# 5th Wheel Modifications



## Mike Breul

Hello All 5th Wheel Owners. Lets get some posts going of all our great mods. We need to share more and I need more ideas!

Mods completed to date:
1) Swaped 12 V battery box for one which holds two 6 V batteries. Added Perco switch, in-line fuse holder, and distribution buss. New battery box fits in original space with room for gallon of distilled water. (See Photos)

2) Added Tornado black tank flush to black water tank.

3) Added Olympic Cadalytic heater (Wave 8), recessed at right side of front entry door. (see photos) It is a very efficient heater, doesn't use any battery power, and you can't hear it run!

4) Built a cabinet above the toilet for toilet paper and chemical. See Photo. I ordered a door from Keystone to match the others and painted to match.

5) Added shelf tracks and new shelves in pantry.

6) Did a permanent fix on the dinette table base which kept comming out. Fix consisted of cutting an 8 inch plywood disk of 3/4 inch plywood; cut carpet under disk and glued the disk to the floor; screwed the base plate and plywood disks to the floor using 1 1/2 inch #12 oval head sheet metal screws. See Photos. I don't expect that it will ever come loose again. Keystone should have thought of that! The original screws were about 1/2 inch into the floor and no way they would hold.

7) Added gas shock lifters to hold up the plywood hatches in the basement. (Pep Boys', 7-10 inch, 20 pound lift).

8) Built a ladder for top bunk access. The ladder is mounted flush on the wall opposite the bunks between the door and storage cabinets. See Photos. It also doubles as a towel rack for the bunk room. Also added a grab handle above the door next to the top bunk to help with access.

9) Added decorative rail on top of the wardrobe closet so we can leave things there while traveling. See Photos.

One future project I would like to do is to add speakers outside but I can't figure out how to run the speaker wires from the radio down down the wall to the bottom of the slide. The radio / CD player is set up for a third set of speakers but no wires. It would be great if Keystone had put them in the wall durring original construction, letting them terminate at the bottom of the slide or at least under the dinette seat.

I would love to hear about other 5th wheel mods. Many of the above ideas came from TT posts.

PHOTOS:
http://www.outbackers.com/forums/index.php...album&album=329


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## z-family




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## huntr70

I like the catalytic heater....so much better than hearing the fan blowing all night!

Steve


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## HootBob

Very nice mods
The heater looks awesome









Don


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## ARzark

Excellent job Mike








I love the battery set up. I was debating what to do with mine, but now I know!


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## Oregon_Camper

Nice Mods Mike Breul!!!!


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## Mike Breul

WAcamper said:


> Excellent job Mike
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I love the battery set up. I was debating what to do with mine, but now I know!
> [snapback]109735[/snapback]​


Hello WAcamper. Looks like you are the only one to reply to my post that has a FBHS. Mine is a 2006 with Havana interior purchased in March. If you need a material list or parts source for any of my mods, let me know. So far, my projects have all worked out really well. I struggled with the access to the upper bunk but am pleased with the wall ladder which doubles as a towel rack. Has your table base pulled out of the floor yet? The first time I converted it to a bed it pulled right out of the floor.

I wish there were more people with 5er's so we could get more discussions and ideas going.
Mike Breul


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## ARzark

Mike,

If you could PM me the materials list on the batteries that would be great








I have been thinking of that for some time, and your mod looks very clean. Great job once again!

Have not had the problem with the table, but then never converted it to a bed yet.
The only thing I have really done so far is to add an electrical outlet/switch between the lower sink door and the oven. I then tied in some simple rope lights to the switch and ran them underneath the counter top edge towards the door. Instant under counter (sort of) lighting! Works out quite well, and have the benefit of an additional outlet. I used the 12' rope lights, so there was a few feet to spare. Ran that behind the interior stove, over the plastic inset of the exterior cook stove. It actually provides illumination through the top of the cook stove inset and gives a nice soft illumination when the cook stove is lowered.

What I would really love to do is what I saw on Tazman's fiver at the rally. He modified his tv shelf, installed a built in electric fireplace, a rather large flat panel LCD TV, and made a beautiful custom trim wrap for everything. He then cut out an access and installed a matching cabinet door behind it all (left wall top of the steps by the shower) so he can access the original space of the cabinet behind the tv. I was very impressed!

Happy modding!
Jeff


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## PDX_Doug

Man, those are great mods, Mike!

And the craftsmanship looks exquisite. Well done!









Happy Trails,
Doug


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## RLW7302

Mike,

Those are some great mods!







We haven't done much on ours, unless you count memory foam mattress pad, labeling the light switches, and installing a vent cover. The FRLS already has a cabinet above the toilet. We haven't had a similar problem with the dinette (and convert it to a bed nearly every trip). I'm very interested in the battery mod and the lifters for the hatches in the basement. Do you have any pictures of the latter?

Happy camping!
-Roger


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## Mike Breul

Hi Jeff. While working in the battery box area, I started by plugging the holes where the landing gear goes through the metal bottom. I had some sheet metal which happened to be an old galvanized metal oil drip pan from my garage. I cut pieces to go around the bottom, bending up at the landing gear. Then fashioned sleeve which wrapped around the fixed part of the gear and extends to the botton piece and is secured in place with a sewer hose clamp. The whole thing is glued down with liquid nails, a couple sheet metal screws, calking, and painted black and sprayed top and bottom with automotive undercoating. Should keep water and dust out of the storage area.

Next, I cut 1/2 inch plywood to fit the entire compartment, covering the existing battery box hole. Painted and sealed with strip calking around the existing battery hole.

The new battery box is from Allied Battery Company in Seattle, WA. (206)762-5522 www.alliedbattery.com Part number: BOX, GC2 LONG 
Cost was $56.95 plus $14 shipping. I cut the vent hole and drain hole out of the original battery box and glued them in holes cut in the new battery box. I also cut pieces of the old battery box and used them to plug the areas where the wires are designed to pass through in the new box. With the exception of the vent and drain, I wanted the new battery box to seal as much as possible. The box is designed to hold two 6 volt golf cart type batteries.

The Perko switch (PN 281469 $29.99), Terminal Buss Bar (PN 410811 $21.29), and Buss Bar Cover (PN 288250 $6.99) all came from West Marine. The Perko switch has positions for battery 1; 2; all; or OFF. I hooked the two 6 volt batteries in series to the #1 position. If in the future I want to add two more 6 volt batteries I would use the same battery box setup, cut a hold in the adjacent wood cover, and connect it to position #2. The switches and buss bar are mounted on 3/4 inch plywood which is attached to the metal partition which separates the propane tanks. Between the switch and the buss bar, be sure to install a fuse - 30 or 50 amp, I can't remember which. The one I used is an in-line type.

For batteries, I looked at Trojan T105's and the Interstate batteries that Camping World sells. The power is about the same but the T105's are about $30 more each. The Interstates were about $80 each.

One other thing I did was to add a 12 volt outlet in the cabinet where the slide switch, water pump switch, and holding tank level pannel is located. I have the digital volt meter from Camping World stuck in there with velcro so I can reach in and plug it into the 12 volt outlet to keep track of the charge levels. Makes it real simple. If you haven't read the posting "12 Volt Side Of Life" you should check it out. The life of the batteries drops off quickly if you consistently draw them down below 50% charge level.

One other thing, I was told that I should use a heavy gauge wire to connect everything together. I used #4 and everything works really well.

I hope this all helps. I am pleased with both form and function of my installation.

Mike


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## Mike Breul

RLW7302 said:


> Mike,
> 
> Those are some great mods!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> We haven't done much on ours, unless you count memory foam mattress pad, labeling the light switches, and installing a vent cover. The FRLS already has a cabinet above the toilet. We haven't had a similar problem with the dinette (and convert it to a bed nearly every trip). I'm very interested in the battery mod and the lifters for the hatches in the basement. Do you have any pictures of the latter?
> 
> Happy camping!
> -Roger
> [snapback]109938[/snapback]​


Roger, the lifter came from Pep Boys. It is called a Univ Lift Support, Part # SG459005, Cost was $26.99. I believe the closed length is 7 inches and the extended length is 10 inches. It has a 20 pound capacity. It comes with a threaded stud and nut which I drilled a hold in the metal side of the compartment and installed that end. For the other end, I got a mounting on an angle that screws to the plywood lid. I wound up getting it at West Marine as an afterthought. West Marine has the lifters also but theirs aren't designed to lift the 20 pounds needed to keep the cover up (I tried one from West Marine and it wouldn't work. The Pep Boys one cost less and worked).

If you are tired of holding the cover up with your head, it is definately worth doing!

Mike


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## ARzark

Mike, thanks so much for the info and the detailed parts!
You really have done an outstanding job. You could set up shop and make a fortune doing mods for all us Outbackers








Jeff


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## Remove_B4_Flight

Mike,
Great job on everything. One thing I probably wouldn't do is add speakers to the outside. I had thought about it and then reconsiddered when the neighbors outside speakers drew some hateful looks from passers by. I'm sure it entirely depends on your musical selections, but not everyone in the park wants to hear it and it doesn't take much volume at all for that sound to travel. The first thing my teenage daughter does when she comes inside is cranks up the stereo. The radio is hardly ever touched unless she is onboard. I can only imagine what would happen if we had outside speakers!

Not being stuffy about it, just playing devil's advocate. I was really close to that mod myself.


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## Sluggo54

The new battery box is from Allied Battery Company in Seattle, WA. (206)762-5522 www.alliedbattery.com Part number: BOX, GC2 LONG 
Cost was $56.95 plus $14 shipping. I cut the vent hole and drain hole out of the original battery box and glued them in holes cut in the new battery box. I also cut pieces of the old battery box and used them to plug the areas where the wires are designed to pass through in the new box. With the exception of the vent and drain, I wanted the new battery box to seal as much as possible. The box is designed to hold two 6 volt golf cart type batteries.

The Perko switch (PN 281469 $29.99), Terminal Buss Bar (PN 410811 $21.29), and Buss Bar Cover (PN 288250 $6.99) all came from West Marine. The Perko switch has positions for battery 1; 2; all; or OFF. I hooked the two 6 volt batteries in series to the #1 position. If in the future I want to add two more 6 volt batteries I would use the same battery box setup, cut a hold in the adjacent wood cover, and connect it to position #2. The switches and buss bar are mounted on 3/4 inch plywood which is attached to the metal partition which separates the propane tanks. Between the switch and the buss bar, be sure to install a fuse - 30 or 50 amp, I can't remember which. The one I used is an in-line type.

For batteries, I looked at Trojan T105's and the Interstate batteries that Camping World sells.  The power is about the same but the T105's are about $30 more each. The Interstates were about $80 each.

One other thing I did was to add a 12 volt outlet in the cabinet where the slide switch, water pump switch, and holding tank level pannel is located. I have the digital volt meter from Camping World stuck in there with velcro so I can reach in and plug it into the 12 volt outlet to keep track of the charge levels. Makes it real simple. If you haven't read the posting "12 Volt Side Of Life" you should check it out. The life of the batteries drops off quickly if you consistently draw them down below 50% charge level.

One other thing, I was told that I should use a heavy gauge wire to connect everything together. I used #4 and everything works really well.

I hope this all helps. I am pleased with both form and function of my installation.

Mike

Mike, thanks so much for the details and pictures. This is something I need to do, but haven't yet gotten to. Your pioneering is making it easier for all of us. My 5'er isn't an Outback (well, it's an Outback in spirit, since this is where the good folks are), so the details will necessarily be somewhat different, but only the details.

Sluggo


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## Dark Green Dmax

Try this Mod link.... I did this to our 05 29fbhs ....http://www.outbackers.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=4722


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