2013 LX 570 Build: "The Wanderer" (1 Viewer)

[AdmiralSnackbar]

Goal: Build a vehicle capable of taking our family of 5 (3 boys under 8) and all our gear on off the beaten path adventures. We also wanted the ability to carry friends or grandparents along on occasion.

We considered Land Rover Discovery, LR4, LR3, Lexus GX, 4Runners, Landcruisers, and ultimately selected a 2013 LX 570 for its reliability, capability, size, and price. Also, the lux features helped win over the wifee.

Here it is on the lot on the day I bought it:

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This is my first real build but I did own a somewhat capable 87 4Runner in high school. I think I'm subliminally trying to relive that with alot more responsibilities and a larger budget. Our immediate plans for this were/are:

Definitely ASAP:

• Roof rack for all our "gear" - Kids' necessities included.
• Wheels and tires
• Lightbar
• Camping lights for the side of the rack
• Brake controller
• Tow wiring harness
• 5 bike rack
• Fuelpax, Maxtrax mounted
• Ski carrier / cargo box
• Chrome delete as much as possible

Consider in the future:

• Roofrack mounted shower
• Drawer system and sleeping platform without permanently losing the third row
• CarPlay / Android Auto
• Rooftop tent for 5
• Front and rear bumpers
• Rock sliders

I've completed some of the "definitely" list and I'll share that soon.

Always open to questions and advice from the community.

What kind of wireless light switch did you go with?

 

[ST70]

Hey realize its while back now, but I saw you asked what wireless light switch was used. I recently purchased a GX460 and wanted to get ditch lights and overheads on it quickly before a camping trip. I went thru 3 different wireless switches before finding one that sorta works well (remote battery died first day of use though).

I searched the forum here for Blazer International wireless switch but nothing came up - bought it from local auto parts store. Stick with the standard garage door style remote version opposed to their app based wireless version. They haven't updated the app for latest version of iOS it so it fails now (cant speak for android).

Honestly, can't say I highly recommend the wireless. I'm going to take the time to run it through firewall and mount the switch after fiddling with this wireless. Its nice to flip the lights on at camp wirelessly, but it really stinks when the remote battery dies and you have no other way to turn them off but pop the hood and pull the relay fuse.

 

[smrt123]

We went with the Velocirax 5 Bike hitch-mounted rack. Very happy with the purchase after a month of ownership and a few bike trips.

Pros:
-Carries 5 bikes of different sizes and types very easily (The only type it doesn't carry is fat tire)
-Super solid - No stories of rack cracking and bikes falling off on the highway as I found with both Thule and Yakima
-Goes down easily so you can access the back of your vehicle
-Medium size kids can put their bikes on it and take them off by themselves (My 7-yr old can but my 5-year-old can't)
-Easily stored - Doubles as a bicycle storage solution in the garage
-Has a "camping mode" to store bikes securely while camping. Basically turns into a bike rack as you'd see on a city street.

Cons:
-Heavy (~80 lbs)
-Expensive (Paid $900 with shipping and taxes)

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Hi all, sorry to bump an old thread but I'm a new LX owner and have only just discovered this forum and what an incredible resource it is.

Adventurefam - can you tell me if you still have full tailgate access with the Velocirax installed on your LX? I tried one on a Honda Element at one point, and found that I could only effectively use the top glass. The tailgate was able to open about 85% of the way, but not without resting on the metal rack and risking damage/dents. I've seen some hitch extension products but would prefer not to extend the load if not required. TIA!

 

[AdmiralSnackbar]

Installed a Redarc Tow-Pro Elite today.

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How can I be sure it's functioning properly without actually pulling a trailer? What do units do when they are not pulling a trailer? When I press the brake, it flashes blue once. That's the only light it shows. No other colors than that. The Redarc website doesn't seem to be any help. I don't have a trailer to test the system on.

Where did you mount your light switch?

 

[rhd0002]

View attachment 2581111

is that chrome delete/plasti-dip still holding up well 1.5 years later? Or have you had to re-apply?

 

[Kaveman315]

Step one of the build was...not wheels or tires...but to solve the problem of where are we going to put all our stuff? Our prior adventure mobile was a Honda Odyssey, which has seemingly neverending storage space. If we were going to go anywhere beyond the mall with this thing, we needed more space. I looked at the Prinsu, Front Runner, and Gamiviti racks closely and ultimately, chose Prinsu because it was considerably cheaper, provided all the functionality I needed, was lighter, and looked much better (some helpful comparison from @radman here).

The install went ok especially thanks to this thread (required reading if you are removing the roof rails on an LX or LC). Despite preparation, we still had a problem with one of the dreaded brackets. I documented the problem here and @grinchy @livebetter36 @CharlieS and @BluffCruiserDC came to the rescue with a solution. I ordered a new bracket, dropped the back right headliner (easy), and replaced it from the bottom.

Call me cheap but I wasn't about to drop a load on high-end lighting that I rarely use so I went value on the light bar and the side camping lights. I got a referral to Code 4 LED from a buddy and the owner, Dean Hamilton was super helpful with helping me select the light bar and wiring harness. The light bar is super bright and looks great. I also went with a wiring harness with a wireless control so that I didn't have to run a wire through the firewall. As a bonus, it gives me this cool control to impress my friends with. For the side camping lights, I bought 2 of these bad boys on Amazon, which despite their cheap price, are surprisingly perfect for the use case. They sit flush on the rack and provide adequate light to set up camp in the dark without bothering your neighbors.

Here's the Wanderer after step 1.


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Hey, I have the same year and model. When you bought your rack was it specifically for the LX570 or did you just get the LC model for the same year? Thank you in advance for your help.