Install issue with PD4655-MBA - won't fit 8955 power station

[utahguyiam]

Hi all,

due to advice that I read here and other places online, I pulled the trigger on replacing my tired WFCO8955 Converter with a Progressive Dynamics PD4655-MBA drop in. I went to install it today, and it doesn't fit inside my power station box. The rail tabs on the bottom don't align quite right (the Progressive dynamics "sled" is about 3/4" bigger than the WFCO), and the fan on the front of the unit makes the entire assembly about 1/8" too wide to fit into the opening squarely.

I'm wondering if anyone else has run into this problem?

I'm attaching a couple pics for reference. In both of these pictures, the left side of the assembly is seated in the rail appropriately, and you can see the issues it presents on the right side.

Pics were graciously resized in a post below. Thanks to 2oldman.

I'd love any help someone can offer.

Album - https://photos.app.goo.gl/CHQWiDvxLUWbPvau6

[utahguyiam]

BFL13 wrote:
AFAIK, to get an RV brand's OEM business, if there will be enough units to make a different version of one worth it, the converter maker will provide what the OEM wants.

What is your RV? Where is the WFCO--in an awkward place that they might have had to change the lower chassis to make it fit?

It's a 2004 Keystone Cougar 5th wheel... And the power center is above the fridge, plenty of room to install whatever they wanted.

[BFL13]

AFAIK, to get an RV brand's OEM business, if there will be enough units to make a different version of one worth it, the converter maker will provide what the OEM wants.

What is your RV? Where is the WFCO--in an awkward place that they might have had to change the lower chassis to make it fit?

[utahguyiam]

BFL13 wrote:
This any use?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKZ9KSX1rno

A thought--if the standard replacement won't fit, maybe your own WFCO has a non-standard chassis to go with the particular RV it is in. So the WFCO lower portion will fit that, but not the replacement?

I actually watched that exact video yesterday. Unfortunately, he skims right past the part where he actually mounts the new converter (which makes me think it fit right in.)

As for mine having a non-standard chassis, that thought crossed my mind, but it seems weird to think that's possible since pretty much everything in most RV's is off the shelf, and not custom. It also has the same standard model number on the power center. That leaves me wondering if they changed the design of the box at some point after mine was manufactured. Most of the people I've seen using this part have newer RV's than mine (not that mine is ancient, it's a 2004)...

[BFL13]

This any use?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKZ9KSX1rno

A thought--if the standard replacement won't fit, maybe your own WFCO has a non-standard chassis to go with the particular RV it is in. So the WFCO lower portion will fit that, but not the replacement?

[utahguyiam]

2oldman wrote:
Replace your pics with these.

Thank you for doing that. I removed my pics. Really appreciate the help.

[utahguyiam]

time2roll wrote:
Looks bound up on something instead of laying flat to the base.
Looks like it is sitting on top of the two front tabs instead of aligning with the holes to insert.
There must be something not aligned or matched correctly.

It's not aligned right in the pics because I was lifting the front part of the bracket up to get a picture of the mounting tab at the rear. There's also a small plastic nub on the back of the box that I need to cut so it has the proper depth clearance, but I'm pretty confident that nub is just a manufacturing leftover from the plastic mold, so I'm not worried about cutting it.

philh wrote:
It's a perfect fit. When I first attempted to install it, it wasn't making sense, and I had the bracket on backwards. Try putting the bracket in by itself without the charger.

I made the same mistake, trying to install it backwards. My WFCO converter was mounted with the heatsink at the front of the box, so I was trying it that way. I called Randy and he corrected me on that.

However, this is definitely not a perfect fit in my box. The sled is about an inch wider than the mounting tabs that are molded into the back floor of the box. In one of the pics you can see this issue. The left side of the sled is correctly mounted into the tab, and you can see that the right side overhangs it's tab by about an inch.

I'm pretty sure I'm going to have to remove one or both of the rear mounting tabs from the box. However, the alignment is still not right. The adapter bracket's alignment pushes the fan on the front right all the way to the right edge of the box (about 1/8" past actually). I could probably take a dremel to the adapter bracket and elongate those holes to alleviate that problem, but cutting the mounting tabs means the entire rear of the converter is unsupported. I'm not sure I want to do that.

[utahguyiam]

myredracer wrote:
I did the exact same swap a few years ago and it fit no problem. I remember looking at the PD at first and thinking it was way too large but it slipped right in perfectly.

The black bracket on the floor of the WFCO housing doesn't look right. Perhaps that's for a Magnetek or Parallax converter? According to PD instructions, there is a bracket but it doesn't look as tall.

A call to Randy @ bestconverter.com might provide the answer. Or PD's instructions are ***Link Removed***

Since 2oldman resized your pics, you should delete yours as they are waay too large to fit on the screen.

Thanks for the feedback. I removed the pics for viewability.

The black bracket is what mounts/secures the converter to the box. I actually spoke to Randy yesterday about it, because initially I was trying to install the converter backward (heatsink forward, just like my old converter)... Unfortunately, I wasn't at my trailer when we talked, so I didn't discover this issue until later. I planned to call or email Randy about this one, but thought I'd try here first since I assumed he wouldn't respond on a Saturday night/Sunday (It would have been after 11 where he's located by the time I figured this issue out).

[philh]

It's a perfect fit. When I first attempted to install it, it wasn't making sense, and I had the bracket on backwards. Try putting the bracket in by itself without the charger.

[time2roll]

Looks bound up on something instead of laying flat to the base.
Looks like it is sitting on top of the two front tabs instead of aligning with the holes to insert.
There must be something not aligned or matched correctly.

[myredracer]

I did the exact same swap a few years ago and it fit no problem. I remember looking at the PD at first and thinking it was way too large but it slipped right in perfectly.

The black bracket on the floor of the WFCO housing doesn't look right. Perhaps that's for a Magnetek or Parallax converter? According to PD instructions, there is a bracket but it doesn't look as tall.

A call to Randy @ bestconverter.com might provide the answer. Or PD's instructions are here.

Since 2oldman resized your pics, you should delete yours as they are waay too large to fit on the screen.

[BFL13]

http://www.bestconverter.com/assets/images/Progressive_Dynamics/4600/4655TVmanual.pdf

[2oldman]

Replace your pics with these:

[utahguyiam]

Old-Biscuit wrote:
Your pictures are TOO large to be useful

Did you install the adapter bracket that came with the PD4655 unit?

The PD4655 should be a direct replacement for the WF-8955 AN & PEC models

Check with Best Converters and 'ASK Randy'
***Link Removed***

Sorry about the picture size. I don't know how to shrink them.. I did install the adapter bracket. You can see it in the pic showing how the fan crowds the right side of the box. In that pic, the fan is pushing against the side, and the mounting plate still needs to move slightly right to line up with the adapter bracket.

That's the problem I'm running into. I don't know if they revised the WF-8955 AN box at some point (my trailer is a 2004 model), but the tabs the bracket is supposed to slide into are narrower than the bracket itself, which is leading to major headaches.

I spoke to Randy on the phone today, but it was about another issue (I was attempting to mount it with the heatsink facing forward, the same way my WFCO converter was). I plan to email him these same pics, but thought I might get a faster response from the forum since tomorrow is Sunday.

[Old-Biscuit]

Your pictures are TOO large to be useful

Did you install the adapter bracket that came with the PD4655 unit?

The PD4655 should be a direct replacement for the WF-8955 AN & PEC models

Check with Best Converters and 'ASK Randy'
Ask Randy