Alternative hydraulic hand pump.

[GENX]

Anything is possible, but is it practical? I guess that’s somewhat as subjective as the trade offs are and usage may change.

I am going to put batteries in a wrap around U shape bench at one end of habitat. Water tank and filtration under there too. I may have secondary water under/outside with the return of coolant/water heater circulator passing under the secondary exterior water tank.

 

[coachgeo]

Anything is possible, but is it practical? I guess that’s somewhat as subjective as the trade offs are and usage may change.

I am going to put batteries in a wrap around U shape bench at one end of habitat. Water tank and filtration under there too. I may have secondary water under/outside with the return of coolant/water heater circulator passing under the secondary exterior water tank.

we are getting off topic...... this thread is on the hand pump. I apologize for participating in the off topic.

 

[Third From Texas]

Anything is possible, but is it practical? I guess that’s somewhat as subjective as the trade offs are and usage may change.

Agreed.

There are plenty of examples of externally heated water and battery compartments, though. It's also quite subjective to operational environment. As I said, my first choice is internal but down here I could leave both water and batteries external and never miss a night on the Island.

But as Geo said, we're waaaaay off topic here.

 

[Ronmar]

that only works if your engine is running. Camping in winter for a week boondocked would be issue.... unless of course you have a propane or diesel fired coolant heater as part of your habitat heating system. (or a APU with an engine that uses coolant)

I would disagree with that also It is quite easy to incorporate an external battery box into the hab heat scheme…

 

[coachgeo]

I would disagree with that also It is quite easy to incorporate an external battery box into the hab heat scheme…

obviously I didn't get across my meaning well..... mentioned the APU or a coolant heater (diesel or propane) for exact reasons ya'll are pointing out.... they could be used to heat batteries..... point was only about using "engine coolant heat ONLY" for heating the batteries... .... which as mentioned would be an issue on an extended boondocking stay unless you idled the big CAT in when it is cold enough to be concerned about outside batts.... which is not good for the ol' CAT

 

[mccullek]

I was having the same issue. Replaced the O-rings on all four of my manifold valves and then the hand pump worked flawlessly after that. That is probably a 30 to 45 min job at most. I had to rebuild the Hydraulic pump next to get the air to raise things properly, but that is not that difficult either really. Look for one of the YouTube videos going over this. Abel has one and he shows how he uses a clamp to help in taking the interior pump apart, and that is the hardest part of that job. With the clamp in place, that makes it rather simple for the most part. This will all make sense if you watch the video.

 

[mccullek]

As for the heater, I might offer a suggestion. I did not install one in my M1078, but I have a self-build camping van that I installed one of the Chinese diesel heaters. I got mine off of Ebay for around $100 about 3 years ago. I installed it in my van and that thing works like a champ. A lot of people said they wouldn't last and were junk, but I swear by that small heater.

If you install it properly and maintain it by making sure you run it for a few minutes occasionally during the summer months, it works well, and I have had zero problems with it. Even on the lowest setting, I usually have to turn on the vent fan in the ceiling and vent out some of the heat to keep it from getting too warm inside. The thing just works and would easily heat anything you could put on your LMTV in the coldest temps. Uses very little fuel as well, so it runs cheaply, even with $5/gal diesel. Of all the things I have added and used with my van build, that diesel heater ranks at the very top. It solved all of my heating concerns, runs on very little fuel and draws hardly any amps once it is fired up.

 

[ramdough]

Well, I am copying @Ronmar …….



thanks for the great details!