PleasureWay Excel Questions

[bigbenz78]

Hi!, new to RV and considering a 2003 Pleasureway Excel TD. We would like to boondock for longer periods and are wondering how long the propane would last for cooking ( 2 light meals a day) and using the hot water heater ( washing a few dishes daily and maybe two showers a week) also powering the frig. If we factored in running the furnace in freezing weather , say 28F at 50 for 6 hours a day how would that affect usage?
And lastly, without running the generator to charge the coach battery how long would it last for just lights, water system and fantastic fan? If you were using the furnace also how would that affect it?
Thanks so much!

[jjson775]

We owned a PW Excel for many years and loved it. Did not have a generator and didn't miss it. We camped unhooked many times but usually drove around during the day, visiting a national park, for example. We camped in freezing weather many times and never had a problem. We slept in travasaks and warmed up the van in the morning.

I couldn't help you with staying parked in the same place for more than a few days, we were always on the move. With experience and forethought, I suspect you will be able to do whatever you want. Enjoy your RV and good luck.

[ctilsie242]

A lot of class "B"s have a furnace that won't last the night on batteries, especially anything made before 2012, when bigger battery banks were not common and Truma wasn't in the market yet.

As an alternative, one could use a Buddy heater, or look at a vented Platinum Cat system. The Plat Cat uses 1-3 amps compared to the 7-12 amps a normal furnace tears through.

PW Excels are decent vans. They had a very long manufacturing run, all the way to 2015, pretty much using the same fiberglass body. What killed the model was the fact that Ford killed the Econoline van (not the cutaway, but the van.) The only downside is that I read about wiring issues.

[bigbenz78]

Thanks for the advice, particularly that from owners! Sounds like we'd better look further!

[ernie1]

We recently sold our 2005 PW Excel TD and I concur with studio driver's comments. The heater is the gas and electrical hog. The battery that comes standard with this vintage PW is a group 24 and will not provide much battery amp hours. The battery compartment is too small to take a larger battery so you are stuck with the group 24. I installed 2nd battery inside and under the passenger bed and that helped a lot. Go with agm batteries to avoid any potential outgassing.

[studio_driver]

A couple of points from someone who actually owns a PleasureWay Excel (2007).
The propane tank is small but for cooking, heating water for dishes and showers we can easily go over one week. If you use the furnace that's a completely different story. You can go a few days but the killer is the battery. Using the furnace all night will drain the battery. Chances are you will not make it to the morning. We use warm sleeping bags and turn down the furnace and only use it in the morning to warm up the van. The other issue with boon-docking is water management, particularly finding a place to drain the holding tanks after a few days. We can get 3 to 4 days, depending on access to other facilities like toilets.
This is based on using only the built-in tanks and no dumping on the ground.
In conclusion, this van is designed more for traveling than fixed camping or boon-docking like a trailer for example. I hope this helps.

[magicbus]

For starters I think you will need solar and at least a pair of house batteries. I was just reading that my new propane genset burns 1.4# per hour under a 50% load. I guess you will have a standard hot water heater verses something like a Truma Combi which is very efficient but I am not sure what it would burn.

Dave

[bigbenz78]

We do not have that info. do not own rv, just considering that make and model.

[mumkin]

It would be helpful to know:

How big is your propane tank?

What is the size of your battery (and its condition... how new is it??