New AF - a few winter questions.

And Incredibly well done thanks for the info brholt and insp1505...I had a few posts in that conversation long ago but the mods still hold up and that pretty much wraps it up for this thread.... now you see for yourself what's underneath and in the basement area of an arctic fox.... there is definitely work to be done if you plan on cold weather extreme camping good luck out there! Now that was some best advice ever also... looks like we're going to have a lot of people busy this spring with their winter mods....lol!

Here is a detailed look at modifying an AF1150 for extreme winter temperatures by Insp1505:

Extreme cold AF modifications


I am curios about what others think about the venting question. We have been using the pass through window slightly open and the bathroom vent slightly open.

Thank you bb_94401 for getting us the info...a good schooling and learning this cold winter, what to do, from someone who lives it.... best advice ever.

ticki2 wrote:



GM, Ford and Dodge have winter grill covers as an accessory for their diesels , they do not go over the hood as per the picture , that is probably aftermarket .

I agree with the aftermarket, but I believe the hood is open in this picture, and its a dodge.

I had a cover on my 98.5 dodge that snapped into grill. It 4 pieces of smoked plastic. I had to drill a hole so the temp pickup received air off the street so it would reflect true outside temps and not under hood temps.
on my 2002 and 2006 I did nothing.

on my 2015 it came with the cold weather kit which includes a cover for grill that works very nice. it slides over the grill and front license plate location (2 holes you can knock out of needed for front plate). There is a couple slots I can open or close.

KKELLER14K --

The front cover (aka winter front, cold weather cover) shown is the Mopar version P/N 82208646. It fits all 3rd generation Rams (2003 - 2009) it covers the intercooler and fits under the hood (grill is attached to hood). Goes on and off with little effort. Removed once temperature reaches into the mid 40's. Available on-line for less than most dealerships.

The Mopar version (P/N 82212217x1) for 4th gen Rams (2010 and up) fits outside the grill (as the grill and hood are separate).

Geno's Garage has generic fronts for 2nd gen Rams

Well I could be wrong, it wouldn't be the first time , but it sure looks like a Montana plate at the bottom , which would make it the grill we are looking at . Or it could be a Ram where the grill is part of the hood , not the best picture .

Ticki2... I'm sorry I have to disagree with you on this but I think you should take a closer look at that picture.... I believe that cover is on the inside of the hood.... just look at the top of it you can see the hood latch and the block heater cord on the left.... I already have a radiator cover on mine but not for the purpose of keeping heat in but rather keeping the bugs off LOL! That is a completely different thread... I have pictures of it but I don't want to get off topic... I have my truck plugged into Shore power using the block heater as we speak.... we're in a cold snap and for the next 3-4 days the temperature doesn't even get above freezing so that's when I plug it in.... now boondocking that's a whole different subject... I used to run my generator for a couple hours or so and had it plugged in with a short extension cord just before a departure in really cold conditions.

Bedlam wrote:
A note on wind: We found the TC handles wind better when nosed into the wind. If you have wind blowing along the side, any LPG vented equipment on that side will try to blow fumes inside. If you have wind blowing at your back door, it makes entering and leaving more difficult plus also can blow in generator fumes.

Wind and direction of parking is an important part of Truck Camping. This can be even more so when Boondocking as we are not relegated to the direction the campground sites require.

With the wind I agree with the current discussion; “of parking so as not to be snowed in with engine and the important parts of your camper.” I have had many opportunities of being snowed in (great time to pull out my X-Country Skis) and covered with snow. The vents on the roof are an important consideration and you should put a lot of effort of keeping these clear, for your safety too. During weather events caution should be made in just moving your truck when a storm approaches. I was caught with a Tornado 4 years ago and actually used my winch cable to tie me down to some trees as well as using some vehicle ratchet straps. The only access and exit was the route the tornado was coming and a lake was to my back, so I was not able to leave. The winds during this time were astonishing. Due to the majority of my Truck and TC’s weight is on the bottom half of my rig it does not really rock and roll with the wind as many TCs do.

The direction I park is always important to me for a couple of reasons. First would be to position my Refrigerator side of my camper on the shady side in warm weather (summer) and opposite in cold weather. This is to aid my fridge in its heat transfer process in working.

As for my solar, in the summer season I prefer to either park north or south or west. I can run my A/C with my solar so this aids its capabilities. Winter time, always, always west as this exposes my largest amount of solar panels for solar harvesting. Which works well for wind too, as I spend most of my time in the west and southwest and the prevailing wind is coming from the west.

While parking and pointing direction is important, the reality is that there are many important reasons than just parking so the dinette window is giving you the best view outside your TC.
b

KKELLER14K wrote:
That is some good info bb_94401...where would somebody find one like what you have? Do you take it off in the summer?(sorry maybe a dumb question) but It would be good to have one of these either way...now I'm defiantly parking nose into the wind with one of these...thanks for sharing!

GM, Ford and Dodge have winter grill covers as an accessory for their diesels , they do not go over the hood as per the picture , that is probably aftermarket . No reason they would not also work with a gas engine . They use to come with diesels sold in cold climates .

I use mine all winter and find it brings the engine up to temperature much faster and adds 1 to 2mpg on winter fuel .

Concerning engine freeze up in driving snow you can also plug in the block heater if you have shore power .

KKELLER14K wrote:
I got it right away...a heated basement, "an airspace" and heated tanks are across the street from each other. Two different sidewalks altogether. I have had the bottom out of both of my AFs and well, if your doing extreme prolonged cold ventures with the older ones...don't even go there without modifications. It is amazing what you will find.. sometimes shocking. Apart from that.. I'm sure that the shift in a better "true" all season TC is that the demand for it calls for it. People are using year round now more than ever. Both of my AFs were never winterized, not once in 8 years between the two. Because of my mods and keeping on the go I never had to. Now that I have a new from the frame up build, I'm in more control than ever to use all this acquired knowledge to really push the building limits. I will tell you I never stop learning...I'm sure we will see more cold weather innovations and thanks to the OP for having asked what he could do to improve what he has and those who give back. Not to hijack the thread either but trying to add to it... does Anyone want to chime in on or have any experience with hydronic heated floors and walls?...one step further...I have an older water heater and flojet pump I'm just so wanting to experiment with...Like a 50/50 closed glycol set up...has anyone tried?

For radiant heating the output is driven by how many square feet of radiator area and surface temp, we have a max surface temp of about 87 degrees before things start to be uncomfortable. I think you would need a really well insulated TC in order for the limited floor area to keep up with the heat loss. You could use it with another heat source and use a two stage thermostat with radiant being the first stage. The other issue is you need a min of three times the R-value under the floor than you have on top.