Sargents 1984 Eagle with 14' Slide - New Owner Update

[Seann]

Just FYI- Dee sold the bus to a Canadian lady, who drove it to an RV Park in Mesa and used it as a winter tiny home until 2020.

We found it on a consignment lot in Apache Junction. It smoked like a chimney, leaked like a sieve, had tires dated in 2006, and many of the systems were not functioning. Apparently it sat for nearly 10 years, which isn't good for anything, especially vehicles. Luckily the interior was still almost like new. Dan Lenz came out and looked at it after we bought it.

A local mobile mechanic with experience working on heavy trucks, and the 8v92, gradually serviced all of the systems and brought it back to life. A minor in-frame overhaul was done including a new compressor, water pump, starter, turbo, radiator, and injectors. Then new tires, brakes, shocks, added front and rear air bags, flushed HWH hydraulic jack and slide system, flushed fuel tank, and had Alison dealer flush transmission with SynTransD.

Then the power systems were updated, and the generator was serviced at a Cummins dealer in Phoenix. Then we drove it to Texas and had the HWH slide seal replaced at a Foretravel service center that services the slide mechanism used in the bus. Then went to Billings and had the engine pulled and completely rebuilt at a Detroit dealer that still employs people who know the 2-stroke engines.

I put up a website that has some of the original build photos: Sargent Eagle
And a video that shows the power system upgrade: YouTube

All said more has been spent than Dee was originally asking, but it is built like a tank, and getting anything like it built today would be ridiculously expensive. From what I can tell looking thru the file drawer of all the original manuals and receipts, Dave probably spent nearly $500k on the build...and he owned the shop.

Just trying to bring to a close an open ended story...and show that some of these Eagles get another life after they are sold.

[beltguy]

Seann, thanks so much for updating this very old thread.  I have changed the title and moved it to the project forum.

As has been the case with thousands upon thousands of forum posts all over the internet Photobucket has seen fit to try to extort money from its former customers. In doing so they have virtually destroyed the documentation in the threads. Most of the early photos have enough non-obscured detail that we can all appreciate what a amazing bus that you have.

If time permits, and you want to make this into a more formal project documentation, it would be great.  Perhaps you can post some recent photos and maybe more details.  I will be glad to edit any detail that you might want to change. Including the title.

Jim

[beltguy]

Oh my gosh, I hope everyone watches the YouTube video (link above) of the Lithium Battery/huge inverter installation.  Looks to me like it could power the space station!!!  The inverter/battery technology has evolved a huge amount in recent times.

Your website looks like a good start. 

Keep up the good work.

[[a personal note to Wayne Schell: your electrical system has now been outdone in terms of complexity {big grin}]]

Jim

[Seann]

Hello Jim,

Thanks for doing what you do, this forum has been a great resource over the years.

The power system was a big priority, as our previous rig (an Airstream) was severely under-powered. The bus is wired residential style, with a residential 240v breaker panel taking each leg from the incoming 50A service and feeding various equipment. So, I simply had Damian at Sure Power install two Victron 5kW inverters, one feeding each side of the electrical panel, and configured the inverters to work in split phase, like a house. The generator was originally setup for 120v, but we reconfigured it for 240v, so it feeds both inverters, which in turn charge the battery bank.

As a result, due to the 5kWh lithium battery, we can run everything at anytime, with no concern about power usage. When the battery gets low, the generator kicks on and quickly charges the battery. It's nice in the summer being able to run the AC when on battery...at least for a while, would need a bigger battery to do that all the time so there aren't too many charge cycles...which creates heat. When not using Air Conditioners, we can operate an entire day on roughly 1 hour of generator runtime, usually split into two 20-30 minute battery charging intervals, one in the morning and one in the evening. The genset is supposed to consume roughly 1 gallon of diesel an hour, so overall a pretty efficient setup.

Have been juggling a few projects and haven't given much attention to the website, but now that you have updated this thread I will make that more of a priority. As updates are made to the website, I will also post here, in case future users find something helpful or interesting.

Thanks again.
Seann
 

[rusty]

Nice work. Thank you for posting the upgrade. Things keep evolving and it is nice that someone takes time to post it so we all can learn. Yes Jim that is quiet the electral system. Makes mine look like a model T.
wayne

[Seann]

Well, your posts are some of the more informative, and impressive, on this forum. So thank you...

All I did was make some relatively minor repairs and improvements to over a decade of work, done by someone like yourself. It's easy to upgrade the power system, it's not easy to build a bus like yours.

As far as your Model-T electrical system, the AC side appears pretty standard for RV's. Magnum products are popular, and very reliable. It looks like a good choice for the application.

I probably went a little overboard by using oversized marine grade equipment. However, after never being able to boondock in our Airstream, I wanted a flexible power system. And, being able to run a 50A bus on overloaded 30A service in some very beautiful state parks, has made it worth while.
 

[beltguy]

I need to make sure that my "off topic" comment to Wayne is understood.  My terrible sense of humor gets me in trouble a lot.

Wayne's wiring on his new bus is absolutely amazing and extremely well designed/executed.  A friend and I give him a hard time about his love of relays, but they really add to the overall design of the system.

My comment was intended to emphasize that the wiring of the Sargent bus is a step beyond anything I have seen because to the technology level involved.  Again, I strongly urge folks to watch that video.

Jim

[Seann]

The low voltage panel in Wayne's bus with all of the relays, is a work of art. I spent my career designing electronic systems, and have worked with a lot of technicians in a lot of electronics closets, and you don't see work like his very often. Seriously. The system we used is good, but his craftsmanship is better.

Since we are on the subject, I am curious. Who provided the digital dash system?

[rusty]

Silverleaf. It was a good system when it was family owned.  Dometic owns them now. I am having trouble with all my tank monitors
 have been fighting with them from the get go. They have sold out to mass producing for the sticks and staples group. The last time I  talked to them they said they are getting back in custom work. Probably because of down turn in the RV business.will see if they get my system working. The engine part works fine the lighting works fine the tank monitors not so much

[Panton]

Seann,
Great to see your work and posts here, I am relatively new to the forum as well. I am researching an electrical upgrade that may include an EG4 18kPV or (2) 6000XP.  I would be transitioning the 3 roof top straight AC to modern lower consumption rooftop heat pumps that are only now rolling out. I am looking to begin battery scaling with 1 or 2 EG4 PowerPro 48V/280Ah. Charging solutions would include, shore, 12k 240vac onboard gen, an alternator fed solution (yet to be finalized), and a roof top array as well as portable secondary array(s) trailer based and/or ground based for longer term location stays. 
My plan (at least today per wife approval of course) is less travel but, more point to point with established off-grid private locations that would house some support utilities in the form of larger fuel water and septic capacity. I will install those to be plug and play for seasonal migrations to and from the sites. 
I would enjoy picking your brain about the electrical and getting to know you a bit on the phone to see if I can offer anything to you? I am just finishing up with mechanical and ready to move on to systems and then amenities and cosmetic in that order...
Best,
Matt