Era 70x generator removal

[Eredd]

We have a new to us 2016 era 70x with 12600w lithium batteries. We need storage space badly. We no longer need our lp generator. Is it hard to remove or will we need to hire someone? Will it give us additional storage space if we remove it?

What is stored in the ottomans? Is there any storage space there?

We only need a 12v fridge. If we replace the original fridge will we gain refrigerator space? If so, what fridge would you recommend?

Thanks so much.

[booster]

Are you talking about watts as in how much instantaneous current times volts or are you talking about watt hours which is actual battery energy capacity. If you have 12,600 watt hours of battery, that is equivalent to nearly 1000 amp hours of 12v batteries and is a very, very large battery bank, even these days.

[Eredd]

Originally Posted by booster

Are you talking about watts as in how much instantaneous current times volts or are you talking about watt hours which is actual battery energy capacity. If you have 12,600 watt hours of battery, that is equivalent to nearly 1000 amp hours of 12v batteries and is a very, very large battery bank, even these days.

The seller said watt hours. He showed us the receipt where he paid $37000 for it to years ago. He said i would never need the generator. I will try to confirm. I am new to this and I am learning.

[magicbus]

On my 2018 the generator is located under the van behind the rear axle. Not usable space if removed. If yours is there, the bracket is probably rusted in and will take some effort. Then you need to deal with the fuel source and power cables.

[booster]

Originally Posted by Eredd

The seller said watt hours. He showed us the receipt where he paid $37000 for it to years ago. He said i would never need the generator. I will try to confirm. I am new to this and I am learning.

I thought that might be the case, but it is pretty unusual to have that big a bank as a retrofit. It would also be a bit unusual to spend that much on it and then sell in two years.

The question about storage is the tipoff as that much power system probably ate up all the space under the bed/sofa in the rear? Not sure about the bolsters in an Era, but many similar units like Roadtreks would have water heaters, furnaces, even water tanks in them so they may or may not have any storage in the them. Do they have hinged access to the them? If so that would be sign they may be storage, if they have no easy access they are probably not intended to be used to store stuff.

Big systems like yours have a lot of energy stored and depending on how well they were done, might be fairly easy or quite complex to use in the real world for a new user.

I would contact the previous owner to ask who did the conversion so you can either call them, or even better stop in and get a full lessen to fill in all your blanks. Be very certain to ask about safety systems and how to disconnect it and/or disable it if needed as that much power misfunctioning can be a hazard.

[Eredd]

The ottomans are not hinged but i read on a forum that there is some extra space inside. Just wasn't sure if it was worth taking the plywood covers off. You are correct. The batteries take up all the under-couch space. The fridge and microwave take up the under counter space so that’s why I was asking about removing the generator to obtain some storage. The lp fins in the tiny fridge appear to take up some of the fridge space so i was asking if another fridge that fit in the opening would give more space in the fridge.

[Eredd]

Originally Posted by magicbus

On my 2018 the generator is located under the van behind the rear axle. Not usable space if removed. If yours is there, the bracket is probably rusted in and will take some effort. Then you need to deal with the fuel source and power cables.

Thanks so much for the info.

[booster]

Originally Posted by Eredd

The ottomans are not hinged but i read on a forum that there is some extra space inside. Just wasn't sure if it was worth taking the plywood covers off. You are correct. The batteries take up all the under-couch space. The fridge and microwave take up the under counter space so that’s why I was asking about removing the generator to obtain some storage. The lp fins in the tiny fridge appear to take up some of the fridge space so i was asking if another fridge that fit in the opening would give more space in the fridge.

With that much battery capacity, you would do well to get rid of the propane 3 way frig and get a DC compressor frig. It should have a bit more room inside and it will work better besides. It wouldn't need to be leveled and will be able to hold temp much more uniformly. Lots of information on this site about compressor frigs so plenty of stuff to read about them.


What you have is the downside of doing retrofit big battery bank systems in many cases, especially with lithium batteries that like/need to be inside the van or require expensive and complex systems to keep them warm enough and also to keep them from being too hot. The seem to invariably wind up eating up all the storage areas in already built vans and often also wind up with the charger(s), inverters, and other high output devices put in the storage area also. In new vans that are designed for such systems they have many more options to put all the parts in areas that are more remote and preserve the easy access storage areas.


The 70X has 4 seats that, if you can spare one or two of them, could be replaced with storage areas. The bathroom is also very large on them it looks like so you may be able to put some storage in there when not using the shower.


If you can't do either of the above, you may have to put a cargo box on the back of the van, which is not a favorite of mine but might be the only real option if you need more storage area.


We have a Roadtrek 190P on a Chevy chassis and I converted the rear couch to a full time bed which we also use as a lounge. We only have two front seats. What we found out quickly was that storing all our clothes in the storage cabinets was a pain to do and dig through. Since we look at it as camping we switched to living out of a couple of duffel bags each for our clothing. When driving they ride on the bed and when parked the live on the driver and passenger front seats. It has worked well for us for over a decade.

[Eredd]

Thanks. You are right. It was just too hard to pass up those batteries without paying for a new van. Trying to find the optional cabinet that fits in place of the driver’s side seat. I dont think they are still making them. I will look for a new fridge also.

[dmb496]

I have a 2020 Coachmen Galleria built on a 2019 Sprinter van. I removed the generator and used that same space to hang an auxiliary 22 gallon fresh water tank.

What are your thoughts on how you might use the generator's space? That area isn't easily accessible from the side because of the vehicle's low clearance, and just as difficult to access from the rear as the spare is in the way.

In addition to removing the generator you could relocate the spare tire to one of the rear doors. That would allow you to fabricate a rectangular cabinet and hang it in the space previously occupied by the spare and generator, and could be accessed from the rear of the coach.

[avanti]

It is not difficult to cut a hole in your floor to make a hatch for inside access of such a storage cabinet. My old GWV Legend had three such hatches--two small ones for batteries and one larger one between them. My current Transit has one just in front of the spare tire for the lithium batteries.

[booster]

Originally Posted by avanti

It is not difficult to cut a hole in your floor to make a hatch for inside access of such a storage cabinet. My old GWV Legend had three such hatches--two small ones for batteries and one larger one between them. My current Transit has one just in front of the spare tire for the lithium batteries.

Are there specific areas you need to avoid on the various and different Sprinter versions? I know Roadtrek had a pretty big cutout in the floor of the etreks.

[avanti]

Originally Posted by booster

Are there specific areas you need to avoid on the various and different Sprinter versions? I know Roadtrek had a pretty big cutout in the floor of the etreks.

Sure.
It is all well-documented in the Sprinter Bodybuilder's Guides. IIRC there is a lot of leeway back in the spare area, assuming you stay away from the structural members.