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07-07-2013, 02:57 PM
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#1
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Junior Member
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Fredericksburg, VA
Posts: 5
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Mods, additions, and better ideas.....maybe....
We picked up or 246RBS last March and we really love the unit. I’ve had it to hunting camp twice and the wife and I just got back from our second trip to the beach. But after living in it for more than seven weeks, I’ve found a few things that were, shall we say, lacking in design. So over the last year I’ve made a few mods, additions, and adaptations. Here’s a list with pics. I apologize for the collages, but I figured that was better than more pics.
First, I made some cribbing out of 2X3s to help stabilize the stabilizing jacks. It shortens their throw and gives them a bigger footprint. And it all fits nicely in a milk crate that I store it in the pass through.
Second, the cribbing doubles as leveling ramps. If the pad/site is level, I use a single stack ramp on each back wheel. If the pad/site isn’t level, I use a single or double stack ramp on the low side to level the unit. Best part about the ramps is, with chalks, it cradles the wheels and immobilizes them as well as x-chalks.
Third, I did lots of research on-line about the wastewater totes and wasn’t impressed. And seeing them in action only confirmed my doubts. LONG story short, I made my own gray water tote with a 35 gallon water storage tank, a few hoses, a sewer termination cap with a garden hose adapter, a PVC ball valve, and a water pump. Set the empty tank on your tailgate, pump your gray water into it, drive to the nearest dump station open the valve and drain it. Total cost was less than a 30-gallon tote, everything stores in the water tank, the tank fits perfectly on the right side of the bed for storage and keeps the drawers closed during transit (see mod seven)!!!
Fourth, I installed an inside/outside thermometer. I use the removable two sided stick-up strips to hang the outside unit outside the door so I can easily remove it during transport.
Fifth, I replaced the thermostat with a digital/programmable unit. It keeps a very constant temp inside (+/- one degree from target temp) and it’s nice to have the heat come on before I get up on those cold November mornings. The switch on top is for the two-speed A/C fan.
The rest of the mods are in the next post.
__________________
2013 Chevy Avalanche
2011 Keystone 246RBS
2000 Chaparral 196ssi
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07-07-2013, 02:59 PM
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#2
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Junior Member
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Fredericksburg, VA
Posts: 5
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The rest of the mods.....
Here are the rest of my mods.
Sixth, I added a clothes hook bar, a towel rack, and a TP holder in the lavatory, a hand towel rack by the washroom sink, and a couple bathrobe hooks on the backs of the lavatory/washroom doors.
Seventh, I added a couple drawers in the under the mattress storage area, and a couple more under the dinette ends for additional easy access storage. The short one by the water heater is nice in November cause it keeps my hunting clothes warm.
Eighth, I added a TPMS to monitor the temperature/pressure of the trailer tires for peace of mind.
And finally, and I know I'm going to get some flack on this one, but I added a hitch receiver mounted vertically to the bumper to haul my 4wheeler rack when I go hunting. When I get to camp, I move the rack to the back of my truck to carry my 4wheeler around while at camp. Believe me, I inspect the welds before, during, and after every trip to make sure no problems are developing. Talked to Keystone and they recommend no more than 150# on the bumper. Rack weighs 120# and the reason I mounted it vertically is to eliminate as much of the torque stress as I could. BTW, moved the spare tire to the pass through.
Only thing I still want to do is to vent the stove hood fan to outside. Just haven't quite worked up the nerve to cut a hole in the side of my unit yet. But I’m working on it.
Hope someone finds these helpful. I had fun figuring them out and doing them all.
__________________
2013 Chevy Avalanche
2011 Keystone 246RBS
2000 Chaparral 196ssi
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07-07-2013, 05:55 PM
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#3
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Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: SoCal
Posts: 1,739
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I like!
I'm not a lumber expert. Are 2x3s available at Home Depot? What does the crate full of wood weigh? I'd most likely install a frame-mounted storage box for leveling planks and cribbing.
Do you have a parts list for the water tote? I like that it's expandable in that I can buy another tank if need be (for boondocking).
__________________
-Scott, DW, DG, DB, and DD
2011 Passport 2590BH
2009 Ford F150 SuperCrew F X4 5.4L w/Max Tow
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07-07-2013, 06:45 PM
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#4
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Senior Member
Join Date: May 2013
Location: Bridge, Oregon
Posts: 399
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Like the 2x3 cribbing. We have a portable sawmill, so this will be easy! Thanks for the idea.
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07-07-2013, 06:58 PM
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#5
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Site Team
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Gaylord
Posts: 26,979
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Quote:
Originally Posted by f6bits
I like!
I'm not a lumber expert. Are 2x3s available at Home Depot? What does the crate full of wood weigh? I'd most likely install a frame-mounted storage box for leveling planks and cribbing.
Do you have a parts list for the water tote? I like that it's expandable in that I can buy another tank if need be (for boondocking).
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Yup, they are available at most HD stores. About $2.50 each for the 7' sticks.
__________________
John
2015 F250 6.7l 4x4
2014 Cougar X Lite 27RKS
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07-07-2013, 10:39 PM
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#6
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: Sulphur, La
Posts: 346
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Nice mods Bartman
I tried a gray/black tote made out of a plastic 55 gal drum, but it was too bulky and hard to store. I like your setup.
__________________
Michol02
2012 Cougar 32SAB
2013 Chevy 2500 HD
Visit Mods album in my profile
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07-08-2013, 02:59 AM
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#7
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Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: Arlington Wa
Posts: 302
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NICE! I really like your 2x3 cribbing idea and will have to use that. I also love your waste water tote as I have been debating on getting one for when we dry camp since 2 showers and dish washing fills our grey tank up. Again great ideas.
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07-08-2013, 04:22 PM
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#8
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Junior Member
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Fredericksburg, VA
Posts: 5
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f6bits,
Like JRTJH said, 2X3s are available at any Lowes or Home Depot and I think the crate holds about 30 pieces, but I had to shave a bit off a few to get them all to fit. I'm guessing the crate weighs somewhere around 35 pounds full. As for a parts list for the tote, the tank I got at Tractor Supply for $100. It's a 35 gallon tank and they have bigger tanks too. Cheaper tanks can be found, but I like the legs on the tank I used. It sits on the tailgate without rolling. The pump is a 1/10 hp 115vac water transfer pump from Lowes for $88 and it comes with a spare impeller and one short hose, but you need to change the male end to a female end (going from the sewer cap to the pump requires a hose with too female ends). Again, cheaper pumps can be found, but most are 12vdc and I didn't want to mess with having to get 12 volts to the pump. And the pump will drain the gray tank in just a few minutes. The long hose is just a $10 Wally World garden hose, and the sewer cap I got at Wally World too for $5 in the RV section. The tank has a cap on the drain hole that takes a 1" ID threaded pipe. So I got two short pieces (3" I think) of threaded at both ends pipe at Lowes, one goes into the tank cap and the PVC ball valve (from Lowes too) attaches to that. Then the other piece goes on the other side of the ball valve and I got a 10' piece of clear tubing big enough to slide over the threaded pipe sticking out of the ball valve to use to reach the dump station hole. Just a side note, the pump I used needed to have the bottom mounting plate bent up so it would fit in the tank hole. Think that about covers it.
__________________
2013 Chevy Avalanche
2011 Keystone 246RBS
2000 Chaparral 196ssi
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07-08-2013, 04:33 PM
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#9
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Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: SoCal
Posts: 1,739
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Thanks for the details! I've already started poking around and then it dawned on me that I already have a tank (my tote). What your setup really offers is the ease of leaving the tank in the bed of the truck for easy transport to a dump station. When boondocking, towing a tote isn't a viable option. I've added a few of the mentioned items to my Amazon wish list to acquire before a boondocking trip in November.
__________________
-Scott, DW, DG, DB, and DD
2011 Passport 2590BH
2009 Ford F150 SuperCrew F X4 5.4L w/Max Tow
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04-12-2014, 07:31 AM
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#10
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Junior Member
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: Arroyo Grande, CA 93420
Posts: 5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bartman
f6bits,
Like JRTJH said, 2X3s are available at any Lowes or Home Depot and I think the crate holds about 30 pieces, but I had to shave a bit off a few to get them all to fit. I'm guessing the crate weighs somewhere around 35 pounds full. As for a parts list for the tote, the tank I got at Tractor Supply for $100. It's a 35 gallon tank and they have bigger tanks too. Cheaper tanks can be found, but I like the legs on the tank I used. It sits on the tailgate without rolling. The pump is a 1/10 hp 115vac water transfer pump from Lowes for $88 and it comes with a spare impeller and one short hose, but you need to change the male end to a female end (going from the sewer cap to the pump requires a hose with too female ends). Again, cheaper pumps can be found, but most are 12vdc and I didn't want to mess with having to get 12 volts to the pump. And the pump will drain the gray tank in just a few minutes. The long hose is just a $10 Wally World garden hose, and the sewer cap I got at Wally World too for $5 in the RV section. The tank has a cap on the drain hole that takes a 1" ID threaded pipe. So I got two short pieces (3" I think) of threaded at both ends pipe at Lowes, one goes into the tank cap and the PVC ball valve (from Lowes too) attaches to that. Then the other piece goes on the other side of the ball valve and I got a 10' piece of clear tubing big enough to slide over the threaded pipe sticking out of the ball valve to use to reach the dump station hole. Just a side note, the pump I used needed to have the bottom mounting plate bent up so it would fit in the tank hole. Think that about covers it.
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Most, but not all, dry camping areas let me use a long gardening hose to drain my gray, not black, water out into the bushes. Your idea would work well at all camping areas. What do you suggest for black water?
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04-25-2014, 06:16 PM
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#11
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Junior Member
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: Henderson, NV
Posts: 4
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Mods
Does anyone know what make of fireplace is a good pick?
__________________
2012 Dodge Ram 3500 SRW Diesel 4x4 Big Horn Mega cab shortbed and 2014 Keystone Cougar 28sgs fifth wheel.
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04-26-2014, 12:45 PM
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#12
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Austin, Tx
Posts: 1,910
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Loved this thread. I just got back from Lowe's, picked up a pump and now all I have to do is figure out how I want to plumb everything and go get the fittings.
Also finished putting on the EZ-Snap studs around my windows so all I have now is to cut the sunscreen to size. All in all, a pretty good day.
__________________
2011 Outback 277RL
2013 F250 XLT Crew Cab 6.2L
Bitter Gun Owner
Bitter Clinger
Armed Infidel
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