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2BlueHeelers · 05-28-2006, 04:53 PM

I have been content to just putter around my Rage'n since I bought it last September fixing little things here and there, but nothing major until this weekend. I love this rig and I feel it is a very strong and well built... except for the electrical. Rage'n is just out to lunch on this (I have discussed this directly with them). I couldn't do any two things on battery power with out the lights dimming or the stereo skipping, heck, I couldn't even raise the HappiJac bed without starting the genny or plugging into shore power. That all changed this weekend, the first Memorial Day holiday that we actually stayed home.

I began with the battery wiring. Pitiful 10g wire with, and I kid you not, 5 crimps and 2 wire nuts in the battery compartment before heading off to the converter.

It looked like this:

There was wire everywhere and even the battery bypass had a few crimps in the line. In my previous life I was in the car audio biz so I designed a better flowing system utilizing high strand 4gauge power cable with only a two connections in the line. One for the distribution block and the other for the new Wirthco 100amp bypass w/ keylock which resulted in this:

Next was replacing the P-O-S Parallax single stage converter with a new 3-stage Progressive Dynamics PD9160A with Charge Wizard.
Here is the old:

After gutting the enclosure I found more crips and wire nuts behind the converter. The 4gauge wire fit perfectly after relocating other wires to terminals on the backside of the fuse panel. I upgraded all the grounds to 8gauge and of course the new converter received the same 8gauge treatment resulting in this:

and finally this:

So now I can raise the bed, run water in the sink, play the stereo, all while being blinded by the brightest lights I have ever had on battery power... and they are not even fully charged yet.

I am very pleased. Now I am ready for the Oregon dunes in two weeks!

2BlueHeelers · 05-28-2006, 04:53 PM

I have been content to just putter around my Rage'n since I bought it last September fixing little things here and there, but nothing major until this weekend. I love this rig and I feel it is a very strong and well built... except for the electrical. Rage'n is just out to lunch on this (I have discussed this directly with them). I couldn't do any two things on battery power with out the lights dimming or the stereo skipping, heck, I couldn't even raise the HappiJac bed without starting the genny or plugging into shore power. That all changed this weekend, the first Memorial Day holiday that we actually stayed home.

I began with the battery wiring. Pitiful 10g wire with, and I kid you not, 5 crimps and 2 wire nuts in the battery compartment before heading off to the converter.

It looked like this:

There was wire everywhere and even the battery bypass had a few crimps in the line. In my previous life I was in the car audio biz so I designed a better flowing system utilizing high strand 4gauge power cable with only a two connections in the line. One for the distribution block and the other for the new Wirthco 100amp bypass w/ keylock which resulted in this:

Next was replacing the P-O-S Parallax single stage converter with a new 3-stage Progressive Dynamics PD9160A with Charge Wizard.
Here is the old:

After gutting the enclosure I found more crips and wire nuts behind the converter. The 4gauge wire fit perfectly after relocating other wires to terminals on the backside of the fuse panel. I upgraded all the grounds to 8gauge and of course the new converter received the same 8gauge treatment resulting in this:

and finally this:

So now I can raise the bed, run water in the sink, play the stereo, all while being blinded by the brightest lights I have ever had on battery power... and they are not even fully charged yet.

I am very pleased. Now I am ready for the Oregon dunes in two weeks!

56Nomad · 05-28-2006, 09:01 PM

Nice.......

Vette Racer · 05-29-2006, 05:23 PM

You know, its a shame we have to sometimes develope our own mods to make the trailer work like it should have in the first place. Keep up the good work.

high desert · 05-29-2006, 07:10 PM

Great mod.......that's a clean job.

Wes

acjjkamp · 05-31-2006, 11:20 AM

can you come down to Santa Maria and do mine now too?
Nice job

dieseldude · 06-01-2006, 06:49 PM

Great project,

Tom...more like discussting.

WWFan · 06-02-2006, 02:03 PM

2BH!!

Looks good! You'll really like that module- you'll actually get the full 3 years out of the batteries that way!

2BlueHeelers · 06-03-2006, 05:42 AM

Thanks everyone! I think the "Mod-Bug" has bitten me

... and it's incurable! I have my next 2 mods planned for when I get back from Oregon Dunes. One is like WWF and others: running air compressor lines throughout the rig and the other is a motion sensor activated night light under the entry stairs, w/ blue led's to match my rig so they don't blind me when I stumble into bed after too much Te-kill-ya!

Thanks for the motivation and ideas!

Naykid · 06-04-2006, 09:11 AM

That is just amazing, just picked my 3005 Rage'n up from the dealer for the same problem, excessive voltage drop from the batteries to the panel, they ran a new larger positive lead and say it cured the problem, haven't tested it yet. I agree, too bad WE have to tell THEM what the problem is, this was the third time in for the same thing. Looks like I see now how to take it to the next level.

Ctimrun · 07-08-2006, 12:25 AM

I am getting everything I need to get this done to my Ragen 36 footer, same problem you had. I already did the 9160 converter and charge wizard.

Is the only break in the power line to the converter the master switch?

Where is a good place to get good wire at a decent price?

Is it necessary to upgrade the master switch as well? It lookes like you bypassed the original and installed your own.

If I need to where do I get the switch?

Thanks ahead of time.

Tim

2BlueHeelers · 07-08-2006, 09:54 AM

Hi Tim,

This upgrade is easy, just save the brew till yer done

I don't remember where I bought the bypass switch. It is a 100 amp Wassco or wasso (something like that) with a removeable key. It was about $20. The one that Ragen uses is (go figure) CR@P!! The power cable I used is overkill as it is higrade car audio power wire. I used it for many reasons
1 it has a gazzzzillion strands of higrade OF Copper. DC travels on the skin of a wire unlike ac which travels thru the wire. more wires=more current and less resistance.
2 it is very flexible and very easy to work with
3 I have friends in the car biz so it wasn't too much more $$ than HomeDepot stuff
4 it is very flexible
5 it's a really cool transparent red!
6 it is very flexible

The price is about $2-$4 a foot I bought 20' and have about 4' left over to play with... (I like red, it's purdy!)

All in all the upgrade was under $350 including the converter, purdy wire, disty blocks and the 8 gauge wire I used to ground the new converter and for the connections to the fuse panel. By far the best $$ I have spent on my rig so far.

S~