Alite Mods

Plug-Guard I mounted a Plug-Guard to protect the trailer end of the wiring harness when it is not connected to the tow vehicle. The guard is screwed to the spacer between the tongue and the storage bin, where the swing-away jack just  clears it. The seam in the spacer prevented me from mounting it on the other side, away from the jack. New Shoes The Alite came with no sand pads for the stabilizer legs, so I added a set. Since the stabilizers tent to loosen and droop during travel (even when tightened), I use ball bungees to secure the front legs, and the bumper tube bungees hold up the rear legs. Clothesline I love the bumper-mounted clothesline from Camping World that we used on our Classic, but it wouldn't fit on the small C-channel bumper of the Alite. The answer came from another owner - 2 tiki torch stakes! With a hacksaw, I shortened the stakes to the same length as the bumper and attached each with a single stainless bolt, backed with a fender washe...

Porta-Potty Cabinet The storage opening to the right of the door was not nearly deep enough to accommodate a porta-potty, as you can see in the photo. I took off the cabinet door, but before I could saw away the frame above the opening, I had to re-route a 120v wire (to the outside outlet) around the rear of the cabinet. The original wire wasn't long enough, so I added a junction box, and spliced a new piece. I also made a plywood platform to raise the potty to the level of the benches, then cut the bench lid to cover only the space to the left of the potty. I finished the opening with fake oak trim to match the cabinets. During the day, I fold a small fleece throw over the potty. A non-skid mat under the potty and a velcro strap across the front holds it in place during travel. Note #1 : I use a water bottle to squirt-flush, rather than filling the freshwater tank in the potty. It takes less water, and gives a more accurate rinse. In the photo, you can see the water bott...

Sink The first time I saw an Alite, I had visions of installing a sink, and it was the first mod I tackled. It was also the first time I'd worked with an electric saw. A small jig saw and a Workmate portable workbench were all I needed for the basic carpentry. The doorside bench became my kitchencounter. I sawed the bench lid in two, and put a residential bar sink, purchased at Lowe's, in the reear half. Before I attached the sink to the "countertop", I had to drill a new sink hole for my folding faucet. That was definitely the hardest part of the job! Stainless steel is not easy to work with, but persistence and a good hole saw got me through. The sink came with a template for cutting a hole in the countertop. Drilling a hole at each corner made it easy to cut the wood with a jig saw. After the plywood was cut, I covered it with strips of self-stick vinyl oak flooring that closely matches the cabinet finish. Before setting the sink in place, I attached the strai...

Chandelier Since I added a hanging light to the Classic and the LXE, a chandelier has been my signature mod. So the Alite had to have one, too! At Home Depot one day, a small low-voltage pendent lamp, intended for residential use, caught my eye. It was a good color for the Alite decor and low voltage was perfect. I cut the male end from an extension cord and wired it directly to the battery (wire is wire, it doesn't matter if it carries 12v or 110v!), running the female end to the front corner of the bed. Then I removed the canopy and transformer from the pendent lamp and replaced it with clear lamp cord long enough to reach the front corner and connect to the male cord from the battery (the male plug is marked "12v only!). I put a loop in the lamp cord to hang from a large S-hook on the overhead pole, and added an inline switch. The lamp travels in a little bucket velcroed to the top of the door-side wheel well, under the "countertop" lid. At the campsite, I...