New '23 320 Boondock Owner with a few Questions :)

otr_320

Had a few questions we were hoping to get some perspective on:

1. The data plate on the Isotherm 65 fridge says it runs on 12vdc and/or 120vac.  Anyone know what conditions are necessary for it to operate on 120vac? We're completely fine running it just on 12vdc, however, just curious.

2. There's two open cavities in the rear of our 320.  One is behind the Air8 a/c unit, the other is behind the Alde 3020 system. Both areas look like ideal storage locations. Can the paneling underneath safely sustain much weight?  Say, 40-50 lbs?

3. Just finished fabricating a generator cover for the A-frame and along with a number of electrical upgrades.  Last project before we seriously hit the road is a bike rack.  Would prefer not to increase our tongue weight with an A-frame mounted bike rack.  Anyone carrying their bikes on the 320 rear roof rack?  That upper bar on the roof rack is up there pretty high. Anyone loading/unloading their roof rack mounted bikes without the need for vertical assistance?

Thanks!

Yoshi_TAB

Hi,

1,  The Isotherm is only 12V.  When on shore power the converter provides the 12V to power it.  There is only a12V fuse for it, no breaker.  Be aware when running on battery, the fridge will not operate if the voltage of the battery gets below around 11 or so.  One mod many do is switch the side the door swings open with the hidge on the left.  Makes getting things much easier when standing outside at the door.

Manuale Drawer 2013 (indelwebastomarine.com)

2.  IMO, that area can sustain 40-50 lbs.  Another mod is to change the hinge so the cushions flip up at the front.  Makes getting items way easier.  The mod still maintains the ability for the seat to ratchet as a seat back.

3.  It is not advise to put bikes on the rear rack.  It is rated for only (edited updated)  75 lbs.  Although I believe some have.  Many use a rack called a Jack It.  The nice thing about the Jack it, it has an accessory called a bump it that allows you to remove part of the rack and put it on your tow vehicle to travel locally with your bikes when you have your camper.

Keep asking questions..

Happy Travels...

otr_320

Yoshi_TAB, thanks for the reply!

Appreciate you clarifying how the Isotherm operates (and the door mod).  Got to wonder why Isotherm puts 100-240vac, 50-60 hz, 1.0a/.5a on the inside data sticker.

The cushion mod is awesome!  Just put that mod on our to-do list.

Wasn't aware the load rating on the rear roof rack was so low (60 lbs).  For those who used the roof rack to store their bikes, I'm guessing they probably needed ladders to access them.

Yoshi_TAB

oops..I mispoke.  I believe the roof/rack combo is rated for 75 lbs...others may chime in if this is still not correct.

bjn2

Unless you're very tall, I think you'll need some kind of step up to load the rack. I put a BougeRV cargo basket on ours and need a compact stepladder to secure the load with cam straps. I added a front receiver to our Xterra to accept our 1Up bike rack. We have heavy eBikes, so putting that weight on the tongue (or lifting the bikes that high) isn't an option. I wish the aluminum brush guard was sturdy enough to stand on, but I wouldn't do it. Having the rack at a fairly steep angle makes loading more difficult.

Maxcamp8

In swing seasons we carry four gallons of RV antifreeze (35#) on floor space behind Alde, ratchet strapped through slots routed in ply support.  Also boxed supplies behind Air8.  I'd be leery of any hard heavy corners bouncing on floor over bumpy roads, like a toolchest.

On our 2021 320 the rear tubular rack is attached through the camper skin to the very lightweight aluminum framing shell members with four throughbolts having plate washers, visible from inside.  I would not put any loads on this rack out of concern of buckling or tearing through the composite shell.  

otr_320

bjn2 said:

Unless you're very tall, I think you'll need some kind of step up to load the rack. I put a BougeRV cargo basket on ours and need a compact stepladder to secure the load with cam straps. I added a front receiver to our Xterra to accept our 1Up bike rack. We have heavy eBikes, so putting that weight on the tongue (or lifting the bikes that high) isn't an option. I wish the aluminum brush guard was sturdy enough to stand on, but I wouldn't do it. Having the rack at a fairly steep angle makes loading more difficult.

We used to carry our bikes using a front hitch on our Ram Cummins. Nice option to have.  Lots of unused payload capacity on the front axle.  Don't believe they make a front hitch for our Bronco.  Even if they did I'd be worried about it interfering with airflow through the intercooler.  Got our finger's crossed we can figure out a way to strap some bikes on the rear of our 320.  I think we can do it, but as you mentioned we'll probably have to bring an extendable ladder to pull it off.

otr_320

Maxcamp8 said:

In swing seasons we carry four gallons of RV antifreeze (35#) on floor space behind Alde, ratchet strapped through slots routed in ply support.  Also boxed supplies behind Air8.  I'd be leery of any hard heavy corners bouncing on floor over bumpy roads, like a toolchest.

On our 2021 320 the rear tubular rack is attached through the camper skin to the very lightweight aluminum framing shell members with four throughbolts having plate washers, visible from inside.  I would not put any loads on this rack out of concern of buckling or tearing through the composite shell.  

Good to know everything went ok with 35 lbs.  Hoping to store a ~40 lb. cloth tool bag behind our Alde.  Found a nice piece of foam to put underneath that should cushion things if we run into some bumpy roads.

I agree that rear, aluminum brush guard is a no-go.  We're hoping to use the OEM steel tubular roof rack (Yakima?) located just above it. Trying to nail down the exact load rating for this particular roof rack.  So far I've heard estimates from 60 to 125 lbs.

SLJ

The rear rack is not 125 pounds or even close. They use to say 65 but then I heard they upgraded it to 75 pounds. It doesn't go by the Yakima rack specifications but goes by the attachment to the roof supports by NuCamp. Even then it's the worst place to carry anything as it's the place with the most bounce. I would not put bikes up there.

otr_320

Yoshi_TAB said:

Hi,

1,  The Isotherm is only 12V.  When on shore power the converter provides the 12V to power it.  There is only a12V fuse for it, no breaker.  Be aware when running on battery, the fridge will not operate if the voltage of the battery gets below around 11 or so.  One mod many do is switch the side the door swings open with the hidge on the left.  Makes getting things much easier when standing outside at the door.

I pulled our Isotherm from the cabinet to make some voltage checks today.  While I had it pulled out noticed there's an unused 100-240vac rated male receptacle on the top, rear of the unit.  If someone would prefer to run it on 120vac for whatever reason it would seem they do have that option.

otr_320

SLJ said:

The rear rack is not 125 pounds or even close. They use to say 65 but then I heard they upgraded it to 75 pounds. It doesn't go by the Yakima rack specifications but goes by the attachment to the roof supports by NuCamp. Even then it's the worst place to carry anything as it's the place with the most bounce. I would not put bikes up there.

Thanks for the input.  Yup, did notice our 320 does bounce a bit.  It could definitely use some shocks--lol!

Maple_Geek

@Yoshi_TAB do you happen to have more details about this mod? "Another mod is to change the hinge so the cushions flip up at the front.  Makes getting items way easier.  The mod still maintains the ability for the seat to ratchet as a seat back."

I can't quite visualize how it would still allow for the ability to ratchet the seat. Thank you!

Yoshi_TAB

Hi @Maple_Geek,

Here are a couple of close up pictures and video that might help.

The BOM was:
-Square door hinge
-Bar stock
-Small screws
-T-nuts
-Wood Screws

Tools: hacksaw, drill/bits, screw driver.

The OEM assembled seat has the front of the cushion screwed/attached directly to the ratcheting hinge so the cushion pivots on the ratcheting hinge.  This modication moves the hinged point from the front of the cushion to the rear (using a door hinge)  so it can swing open from the rear. It  installs a piece of bar stock to attach the rear  hinge to the front OEM ratchteing hinge.  

There is a similar mod that welds the componets together.  I used small screws and T-bolts to secure the parts together, so no welding was necessary.  I also used locktite on the screws to keep them from backing out.   I used wood screws to attach the bar stock to the bottom of the seat cushion.   Works really well.  If I wasn't clear...please ask.

https://youtu.be/gout5r-O3xU

Jfrei

That seat mod is awesome! Going to do that before I put the T@B away for the winter.

I contacted nuCamp support and was told the Yakima bars are good for 60lbs. But they did not/could not say if that was a static or dynamic rating. I am betting a static rating. I sure would not put a bike on there unless the camper was parked

Mobean

Seat modification is a great idea.  Will make it so much easier to access storage.

I would add a false bottom to the rear storage modification.  You need air movement for the Alde heater to work properly.  Air needs to flow from the floor through the cabinets and through this back storage area up across the heating plates behind the rear storage cabinet. 

We've been very pleased with the Jack-It bike rack.  If you do not plan to install an electric  tongue jack, go with the shorter frame option so the bikes are a little easier to reach.

otr_320

Jfrei said:

I contacted nuCamp support and was told the Yakima bars are good for 60lbs. But they did not/could not say if that was a static or dynamic rating. I am betting a static rating. I sure would not put a bike on there unless the camper was parked

I would surmise it's more or less a dynamic rating, unless NuCamp specifically stated the trailer should not be towed when the Yakima bars are in use.  

However . . . I would also surmise the 60 lb. rating is only valid if the cargo is securely attached to the Yakima bars in a way that results in no movement of the cargo . . . under all driving conditions.  Any movement would render the 60 lb. rating null and void.  

IMO securing the cargo properly is critical.  I could see a 30 lb. load on the Yakima bars easily damaging the bars and roof if left unsecured and allowed to bounce around on a bumpy road for any length of time.

Jfrei

Mobean said:

Seat modification is a great idea.  Will make it so much easier to access storage.

I would add a false bottom to the rear storage modification.  You need air movement for the Alde heater to work properly.  Air needs to flow from the floor through the cabinets and through this back storage area up across the heating plates behind the rear storage cabinet. 

Good point on the false bottom. Was going to mention that when I did my seat mod.

otr_320

Mobean said:

 . . . I would add a false bottom to the rear storage modification.  You need air movement for the Alde heater to work properly.  Air needs to flow from the floor through the cabinets and through this back storage area up across the heating plates behind the rear storage cabinet. 

We've been very pleased with the Jack-It bike rack.  If you do not plan to install an electric  tongue jack, go with the shorter frame option so the bikes are a little easier to reach.

Thanks for the reply and the pics!

Good point about maintaining air movement for the Alde heater. We'll have to keep that in mind when we store anything back there.

I've heard good things about the Jack-It bike rack.  Unfortunately, it would push our tongue weight a bit higher than we'd like.  If our current R&D doesn't pan-out, the Jack-It will be a strong Plan B.