List of Mods

Note: This list is extremely old and is not a full list of our current mods

While at the 2018 Winnebago GNR (Grand National Rally), the Winnie B group (class B vans) gathers in a row or three and parties together.  We also like to have rig tours.  This involves opening up your rig so others can see what's different in your model, or what changes you have made to appearance or functionality - i.e. what mods have you done.  I figured I'd gather my list of mods here to share it both with the touring group and those watching my blog.  Half of these are not (yet) documented elsewhere in this blog.

Electrical mods:

• Added 2 lithium batteries (in parallel) from BattleBornBatteries.com under the bench seat (connected to 12v bus with a circuit breaker) for a total of 200aH.
• BMV-700 on the negative leg of the lithium batteries to monitor charge percentage (has bluetooth adapter for phone app)
• AIMS 6000 inverter/charger/transfer switch that handles 2000W continuous.  Power from original/existing ATS is routed through inverter's switch before the circuit breaker panel, so the entire rig has power (until the batteries run out) even without shore or generator.  The charger function provides up to 55amps at 14.6 volts to recharge the lithium batteries which happens automatically with shore or generator power.  The transfer switch automatically and instantly kicks in the inverter if the shore power is not present, or is out of spec on voltage or frequency.  This is a secondary level of protection in addition to having a surge suppressor.
• Installed 2 180W solar panels (removed TV and antenna) in series with Victron MPPT charge controller tied to lithium batteries.  Includes bluetooth adapter to communicate with phone app.

Kitchen mods:

• New butcher block countertop, kept original sink but recessed it slightly into the counter
• Replaced burners with induction, mounted flush with the counter top for more space
• Counter now extends several extra inches over switches, which protects them and removes the need to have a flip-up section
• Metal (glass in later models) shield over cooktop removed completely.  The bottom of the overhead cabinet is now covered in copper sheet.  The switch to turn on the over-counter lights is relocated to the side wall in place of the coax outlet.
• LED lighting strip installed inside overhead cabinet with a switch that shut it off if door is closed (also goes off with over counter lights).
• Backsplash wall (that had offset section) replaced with single plywood sheet and covered with copper stick-on "subway" tiles.  As a part of this, the screen door and plastic trim pieces were temporarily removed until I have time to recreate a new wood trim piece to support and reinforce the sliding door base.

Bathroom mods:

• Installed "Marlon" thermostatic faucet
• Second shower sprayer holder in center for easier use.
• Rod across ceiling for hanging things to dry
• Back wall organizer
• Ikea suction cup bins
• Cedar "Bath Mat" Deck, customized with laser etching of US State boundaries
• Larger filter installed on drain to reduce cleanings

Plumbing mods:

• Installed new above-floor plumbing, replaced 90% of original pex and plastic fittings with new pex, brass fittings and copper compression rings.  Removed winterization plumbing, reduced drain points and complex plumbing sections.
• Slot routed in floor near sliding door for plumbing to cross between kitchen cabinets (pump area) and water tank box.
• Although technically not plumbing: added "heat tape" strip into additional routed slots in floor to prevent pipes and feet from freezing.
• Installed new "floating" floor to cover above mods

Furniture mods:

• Removed cabinet above dinette area (after having previously removed TV and Jenson Radio) which facilitated running wires for solar.  Replaced it with new larger cabinet to hold portable printer and scanner, cellular and wifi equipment, and store laptops, phones, and tablets for charging (with all cables hidden).
• Changed dinette table mounting for more stability:
• Larger screws holding bar to wall
• Moved plastic bar-holding flanges about an inch inwards to allow table to be moved further forwards and backwards.
• Added additional spacers above plastic bar-holding flanges to force them to press down on bar more firmly to prevent wobble
• Tightened screws and various adjustments to improve operation.
• Reworked "water box" to have less wasted space.  The framing around the water tank next to sliding door has a large amount of unused space on either side of the tank.  Box was cut down on both sides to widen walkway from sliding door and allow the passenger side front swivel chair to rotate full 180 to face backwards.  As a part of this mod, a new cushion was built to cover the smaller box, and the metal leg frame to slide the cushion into puzzle bed mode was also removed.  In order to be used in bed mode again, some additional work will need to be done to create a way to bridge the gap to the table.
• Can storage under floor: the step-up walkway between the dinette table area and the water box was reworked to provide a hatch access to unused space under the floor.  The original floor was cut to create a large rectangular section that can be lifted up on a piano hinge.  The area below the floor was reinforced to cover the plumbing and support the floor when down.  To allow for easy storage of pop (or other beverage) cans in the two sections under the table, a sled was made with pull straps to allow the cans to be extracted. Each space stores 2 12-packs, and an additional 12 cans can be stored under the lift-up area for a total of 60 cans.
• In various places (water bench, dinette bench) the fabric covering over vertical surfaces was removed and the original wood surface sanded and stained, or covered with veneer.  Some cabinet and wall spaces (especially in the kitchen) have been recovered with veneer.  In part this it to provide a fresh lighter color wood feel, and may also incidentally cover up defects or holes in the walls.
• Over-water-bench shelf installed, with wood end attached to ceiling so that entrance/exit is not height restricted.
• Exterior carpet (left over from previous domicile) trimmed to cover entire raised dinette and front cab area (wall to wall).

Travato Light bulb sizes plus LED kits

2014-19 Ram Promaster Light Bulb Size Guide

Low Beam Headlight Bulb Size: H7 or H7 HID Upgrade Kit or H7 LED Upgrade Kit
High Beam Headlight Bulb Size: H7 or H7 HID Upgrade Kit or H7 LED Upgrade Kit
Parking Light Bulb Size: 7444NA
Daytime Running Light Bulb Size: 7440
Fog Light Bulb Size: H11 or H11 HID Upgrade Kit or H11 LED Headlight Kit
Front Turn Signal Light Bulb Size: 7444NA
Rear Turn Signal Light Bulb Size: 7440A
Mirror Turn Signal Bulb Size: 921
Front Sidemarker Light Bulb Size: 2827
Rear Side Marker Light Bulb Size: 2821
Tail Light Bulb Size: 7443
Reverse Tail Light Bulb Size: 921
Brake Light Bulb Size: 7443
High Mount Brake Light Bulb Size: 921
Dome Light Bulb Size: 6418
Glove Box Light Bulb Size: 6418
License Plate Light Bulb Size: 6418
Roof Marker Light Bulb Size: 2827
Trunk/Cargo Area Light Bulb Size: 578 - 41mm Festoon
Vanity Mirror Light Bulb Size: 6418

If you’ve added LEDs and the bulb error light is now on. You can either add a resistor, or turn off the bulb check, as shown in this video: https://www.facebook.com/groups/140882716333661/permalink/404979719923958/

Replacing the toilet seal

As many have experienced, or rather smelled, the toilet seal on the Thetford toilet can sometimes not work as well as it should, and leak fluids and noxious gases in either direction, which is a very undesirable condition.

I was able to identify the toilet that we have as the Thetford Aqau-Magic Style II, albeit mostly by matching up pictures on the Thetford website.  Switching to Amazon, I found a replacement ball and seal kit that I could get next day on Prime (first time I've been able to use the new free next day shipping service).

Thetford 34117  Waste Ball Kit for Style II / Style Lite / Style Plus

Unfortunately, after receiving the kit, which Amazon was kind enough to drop on my front porch, I found that the instructions only cover the Lite and Plus models, not the II.

 

Fortunately, the lack of instructions is not usually a deterrent for me, so I proceeded with an ultimately successful installation attempt, which I conveniently captured most of on camera.

AIMS 6000 Inverter installation - the "lost" film

There's been a lot of interest recently in upgrading to Lithium batteries, which is something I did very early on in the first few months after acquiring my Travato, along with installing a "whole house" inverter between the ATS and the Fusebox.  I knew even less about what I was doing back then, but somehow managed to pull it off anyway.

As mentioned in a previous article, that unfinished and unedited video content was presumably lost along with a hard drive failure last year, but some of it has been recovered.  I'm posting it here in it's raw form for the benefit of those who have a desire to do something similar or just to see what I did.  There has been a few changes, and I'm planning an overhaul, but for the last couple of years I've mostly reliably run on this setup.

Bathroom Mirror and Light

Another area for improvement in the Travato 59G bathroom is the difficulty of using the mirror, and the fact that it is rather dark in the corner over the sink.  So I came up with a plan to fix that.

Part 1 - Install Mirror

I figured that the large blank area over the sink (above the inset) would be a perfect place to put a mirror. I measured to discover that a 12" high by 24" wide mirror would fit just fine, and was able to locate a plastic mirror of those dimensions on Amazon:

12" x 24" 1/8" Acrylic Mirror Sheet

Along with a pack of mirror mounting clips I got from Home Depot:

OOK 1/8 in. Plastic Mirror Clip (8-Pack)

With this parts in hand, along with some brass screws (variety kit from Harbor Freight) I was ready to install the mirror:

Part 2 - Install Light

To lighten up the situation, I also added an LED light in the ceiling.  I had first planned on putting a light on the wall above the pump switch, which I thought would be easier to install (it would have been).  But I ended up settling on a ceiling mount light instead, which of course I got from Amazon:

Dream Lighting 12Volt LED Panel Light with Switch - 5" White Shell Ceiling Downlight

It was a bit difficult to fish wires through the hole in the ceiling I made to mount the light, and then down to the bathroom light switch wiring.  Instead of cutting the existing wire to hook in an extra connection, I made use of these handy splice connectors:

Horloy 240 PCS/120 Pairs T-Tap Wire Terminals Quick Splice Electrical Connectors Self-Stripping and Nylon Fully Insulated Male Spade Disconnect Kit

The advantage of these over the conventional auto splicing connectors is that the added connection is a spade - so you can safely remove it later if need be.

Here's the installation process:

Small side step for for front passenger

So this wasn't my idea -- I totally stole it from someone else on the Travato forum on Facebook.  This small pair of self-installable steps are the perfect size (and low cost) to add a step up for the front seats:

Bully AS-600 Polished Aluminium Multi-Fit Truck SUV Side Steps (1 Pair)

They are aluminum, and come with an assortment of mounting bolts and adapters, all of which I didn't use.  Instead, I put some new holes in the brackets and used some self-tapping sheet metal screws in a #14 size:

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Hillman-14-x-1-in-Socket-Hex-Drive-Sheet-Metal-Screws-25-Count/3036261

These have a length of 1-1/4" but the 1" screws would be plenty long.  Installation was relatively easy, short of getting the first hole drilled.  And make sure you have a proper magnetic drive bit to match the screws if you attempt this - it will make it go much easier.

UPDATE

I've since discovered from a Promaster forum that there is a different version of this step (different manufacturer) with a mounting bracket that looks much easier to install:

https://www.realtruck.com/carr-black-hoop-ii-truck-steps/R185694P2014Y2715MA.html

It also appears to stick out more, meaning you can get more of a foot on it.  This may be a better option than what I did.

Installing Sumo Springs

I finally got around to installing my sumo springs last fall.

For those unaware, Sumo Springs are rear bump stop replacements that give you a bit of extra lift, in order to compensate for the extra heavy weight load of all the RV bits and gear loaded into a Travato.  These are made by SuperSprings(.com) and they have front spring spacers as well.

This is the part that I ordered: https://www.supersprings.com/shop/ssr-313-54/.

There are a lot of varying reports on the difference in ride resulting from installing these.  There's a measurable several inches of extra height, but the handling change is either hailed as a significant improvement or minimal, depending on who you talk to.  My experience after having them in for half a year now is that I can definitely see (feel?) an improvement -- nothing major, but every little bit helps.  After having just gotten new tires also, I can say that doing both sumos and replacing worn out tires together is a significant difference in handling.

Below is the video of the installation process.  I decided to try doing it with just the stock jack, although partially because I didn't happen to have any better equipment handy.  Both sides are done, with the second side requiring moving the bracket for the grey tank, so it's practically the same except that I didn't try to turn the old bump stop the wrong way on the second side.  In the end, the process was a success.