New to us 2007 Legend initial impressions

[parkgt]

Joined the GWV family with a 2007 (2006 T1N) Legend.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/gxb2qxjrjaah2qq/2007 Legend.jpg?dl=0

After many months of lurking, reading thousand of posts on this and other sites, researching and asking a few questions we took a leap of faith. When I say leap of faith, I mean like never having set foot in any B before buying this one. We have not had an RV of any kind in the last 25 years. My research had convinced me the Legend was the one that checked the most boxes for us.

The unit had 49K on it and is in excellent shape for its age and appears to have been well serviced and cared for.

The driving experience on the 900 miles back home was uneventful. Considering some of the comments I had read I was pleasantly surprised how well it drove and handled. The noise was not as bad as anticipated. Both my wife (5"8"}and I (6'2") found the driving positions to be comfortable. 13 hours in the seat did not wear me out anymore than any other trip of that duration.

Spent one night in it (WM parking lot) for a 7 hour break. The trifold was comfortable as is all considered and long enough.

As owners know the interior build is very solid and has held together very well for ten years and should for another ten. A few minor issues that I may need help with.

The only area it is really lacking is in a more modern electrical system. So we need to add a second house battery, inverter and solar down the road. So more questions to come for those of you that have the knowledge we lack.

Much to do yet to outfit it for our trips and to learn how to make the best use of the space.

Thanks to all that have contributed so much information that helped us make an informed decision.

Greg

 

[marklg]

Glad you took the plunge. Best of luck with it. I found that two house batteries was not enough. Mine came with two, one on each side in back. Does yours only have one? I already pointed you to my website where I described adding two more and a solar system. I will put it here for anyone else who may want to see.

https://sites.google.com/site/marksrvmods/

Again, best of luck and I will be happy to answer any more questions you have.

Mark

 

[parkgt]

Thanks Mark your input; helped us decide and you upgrades are nice. Just can't decide whether to give up the extra storage for the two extra batteries. We are not likely to spend more than two nights straight without moving again.

I did post a question about the battery switch that you might have an answer to?

https://sprinter-source.com/forum/showthread.php?t=59879

 

[Lloyd Crochet]

Nice, we have a 2007 Great West Legend, we have made 2 long trips (6 weeks each) & several medium trips $
& 8 short trips.

In 2016 went to the Grand Canyon, 3 days to get there, 5 days on the South rim, bondocking, just one battery no solar, worked out just fine, then 3 days in Sadona, 3 days to get home , several notes in Walmart parking lots.

 

[marklg]

I guess it depends on how you use the RV. I put two extra batteries and solar in because we like to run a Keurig and a toaster in the morning.

We have a bike rack on the back, and getting to any storage in the back was a two person job, one tilting the bike rack down and the other getting stuff out of the back. That did not go over well, so I added the side storage access for the waste and water hoses. Only stuff that is rarely needed or is needed when the bikes are removed is in the back now. That made for a happier couple!

There is a lot of inside storage that is easily accessible. Many other brands do not have that storage well in the back and the bed has stuff that hangs down in the way, limiting the back storage. So, I considered the back storage more like a basement.

I suggest you boondock and measure the battery voltage as you go. If it does not get down to 12V with your normal activities, you have enough batteries. Pretty much all types of lead acid batteries should not be taken down below about 12V or life will suffer.

Mark

 

[avanti]

I suggest you boondock and measure the battery voltage as you go. If it does not get down to 12V with your normal activities, you have enough batteries. Pretty much all types of lead acid batteries should not be taken down below about 12V or life will suffer.

I agree with this advice, except that IMO it is nearly essential to get a proper shunt-based battery monitor. Measuring voltage is crude at best. With a good monitor, you can know what is really happening in your electrical system and where your power is going. Without one, you are poking around in the dark.

 

[marklg]

I agree with this advice, except that IMO it is nearly essential to get a proper shunt-based battery monitor. Measuring voltage is crude at best. With a good monitor, you can know what is really happening in your electrical system and where your power is going. Without one, you are poking around in the dark.

Do you have a good one to suggest? My inverter / charger and solar system both have shunt-based current monitors and have remote panels that provide lots of info, including current Amps, Total Amp-Hours charged and discharged, etc. If either system is charging the batteries, I can tell the state of charge by the current, as they go to more or less constant voltage. For the discharge through the inverter, I can also tell how many Amp-Hours are used.

Because the other DC loads and the engine charging solenoid are connected through the original system and the disconnect switch, nothing measures the Amp-Hours used or provided. I just have to guess. Any suggestions of a good monitor for this are appreciated. They put lousy, thin wiring in the original system, which I will replace. It would be a good time to add a shunt-based current monitor.

Mark

 

[avanti]

Do you have a good one to suggest?

I have a Trimetric. The Victron units are another popular choice. With the shunt connected directly to the negative battery post and all charge sources and loads going through it, you always know the bottom line of what is happening with your battery. Both of these units will keep track of amps in and amps out and compute and display a state of charge value (when properly set up for your particular battery).