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Messages - wdaltman

#1
I'm not sure if anyone is even paying attention to this site anymore, but would anyone be able to take a photo of the spare tire from below?  I can't quite visualize how the parts listed by djmiller go together to hold on the tire.  The rod and nut are easy enough to find, but not sure how the knob and the flat piece of aluminum work together.  Thanks!
#2
QuickSilver Tent Campers / Re: Sealing canvass tent
June 06, 2018, 10:26:26 PM
We have a 2013 8.1 with the original vinyl tent.  I've wondered about changing to canvas when the time comes to replace it (the first owners used the camper very little, so it still has a good bit of life in it). Here are a few questions...what are the advantages of canvas over vinyl on the Quicksilvers and what was the source of your new canvas tent?  Our original camping "home" was a Springbar canvas tent that has been through everything over the past 20 years and still is like new. 

By the way, I recently contacted Topstitch just to find out what the cost of a replacement vinyl tent is:  $630 for the 8.1. 
#3
I did find the following from a website regarding the ARB fridge (ours is 50 liters).  And yes, I'd like to hear the options on how one can charge a battery from the tow vehicle.  Thanks!

Everything below is quoted from (http://www.offroadaussie.com/2015/07/arb-fridge-freezer-and-battery-life/).  The columns are the ARB fridge size, the current draw in Amps/hr, runtime with a 60ah deep-cycle, 80ah, 100ah

35L   0.85   49hrs   75hrs   82hrs
47L   0.87   48hrs   64hrs   80hrs
60L   0.89   47hrs   63hrs   79hrs
78L   1.07   39hrs   52hrs   65hrs

NOTE: These are theoretical maximums. Lots of factors will affect these times. For example, these times assume you discharge the deep-cycle battery 70% (30% of total charge remaining), and they assume that your battery has 100% of its' listed capacity. I'd suggest taking a few hours off each estimate just to cover yourself. I don't want your cursing my name when your beer goes warm! That's way too much responsibility for even my humungous, muscular, Adonis-like shoulders.
#4
So, we just made reservations for 8 nights in Glacier NP this summer.  Since moving from tent camping to the QS, we've gotten used to a few comforts that depend on electricity - mainly an ARB 12v fridge.  It is so nice not having to worry about ice to keep everything as cold as our home fridge (and colder if we want it).  Being a national park, there are no electric sites.  I know we could just go the way of ice for our food and batteries for our lights, etc.  But I'm wondering about options for upgrading the 75 amp hour battery that came with our trailer.  Here are some options:

1.  Purchase another 12 volt deep cycle battery and a solar charger kit and simply swap out the batteries as needed - use one while the other is charging.  The upside is that this would not be expensive and would require no modifications to the camper.  Plus the battery being charged could stay close to the solar panel as it is moved to sunny spots.  And, when we take the minivan out for daytrips, we could possibly connect the spare battery to the car battery and charge off the alternator.  On trips where we'll have electric sites, the extra battery and charger just stay home.

2. Upgrade to two batteries - either two 12 volts or two 6 volt golf cart batteries.  This would require some modifications and probably more equipment.  Could 2 batteries even fit up front, given that it's already a bit tight with one battery and a propane tank?  Would the additional tongue weight be a problem?  Would the current electric system even support this or would that need to be replaced?  The advantage is that 2 six volts would probably keep the fridge and minimal other things going for a week without a recharge.  But this would be way more expensive and more trouble than the first option.  When close to home, we're nearly always either in a state park with electricity or a private campground.  But we do a national park probably one week a year.

Does anybody have any advice or experience to point me in the right direction?  Thanks!

Bill Altman
Newburgh IN