# Outback belly supports



## aplvlykat (Jan 25, 2004)

I did this mod only because every since we bought out 25RSS the belly has saged. What I did was pick up 4 lenghts of 1/2 EMT conduit. I measured from rail to rail (70") flatned out the ends and used the existing screws and holes to mount the supports. Now I have a very stable TT under belly. It wasn't to hard to do but it sure wasn't much fun laying on my back in the dirt for 3 hours. Kirk


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## hatcityhosehauler (Feb 13, 2004)

Pictures? When you say sagging, do you mean down the centerline of the trailer?

Tim


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## Y-Guy (Jan 30, 2004)

What is EMT conduit? I notice the underbelly sagging abit too when I put in the No-Fuss Flush system. Of course photos always help for those like me that are typographically impaired LOL


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## aplvlykat (Jan 25, 2004)

Tim, yes that is the sag that I was talking about. On mine I have noticed the warmer it gets the more it seems to sag and seeing as how I live in the desert area of So. Cal sometimes it seems to sag almost to the axels.
I placed two supports on each side of the axle between the shackle and the axle itself ( front and back), then the other two supports centered on the TT, one in front and one in the back. I then installed a support right down the middle to add extra support. Like I said everything stays tight now and up out of the way.

Steve, EMT conduit is thin wall galvinzed pipe that can be bought at any home depot or Lowes in the electrical department. The reason I chose it is that 1/2 emt is inexpensive, $3.00 per 10' section and it is easy to work with, light weigth, strong and rust resistant. I already have the pipe bender but even if you had to buy one I think they are around $25.00.

Guy's there are some simple bends to make but both are on the ends. You need to put a slight kick or offset on each end so they extend down under the belly to support and not press up against the tanks. Once I got the first frame rail to frame rail support made the other three went quick, it took about 1 hour to make them in my garage. It then took 2 hours to install them and this included clean up time afterwards. If you guy's are interested I will post pic's on how to do this bend? I will also try to get some pic's of the finished grid so you can see how it turns out but can't promise how good the pictures will be. Kirk


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## Y-Guy (Jan 30, 2004)

Kirk a picture would help me out a bunch I am not fully following what you are describing right now.


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## Thor (Apr 7, 2004)

Kirk

Pics will really help. Question: Was your under belly sealed? When I went exploring on the underside of the Outback I noticed that I had seal all the way around plus screws holding the the under belly up.

Thor


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## Y-Guy (Jan 30, 2004)

Thor mine was the same way, even with the seal it still has some sag. The sag probably isn't bad but if I can keep it high and tight I will.


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## aplvlykat (Jan 25, 2004)

Sorry it took so long to get pic's but it was a very busy weekend. I posted some pic's in my gallery so you guy's can get a better idea as to how I did this.
Thor, mine was sealed also with expandable foam along the edges and screwed up into place. Kirk


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## CamperAndy (Aug 26, 2004)

Kirk - What are the 2 lines (wires) in the pictures????


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## aplvlykat (Jan 25, 2004)

Hi Andy, If you are talking about the yellow wires they come from the solar panels(210 watts) to the battery status/MPPT charge controller through a transfer switch relay to the 3600 watt generator back to the batteries. Kirk


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## CamperAndy (Aug 26, 2004)

Kirk - You have a generator installed in your trailer? Any pictures?


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## aplvlykat (Jan 25, 2004)

Hi Andy, Yes we do have a generator installed. I outlined how I did it on page 4 under Kirk & kim's mod's. We do a lot of dry camping in remote areas and we wanted to run all the equippment on our Outback. 
The sequence of operation for my system is: plug the TT into a 30 amp RV outlet located below the generator on the outside wall, turn on the propane, with the generator off the solar panels charge the batteries,when you push the generator start button the isolater/transfer relay energizes and the generator charges the batteries and supplies 120 volts to the TT. 
I mounted the starter switch, battery status display,MPPT charge controller on the wall below the drawer that is in the closet near the bunks. At all times I can monitor the percent of charge that the batteries hold. I tried to make everything look factory installed, quiet, safe, and simple to use. The system works very good and I never have had a problem. Kirk


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## Randey (Sep 20, 2004)

I was looking for some pictures to see what you are talking about. Do you have any?


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## aplvlykat (Jan 25, 2004)

Ok, I posted the generator pic again. I will snap some of the controll system monitors, once I find the camera, the wife has it somewhere. Kirk


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## BigBadBrain (Aug 26, 2004)

Clearly there is a shoehorn involved in installation.

Did you have to do some mods in the interior or was the compartment pretty well sealed from the inside living area? Added insulation for noise reduction?

How does the 3600 watts do at running everything? Do you have to be careful about what is running?

Now a trick question; would you do this again or just get a portable genset and run that way? I have to admit, it is a slick mod that I think we'd all like (those of us not park bound that is).


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## CamperAndy (Aug 26, 2004)

Just looked at the picture and it is great. Do you run it with the door open or closed?


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## aplvlykat (Jan 25, 2004)

Hi Brian, I will try to answer your questions.
Yes, the generator has to be located in a sheet metal box seperated and sealed from the living area. I think for saftey, fire and RVIA codes.
Yes, with a little common sense it will run most of the equippment in my outback. The most I have had on it was the a/c & microwave & a electric hot plate for pancakes, it was really loaded down but did handel the load
Yes, I had to cut back the cabnets inside wall to gain a little more clearance for vibration and sound isolation. I used duct liner inside and outside of the box. All cabnets in a outback are double wall so from the outside you can not tell it has been modified.
Yes it was a tight fit, I think it only cleared by less than a inch when I put it in. Once it was into place it sets down into the mounting bracket and gives you 2-3 inch of head room. Another nice thing is that the generator is rubber mounted and floats on the mounts, very little vibration, it is quiet I think it was 64 db at 5 meters
Would I do it again, you bet, I have had 4 major back surguries in the last 5 years due to an industrial accident. Besides I hated transporting gas, generator inside the TT and I added a little tounge weight. It's really nice to only have to push a button and have most of the conviences of home when camping.
No, the hatch stays closed and is ventilated so the generator can draw air for combustion and cooling. Also the exhaust is piped to the other side away from the awning and comes out near the bike door.
Hope this answers some of your questions. Kirk


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## BigBadBrain (Aug 26, 2004)

Well, another thing to think about. I've been considering buying two Honda 2000i gensets and ganging them together but this is what I'd thought about originally. A lot of people told me not to try because it wouldn't fit or it would be too much trouble to mod the trailer to fit one.

Shoot, I thought that was settled. Well, now I know a lot more and can decide based on facts not supposition. I'll have to go look at generator sets that might fit. Between this and the solar panel I'm going to have to sit down and design my electrical system on paper to figure out how to proceed. Your rig sounds like it is pretty well configured for almost anything. Nice work.


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