biggman100

Although this is more for couples who are traveling together with just the two of them, there are the mini vans. Now, before anyone crucifies me, i came across this idea from a friend and his wife who just came back from Washington D.C. They wanted to go there and do some sightseeing, and there was some event they wanted to attend, that i guess is held yearly, but due to very limited funds had never been able to go. Long story short, they had acquired a mini van from her parents that was really cheap, and fairly easy to maintain. The van they got had fold down seats in the back, and they went camping a couple times in it, so after sewing some dark curtains for window covers, and a divider that could be folded out of the way, like guys would do with the full size vans in the 60's and 70's, they decided to go on their D.C trip, and just camp in the van. After getting back from their trip, he said they stopped and bought one of the foam cushions for the rear seat, because the seat was somewhat uncomfortable, but after that fix, it worked very well for them, except meals were a bit expensive, so after looking at their van today, we decided to permanently remove the center seat, and build a small cabinet that could hold a microwave or maybe a small convection oven, with a built in decent power inverter, for quick meals, and put a small portable gas grill under the rear seat that they could take out and use when they needed to. This idea might not be for everyone, but, it is another fairly inexpensive idea for people who aren't comfortable with a tent, and cant afford a camper or travel trailer and tow vehicle. And with most campgrounds having shower and rest room facilities anymore, that issue is solved as well.

Adirondacks a couple weeks ago, we found a new place on the shore of a rather large but very shallow lake, that the deepest part was maybe 20 feet, and with all the big rocks and trees and whatever else was in the water, i didn't bother taking the jet-ski's off the trailer. Since i love to be on the water, i decided to take one of his kayaks, and he was right. I'm not saying im ready to sell the skis and the boat, but after taking 3 hours to row around the edge of the lake, i actually noticed a lot of things i missed with the power toys (what my father in law calls the boat and the jet skis).

Like your friend Cody, until work insisted, i was the guy with the long hair, no shoes, trying to help where i could with the barest minimum of gear. The only thing that has changed is my hair. I had to cut it short. Oh, and the amount of gear i carry has increased as well. I am sorry to hear about your friend bob. I heard about him on the news, and looked into him a little bit, and thought that it is a shame when guys like that are gone. With the way the world is anymore, we need more guys like him as role models. My grandfather was pretty much the same way. He was raised on a cattle ranch in northern California, and i always likened him to the old west cowboys that you see in the movies and read about. There was another guy i remember hearing about a couple years ago that was like that. He was the epitome of the old west cowboy, but the reason i remember hearing about him was that he had a ton of land, with a bunch of old Indian writings and drawings in caves, and he kept it a secret and didn't share it with anyone after he found the caves with the drawings, for more than 70 years, and right before he passed, he said that, if i remember right, six generation's of his family kept what they found a secret, so it wouldn't get ruined.

My father in law isn't just a good teacher and guide, he is also a very good inspiration, as he is a very avid outdoor, non vehicle based enthusiast, and has found many activities, from the sled dogs, to hiking, to camping in a blizzard, in the winter, to hiking, camping, and kayaking and canoeing, in the summer, so that we are rarely home any weekend. He, as my mother in law puts it, is a restless soul, who can't stand to sit still for very long. I can honestly say, if it wasn't for him, i wouldn't be doing half the things i do. He is the contagious type, who can talk people into almost anything, as long as there isn't any real danger in it. Before i met my wife, the extent of my outdoor activities were being at a dirt track race somewhere during the summer, and maybe a snowmobile event here and there in the winter. I would like to clarify one thing. Although he did compete in the Iditarod 4 times, he only completed it successfully twice. The first time he got lost, and was luckily found by Eskimos, and eventually the rescue crew, and the last time, he only made it 200 miles, due mainly to health issues with 3 of the dogs. Now, the only thing he does sled dog wise is the PDSC daytime events, and consults with a couple of newer teams who are active competitors in the Iditarod. Although the Arctic Man is a challenge, in that there are quite a few snow based activities to compete in, we want to go more because it follows along with the things we do already, but in more of an extreme than we are used to, in the middle of nowhere, where you have to be self sufficient for 4 days. It definitely isn't for the faint of heart though. There are no motels, or even cities around for miles, from what he and i have read about it. My father in law is also a big fan of the survivor man series. he even sets up small survival challenges for my 9 and 10 year olds, which i help with, because although it teaches them things that they may never have to use, it also teaches them valuable real world skills as well, such as how to find their way if they are ever lost, and how to think about each action and situation ahead of time.

I will add what i can here, although the vehicles i towed weren't jeeps, but a Subaru legacy wagon, and a 1994 Mercedes Benz s600. As some people know, living in upstate NY, older cars are usually rotted, and at best maybe good for a couple years of use, so i tend to look as far south as North and South Carolina, and even southern PA, and usually, when i buy an older vehicle, i look for ones that need repairs, that way the initial outlay of cash is a lot less, and then i do the repairs myself, so, usually, the vehicles i buy need to be towed. When i bought the Subaru, in southern PA, about 150 miles from home, i had an older, steel trailer with homemade wood deck, that was basically a mobile home frame made into a car trailer, and even with a 2400 LB. Subaru on it, towed behind a 2005 Chevy 2500 4x4 diesel, it was still not the best thing to tow up hills, and had a tendency to sway quite a bit, even with a load distributing hitch. The other vehicle, the Mercedes, on the other hand, i was fortunate to borrow a friends newer all aluminum 16 foot trailer, for a 1400 mile round trip to Raleigh North Carolina, and back home. I will admit, an 18 foot trailer for that car would have been much better, because the car is over 15 feet long, but, we loaded it up, and brought it back home, and even with close to 5000 LB. dry weight for the car, the Chevy had barely any issues towing, even on steep hills, so i would definitely say aluminum is the way to go for towing almost any vehicle. Another one i seem to forget about, but have posted about on here a few times, is the 1994 dakota 4x4 i bought in southern PA. Because of the transmission issue it had when i bought it, i thought it would be better to tow it home, rather than fix it on the road. I planned to tow it with a 1999 Durango and my old steel trailer, but after picking up the truck, i went about 30 or so miles, and broke an axle on the trailer. I was very fortunate, in that it was in an area where i was starting out from a stop light, so no injuries, and no real damage, except to the trailer. Needless to say, i needed another way to get it home, so i limped the trailer and Dakota into a local parking lot, came home, borrowed my neighbors aluminum trailer, and used that to bring both the dakota and then my broken trailer home separately. One thing i noticed even empty, my steel trailer didn't tow well behind the durango, but with the aluminum trailer, even with the Dakota on it, i barely knew it was there on the flat sections of roads!

Moses, i would like to add some real world experience here. My wife and her parents have an AT&T cell phone plan, with the largest data package they could get, and it is very useful in most places, but like our recent trips to the Adirondacks, and the 1000 islands, their phones wouldn't work at all. No cell, no internet, nothing. I on the other hand, have a pre-paid cell phone, and although it has limited internet, it is useful for at least checking email and such, and, even though my phone is on the Verizon network, i still had the same issues. No cell coverage, and no internet coverage. After having this issue last year as well, my wife and i thought it would be advantageous, at least in an emergency, to try a mobile hotspot, so we got a pre-paid one, first from Verizon, and then tried one from AT&T, and still, no internet coverage. Last year, i decided to try satellite connection, and although it worked fairly well, it was very expensive, so we decided we would just go without it for the times we are out camping and such. My father in law has a satellite phone, which even works in the middle of big lakes, but, again, he pays an astronomical fee for having it. On a side note, i have some practical experience with Wild Blue, in that before i opened my computer shop, and while i was still in tech school getting a masters in computer science, i worked for dish network at the start of the Wild Blue craze, and for those of you that don't know, Wild Blue is a Dish network owned company, or at least it was, i havent kept up on it much. Wild Blue worked well for what it was advertised for, except that the dish has to be pointed the right way, and things like severe storms, snow on the dish, and even trees can block the signal. The down side to Wild Blue, it's only for internet coverage, and doesn't help in anyway for cellular service—unless you have an internet texting app that will work on your phone when it is connected to internet, and what use would that be when driving?

About staying at walmart that night, it wasn't something i would have normally done, but i thought it would be safer than trying to drive any further. I know a lot of people who even have problems shopping there, let alone spend a night in their parking lot, and even my wife prefers Wegmans, a local grocery store, to walmart. Until she finished school, and went to a different and better job, my wife worked at a walmart for several years, and she says there isn't anything wrong with shopping there, she just didn't like the crowds, or how long you would have to wait in line for small purchases. For years, i would see these big, expensive diesel pushers, and even tow behind campers set up in the parking lot where she worked, and until i happened to have a chat with a couple that was staying there one night, i didn't even know that Walmart allowed that. I know most of even the bigger retail areas around here have signs saying no overnight parking.

Well, depending on if you get to Alaska or not at all, meeting my father-in-law may not be that hard actually. He has done the Iditarod 4 times, and is now a consultant for a couple of the younger guys, and is usually at the start almost every year. This year we are also planning on a trip to Arctic man, which for those of you who don't know, 4 day long, middle of nowhere, huge party in Alaska, that this year will be in April 2014. At least, we have plans to go, but we were gonna go last year and the weather messed that up, so who knows. As for the comparing on how many times we get out to do things this winter, even though i may not get to do them all, i have at least 15 winter activities already lined up, from dog sled races, to camping, to ice racing, and i am actually curious as to how many of those activities i could add in even a small snowshoe hike. The sled dog races, i already know, snowshoes are a must, and so are the 3 camp dates we have set up. The ice racing events are usually done on cleared and packed terrain, so that wouldn't work, but after looking over my winter calendar, i see a lot of open dates as well. Of course, that all depends on things like weather, school activities, and 100 other unknowns that usually come up every year. Where we live is actually about 2 hours southeast of where the snow belt starts, but we try to get up there as much as we can in the winter, since where we live we are lucky if we get 12 inches in a week.

Actually, i didn't check the car fax report. The dealer gave it to us, but after talking to the service manager, and finding out the car was serviced strictly by them, and they are guys i know and trust, because i have family that worked there, and i know quite a few people who have either bought from them or had their vehicles serviced by them, i never looked at it until a little bit ago. I figured this is one instance where it wasn't that important. My mother in law took the car for a drive of about 60 miles, and said that even though she prefers the size of an SUV, at least for now, she likes the car.

You made a comment about how, when we are resourceful, anything can be done affordably. I would like to add to that. With 3 small children, and not a lot of extra funds to mess with most of the time, we have learned quite a few ways to make any adventure affordable, but i have noticed, more and more, that attendance at most of the things we do has been dwindling, and most people say its because they cant afford it. I think what we need to do, without adding more to your busy day, is to show people ways that they can do things without spending their whole weeks pay. Some tips i have found for doing things without spending a fortune, are things like fuel, for starters, and food. What we usually do, instead of filling the tank at home, and then filling it again when we get where we are going, because a lot of the time, like our recent Adirondacks camping trip for example, we find that some places fuel prices are astronomical. When we went to the Adirondacks, we filled up before we left home at $3.95 a gallon, but when we got about 20 miles from our destination, i saw prices that were almost $5.00 in places, which to me is just crazy, so what we do is fill up when we leave home, and then fill up again when we get to around a 1/2 a tank, or when we are within 50 miles of our destination. People say to me all the time, like our recent trip, it didn't take a full tank to get here, so why did you fill up before you got here? The reason is simple, this way you have enough fuel to do any sightseeing, and still have enough left to at least get to where prices may be cheaper, and avoid paying the higher rates. Another one is with food. We usually have a pretty good idea how much we will need food wise, and we usually stock up before we leave because that is another thing that the closer you get to a popular destination, the more expensive it is. Those tips are good for a trip involving a few days. For a couple on a one day trip or maybe overnight, they are still useable, but you wont need as many supplies. It isn't just food we try to get at home either, but things like batteries, medical supplies, anything that is essential for any trip. The best part is, getting the stuff at home, you know where you are going to get the best bargains as well. On a trip, you are at the mercy of a GPS, or someone local, who may not care that you are shopping for the best price. Something i have found on long trips, that is a true time and money saver, are sites like www.gasbuddy.com. They show local gas prices for your planned destination, and most of the time who has the best price, anywhere in the country. That way if you are going somewhere that you need to fill up more than once, you have that information ahead of time. I know my two biggest tips are saving fuel, but to most people i talk to, that and lodging are the 2 biggest expenses to any trip. Speaking of lodging, even if you have very small children, and the initial outlay is sometimes expensive, unless you are handy and can do repairs yourself, don't overlook pop up style campers. If you are handy, then you can sometimes get them needing minor repairs for a fair price. I know sometimes the initial set up when you get to your destination can be a pain, but the benefits far outweigh the negatives. The other upside is, they can be towed safely behind smaller SUV's, as long as it is done properly, without any problems. Our last 2 camping trips, we took our camper, and stayed at campgrounds, and both trips combined, cost us less than two night's in a hotel. Even the extra we paid in fuel to tow the camper was negligible compared to a hotel or motel room. And if you can survive without things like electric hookup for a few days, you can rent camp sites for as little as $20 to $30 a night, and most campgrounds have weekly rates that knock some off the price of renting by the night. And if you do have to have electric hook up, most campgrounds can accommodate that for only a few dollars more. Another advantage to a small pop up camper, as my wife just reminded me, is that some larger department stores, such as walmart, will sometimes, in a pinch, let you set up for a night in their parking lot. I know that isn't the ideal camping place, but a few years ago, i thought i could drive straight through to Florida from NY, and, needless to say, somewhere in North Carolina, i had gotten too tired to drive, and so was my wife, and we set up in a walmart at around 11 at night, because all the nearest campgrounds were closed by then, and spent the night in the camper, and got back on the road the next morning.

The mileage, as she found out today, is on par with what we expected. She took today off, and decided to drive to her parents, because that is what we usually do anyway before we go camping or anything else, and said she actually got quite a bit better mileage than her old subaru, which was right around 24 MPG on the highway. Granted, the car is newer, and has low miles, and the mileage will drop a bit as the car gets older, but right now, it seems to be getting close to the 28 MPG on the highway that subaru advertised for those cars. I told her, once she packs all her usual survival gear in the car, which consists of 2 duffel bags, that carry extra clothes and stuff for us and the girls, just in case we decide spur of the moment to take off, and her cooler, and a few other things, we might lose 1 MPG, but, in the long run, we will still save a bit of money on gas.

Even if i hadn't read what you wrote, Nevada, Arizona, and New Mexico are high on my list of places to visit, and what you wrote just made me want to visit more. My wife has talked for years about moving to Texas when she retires, and since i work pretty much for myself, and can just pack up and move my shop almost anywhere, it might be easier just to wait for that though. I don't like to fly, and my wife is terrified of getting in a plane for any reason, so we drive everywhere we go, which also helps because then i can take back roads and find interesting out of the way places, but, not flying means i would have to drive to Nevada, and all the other places i want to see out west, and it isn't always easy to have the time to do that. I'm still not sure how serious my wife is though about moving to Texas, since she was born and raised in NY's snow belt, so moving to that kind of climate might be a shock for her.

I would love to drive even 50 miles without going near civilization. My father in law goes to Alaska, as i stated in one of my other posts, as much as he can, and he says he can go 100's of miles with no roads on a dog sled. i have only been to Alaska once, many years ago when i was a teen, but im trying to set it up so one of these times i can at least go with him to Arctic Man. As for a ghost town tour, count me in, ill find a way to be there somehow. I have seen online a few of the professionally packaged ghost town tours, but i would prefer to go with someone who knows the out of the way, and off the beaten path places, rather than pay 100's of dollars to someone who is only interested in making a buck. And, Nevada is actually on my list, because my sister was born in Reno, and by the time she was born, i was old enough to actually remember some of the things i saw on the way to Texas when we left Nevada. Surprisingly though, unlike most people, i really have no interest in going to Las Vegas, except to see the hoover dam, which, if i remember right, is on the same road as Las Vegas. I would much rather go to the out of the way, less popular areas, than to be in the middle of a tourist trap, as i call places like Vegas, and Los Angeles, and Miami.

I would love to be able to plan a trip to some of the places i hear about out west, but, right now isn't in the cards, plus my wife is always saying if i ever made it to places like Moab, or some of the other places in the desert areas out west that i see and hear about all the time, that i would never come home. I was born in southern California, but i was too young when we moved to the east coast to remember much of it. I am also a big history buff, and places that the wagon trains traveled through, or the ghost towns from the gold rush days, sound like they would be the ultimate vacation for me. I have 10 things on my to do list, and all but one is out west. I want to visit some of the western ghost towns in California, New Mexico, and Texas, visit death valley, Moab, Bonneville, mainly all the tourist places and attractions out west. The only one i want to do on the east coast is visit the McLean house in New Jersey, except now i hear they are tearing it down. The only thing my wife wants to see out west is the Winchester House, she said after that she can come home, and stay on this side of the country.

Guys, thank you for all the info. The wife and i went out today, as she had the day off, and i wasn't really busy, and spent most of the day checking out different pre-owned vehicles. After several hours of test drives, talking to salesman, and reading brochures, plus taking into account all the information we have gotten from this and other forums, she chose a dark burgundy 2008 Subaru Legacy wagon, with a 3.0l, and automatic. Only time will really tell if it was a good buy or not, but given that we did pay a little less than expected and found one with less miles than we originally expected, i am very happy with her choice.

I assumed it was something mechanical, but after moving his truck today, i think replacing the transmission would be the better option, due to other things i noticed. When i started it, no matter how many times i shut it off and restarted it, it sounded like a rod knocking, but after a couple minutes it would go away, so i started really listening, while having my brother start it with his foot on the brake 4 or 5 times, and found the noise is coming from the torque converter. The noise would completely go away after a couple minutes, and wouldn't come back, except in reverse, so im thinking there is an issue with the torque converter at the very least. Had the linkage checked today at a transmission shop to make sure it wasn't out of adjustment, and the guy at the shop says the knock was more than likely torque converter, im thinking replacing it will be the best option. He does have a spare transmission that he had a shop rebuild for his 1995 f-150, when that transmission was acting up, but it never got put in the truck.

Mazda is on the right track, as long as they actually produce it for the U.S. market. I have heard quite a bit about how in Europe diesels are a lot more prevalent, and gas engines aren't as big over there, but in this country it is the opposite. I'm not sure why that is, but i have some thoughts on it, that usually when i bring them up, i get odd looks from people.

I didn't think this would go in the new products, as this isn't really about new products, but about something i have found useful in the past, although they do sell wheel spacers and wheel adapters. The big thing i like about their site though, is they have a wheel bolt pattern database, that is quite extensive. If you go to their website, http://www.roadkillcustoms.com/ and look on either the right or left side of the home page, you will see a link to their bolt pattern database. The reason i find it useful is because i can go to it, put in any make and model, and not only does it show the factory bolt pattern, but on most makes it shows offset, as well as the diameter of the wheel's center hole, and the diameter and thread pitch of the lug studs, and if you scroll down past the adapters on the page that comes up, it will also show what other vehicles, even of different makes, that will match your vehicle. For example, my friend had a 2000 chrysler cirrus. He didn't like the look of the factory wheels, so we went to a u-pull yard, found a set of VW wheels that matched his car that he liked, checked roadkill customs to confirm the fit, so he bought these wheels and they bolted right up and fit nicely. Another place it is very useful, is say you go to your local wrecking yard, or u-pull yard, and see a set of wheels that you would like on your vehicle. Instead of buying them, finding out they wont fit your vehicle, and going through the hassle of a return, you can get on the roadkill website, and find out instantly if they will fit your vehicle or not.

The switch system is sold as a kit by several different companies. You can find them under switchable dual battery system, or dual battery switch system, just by doing a search in whichever search engine you use. I know a lot of the guys i talk to around here like the automatic set up, and it does seem like less of a hassle, but i am out in the middle of nowhere quite a bit, and usually by myself, so for me, the switch system seems to be a better choice.

Actually, all the battery bug does is connect directly to the battery individually, and allows me to monitor each battery separately. I have been saying for quite awhile, ever since i had my first Dakota, probably 10 years ago, i was gonna set up an automatic battery monitoring system, and every time i plan on doing it, something else comes up, and it never gets done. its one of those where i know it would be beneficial, and worth the money and time, but at the same time, its one of those where do i get that for the truck, or spend the money on the house, and usually the house wins. But, the house is finally done, at least to the point where i'm not spending every spare dollar on it that i get, so i'm looking into not only the battery system, but the other things i have mentioned in other posts as well. As to your question about the deep cycle batteries, the ones i use aren't the marine or RV deep cycle batteries. Optima batteries makes a line of automotive deep cycle batteries, that are mainly for the guys with huge stereo's or large amounts of onboard lights and electronics, and those are the ones i use. They are the Optima Yellowtop batteries. They have a 120 minute reserve time at half charge, 750 CCA, and 900 MCA. I have run the front lights (4 combination fog/driving lights), and the stereo, which is about 1200 watts peak, i wont get into the full specs here, for a continued 4 hours, and had no problems starting the truck. I have the batteries set up through a switch system though, so if i drain one, all i have to do is flip the switch, start the truck, and then flip back to the other one to let it charge. I never run it so that it drains both. i learned my lesson the hard way with that in my first Dakota.

Moses, once again, i am glad i asked you first. My plan doesn't seem like such a good idea, at least with the Dakota, from the way you explain it. As for the Ram i have, i don't see where it would be worth it, time and money wise, to swap everything over, because from the way you explain it, it looks like i would need to swap front and rear axles, and the entire drive train. What i think i will do instead is find a diesel Ram that the body is shot, which isn't hard in my neck of the woods, and just swap the body i have on my Ram, over to the diesel. The Ram i have, the body is in excellent shape, because it came from southern PA, where they don't use salt on the roads, and i got it dirt cheap, because the engine is pretty much shot, and there is supposed to also be issues with the transmission as well. I figure i can get an older diesel ram, mainly pre-1995, do the body swap, and then later, when finances are better, have a better candidate for a trade or to sell outright, to offset the cost of the newer truck. As for emission laws in NY, as long as the vehicle is made before January of 1996, there really isn't any defined laws about swapping things such as engines and transmissions from older years, at least not yet, which is why my trucks are usually 1995 or older. The laws aren't really as strict on swapping say a 1996 engine into say a 2000 vehicle, but the MIL has to be off, and have been off at least for the last 3 key cycles, or 65 miles of driving, whichever comes later, and up until 2000 can only have 3 monitors incomplete, and up until 2003, can only have 2 monitors incomplete, and up until 2006 can have 1 monitor incomplete, and after 2006, can have no monitors incomplete, and no pending or showing codes are allowed for any vehicle made after January 1996. NY doesn't do the California style emission and smog test either, at least not yet, give it time.

I don't think my transmission even needs a rebuild really. After i used qwik weld to bond the piece back into it, i have been driving it quite a bit, putting over 1400 miles on it so far, and i havent had any issues with shifting, or it acting up in any way at all. it does have a tiny leak around where i sealed it, but as long as i check it every week until i find the piece i need to fix it right, and keep gear oil in it, i don't foresee any issues with it. As for the mis-print in your parts listing for the wrangler, it may actually not be a mis-print. My 1991 dakota was supposed to be a one year only, at least where most parts were concerned, and according to most salvage yards, but when it came time to replace the engine a few years ago, i found, at least in that one, they used the engine from the 1990 model year, and started looking into it. What i found was, they already had some engines left over, from 1990, with matching components, such as ECM, wiring, and a few other things, that they just used in the first few 1991 models, until the 1990 stock was used up. I heard this directly from someone at chrysler, when i had written them asking them about interchange info, because we couldn't seem to find a 1991 engine that matched mine. What they may have done is put whatever left over AX15's and matching transfer cases in the 1997 wrangler, and then when the 1998 came out, they had the new transmission, with the 13 degree clocking, that they used from then on. Another story i have heard, that would make sense, although this one was from ford years ago, was that Ford had built the mustang 2, and the first year, they used the same 5 speed that was in the earlier mustang, but found that as the transmission mount started to soften up, the back of the transmission would come up a little under torque, and would hit the bottom of the transmission tunnel. Maybe something similar happened with the 1997 wrangler, so they thought it was just easier to use the other extension housing in the 1998 wrangler. it would be interesting, at least to me, to find that out for sure. I am always looking for odd stories on why car makers do the things they do, because sometimes, the stuff they do makes no logical sense at all.

Some of you guys may already know about this place, some may not, but a company i have dealt with quite a bit while building my lifted 1988 dakota mud truck, and my brother in laws 1994 and 1999 Dodge Ram 1500's, is Zone off road. They are based in Coldwater, Mi, and seem to be pretty knowledgeable about off road and lifted trucks. There website is zoneoffroad.com

As for a battery management system, i use a battery bug unit, that not only has a display, but also has an audible tone, to alert when the batteries drop below a certain voltage. I use Optima deep cycle marine batteries in all my vehicles, but i have had times in the past where i have been somewhere, was either using the lights, or at an outdoor party or bonfire, using the stereo, and wound up with a dead battery, and have gotten stuck a few times, so when i built my 1991 dakota, i vowed that would never happen again, and i transferred everything to this truck when i got rid of the older one. It took me awhile to find the info on the inverter, since the company was bought out a few years ago by tripplite, but here is what i have found. The inverter has a continuous running wattage of 1800, and a 5 second peak of 3600. i also have since found out the inverter i have was added to the camper we tore apart, because my brother has the same model air stream, only 2 years newer, and his doesn't have an inverter in it, only a converter. The inverter didnt have any specs on it anywhere, just a make and model, which is why it took me so long to find anything on it.

Every time i have an idea, you come back with 2 or 3 other ways i didn't think of to make my ideas work in a plausible manner, and, unknowingly, most of your ideas will also save me a ton of money! I was thinking of what kind of tank to use for an air system, and researching tons of different ideas, and never thought of trailer air brake tanks, which my step dad, being a tractor trailer owner, ex-driver, and mechanic, has all kinds of that stuff laying around in his barn. He owns a custom 1969 Peterbilt that has onboard air, which is where i originally got the idea for doing an air system on my dakota.