Where were you with your NEWMAR today?

[FSU Camper]

Originally Posted by Soniccruzer

KOFA, AZ. (King of Arizona)

Attachment 235401

Another great photo!

[R.Wold]

Just picked up a 2010 Baystar 2901 in Grand Rapids on Thursday afternoon and was home (Northern Calif) by about the same time on Sunday. Nice coach, 20,000 miles, great shape, 20500 chaiss with 5:38 gears. So it handled the grades quite nicely. Not so pleasant on frozen roads with highway tires in single digit temps, but I made it through unscathed.

I did bail from the northern route (I-80) at SLC and finished the trip heading south via Las Vegas on I-15. Never thought Id be happy to go there, but lower elevations and higher temps were the order of the day. On the last leg (Barstow to Grass Valley) up Hwy 99, I managed 7.92 mpg! Averaging 60 mph, but still very pleasing compared to my milage crossing the Continental Divide.

So now the mods and upgrades begin. Improving handling is the first order of business. Its not bad compared to newer units the same size on the 18000lb chasis, but theres still room for improvement and Id love to hear your suggestions. Beyond that its installing my 1890 watt solar set-up off my current coach with a 3000 watt Victron inverter and nearly 800 AH of lithium cells from a Nissan Leaf. The system runs the AC without shore power or gen which is nice when boon-docking or leaving the dogs inside while shopping.

So Im happy with the coach, got a very good deal from Terrytown RV in Grand Rapids, and will now join the Newmar owners forum

[joes2901]

Congrats, you made a good Newmar choice. Lots of mods to make the handling and ride be all it can be. Then interior mods to cure any imperfections and add for your comfort. Look up in this forum my improvements made to my 2012 2901.

[mwhitedg]

Originally Posted by R.Wold

Just picked up a 2010 Baystar 2901 in Grand Rapids on Thursday afternoon and was home (Northern Calif) by about the same time on Sunday. Nice coach, 20,000 miles, great shape, 20500 chaiss with 5:38 gears. So it handled the grades quite nicely. Not so pleasant on frozen roads with highway tires in single digit temps, but I made it through unscathed.



I did bail from the northern route (I-80) at SLC and finished the trip heading south via Las Vegas on I-15. Never thought Id be happy to go there, but lower elevations and higher temps were the order of the day. On the last leg (Barstow to Grass Valley) up Hwy 99, I managed 7.92 mpg! Averaging 60 mph, but still very pleasing compared to my milage crossing the Continental Divide.



So now the mods and upgrades begin. Improving handling is the first order of business. Its not bad compared to newer units the same size on the 18000lb chasis, but theres still room for improvement and Id love to hear your suggestions. Beyond that its installing my 1890 watt solar set-up off my current coach with a 3000 watt Victron inverter and nearly 800 AH of lithium cells from a Nissan Leaf. The system runs the AC without shore power or gen which is nice when boon-docking or leaving the dogs inside while shopping.



So Im happy with the coach, got a very good deal from Terrytown RV in Grand Rapids, and will now join the Newmar owners forum

Curious where you mount that Leaf battery. Does that come in around 600 lbs? That is quit the add on! [emoji41]

[RussNavyDad]

Congrats! Good luck with it.

[Stuart W]

Originally Posted by mwhitedg

Curious where you mount that Leaf battery. Does that come in around 600 lbs? That is quit the add on! [emoji41]

Me too, following this.

[Steele]

Originally Posted by kpecks

Angel Fire Rv Resort, Angel Fire NM.

The resort is on the aireheads resorts link for good reason. Very nice. Very clean and new. Great facilities and you can use the main resort gym, spa, pools, fitness center etc.

Although, I wouldn’t recommend going there this time of year on Presidents’ Day weekend...

There are quite a few brave souls out here with us though! Several class C’s and quite a few 5th wheels. No other newmar

I now know why they call it Angel Fire...

Attachment 235200

That photo is gorgeous

[Steele]

Ok, it’s been a while since I posted a link, so here is my “Where were you with your Newmar today” google browser (not app) map for any new arrivals to the thread. Hope it works.

https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer...Qj&usp=sharing

Lynn

[HavingABlast]

Originally Posted by Steele

Ok, it’s been a while since I posted a link, so here is my “Where were you with your Newmar today” google browser (not app) map for any new arrivals to the thread. Hope it works.



https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer...Qj&usp=sharing



Lynn

That is Awesome! Thanks

[Steele]

Originally Posted by HavingABlast

That is Awesome! Thanks

You are welcome! BTW, the numbers after the name of the park refer to the post that it came from on the thread.

Lynn

[Electra 225]

Originally Posted by FSU Camper

Another great photo!

X-2, nice MA Soniccruzer. Love your windshield shade, very cool!

[RKins]

Originally Posted by Steele

Ok, it’s been a while since I posted a link, so here is my “Where were you with your Newmar today” google browser (not app) map for any new arrivals to the thread. Hope it works.

https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer...Qj&usp=sharing

Lynn

WOW!! You guys have put a ton of effort into this resource - thank you for that effort. WOW!!

[mwhitedg]

Originally Posted by Steele

Ok, it’s been a while since I posted a link, so here is my “Where were you with your Newmar today” google browser (not app) map for any new arrivals to the thread. Hope it works.



https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer...Qj&usp=sharing



Lynn

This is fantastic!! Love it! Even found my spots posted! Thanks for a very cool resource.

[R.Wold]

Originally Posted by mwhitedg

Curious where you mount that Leaf battery. Does that come in around 600 lbs? That is quit the add on! [emoji41]

Its actually 2/3 of the entire Leaf battery package which was then broken down into two banks of 12 cells each. The majority of the weight of a leaf battery is the case and misc automotive junk that comes with it. Once the battery was disassembled we made buss bars out of copper bar stock to create the (approximately) 28v batteries which feed the Victron 24v inverter. Each one is around 100lbs - much lighter than the equivalemt in lead-acid batteries and they take up a lot less room.

Its important to note that you cant do this as easily with all electric car lithium batteries. Some seal the whole battery in an air/water tight case rather than sealing each cell, so to use that type you have to build a new sealed container that fits the new application to prevent corosion. Since the lithium cells are usually colder than the ambient temperature, they tend to cause condensation and thus corrosion, leaking, and failure. The Leaf cells are sealed in plastic inside the aluminum housing and dont have this problem.

In the pics below you see one battery bank (1/3 of a Nissan Leaf battery) some monitoring stuff, the solar controllers (2 mppt 35/150), transfer switch and the inverter. Below is the Victron monitor (upside down - sorry bout that) showing power supply and usage. When the generator is on it shows up on the grid indicator. This shows the panels producing more than the rated 1890w (6x315w) on a day with near perfect exposure to the sun. Typically I get a lot less than 1890 watts. But with the batteries it easily runs the air conditioner which is the AC load indicated in green. The last two pics are building the system. As you can see its not exactly plug and play, but the advantages to lithiums make it well worth the effort and expemse.

Also this pic shows the equipment under the dinette seat of my class C. But it was built in a modualr fashion to easily transfer to a new coach. The Bay Star has so much more storage that finding room for it was a breeze (same compartment that the current inverter is in. The compartments on the new coach need reinforcement though before adding heavy loads to them.

One last note (no promises - this is what happens when you get me talking): the panels are LG residential units part #LG315NIC-G4 chosen for their compact size and high output. As residential panels go they are expensive but I was only buying six and it was more a matter of making them fit. I might only put four on the new coach as this is clearly more power than needed.