Madison, WI - 2018 Land Cruiser "Tiny" - Build Thread (1 Viewer)

[grinchy]

Disagree completely, but it's your fingers. You'll only know when it is too late.

Edit: Sorry, that came off as rude and harsh. I should say that I don't fully trust the electrical bits myself and the consequences of failure could be catastrophic.

Yeah no biggie. We’re on a scholarly disagreement here, nothing more.

 

[varun bhargava]

Tiny got a big lighting upgrade today! LP9 Pros that I ordered 4 months ago are finally in and fitted! Can't wait to try them out. I'll post pictures of the lighting tests.

 

[varun bhargava]

I got the LP9s fully wired up and configured w/the Switch-Pros. As I'm adding things I'm so happy I built the foundation as I did since everything has been plug and play and easy to do.

A couple of weeks ago I got a sub $600 deal on the OVS Nomadic 270 Awning so I decided to move forward. Ideally, I wanted to get the Bush Company 270XT but I'm not opposed to saving over $1000.

Thanks to @CharlieS I finally protected the positive lead on the Switch-Pros. Luckily I had something lying around from this project.

 

[varun bhargava]

Lexus Credit Car Key! - Takes 5 minutes to program if you have TechStream.

Made some additional TechStream customizations:

• Roll down windows using remote
• Decrease button pressing time for the tailgate
• Turned off the seat belt warning for the passenger seat

 

[Tex68w]

I wish I had kept the credit card key for our LX when we sold it, could have repurposed it for the Cruiser.

 

[varun bhargava]

Now that Phase 1 is complete I've been taking this week to evaluate and asses the build. I'm digging it and really enjoying the details and best of all I dont think there is anything I would change (that I put on the truck).

 

[rlynch356]

If my bumper ever gets here I’ll be running my winch behind a fuse and a switched relay.

Many winch manufacturers are recommending a physical switch at the battery. A few are even including it in the box. I guess that big fat hot wire on the front of the rig had them nervous in a potential front end collision. That switch is typically under the hood and I didn’t love the thought of stop and pop at the beginning and end of each trail, so I’m running a switch ‘on’ in cab which activates the control box, and a large ign switched solenoid (500a continuous) for the relay.
Bonus - without cab access my winch won’t be able to be spooled out by the mythical street joker who wants to. Though in reality this would almost always be some prankster in camp.

I fuse all positive wires. I don’t see how the winch is special and wouldn’t need one.

FWIW..
Winches need to be run off the main battery only and preferably though a physical cut off switch on the positive side only... if you look at the specs for most winches you see a maximum draw of 350-400 amps (first wrap at Max load) .. which is too much for circuit breakers or fuses (12v anyway). Running a cut off to the solenoid controller negative only stops the contractor switches from connecting via the plug or switch, it does not disconnect the positive side of the winch.. it is easy to override as well, so I don't feel it is a safety mechanism..

 

[varun bhargava]

@Eric Sarjeant - Can you provide details on how to wire this up. Looks like the new button has 4 pins and the open button has 3 on the waterproof connector.



Thanks,

 

[varun bhargava]

FWIW..
Winches need to be run off the main battery only and preferably though a physical cut off switch on the positive side only... if you look at the specs for most winches you see a maximum draw of 350-400 amps (first wrap at Max load) .. which is too much for circuit breakers or fuses (12v anyway). Running a cut off to the solenoid controller negative only stops the contractor switches from connecting via the plug or switch, it does not disconnect the positive side of the winch.. it is easy to override as well, so I don't feel it is a safety mechanism..

Iv got mine directly connected to the battery. I need to find a cut-off switch that I might be able to incorporate that fits the rest of the electronics.

 

[varun bhargava]

First camping-ish trip is in the books. These cars have soo much room for gear that I didnt even bother dropping any of the seats.

 

[varun bhargava]

Testing out the revised camp setup that is optimized for setup time vs packed space efficiency. We have a 3 day overlanding trip coming up!

 

[varun bhargava]

Took Tiny out for its first big trip in northern Wisconsin and Michigan.

Notes:

• Aired down to 22psi and the LC felt like it was a magic carpet
• The exterior camp lighting mounted to the roof rack continues to be one of my best investments
• Gazelle tent was amazing and totally worth the $$$. Frankly its cheap for what it is
• Efficiently packing for space and usage is a bit of an art and I've got a lot to figure out
• Driving lights are very helpful for other cars when driving on dusty roads. I finally understand the value of chase lights

 

[Tex68w]

Drop it to 12-15psi when in the slow, rocky terrain. Rig looks great.

 

[tbisaacs]

Drop it to 12-15psi when in the slow, rocky terrain. Rig looks great.

+1 what Tex said. I usually default to 18psi, and as low as 10 on snow. Haven't flung a bead yet (knock on lexus dash trim wood).

 

[Dparo]

@Eric Sarjeant - Can you provide details on how to wire this up. Looks like the new button has 4 pins and the open button has 3 on the waterproof connector.



Thanks,

Can the power rear hatch be retrofitted to a 2017?


Err, never mind, parts look too pricy for what it is.

 

[Tex68w]

Honestly, it's not worth it as the thing is slower than molasses. It's nice every once in a while but I find myself bypassing the automatic opener at times to lift it manually quicker.

 

[varun bhargava]

+1 what Tex said. I usually default to 18psi, and as low as 10 on snow. Haven't flung a bead yet (knock on lexus dash trim wood).

@Tex68w @tbisaacs What would you recommend for gravel trails traveling between 30-50mph and some pavement? Tires felt amazing on the gravel but squishy on the pavement.

 

[Tex68w]

20-35mph running loose surfaces I think you were right in the wheel house, 20-25 psi is what I would recommend. I wouldn't be running them that low for any extended period of time at speeds any higher than 35mph though. 50mph at 22 psi is not only dangerous should you need to make a quick maneuver, but the tire will heat up quickly as well.

 

[varun bhargava]

Finally putting that stock inverter to use. A little pre-holiday wiring while the weather is still warm

 

[varun bhargava]

@Eric Sarjeant - Can you provide details on how to wire this up. Looks like the new button has 4 pins and the open button has 3 on the waterproof connector.



Thanks,

Picked up the Cruiser Outfitters kit from FB Marketplace but was missing the instructions. @OTRAMM - coming through with a great installation video. Thank you!