Forum Discussion

Elkhunter's avatar
Elkhunter
Explorer
Mar 02, 2014

Converter Fried

Ok, so my Cedar Creek converter died last fall during the last trip out and I am getting ready to replace the lower unit in the converter. Upon taking it apart to inspect, the circuit board was fried and has moved on to another life. So here's my question......I have found a replacement lower unit for it.....it is a Parallax 7355, so one option to replaced is the 7355R which is the lower unit only. That would be replacing with the exact same lower unit it has in it. From what I can find, another option would be the Progressive Dynamics PD4655. Pricing is not the issue as they are both comparably priced. My question is, which is a better unit? We use our fifth wheel most every weekend all summer long, so it stays plugged in to keep the battery up and the refrigerator cold. Most of our camping is dry with no electrical other than my genset. Any recommendations?

19 Replies

Show More
  • shadoow's avatar
    shadoow
    Explorer
    Mar 02, 2014
    when our converter (WFCO) went out (after just 2 yr) I replaced it with a Progressive 3-stage model for about the same price. To me it was a better deal cause the functionality of the Progressive was better, cost about the same and didn't want to go back to the model that just failed.
  • RoyB's avatar
    RoyB
    Explorer II
    Mar 02, 2014
    I use the PD9260C here with my battery bank. I replaced a perfectly good WFCO Converter/charger with the PD9200 series converter/charger so that I could depend on getting smart mode charging anytime i wanted to. I could never get my WFCO unit go into smart charging mode.

    The PD4600 and PD9200 series converter/chargers are great units.

    Roy Ken
  • VintageRacer's avatar
    VintageRacer
    Explorer
    Mar 02, 2014
    I have the PD 4635 replacement kit in my truck camper. Very happy with it, it is an intelligent 3 stage converter that uses current limiting to keep a steady 13.6 volts all the time. New ones come with the charge wizard, which does true bulk charging. Nice unit, easy to install.

    Brian
  • Atom_Ant's avatar
    Atom_Ant
    Explorer
    Mar 02, 2014
    Elkhunter wrote:
    I took it up for a week of archery hunting last year and we ended up with MICE everywhere. I ended up removing 11 of the little monsters before the week was out.


    Don't want to drift off topic too far, but did you try those plug in sonic things for the mice? If you had them and still got mice, that blows my hope these actually work.
  • ScottG's avatar
    ScottG
    Nomad
    Mar 02, 2014
    Another vote for the PD9260. I removed a perfectly healthy 7355 for one and it has proven to be a great choice.
    FWIW, the 9260 fits perfectly inside the lower compartment of the 7355.
  • Elkhunter's avatar
    Elkhunter
    Explorer
    Mar 02, 2014
    Not positive what caused the converter to die, but it has had a rough life. It spent most of its life plugged in 24/7/365 and did that until I bought the unit in 2011. Again it stays plugged in with me all summer. I took it up for a week of archery hunting last year and we ended up with MICE everywhere. I ended up removing 11 of the little monsters before the week was out. It kind of looked like maybe a mouse had peed on the circuit board but I never could figure out how it would have gotten into the box as that thing is sealed up pretty tight. Don't know for sure.
  • Atom_Ant's avatar
    Atom_Ant
    Explorer
    Mar 02, 2014
    I haven't heard great things about the Progressive Dynamics either, which is what I have, so not sure you are gaining very much. I would probably take the easy route and replace like for like. These don't go out very often.
  • donn0128's avatar
    donn0128
    Explorer II
    Mar 02, 2014
    The Progressive Dynamics for sure IMHO. Do you know what caused the problem? My Cedar Creek is still on the original converter with zero issues.

About Fifth Wheel Group

19,020 PostsLatest Activity: Mar 07, 2025