Builds Just another 79 build..... (2 Viewers)

[c2dfj45]

I opted for the 100L water tank kit from Big Country....really hie setup...came with all the parts needed to run the fill, breather and then to the pump area. No pump was included with the kit but easy enough to source. The quick disconnects they included were really cool....had never seen them before. I ended up changing the hose and found the fittings on Amazon. Gardena I believe was the name of them. I had to reengineer their setup a bit to make it fit tighter....it's leak free and solid now. They had originally made a plug for the female side of the quick disconnect....looks like some RTV was put in a male fitting. Well that didn't last long. We came up with a way more permanent solution.

 

[Gun Runner 5]

After the canopy was on an secured, it was time to build the drawer system. Pretty standard deal for drawers. We were watching a 4WD Action video at lunch the other day and saw these exact drawers advertised by a sponsor on the program...different name. Not sure where exactly they came from but I got them thru Big Country 4x4.

Parts were all color coded and labeled so you know where they go.
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Chris, In an open bed application, would you think that drawer system would be waterproof?

 

[c2dfj45]

The water tank they supplied is meant to go on the LHS(Left Hand Side or Right Hand Side....that is how we kept it straight with them when we were talking about setup on the canopy, awnings opening, storage boxes, etc.....RHD, LHD gets confusing sometimes). Since my truck battery under the hood is on the LHS, I'm on the LHS, I figured getting 100L of water over the RHS would be a good idea. It fit with no issue over there. It came with a neat bracket but we won't permanently mount it until it goes into the other truck. My guys came up with a simple wood frame that bolted into the rear bed(where the spare mount was) so we could mount the house battery securely. Works really well.

 

[c2dfj45]

Chris, In an open bed application, would you think that drawer system would be waterproof?

Good question. They seem to be some kind of MDF board wrapped in marine grade carpet. So maybe with a nice heavy piece of rubber covering them, that might work. You could have an aluminum panel cut that you could mount to the top of it and then seal the edges. That would be pretty cool. Kind of have a false floor. The drawers are really cool....so much storage in them and then around the sides of them.

 

[Gun Runner 5]

Good question. They seem to be some kind of MDF board wrapped in marine grade carpet. So maybe with a nice heavy piece of rubber covering them, that might work. You could have an aluminum panel cut that you could mount to the top of it and then seal the edges. That would be pretty cool. Kind of have a false floor. The drawers are really cool....so much storage in them and then around the sides of them.

I like the idea but in my case they would have to be waterproof since I plan (at least for now) to leave the bed open.

 

[c2dfj45]

My fill and vent ended up being mounted on the RHS of the truck. When mounted on the LHS, the fill kind of was hanging out right in the middle of the bed....didn't do it for me. I guess it would be convenient to fill from either side of the truck with a long hose but I didn't want to see all of that and I really didn't want a hose coming out of the middle front of the bed.

This is their setup:

This is our setup.....out of the way, easy to fill(have a funnel but could just as easily make an extension so you could fill up outside the truck if you were worried about spillage).

 

[c2dfj45]

This shelf is really cool....I bought one but for whatever reason, it was mounted WAY to low. Part of the reason I like this canopy is that it has a rear window....nice to be able to see what's behind you. With the shelf in their the way they mounted it....it was right in the middle of the window. Dumb. I bet it was for the higher canopy(they make a low, medium(what I have) and a high canopy).

It's a cool shelf for something. I guess when it's high up though not much will fit up there. A nice net mounted up there would actually be really cool. Keep some soft stuff up there. There is so much storage in this truck, I don't know if I could ever fill it up. Would need to be on the road a LONG time to make use of all of it.

Mine:

 

[c2dfj45]

Had to make a little filler piece where the tank fill was. Little stuff like that drives me nuts....my OCD can take over and be a real problem.

I did one smart thing in purchasing all this stuff(aside from the smart move of deciding I NEEDED all this stuff)....I asked for a few extra yards of the materials they used so if I need to replace something, I had the exact stuff. It's only taken me about 22 years of being in this business to have finally learned something. Ha.

 

[joekatana]

I opted for the 100L water tank kit from Big Country....really hie setup...came with all the parts needed to run the fill, breather and then to the pump area. No pump was included with the kit but easy enough to source. The quick disconnects they included were really cool....had never seen them before. I ended up changing the hose and found the fittings on Amazon. Gardena I believe was the name of them. I had to reengineer their setup a bit to make it fit tighter....it's leak free and solid now. They had originally made a plug for the female side of the quick disconnect....looks like some RTV was put in a male fitting. Well that didn't last long. We came up with a way more permanent solution.




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Gardena is a European brand that makes every tool for your garden including garden hoses and there quick release fittings, great products and standard equipment around every European garden for as long as I can remember.

 

[c2dfj45]

They have a ton of options for these things. I opted to add an additional storage box on the RHS of the the canopy....in the big opening. I figured I'd buy one and at least have the option of using it or not. The LHS is my kitchen box which is really really cool. One of my favorite parts.

I was thinking that I may end up making my own shelf system for this.

 

[c2dfj45]

Gardena is a European brand that makes every tool for your garden including garden hoses and there quick release fittings, great products and standard equipment around every European garden for as long as I can remember.

It's really nice stuff.....wish I would have known about it a long time ago.

 

[c2dfj45]

I had them throw in a roof rack while I was on a spending spree. Really nice small rack for over the cab. Pretty typical style slotted rail setup which is great for anchoring stuff. The mounts were especially cool I thought...rubber cushions and a very secure clamp mechanism....somewhat tamperproof too. Neat pieces.

 

[Gun Runner 5]

You may have already discussed this in a previous post but where is your spare tire? Did you relocate it?

 

[c2dfj45]

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You may have already discussed this in a previous post but where is your spare tire? Did you relocate it?

Roof mounted for now on the cab rack. Not sure about what I will do down the road. Kind of want to do it on the rear bumper but not so sure I want to move it out of the way every time I need to get in the back canopy. I seem to ALWAYS need to get in the canopy for some reason.

 

[c2dfj45]

Once we had the battery in, we started in on the canopy electrical system. I wanted to keep it really simple...nothing complex was really necessary. Some nice interior lighting, power for my water pump, an air compressor, battery management, charging ports, etc.

We made a cool removable electric panel for side of the kitchen box. It is held on by Quik Latch pushbutton latches...if you've never seen them or used them, you're missing out. They're really cool pieces...highly recommended. We use them all kinds of stuff. Quik-Latch.Com Your Authorized Dealer For Quik-Latch Products

I'm running a CTek D250S 5 step charger to manage the house battery and the charging of it. The D250S is slick......when the canopy goes on to the new build, we'll feed it with a solar panel.

A Blue Seas 12 circuit fuse box handles fusing.....and we used a digital battery display from Amazon that displays all kinds of important numbers that I don't fully understand....except the battery voltage.

 

[c2dfj45]

Used that extra carpeting again to wrap our piece. Installed, it looks as if it was there from the factory in South Africa....

Started installing the components

Wiring....lots and lots of wires....

All done and tidied up....way out of the way from everything. Couldn't ask for a better setup. I wanted this on the LHS of the truck so it was under the awning and next to the kitchen hatch. We talked about doing a set of charging ports in the kitchen box but I think I might put some ports on the other side of the truck.

 

[c2dfj45]

I like to stay out of the guys way when it comes to what they have to do......I tackle the really hard stuff so they don't have to.....my job was to install the LED lights. Peel and stick install I might ad. Ha. Under cabinet jobbers from Amazon with some white split channel to run the wire across the top of the canopy(more peel and stick fun). They're on a dimmer too which is really cool as these things are BRIGHT.

I did 2 in the bigger hatches and 4 under the canopy itself.

Really nice kit.

 

[c2dfj45]

I had an ARB air compressor from the build of this truck that was supposed to get mounted and never did.....so what better time to mount it. Found a great spot. Still have a ton of storage in this area....

 

[c2dfj45]

Bought the kitchen organizer from Big Country and I'm glad I did....really makes efficient use of the space and keeps everything nice and organized. The fold out stainless table is SUPER cool. Fully detachable or it folds up for storage.

 

[c2dfj45]

Final configuration of the electric panel.....