HJ61v JDM - The Solo Sleeper

[surfrider619]

A few more photos
The jerry can holders were custom made .. they are really neat they sit top of the existing bumper and use the existing bolt holes and still allow the rear window to open.
The bed unit had a sliding top so it could be extended towards the fridge
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Photo of the bed .. was surprisingly comfortable after a while
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The roof storage boxes were a great addition. I had spare parts inside, I didnt need to use them in the end but it was good to know they were there is needed and the boxes were very low in profile so it meant I could keep the angle of the solar panel shallow
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These are the sections that I made up for the interior, Fridge/storage on the left. The battery box and storage unit (Bed section directly behing the driver seat) and the rear bed section and drawer unit. This unit slides horizontally toward the fridge unit
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This is a photo of the fuel can holder and gas can holder off the roof rack

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What was your spare parts list?

 

[Quat]

I was just coming back to ask about what sort of spare parts were recommended as well.

 

[BJ41]

The fridge is a national luma 50l weekender. It had to work pretty hard to keep the temp down. It got pretty warm inside the truck.
The spare parts I brought were a set of shocks (heavy corrugated roads over there), air and oil filters, engine and gear oil. The the usual stuff like electric wire, tape, bulbs and bits like that. I had a pretty good set of tools.
only problem I had were nuts working lose on the u-bolts for the suspension and the power steering pump bearing became worn. A local mechanic found the problem striped the pump had the bearings machined and all fitted back in a few hours. They can fix any toyota anywhere in Africa .
I has a compressor which is a must. I would get a better one if doing a similar trip. There were four 80 series on the trip we me and we disn't have any major problems. The worst was a cracked brake line. One of the guys had brake line repair kit, something I would never have thought about.
We were pretty much self sufficient and carried enough food for most of the trip. I was pretty happy over all with the set up and would only change a few minor things like the gas cylinder location and I would organise storage a small bit to ensure the cooling stuff was easier to get to. One thing that I was really happy about was the fact I could strip out the storage and have the seats back in in a couple of hours. The storage units were quite simple and used the original anchor nuts locations in the back. I will post a few photos of the storage units I made.
anyway hope this helps

 

[BJ41]

A few photos of the storage/sleeping area in the back of the 60.

This is how the was set-up. There was a gap between the sleeping area and the fridge, it was wide enough to allow me to sit on the bed if needed.

When the right hand storage was extended for the bed

All the stuff that was on or in the 60 and the cooker in the drawer unit

 

[60Works]

Great write up and Cruiser, BJ41.

Would you care to elaborate on your solar panel and regulator? Was it enough for the 50L?

 

[BJ41]

Yep the solar panel was for the fridge, the theory was great but in practice the national luma was under a lot of pressure with the heat. This in turn was putting a lot of pressure on the ancillary battery. I had the battery and relays were in one of the storage boxes

The solar panel was an 80watt and the regulator was by Photonic Univese. When the ignition was on the fridge ran off the car 24v system and when the ignition was off it switched to the leisure battery when was charge solely off the solar panel. This all worked fine until we had to park up for more than two days. The fridge was having to work very hard in the heat. The solar panel was only just able to maintain the battery level and didnt have enough power to charge it fully when we were driving. There are plenty of ways to overcome this however I didnt want to have to depend on the truck to charge the ancillary battery. I wanted to have a 12v system independent of the 24v system. I intend to replace the 80watt panel with a 120 or greater panel and get a better regulator. I'm pretty sure the 120 watt panel would work fine and generate the extra charge needed.

 

[60Works]

Thanks, BJ41. FYI - there are several threads in the Diesel section about adding 12V systems to 24V vehicles. The go-to mechanism seems to be a solar converter/balancer.

https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/solar-converter-final-setup.33070/

https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/solar-converter-setup-cdn-spec-bj70.313663/

I haven't installed one of these so please research information beyond my advice. I've been considering a 24V Cruiser and have been investigating how others have solved 12V charging and accessory issues. The basic principle is that 12V power is pulled from one of the two batteries and the solar charger manages the 24V alternator to keep the two batteries balanced. This would allow your truck to fully charge your accessory battery when you are driving so the solar panel will only need to keep up with the fridge rather than to recharge the battery.

I've wondered if its necessary to have a vent system to remove the exhaust heat from a refrigerator. It couldn't hurt to have cooler air around the compressor.

 

[BJ41]

To be honest the 12v accessories weren't as bad as I thought. I got a twin usb charger that went into the dash 24v outlet. That was enough for the satnav and phone. I habe a 24v/12v reducer under my seat and that was used for the gopro and memory for the radio. I was just worried the fridge would draw to much especially if parked up for a couple of days. Your right about the heat build up. I think it was way to much. National luma do an insulation wrap for the fridge but expensive. One of the guys had a bigger national luma fridge. It seems to handle the heat bettet. I would imagine it is better insulated. I still like the idea of the solar panel. Just seems a very straight forward way the deal with the fridge.

 

[TLC Norway]

I like the simplicity of your setup!
I had a similar bed setup when I was doing trips by my self.
Introducing a Lady to the mix clearly ups the ante ;p

I'm also running 24v setup, no aux 12v battery.
Just running the arb from the slight oversized batteries is okay, but it does not work very hard in my climate.

I'm debating putting in two smaller aux batteries, as 24v, for frindge.
-and running the 12v converter off that. Some report the arb compressor running at higher efficiency at 24v than 12, amperage-wise.
Can you run the Luna at 24v?
I ran the arb for three days with about 1h total of idling to charge now and then.
And I prefer finding 24v accessories rather than 12v.
Only the radio is now in need of 12v.
Compressor, winch, aux lights, interior lights (led), USB chargers and so on, all running at 24v.