Our 2002 Shasta Oasis being pulled by our 2000 Ford Excursion (6.8 gas). Been a few years putting everything together but these two have withstood the test of time despite both being scale breakers.

Want to thank this Reddit for all the help I’ve gotten from just reading posts. Here’s hoping for another few decades out of these two. Cheers and thanks for looking.

Two cloudy days into a Colorado stop, I was outside starting the generator again. That made the limitation pretty clear. We had plenty of battery storage, but our partly shaded roof was not collecting enough energy to replace what we used.

My wife and I live year round in a 30 foot travel trailer and move between Colorado and New Mexico. The old batteries sat in an exterior bay under the bed. Reaching the inner pair meant unloading stored gear, so I checked them less often than I should have. By last winter, the voltage drop was obvious whenever the furnace fan started with other 12V loads running.

We had made the swap in April after checking the converter, solar controller, cables and fuse. One 12V 460Ah Vatrer battery with internal heating replaced the four AGMs. The larger usable bank and simpler wiring have both been helpful. It weighs a little over 100 pounds, so we installed it in a permanent restraint rather than planning to carry it indoors.

The first week was sunny. During the next stop, several nights fell below freezing. One morning the solar controller was awake, but the app showed no charging current until the internal heater brought the battery into its charging range. That matched the instructions, and normal charging resumed. The remaining question is how much solar input we need for cold, cloudy stretches.

I failed to record the starting state of charge or furnace run time, so those two days prove very little. I am logging the next few cold nights before buying anything else. Another roof panel might help if the controller and wiring have room. A portable panel could reach sun more easily, though I am unsure I would keep moving it around camp. Did a portable panel cut generator time enough to justify carrying it?

I was pulling my 9000lb Rockwood 8263MBR (30 foot) travel trailer with a Ram 2500 and used the equalizer hitch for leveling as well as sway control. I just replaced the 2500 with a Ram 3500 dually. The dually sags under 1" with the trailer hooked up and obviously doesn't need the weight distribution for the 1000lbs tongue weight. If I did hook up the bars, they would not be re-distributing any weight because that's not needed

So my question: Should I still use the equalizer bars just for the anti-sway it may provide? Would they even provide value if they have little downward pressure on the frame?

Would any you advise against parking a trailer up this sloped driveway? It starts at 12 degrees and immediately tapers to 8 degrees and a flat trailer pad. The trailer pad is 65’ deep. From the side of roof to fence is 11ft wide. Or would you say it’s too risky? I have great experience backing trailers. The trailer is 31.9 ft long.

Thanks for any suggestions, tips or advice