New to me 1998 Bigfoot M-30-C-10.3
I just picked up a used M-30-C-10.3 1998 Bigfoot and I have to say I'm impressed. The seller told me the interior was like new and it comes pretty close to that. One slat of a blind is missing and I c...
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I spent an hour cleaning the main portion of the camper--everything except the shower and cab-over area. I am looking forward to cleaning the outside.
I found the original shower curtain and shower rings still in sealed bags. It looks like the shower was never used. Head looks never used. My conclusion was this camper was only used a few times. I can see no evidence the microwave, stove, oven, shower, or toilet were used. I don't think the water system was ever charged up. The refrigerator was used, and I'm guessing the cooking was done outside. Under the mattress, I found covers for all the vents made out of an insulated reflector material.
I found one dime sized stain on the carpet under the dinette, and there is an orange color gummy stain in the sink. I could not get it off, so I'll try using "Goof-Off" later. One screen has a small hole in it. One blind is missing a hold down, which I ordered off eBay. One window is missing a screw. And one of the decorative cloth buttons is missing.
I a dozen LED lamps off of Amazon to replace nine interior lamp bulbs plus three exterior lights. There are no lights in the head, which I found very surprising. I'll have to figure out how to pull wire there and pick a place for a vanity light. Also there is no overhead vent in the head either--just a slider window. That seems like a place where it most truck campers have vents.
I cleaned the refrigerator. The freezer was immaculate. The fridge showed some use; something sticky had leaked out and down the right side, but I still have a stain the side and some gummy tape on one door shelf. I'll try Goof-Off there also. I made a list of the missing shelf parts to order.
There is a TV shelf that slides out. There are AC, DC and cable connection with an antenna amplifier on the outside wall. I should measure this and figure out what size TV will fit here. I'll have to climb on the roof and see where an antenna can be connected. There were a few scuff marks making me think this was used for storing something. I suppose a TV was in there and banging around while in motion. It might be a good spot to install a Ham radio
The existing converter is located under one dinette seat. I'm not sure I trust it compared to a new design three stage charger. I'll follow up on updating it. I have a very nice Xantrex 1800 watt pure sine wave inverter/charger I can install but that could be more difficult than dropping in an updated converter.
I have a spare shunt I can use for battery metering functions and as a tap for an A-H meter. I just need to figure out where to put it and how to run the wires. I am not sure I need an inverter although if it ran the microwave and I had enough solar panels it might be worth having--it might impress my lady friend and come in handy for a quick cup of tea.
I need to see a wiring diagram for the camper. I wrote Bigfoot asking for one, but I don't hold out a lot of hope for a response. If I can't find a wiring diagram or manual, I'll try to puzzle it out on my own.
Regarding the exterior lights and butyl tape, I'll check the lights out soon, starting with one so I can order replacement LED bulbs, and will follow through sealing those and replacing the butyl tape in the spring or summer.
It occurred to me that the shear number of bulbs on my truck and camper must have a huge current draw. An 1156 bulb draws just under 28 watts--about 2 amps. The more power I draw the heavier the load on my alternator, the more horsepower it takes away from my truck, with a penalty in fuel economy.
I plan to replace every light except the headlights with LED's to try to improve my fuel economy. My main concern is range. I'd like to be able to drive as far as possible without refueling.
I got 12.6mpg on 50 gallons of fuel driving at 65-70 in the flats of Ohio and Indiana, and slowed to 60-65 in the hills of western Pennsylvania. I must have filled with winter blend, but still that was much less fuel economy than I expected. I'm hoping I get better with summer fuel. As for the electrical draw, I'm guessing I'll see a .5 mpg improvement if I can reduce the current draw from all the lights and leave the furnace off.
Regarding the furnace; it is pretty quiet. I've heard some many people complain about the noise of their furnaces--mine is hardly noticeable. Still, I decided to put in a Wave 3 heater at some point to reduce the current consumption if I can figure out a good place to mount it and a route for tapping into the propane.
I found the original shower curtain and shower rings still in sealed bags. It looks like the shower was never used. Head looks never used. My conclusion was this camper was only used a few times. I can see no evidence the microwave, stove, oven, shower, or toilet were used. I don't think the water system was ever charged up. The refrigerator was used, and I'm guessing the cooking was done outside. Under the mattress, I found covers for all the vents made out of an insulated reflector material.
I found one dime sized stain on the carpet under the dinette, and there is an orange color gummy stain in the sink. I could not get it off, so I'll try using "Goof-Off" later. One screen has a small hole in it. One blind is missing a hold down, which I ordered off eBay. One window is missing a screw. And one of the decorative cloth buttons is missing.
I a dozen LED lamps off of Amazon to replace nine interior lamp bulbs plus three exterior lights. There are no lights in the head, which I found very surprising. I'll have to figure out how to pull wire there and pick a place for a vanity light. Also there is no overhead vent in the head either--just a slider window. That seems like a place where it most truck campers have vents.
I cleaned the refrigerator. The freezer was immaculate. The fridge showed some use; something sticky had leaked out and down the right side, but I still have a stain the side and some gummy tape on one door shelf. I'll try Goof-Off there also. I made a list of the missing shelf parts to order.
There is a TV shelf that slides out. There are AC, DC and cable connection with an antenna amplifier on the outside wall. I should measure this and figure out what size TV will fit here. I'll have to climb on the roof and see where an antenna can be connected. There were a few scuff marks making me think this was used for storing something. I suppose a TV was in there and banging around while in motion. It might be a good spot to install a Ham radio
The existing converter is located under one dinette seat. I'm not sure I trust it compared to a new design three stage charger. I'll follow up on updating it. I have a very nice Xantrex 1800 watt pure sine wave inverter/charger I can install but that could be more difficult than dropping in an updated converter.
I have a spare shunt I can use for battery metering functions and as a tap for an A-H meter. I just need to figure out where to put it and how to run the wires. I am not sure I need an inverter although if it ran the microwave and I had enough solar panels it might be worth having--it might impress my lady friend and come in handy for a quick cup of tea.
I need to see a wiring diagram for the camper. I wrote Bigfoot asking for one, but I don't hold out a lot of hope for a response. If I can't find a wiring diagram or manual, I'll try to puzzle it out on my own.
Regarding the exterior lights and butyl tape, I'll check the lights out soon, starting with one so I can order replacement LED bulbs, and will follow through sealing those and replacing the butyl tape in the spring or summer.
It occurred to me that the shear number of bulbs on my truck and camper must have a huge current draw. An 1156 bulb draws just under 28 watts--about 2 amps. The more power I draw the heavier the load on my alternator, the more horsepower it takes away from my truck, with a penalty in fuel economy.
I plan to replace every light except the headlights with LED's to try to improve my fuel economy. My main concern is range. I'd like to be able to drive as far as possible without refueling.
I got 12.6mpg on 50 gallons of fuel driving at 65-70 in the flats of Ohio and Indiana, and slowed to 60-65 in the hills of western Pennsylvania. I must have filled with winter blend, but still that was much less fuel economy than I expected. I'm hoping I get better with summer fuel. As for the electrical draw, I'm guessing I'll see a .5 mpg improvement if I can reduce the current draw from all the lights and leave the furnace off.
Regarding the furnace; it is pretty quiet. I've heard some many people complain about the noise of their furnaces--mine is hardly noticeable. Still, I decided to put in a Wave 3 heater at some point to reduce the current consumption if I can figure out a good place to mount it and a route for tapping into the propane.
