Eve "n" Stephen

After quite a long search, we found a great little, one owner, 1987 Toyota pickup truck! It is a very basic model with 22R engine with carburator, exactly the same as in our 84 Sunrader, which makes working on it much easier. Unlike the automatic in the Sunrader, it has a 4 speed manual tranny, I sure wish both did! It is amazingly clean and straight, no rust, even in the bed, which has been covered with a fiberglass canopy since new. It has 101,000 on it, and does, I believe, have the distictive timing chain clatter, so it, and possibly while it's apart, the water and oil pumps, will be replaced next week. Since I have one of those small 8 foot foldable trailers, I'm thinking of reworking it as light as possible, with foot high sides with the same dimensions as the bed on the truck. Then I can switch the canopy to the trailer and hopefully, tow it behind the Sunrader for light stuff, like our mountain bikes, chairs and big dog. It should only weigh in at about 150 pounds plus what we put in it, say 300 pounds total at most. That can't be as heavy as the larger 20 foot model of the Sunrader, so seems like it should handle it ok. Think of it as a portable dog house, our big dog plus the two of us in the Sunrader is pretty tight quarters, especially at night! He's a husky/german shepherd cross and if it's over 60 degrees he tends to pant a lot! This shakes the whole rig like an earthquake! He also takes up 1/2 the floor space. We do have a well thought out hitch on our rig, so I'm not worried about frame issues. Steve

Sort of! I didn't want to put holes in the roof and looked for an easy way to mount a couple 100 watt solar panels. A neighbor had just torn down a plastic pipe framed greenhouse and thought the clip-on "T pipe" connectors might work. In addition, the PVC pipe had electrical conduit inserted into the straight pieces to make them more rigid. With a bit of cutting and 4 pipe elbows this attached really well. I don't see why this wouldn't work for others. The pipe T's could be easily cut the same as these (see photos) and I think conduit could be inserted the same way, making the cross members strong enough. I'm debating as to whether to hold these tight with pipe hose clamps or drill and put stainless bolts through. This is a cross section of the metal lined pipe, very sturdy and it won't rust. No doubt stainless would be nicer, but... Steve

As far as mounting solar panels goes, I used the luggage rack on my 1984 Sunrader. With custom cut plastic pipe T's I was able to hook them on the rack on both sides, then use a short riser pipe to clear the roof. With a 90 degree elbow and pvc pipe with a piece of metal electrical conduit inside, it's plenty sturdy enough to hold a couple 100 watt panels. Yes, I used 2 cross pieces, one in front and one behind my roof vent. The panels will fit on either side. I'll get some photos next week and post them, it really worked out well, with no additional holes in the roof, and an actual use for the rack! Steve

Yes, the thermocouple should is a gizmo that looks like about an 8 gauge bare wire in a small bracket. The last inch or so should be in the top of the flame, so it heats up. It's a safety device so if the flame dies so does the propane. Check to see that it is in proper position to heat. If that doesn't do it, possibly try heating it very temporarily with a lighter or something and see if the flame stays on. If not, you will probably have to replace it. If it does help, then it sounds like the main flame is either adjusted improperly or the propane pressure is poor. Steve PS, This could drive you to "Refer Madness"! Sorry, couldn't resist that one!

I don't know if this will apply to newer motorhomes, but... We had an older Airstream trailer with aluminum framing. In 20 degree weather, it could be 70 in the trailer with the heater going and still have frost stripes inside where the frames were! Aluminum really conducts heat and cold through the walls very well. Steve

Stories? You betcha! I liked to shoot pool, and have about a beer every 3 hours, so I often closed out a tavern close to where I was living. On the way home, on a modest grade, was a stop light. The hill continued for another block, so here I am, at 2 in the morning, just getting out of 2nd at about 12 mph after a block and a half. There's a car on my behind, and as soon as I topped the hill, they zoomed past, flipping me off. As they saw the front, they turned and stared, rather drop jawed and then..............They ran into a parked car on the other side of the street! It was a solid side swipe, so none got hurt, but it stopped them and put them in deep S*&^%$t!. The image on the front is a Pacific Northwest native American Killer Whale design. Steve

Cameras!

We just Bought a 1984 Sunrader 180RD from a neighbor who has outgrown it. He's already done a lot of work to it and put new tires on. It has the full floating rear axle, and is generally in very nice condition. The only really rough thing is under the hood, the fender wells are suffering from coastal rain and salt air rust-out. Compared to the other "motorhomes" I've had, she's a rocket! My first, built in 1973, was on a 1935 Chev flatbed truck. She had 68.5 HP and weighed about 8700 pounds. 0-30 was 3 blocks on the level with no headwind! Top speed was around 42 and on hills, she was a real challenge. Non syncro gears meant double clutching, which was slow, so starting on a hill, it wasn't unusual to be stuck in 2nd at around 12-15mph to the top. Our 2nd RV was again, home built in 1983. It's on a 47 Chevy, still weighed in about the same, but had more omph @ 90 HP. I spent some time building a steamlined design which really helped. We could make 52 on the level in this one! So, the Toyota does seem like a rocket! My wife Eve and I are looking forward to a lot of fun and adventures with the Sunrader! We do nature and landscape photography and are regular contributers to magazines and tourist brochures in the Pacific NW. Steve

I'm new here, but although new to a Sunrader, I've lived with a solar system since the late 1980's. I'll no doubt need some help now and then with the Toyota/Sunrader, but can probably answer some questions about solar systems. The Harbor Freight panels are amorphous panels, which are less efficient (take more space for the same output) but do better with shade across them. I've rigged my small trailer with a 40 watt panel from Solar Blvd. They have great prices and some of my friends have also ordered from them. I just bought a Sunrader 180RD and it is going to get a 100 Watt Solar Cynergy panel which is 48.98 x 26.57 x 1.58. They have it for $214, which is just over $2 a watt! My first system, back in 1988 cost $7.50 a watt, and dollars were worth a lot more then! I've been using Morningstar controllers with good results. Their SS10 is good for 10 amps @12 volts and is about $45. The 100 watt panel puts out roughly 6 amps, so if you are likely to add more panels, you might want to get a larger controller, rather than having to buy a 2nd one down the line. Good batteries, true deep cycle type are well worth the extra cost. RV/Marine batteries are really a hybrid between deep cycle and starting. A starting battery is the worst choice. They are designed for a large amp draw for a very short time. They have lots of thin plates and will wear out quickly if cycled much below 90% charge over and over. They are designed for "float" service, meaning a small drop in power to start a car, then floating at the full charge rate most the time. True deep cycle batteries have thick plates, although fewer. They are good for modest loads, cycling down to around 40-50% charge, several hundred times. I'm using a fully sealed Sun Xtender AGM type 120 AH battery, which is around $280. This should last me 8-10 years, never needs water added, and needs minimal venting. Steve

I just bought a 1984 Sunrader and plan on adding a solar panel. I've presently got a rare and small fiberglass trailer, a Play Pac, that I added a 40 watt panel to, along with charge controller and 400 watt inverter. This has worked really well for me. We run a couple compact fluorescent lights, a laptop and charge camera batteries, a small stereo, coffee grinder, etc. So far it's been plenty. I bought from the system from the same outfit that I'll get a larger panel for the new rig. 100 watt panel at Solar Blvd. My smaller panel is the same brand, Solar Cynergy and the price is hard to beat, $218.50 for a 100 watt, 12V panel, plus shipping. This is a rigid, frame mounted unit. Just so you know, I have no connection with them other than being a very satisfied customer. The battery I'm using is a true, deep cycle 100 amp hour battery, designed for solar systems. It's a sealed unit and was more expensive than a typical RV battery, but much better suited to the job. We lived with small solar in the boondocks for many years, so are pretty familiar with the stuff. One more thing, most panels don't like heat, so make sure you leave room for air to circulate underneath, unless it specifically says that it operates well at high temps. Otherwise, just like shadows falling on it, the output will really suffer. Steve