for us. I bought a 2000w Champion generator several years ago to charge batteries back up and phones since we camp off grid on USFS land here in north Idaho. Works well. Yes, it makes a little noise but run it sometime during the day and the batteries are good all night for the furnace. Our fridge runs on propane when we don't have power. The solar option would be nice for the batteries but this works for us pretty well. Old school and simple.
