Another vote for either disconnect the batteries or keep a battery charger on them. My luck with the solar battery chargers has been 50/50. That includes for vehicles and for a gate opener. What the meter says the panel is doing and what the panel actually does, has been two different things for me.

A battery disconnect works, but you have to reprogram the radio and such.

 

I let 5 of my 7.3L-equipped vehicles sit for 5 months at a time. I'll start them and warm them up once or twice throughout that time just to keep oil on stuff and hopefully put tension on a few different valve springs though. I have a dedicated winter-mobile for the mag chloride for all of the nasty **** that it does to metal. My definition of "rust-free" is way different than those who live in states where "rust free" means that you just don't see holes in the body from more than 10 feet away and "you're-only-getting-bolts-loose-with-a-torch" mentality.


I have since upped the ante on solar chargers to 5 Watt units from 2.5W (about 15" square) on everything and so far - since January 1st - have yet to have any batteries drop below 12.6 overnight as long as I sweep the snow off the windshield as soon as possible. Checking throughout the day with the sun shining, they maintain about 13.3-13.7V on a dual-battery setup. Solar chargers aren't cheap, but buying batteries is NOT cheaper - especially when I can get 7-8 years out of them (I have two pairs that are going to be 11 years old this year that I use for winches and work lights on two trailers).

 

Drive it once a month if the batteries are not dealt with, almost indefinitely if you maintain or disconnect. I really don't like to see anything sit for more than a couple months without running and driving around. Things can start to rust inside.

My 7.3 prompted me to buy my first 'beater' subaru about 12 years ago. Hated cold starting my 7.3 in Alaska winters (or anytime, really) just to drive to work 10 miles away. It started a pretty good relation with Subaru, I think I'm on my 4th. I put 20k a year on it so I don't have to on my truck.

 

Thanks guys. Good to know I won’t be doing any harm letting it sit idle for a week or two at a time. My coworker had a 6.4 and once he started letting it sit it was the beginning of the end for him in terms of constant problems creeping up. I know the 7.3 is obviously a completely different beast all together but just wanted to make sure I wasn’t going to end up doing more harm than good.

cleatus, do you mind sharing which solar Charger you’ve been having luck with? A quick search on Amazon and it looks a bit of a Chinese crap shoot which seems to be the direction electronics are going in general these days.

 

I have 3 of these:


I also have 2 of these:


I only looked on Amazon as I don't have an Amazon account.....hopefully the links work.

I like the Schumacher ones a little more because they produce voltage ALL THE TIME regardless of output/battery voltage and they don't have a dingus end hanging off one side (thinner too). Obviously they don't maintain/charge a battery when limited sunlight is only producing <12.6 volts (overcoming battery resistance as these things easily produce 25+volts open circuit), but it actually does SOMETHING all the time and doesn't care if it's even hooked to anything. Open circuit, this thing will put out some current. That being said, the Battery Tender brand charger ONLY does something if it's hooked to a not-dead battery and if the output voltage is higher than the input voltage. I don't like that a fraction of the output is used to power a status LED but it puts out a little more power than the Schumacher anyway. There is no open circuit power to the leads so it has to be hooked up to agitate the angry pixies. The Schumacher also comes with eyelets, a cigarette lighter adapter, and clamps whereas the Battery Tender only comes with clamps....but the wires are easily spliced to allow an aftermarket cigarette lighter adapter to be installed (one is an option from Battery Tender for a little more $$ but it's plug-and-play).

 

Not to far off your direct topic, but might call insurance company and change your use rate. My insurance company offered me a “car dongle”. Paired with my phone, tracks my driving and cut my already low rate in half for the truck.

 

I cut the mileage back on the 7.3 to 5k/year and kept my full coverage/comp on it...rate pretty much cut in 1/2 and the increase for liability on the jeep was less, so my insurance actually went down overall adding the extra vehicle...

I'm generally an early adopter/embrace tech, but I'm not a fan of the insurance company having a big-brother esque 'eye' on me every time I want to get on it and drop the hammer for fun and then using it as some kind of excuse to raise my rate.

Cleatus...thank's for those, I should have assumed those two brands would have had good options, I use a shumacher to maintain my tractor and the kids atv's so I think I might go for that fold-up 10W one! Thanks!...just so much 'crap' on amazon these days yet I still turn to it first 95% of the time...

 

A person almost has to know how to do a lot of maintenance when they have a camper. When your 'warranty' (cough.. ) ends you will want (if your can) do your own maintenance. I have a lot (and I mean a lot...) of 'things' go bad on my Hemisphere and many a day I wish I had never bought it. Mostly the Main Slide issues of 'going out', and not wanting to come in. There is no 'manual' way to get it in.... grrrr. Forward adjusting brakes are a big danger going down hill (Smokey Mountains, Rockies) and you have to much speed. Pumping the forward adjusting brakes can go to far and lock the damn thing up (ended up needing a new axle as the spindle was shot). If you have any questions that you think that I may be able to help on, give me a shout.

I belong to this Forum for the Forest River Line. It is not ran or supported by Forest River

https://www.forestriverforums.com/forums/

 

I've posted a few times over that way about a couple of the big issues with warranty and fighting with FR to get stuff fixed correctly...

Without straying too far off topic, I do plan to do 100% of my own maintenance in general...If I never see my dealer or speak to someone at FR again I'll be pleased...they've still only gone as far as to "acknowledge" there "may be" and issue with a soft spot in my floor...supposedly will cover it up to 10 years if it gets worse but doesn't meet their "threshold" for repair now, and it will be the kind of repair that involves a trip to Indiana if/when it comes to it.

Besides that I've had the refrigerator door replaced twice, a new awning (DOA our first shake down trip), rewired the battery disconnect (didn't actually disconnect anything), a new tongue electric tongue jack, 1 new stabilizer motor, and 1 entirely new stabilizer (after the manual crank broke trying to get it cranked back up to go home and resulting in me having to use my truck jack to raise the camper high enough to unbolt and remove it myself at a campground in the middle of a rainy sunday afternoon), the door handle lock/adjusted 3 times for failing to UNLOCK, the kitchen slide adjusted twice for marring the floor (and 2x floor repair) and/or causing the fridge to slam into the island, and the icing on the cake, the entire island move 1.25" to make clearance for the refrigerator.

I've owned the thing not yet 2 full years.

 

48K used to be a little over two years of driving for me, but I cut back to 10,000 miles annually. The truck gets used for road trips and pulling the boat now - not much driving to work (even though I moved to half the distance to work from the old place).

I ran power to the truck (parked away from the house) - 20 amps worth. I plug the block in on winter weekends, but I've never had to worry about the batteries - I just make sure everything is turned off. Of course, I maintain my batteries and all electrical to permit me to do it this way. I've parked a max of 90 days in the winter without the need for charging or jumping.

I, too, have a "beater" for daily use.

 

Considered a newer hybrid, or even an all electric for commuter use, but in the end the fuel savings and reduced maintenance costs weren't worth the payment for me...and used around here any cheap/older prius has been beat to death playing crazy taxi for uber.

 

Critters is what I'd say you need to watch for more than anything. My yard has no grass... completely woods... and about 100 acres of woods behind the lot.

We've had mice/chipmunk nest in my wife's last two vehicles... and they are driven a lot, and sit in an enclosed basement garage.

Although I leave my truck outside a lot, I've never had a critter in it the past 12 years.

I did have a friend leave her van here for six months as she walked the Appalachian Trail. Had a nest in it and opened the hood to a 5ft Rat Snake on day.

 

Just keep in mind, it does not have to look pretty or be fancy, it just gets you there and back. With that Sable, I beat the heck out of that car. I never washed it in the 8 years I owned it. I drove ~35,000 miles a year in just that car. I replaced parts when they broke or were worn out, but that is it... That car had one purpose, and it did it well.

Besides, people get out of your way when they see you driving a POS like that. The times I was cut off on the interstate reduced as the car got more ugly...

 

A little over a year ago I did the same, parked the PSD and bought a small car...not exactly a beater but cheap none the less, fantastic mileage and a blast to drive! Diesel of course, a 2015 Sportwagen TDI buyback car with just over 26K on her. My reasoning was multi-faceted, the PSD is getting more and more irreplaceable every day, it is in top shape and I want to keep it that way as long as possible. So no more driving her unless she's needed to tow or haul, (except for exercise). Fuel consumption is another facet, the TDI runs on chump change, it goes 3X what the PSD goes on a gallon. Theft is another one, I'd rather the PSD is safely locked in the garage instead of sitting in a mall parking lot or in front of the hotel overnight.
I try and drive her at least every 3 weeks long enough to get all the fluids up to temp, and I keep a battery tender on her all the time. Quite a parasitic load on these and if more than a few days the batteries will suffer, Just starting them for a few minutes won't do it, it'll take more juice to start it than you will put back in a short drive. I'd probably consider getting some power out to where you store it for battery charging and some of those high pitched critter discouraging thingys.

 

I did the same on New Years eve.


I had done this some time ago as well but then got rid of the beater and my wife was the one who insisted I get another daily driver.
As for the truck, she sits nice n cozy in my workshop and comes out about once a week to make a small hay run. Just to be sure she is still running good I changed up my hay loads to only 5 bales a week. This makes me go once a week for more so the truck gets out and running each week. And if I decide to go all out, which I am gathering parts for, I will get a big load of hay then so through the suspension and steering and replace bushings, n parts that need it.
I do plug mine in 10 degrees or colder weather as the shop is only heated when I am in there working on something.