1nolaguy

I have a set of tow straps (2" yellow) that were only used for a partial trip of about 700 miles. The dolly failed and was disposed of but the straps were kept. Instead of getting another dolly we opted to go 4 down so now have no use for the straps. They are free to whoever wants them if you pay the freight. I can send straps only if you have shackles to reduce weight and freight cost. If you need a photo I can post later today.

Thanks for that information Peter. I have a few follow up questionsfor1) If a system holds a vacuum, say -3psi for an hour without change, what is the benefit of charging to 200 psi with nitrogen? Can you have a leak that only reveals its self under positive pressure? 2) In this exchange I have not read anyone mentioning the low pressure switch. Assuming that motor coach systems are similar to automotive systems and have a low pressure switch a bad one may be the cause of short cycling. I had this issue with a car earlier this year. I did not discover it was an issues until after I had replaced the condenser and dryer (twice). In a car the LPS is generally located near the accumulator/dryer. Is this the same for the RV and if so is that back near the condenser for a DP?

It depends, or at least it did the year before last when we were there. At that time if your service is one day/same day and they can accommodate you at the office, I believe it is electric only. We were there for 4 days a few weeks after the rally in Tampa and they parked us in an annex gated lot about a block away where they had electric and water (no sewer). At the time they were quite busy and they can only accommodate two rigs at a time in front of the office. Things may have changed since then but that was the case when we were there.

Glad you caught it when you did. now I have something else to regularly check.

Yep, the tester is a commercial unit for truck batteries. My neighbor owns a small fleet of tractor trailers and tour busses.

Thanks for the clarification Tom. Having been "burned" by H2SO4 before I know about the safety glass issue but it is good that you stated it clearly. I have a friend that has a portable test unit for testing batteries and I will use that. Thanks also for the explanation, and now I know why there are 2 chassis batteries and not one.

I agree about preferably using a heat gun. In an emergency and on higher gauge wire (20-24) I have used an open flame but also if using one on;y the heat from it . Don not make direct contact between the flame and the plastic; fire will in sue.

Dick, I did not realize that there were caps under the hard shell tops. I thought the maintenance free acid batteries were the same as SLA. Because of a medical issue our trip planto leave tomorrow is on hold so maybe next week I can take a day and go check it out.

It is likely Delta although it might be a private label from them

I've been using them on low voltage (<48vdc) for two years. Not this brand but you can get them on Amazon and ebay pretty cheap. They work well. Not comfortable to try then on 120vac although the come large enough to do 10ga. I've used direct flame, as in a butane lighter on small guage but the thicker the guage the more heat required to melt the solder and you can end up with a mess. Two level heat gun and keep it moving like a hair dryer works up to 12 ga successfully. Great especially for anything that's out doors. If your using outdoors look for the ones with a hottest sealer. TIP: If the solder does not melt quickly heat shrink the ends first then come back to the solder center. Also, pass on wire all the way through. Overlap the bare strands and twist together horizontally then pull back until the bare copper is centered in the solder ring. I normally strip my wires about 1/2 to 3/4" and upside the unit. So for example if I am joining two 18ga twisted together I will use the blue ones.

Richard, do you recommend the TS battery over better known Duracell, Interstate or NAPA or are they all about the same?

Frank, I load tested them last year and they were still good then but age combined with the extreme heat this summer while it has been in storage I am thinking now is a wise time to change them. Jeff, my thoughts exactly. I would not mind changing them on the road but I do not want to be caught with a dead battery on the road.

I checked my chassis batteries today in anticipation of leaving on a trip this weekend and noticed that while in storage they had depleted to 12.15v. I put them on a charger and brought them back to 13.5v but I realized they were made in Sept 2018. That in mind I know I need to replace them. They are not necessarily OEM spec being install by the PO just prior to sale. Our 2005 Safari Cheetah has a CAT C7 engine and the batteries are two type 31T SLA with 950 CCA. In checking the reference books at the local auto parts store they say I should use a type 31T 650 but they have no 31T in stock. The sales rep suggested type 650 with 800 CCA. Before I go any further does anyone know what is spec for this engine or where I can find that? My second question question is "are battery type" for automotive more about size and terminal placement ad as long as I have sufficient CCA I should be good?

Like Phil basement light switch for our 2005 Safari Cheetah is located on the passenger arm rest under the window. If the switch doesn't solve your problem check the motor electrical connection for the slide motor. This may be like mine and available to access in the passenger first bay. I had a similar issue and it turned out the electrical connection was damaged when I slid in a folding chair and the clasp was broken. Easy fix.

very interesting approach. Appears a lot simpler and possibly quicker for about the same money.

As noted by others above, a conventional sofa will probably not fit through your door however if you want to go that route ask at the furniture store if the sofa comes KD or flat packed. This means it comes from the factory dissembled usually in 2 to 5 pieces plus the mattress and mattress mechanism. If so you may be able to receive it this way and assemble the parts once in your RV. Most soft good (sofas, chair, etc) are shipped this way even if they are made in the US. We have a similar RV to yours (2005 Safari Cheetah) When we replaced out sofa bed we opted to go with a double electric reclined sofa with center console. I took it apart at the store loading bay in 7 pieces plus two bottom rails. Took it to the RV and reassembled on the floor with the slides out. Assembly and disassembly took about 1 hour. Note: It was much easier getting the pieces inside with two people and by removing the passenger front seat (4 bolts at floor). It also may be necessary to unscrew the door strap that keeps the door from opening more than 90 deg. Weight is less of an issue these days with sofas. Depending on how often you use your hideabed you might want to look for one that comes with and air and pocketed coil spring mattress. These are more comfortable and less weight than the all foam or all innerspring versions. Similarly you can look for sofas that use spring and poly/feather seating rather than solid foam or fiber wrapped foam. They are softer, less weight and generally hold up longer. Of course, these options are also more expensive, but then what did you expect. Your shopping for things for your RV!

Mike, great project and I appreciate the way you presented it. Converting most of the florescent lights to led was one of my first projects back in 2018. Back then the most common LED strips available were SMD. Also, I had not heard about activators for 3M type tape as is found on many led strip lights. Over the last 5 years about 40% of the strip lights have lost adhesion and fallen inside the fixtures, primarily , I think, do to temperature swing combined with humidity when in storage. When I re-due them I will look for COB rather than SMD leds and will use activator as well as the trick with the motion detector you noted. We currently use a rechargable led strip light with a motion detector in the bathroom but getting hit in the face with a bright light can be a bit off putting. Your solution seem more elegant. Jim, I agree. One place I can think of right off the bat is for the step well lights when you come in or go out at night.

Yep Bob, I learned this the hard way, after buying and installing the Recpros. Now trying how to Mcgiever the temp sensor in the unit using the existing wiring from the previous Penguin. Units.

Yours look very similar to mine. I tried several led versions from Amazon but none worked well for me. Or were still to dim through the thick red lenses. Note: if you try led buy red not white color as supposedly they show up better. As noted above I went back to incandescent and supplemented with led running lights and the led tail light strip. I spliced the strip in with the wiring at the 4 pin connector. Also this is a great improvement if you are pulling a toad.

Tom, Thanks for the details. I am not in a position to post a photo now but will asap. By description I think I have the former: A large black panel measuring about 12" wide and 24" or more in length, held in place by a series of screws. The EMS / power shed, gray, black, fresh water and LP monitors are a built in series of LED lights (green, amber and red) controlled by a spring loaded switch you have to hold on for the monitor to activate. There is also rocker switches to energize the water pump and (2) for 120 and 12v for HWH. Lastly the 5 button air control is inset and the Inverter/converter remote is screwed on. All in all a daunting panel that serves as a night light on steroids since it faces the bed. Behind this is a mass of wires. I replaced the OEM Penguin IIs with RecPro heat pumps that have internal thermostats with remote and the 5 button no longer controls the furnace so that is not needed. The EMS/load sheding system seems to still be working. I am hoping the tank monitors are not two way as there is not a secondary monitor/display at the wet bay or elsewhere. If that is the case I can probably just use the wiring and use a See Level system to replace the OEM. The I/C remote is just help on with 4 screws. Based on all of this I may just replace the entire black panel. Not sure how important the EMS monitoring is as it basically duplicates the info provided by the I/C remote. Looks like this is going to be a project.

I went through this process of trying to deal with dim tail lights over a course of about 18 months. First with testing of the voltage I ended up creating a new ground and then replacing the bulb sockets. I replaced the bulbs first with LED and then back to incandescent. Part of the issue I found was the thick plastic lenses of our 2005 Safari Cheetah along with the fading of the silver reflector inside the lens the lights just seemed dim, especially in daylight. My solution was two fold. I replaced the running lights with new LED versions that were much brighter than the originals. I also added a LED light strip just above the rear engine doors to provide extra running, brake and turn signal lighting. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07F1PWDP2/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1. The improved visibility, especially when towing is a game changer. I am not in a position to post photos of the finished product but will next week when I am at the RV.

I read a few blogs, including one by RVGeeks that describe process and it sounds pretty straight forward. The one thing that seems a bit confusing is the connection of "all" wires to single two connections. I can see a common ground but if the "positive" leads are all connected to one wire how does the panel differentiate for display? Anyway, I am sure that is explained in the install instructions that come with the kit.

I had thought my OEM tank monitors/meters were working fine but then apparently they are not. In our bedroom is a panel that houses the original A/C - heat control, the battery monitor, the water pump anf HWH switches and the tank monitors for fresh, grey, black water and LP. First the 5 buttom climate control quit and I thought that was because the A/C's were replaced. When I replaced the inverter/converter I installed a new remote but that never seemed to work correctly. I bought an Apeka LP tank monitor with BT and after install I thought it was defective because it read empty even though the LP monitor showed the tank at 80%, however when the HWH quit and I replaced everything but the tank it would still not ignite and when I double checked the LP by trying to light the stove I realized the tank was in fact empty. Well that may also explain why the fridge will not cool on LP. Having dumped and thoroughly flushed both the black and grey tanks the black reads empty but the grey reads full. At this point the only thing in the panel that might still be working is the switches for the water pump and maybe the ones for the HW; at least they still light up. So here are the questions: With the Apeka monitor I really do not need LP, but should I possibly put and analogue gauge at the tank? Also should I replace the electronic valve at the tank with a manual one? 2) At this point should I consider just just replacing the whole panel in the bedroom? 3) Is there an alternative to the tank monitoring system in the panel that may be BT? I have heard of See level but am not sure what is involved with installing it. BTW - Does anyone know the tank dimensions of the tanks in a 2005 Safari Cheetah or similar Monaco Diplomat?

Had I known better back in 2019 I probably would have done that too but at the cost of aluminum sheet at big box stores today I am not sure which way is better.

Yes. I made the error of not ordering it and the antenna base leaves some of the original screw holes exposed. Save yourself the time and headache if you are replacing a bat wing and order your new antenna and the base plate at the same time.