The travel trailer project begins.

[carguy4471]

Thanks for posting this here! Just bought 2022 Wolf Pup 16 BHS. I am adding (4) 100 watt panels and a Victron 100/30 MPPT with (2) 100 amp Lithium batteries. I would like to use the existing wire and gland from the roof panel. My question to you is removing the existing PWM charge controller. Mine is exactly the same. How hard did you have to pull to get the wires to come out? Did the wire connections come apart? Also how did you identify which wires come from the roof panel and what go to the battery (what colors go where?). It looks like they come up from bottom of the trailer thru your hole. Thanks for any help.

I didn't want to pull too hard. I used a pliers and broke some of the wood away to free up more wire. There are WAGO connectors back there. You can use a small piece of wood after the project to cover up your damage. Just break 3 or so inches away and you'll be good.

Be sure to disconnect battery first. Remove WAGO connectors. With a multimeter on voltage check the wires. When you find voltage you'll have the panel wires. If the number is positive you have your wires + and - correct. If the number is negative you have em hooked to multimeter backwards. Easy! The other two wires are battery. Switch your multimeter to check continuity. Connect one lead to a ground wire (the one that went to battery), connect the other lead to one of those battery wires. If you get the beep for continuity you have you - battery wire. If not, check the last wire. Now you've identified all 4 wires.

I did NOT use the battery wires off the solar charge controller, that ARE too small. I just put a butt connector on them and dropped into the wall. I extended and ran the panel wires around to the front of the storage compartment where I mounted everything including the charge controller. New 8ga wire from charge controller to bus bars.

If you have any other questions at all please ask here or reach out. I'm more than happy to help in any way I can.

 

[carguy4471]

Down the road if you wish to upscale you could get that MPP $432 1000W AIO unit and basically eliminate the onboard ‘converter’ which would let you run all factory outlets off of solar or shorepower and not even need a transfer switch. Because:

But “upgrading” to an MPP unit is a weird thing to say here - you have victron which is top shelf. So it would be sortofa sideways move down? The MPP stuff has a good rep though.

I looked at the victron AIO units, that's some big $$. Didn't want to spend that sorta cash. It's a small travel trailer, I don't want to have more in the electronics than the unit itself, lol.

The MPP units look much less expensive but I would want 2k watts for sure if it was running the whole RV. If someone flipped on the microwave that's 1k watts alone. If this unit ever gets a full revamp I may consider an AIO, or my next RV for sure will get one. But seeing as it's my first travel trailer, and a small one, a single outlet ran off the inverter should be plenty enough.

 

[carguy4471]

The weather finally cleared up enough to get up on the roof and get the panels put on.

All went pretty well. I certainly discovered there isn’t much room for additional solar. I could maybe get another 100 watt panel up there but that be in the back where you climb up. I think I‘ll skip that since I have 3 100 watt portable panels I can plug in. I ordered another charge controller to have for those panels. I’m going to mount that and have a coiled up extension to pull out for the portables.


That’s the factory 50 watt panel on the top. In this photo I have already taken off the little factory wire port and added extensions and mc4 connectors before plopping it back down and sealing it up.


This is where the new 50 watt panel is getting installed.




Both new panels added and everything all sealed up. There is an antenna on the other side of the A/C so putting another 100 there is out. There are two vent fans on the back so not much room back there either.


You can see the previous days low output on the factory 50 watt panel. The big jump is from adding the new panels. The total output for that day was only after being turned on mid day after the install. It was a bit cloudy and I’m sure the sun is still pretty low here in MN.

Things are coming along well. I really appreciate all the feedback I’ve gotten here!!

 

[12VoltInstalls]

That IS cramped!
The top of the AC cover and the space between the panel and the antenna look like they’re big enough for two more 50W panels… Although I’d probably remove that antenna and put a 100W there myself.

 

[carguy4471]

I wouldn’t want to try to put a panel on a plastic floppy A/C cover. That’d be pretty sketchy, lol. I think though I’m going to leave well enough alone up there. You do want to be able to get around a little for inspecting seals and washing the roof. Getting around on the front after adding the panels is already going to be a fair bit more difficult. I have a micro air easy start to install and I’m already not looking forward to that with the 100 watt panel right next to the A/C, lol.

Having the additional 300 watts of portable to plug in should suffice. The goal really isn’t to make the rig able to boondocks indefinitely, it’s just to extend it’s capabilities to a few days or maybe a week. The tanks aren’t big enough to go any longer, especially if the wife is along. With the two of us the tanks are probably only big enough for three days.

 

[12VoltInstalls]

ouldn’t want to try to put a panel on a plastic floppy A/C cover. That’d be pretty sketchy, lol.

It is. I’d do something inside to make it safe. Id never suggest depending on that cover on its own merits! ?‍?

 

[daniel86]

The story:
I just purchased a new Wolf Pup 14CC. It comes with a “juice pack” that includes a 50 watt solar panel and a solar controller that looks like it cost $12.

I will be adding an additional 150 watts of solar, swapping the battery out for two 100ah lifepo4 batteries (one battleborn, one off brand). I’ll be adding a 2000 watt renogy inverter to one outlet I’m going to install in the travel trailer. The solar controller will be replaced by a Victron 100/30. Battery monitoring will be a Victron 712. The stock converter charger will be swapped over to a WFCO lithium compatible unit. The overall goal is to be able to leave the batteries in year round in MN (the battleborn is heated the off brand will get a heating pad of some sort or get pulled during the winter). Ideally the solar will be able to keep the batteries topped off and heated battleborn warm all winter. I’m hoping I can get 3-4 days of boondocking out of the rig. I do have a 100 watt portable I can use to supplement or a genny if really needed.

Everything is ordered and ready to go. I start installing tomorrow. It’s still winter so I’ll be taking my time but I have to start by creating a mounting board for everything in the storage compartment. I’ll be putting photos and updates here if anyone cares to follow along. All comments and criticism is welcome.

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An advertising photo of the same camper I purchased.

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My new rig on it’s way home. I got to purchase it on my birthday this year so that was pretty fun.

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The storage compartment where everything will go. The mounting panel will wind up behind the dinette on the right side of the photo.

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The pile of goods sitting in the living room waiting for a new home. I think the only thing not in the photo is the 250amp ANL fuse that should be in the mail tomorrow.

The only part of the project that’ll have significant wait is the solar panels. I’m not trying to mount them until it warms up in a few months. Everything else is going to go in as time allows. I should be able to make progress each week and update the thread. I posted the wiring schematic in another thread if anyone is interested in checking that out, nothing too fancy.

Thanks for having a look. Wish me luck!!

Hi there,

I have a 2022 14CC and plan on doing the exact same conversion. My biggest hold up is the power coming from the tow vehicle. I dont want to connect a Lithium battery to the 12V vehicle system. I have heard many bad stories about this. The plan was to wire in a DC DC charger but I am struggling to find a way to bring all the 12V wires from under the trailer to inside the trailer.

How and where did you drill the hole to make it from the bottom of the camper to the inside? Why did you decide not to get a DC DC charger for the vehicle connection?

edit: My WFCO came Lithium ready. It had the lithium AC DC converter already installed from the factory.

And I did actually see where you routed the wires up through the floor. What’s the black cable/hose next to the ground and positive battery wire?

 

[EBKRV]

Hi there,

I have a 2022 14CC and plan on doing the exact same conversion. My biggest hold up is the power coming from the tow vehicle. I dont want to connect a Lithium battery to the 12V vehicle system. I have heard many bad stories about this. The plan was to wire in a DC DC charger but I am struggling to find a way to bring all the 12V wires from under the trailer to inside the trailer.

How and where did you drill the hole to make it from the bottom of the camper to the inside? Why did you decide not to get a DC DC charger for the vehicle connection?

edit: My WFCO came Lithium ready. It had the lithium AC DC converter already installed from the factory.

And I did actually see where you routed the wires up through the floor. What’s the black cable/hose next to the ground and positive battery wire?

There is no harm in the power coming from the tow vehicle....it is just the lack of power coming from it. I don't have a dc-dc as it does not suit my style of rving at this point. The lifepo4's do charge off the tow vehicle but very little at about 7amps per hour and I'm ok with that. I have a generator to top them off when needed and most of the time when needed we need the AC unit to run as well to cool the rig off so the lifepo just charge at that time at a rate of 50amps. We have one 200ah lifepo4 in our rig. Perfect for those overnight stays at a harvest host or cabelas between running from rv resort to the next.

 

[12VoltInstalls]

Lithium battery to the 12V vehicle system. I have heard many bad stories about this

There is no harm in the power coming from the tow vehicle....it is just the lack of power

That, and the size of that charging wire. A lowered-voltage lithium battery is almost a short. In reality, if the charge wire is properly fused there isn’t a danger. The same resistance in the wire that keeps it from charging well is a buffer, too. That’s my view.

The plan was to wire in a DC DC charger but I am struggling to find a way to bring all the 12V wires from under the trailer to inside the trailer.

Use a plastic junction box made for this, and drill through the floor in a hidden spot under where all the electrical services are. Feed up from there. The box is made for the 7-wire trailer towing connector but it’s wicked handy for other low voltage purposes.
My preferred method is to drill a hole for a 3/4” plastic conduit connector and install it with 5200 (or 95% of the time: loktite polyurethane caulking which will outlast anybody reading this today). I use a conduit stub to go up through the floor and stick up about 6” through a tight-fitting drilled hole- no mice issues and you can caulk the underside.

You’ll want a selection of bare crimp #6 or #8 ring terminals in probably 2 or 3 wire gages. Very serviceable.