Victron Multiplus II - Mounting Board

[tmakie]

I have a grand design 280RS and finding the backer board where I would hang the inverter to be NOT strong to hang a 65 pound Victron Multiplus II. What have others used in the front bay to hang the inverter?

I have considered adding a 1/2" plywood board to hand all of the solar components including the Victron inveter. I am assuming there are 2 x 4 studs behind the factor panel but I already found the DC factory bus bar is falling out since they must not have hit the studs.

Let me know if you added more weight by adding 1/2' plywood or other materials to strengthen the front bay backer board before mounting the solar components.

[acoleman43]

tmakie I don't have a 5th wheel with front bay, but I did have an exterior storage area that probably has the same construction.

I ended up removing the flimsy lauan, added 3/4" plywood, then glued the lauan to the plywood to keep the same look. I did add some additional support behind that added mor lateral support.

I attached the 50#+ multiplus to it and have had no issues at all. I did upsize the lag screws that support the multiplus because I'm a little paranoid.

In my opinion, the additional work up front is worth it in the long run to avoid any catastrophic event while on the road.

[Country Campers]

The panel in question is only 3/8" thick and there are NO studs behind it. I used a piece of 3/4" plywood and wood screws from the back, pass through side, with large washers to hold in place. I also used 3/4" plywood on the floor of the front storage as the thin steel would not support my battery bank. The plywood on the wall sits on the plywood on the floor for added support.

Brian

[Scott'n'Wendy]

Wow. 65#. That's a heavy beast to be handling within the storage compartment.

[tmakie]

Brian / Country Camper,

Did you remove the existing backer board in the front compartment so that you had access to attach your 3/4" from the pass through storage side? A lot of wires for DC bus already connected and incoming / outgoing lines for auto leveling jacks, etc

Also did you find any issue with all of the added weight (60+ lb inverter, 60+ lbs of battery, plywood)).in front storage added to truck pin weight.

I have also considered laying inverter on its side on front compartment floor. It would be sturdy on floor if I added some 3/4" plywood on floor and there is a metal plate in the lower section of front compartment to screw into. I have not read anything indicating the Victron could not be set on its side.

Appreciate everyone's feedback.

[WondersAwait]

I also added 3/4" plywood to mount all of my electrical in the front bay. I cut 2 pieces to fit and then fastened it in place to the existing thin plywood with carriage bolts. I spray painted the new plywood black to make it look a little nicer. As for wires coming through from the basement, almost all the wires coming through in my setup were on the far port side and so I had the new plywood stop about an inch short, which allowed the wires to come through as they were. With my design the battery bank is in front of that anyway so it's hidden. There is one other spot wires come through (new ones I added) in the middle where I mounted the new board first and then drilled a hole through both pieces.

You can see my entire setup here: https://gdrvowners.com/forum/operati...lectrical-mods

[acoleman43]

tmakie I know you're not asking me...but....my changes added about 150# to my tongue weight. I think you can expect the pin to carry 80-90% of the weight you add.

[howson]

tmakie -- I removed the original backer board on the front and rear side of the passthru in my 315RLTS. I added insulation and then replaced all the coverings (glued it on the plywood prior to reinstallation) so everything looks OEM (but it's not).

Rear of passthru view...

LUAN REMOVED



INSULATION ADDED




ADDED COVERINGS TO PLYWOOD PRIOR TO INSTALLATION (DW Did the work!)



FRONT WALL PLYWOOD FINISHED AND INSTALLED (SAME PROCESS AS REAR WALL, FINISHED VIEW)



Howard

[TucsonJim]

I mounted plywood also, and then put a small sheet of cement board behind the inverter because its instructions stated to "mount on a fireproof surface".

[JRKJR]

I mounted mine along with the batteries behind the wall in the front pass through. I built the backer out of 3/4" plywood and used a piece of aluminum behind it instead of cement board for the Fireproof surface.

[TucsonJim]

JRKJR - That is one of the cleanest installs I've seen to date. Great job!

Jim

[Country Campers]

tmakie

In post # 1 of this thread you can see that I moved the bus bar set up to mount on top of the new backer board DC-DC Charge install Reflection 29RS - Grand Design Owners Forums (gdrvowners.com)

In this thread you can see the whole back wall covered, it is multiple pieces though Victron Multiplus II 2x120v 3kva install Reflection 29RS - Grand Design Owners Forums (gdrvowners.com)

As I had stated before I left the factory wall in place and used screws and washers from the pass thru storage side.

Brian

[Country Campers]

Wow. 65#. That's a heavy beast to be handling within the storage compartment.

Yes it is heavy. There is a bracket to mount that the inverter will hang on while you get screws into it, but reaching back to hang it is a little hard on the arms.

Brian

[Scott'n'Wendy]

Yes it is heavy. There is a bracket to mount that the inverter will hang on while you get screws into it, but reaching back to hang it is a little hard on the arms.

Brian

I'll bet most are mounted as close to the compartment doors as possible. Not many mounted in the centre I'll bet..lol
I'm guessing most of the weight is a step up transformer? or?

[tmakie]

Thanks everyone for your replies. The description and pics were very helpful. Now I have to figure out which of the options shared will be applied to my situation. I need to take-off the panel from the pass through storage compartment (about 40 screws) to investigate further.