Builds PalmoftheWild 100 Series Build (1 Viewer)

[joseywales]

Awesome. What kind of truck and camper. I originally thought I wanted a cab over setup but then this rig came a long. My goal is to take my four year old out for a week or two at a time and be pretty self sufficient.

I work out of town a lot (I live down at the beach, and build houses in a ski town) so I went a bit overboard on the camper since it and the truck are 100% tax write off. 2014 3500 Cummins truck with a 2017 Northern Lite. I just traded something for a tandem car trailer, so I’m going to tow the 100 behind.

It’s covered in ‘mud to keep it relevant!

 

[hickuptruck]

You didn't like the Hankook Dynapro ATMs? How do they compare to the KO2s on your LC?

 

[PalmoftheWild]

You didn't like the Hankook Dynapro ATMs? How do they compare to the KO2s on your LC?

I had a few issues with them. 1) I had the wheels rebalanced twice and still had wobbling at speeds greater than 35. 2) offroad performance wasn’t what I needed from a set of AT tires. 3) the price comparison, while cheaper than BFGs the lack of performance is evident. The old adage “you get what you pay for” was blarringly obvious.

Having tested both sets of tires on the same set of trails, I can 100% confirm the BFG KO2 tires handle better on road, grab more off road, and certainly provide superior performance. I’m sold on KO2s.

 

[PalmoftheWild]

I work out of town a lot (I live down at the beach, and build houses in a ski town) so I went a bit overboard on the camper since it and the truck are 100% tax write off. 2014 3500 Cummins truck with a 2017 Northern Lite. I just traded something for a tandem car trailer, so I’m going to tow the 100 behind.

It’s covered in ‘mud to keep it relevant!
View attachment 1672456

Dang!!!!!! That’s sweet! I am a frequent traveler for work as well and may actually have a location change for a year or two. That’s why I considered your same setup. That’s an awesome setup my friend.

 

[joseywales]

Thanks! I really enjoy it. I need a full size truck for my business, and the Cummins is as good as it gets in North America. The camper is also as good as it gets (if you don’t want a slide out) for 4 season use. I’m comfy in it when there is 6’ of snow outside. We use it as a holiday home as well. I love waking up next to my espresso machine in a (very) dry campsite in the middle of Anza Borego or on the beach with shoulder high surf. I spent 4 months in Mexico living out of the back of my diesel 60 series when I was single, so I’ve done both types of travel. They both have big pluses, but also negatives.

 

[PalmoftheWild]

Thanks! I really enjoy it. I need a full size truck for my business, and the Cummins is as good as it gets in North America. The camper is also as good as it gets (if you don’t want a slide out) for 4 season use. I’m comfy in it when there is 6’ of snow outside. We use it as a holiday home as well. I love waking up next to my espresso machine in a (very) dry campsite in the middle of Anza Borego or on the beach with shoulder high surf. I spent 4 months in Mexico living out of the back of my diesel 60 series when I was single, so I’ve done both types of travel. They both have big pluses, but also negatives.

I need to stop talking to you! Lol I’m on Craigslist looking at Cabovers again. My wife would kill me! That’s awesome. I hate seeing good quality campers just sitting. It’s refreshing to see someone who uses theirs daily.

 

[PalmoftheWild]

Truck. Check. Brakes. Check. Tires. Check. I’m almost ready to roll. I needed to get some more clearance and better suspension setup to handle the weight of the overall build. I had a connection to piece together a suspension setup from a few different companies. I was worried about piecing it together and having issues with certain components. I finally landed on the Old Man Emu 2.5 inch heavy setup. Ultimately I knew I was going to have a fridge, storage, roof top tent, extended fuel, batteries, etc. I needed a setup to handle the weight without compromising performance.

I knew the stock setup was legit, but this new setup gave me performance and the look I wanted. This lift, combined with my BFG T/A KO2s is an insane setup. I haven’t felt the need to regear the truck, and still have the acceleration and power I need as my daily driver. Along with the lift, I needed to make a modification to the Method Wheels dust caps. The 100 series land cruiser has a pretty big grease cap on the front axle. The grease cap prevents the Method dust cap from fitting on properly. So, I busted out my Dremel Tool, JB Weld and a sharpie to make my modifications. I started by removing the lip at the base of the dust cap. This allowed me to mount the wheel and slide the dust cap in place.

After getting the proper placement, I removed the wheel and prepared to attach the dust cap to the wheel. I used some alcohol wipes to clean the inside of the wheel and the dust cap. I applied the JB Weld directly to the wheel and not the cap itself. I set the cap in place and let the compound dry for eight hours before mounting the wheel back on the truck. I quickly ran off to find a trail and test my modifications.

 

[PalmoftheWild]

The best question someone asked me about my build came before I even began building my Land Cruiser. Nate Day (@somedayadventure) and his dad asked me, “What do you envision for your truck?” At first I was like, “Something cool, big tires, and off road brah!” They laughed at me, I cried ugly tears, Nate didn’t understand, I just needed him to care. It was a real heart breaking moment.

So then I thought about it. We are a family of four who loves the outdoors, seeks adventure, and wants to see the back roads of the United States. I did not want us to be confined to conventional campgrounds and supermarket stores. I knew I needed to solve three very important components, sleep space, food needs, and overall storage.


Sleep space was an obvious answer, a roof top tent (RTT) is the only choice. The advantages of a RTT over a standard poll tent are numerous; elevation off the ground from animals, setup is substantially faster, four season capability, sleep capacity with a comfortable mattress, and overall “bad-assery!” It also frees up space by not lugging around a conventional tent. Only disadvantage is I’ll have to pack it up every morning to hit the trails. (10 minutes of work at max, so not a big deal to me.)


So, who makes the best RTT for the money? Is Tepui better than CVT? ARB over Smittybuilt? Hard shell over Canvas? For me, I needed my RTT to accomplish the following, super comfortable (major back injury at 14 still haunts me), easy to setup and take down, sleeps four, overall quality/durability, fits my roof and factory load bars, and provides a solid annex space. Also high on my priority list is small business support, cool company/people behind the product, and customer service.

Ultimately one company stood out for me; Cascadia Vehicle Tents and their Mt. Rainer Extended Stargazer Pioneer paired with their 72 inch awning. This thing checked all the boxes for me. Bobby, the owner of CVT is an American boy with a whole lot of heart and an amazing personality. He answered all my questions, made sure I was getting what my family needed and truly cared about his tents. The tent sleeps 3+ in its 72x96 3 inch memory foam mattress sleeping area. It has an annex with a floor which can handle an extra cot, and provides a great changing/storage area out of the elements. Since having the tent we’ve spent almost 20 days in it. We’ve camped in 24 degrees with rainfall in the mountains to 80 degrees at the beach. It’s held up like a champ and my family loves it.

Up next... Food!

 

[Bm3r]

Beautiful! Would you mind expanding on the center cap topic? I'm just not able to visualize it.

Also, are these 17x8.5 0 offset? Curious to know how you got them to fit? Thanks!

 

[LETSROLLEM]

Hey @PalmoftheWild, beautiful rig man. Love everything about it. I noticed in a couple of your earlier pictures, before your new roof rack, it appears you had your tent attached to the factory roof rack. Is this correct? If so, did you notice any adverse effects? I have a first run CVT MT ST HELENS hardshell RTT. It weighs about 165# and have been wondering, until I get my new roof rack, if I could run it up on the factory rails and be ok. I just ordered 2 more crossbars to help with weight distribution in hopes adding the 2 would help more with the "static" weight of my wife and I while sleeping. I think I would be ok as far as the "dynamic" weight goes because I would only be about 15# over the rated weight capacity. Again, adding the 2 additional crossbars I'm hoping helps with that as well. Thoughts, advice or input? Thank you. Again, yours one of my favorite rigs on MUD

 

[FxFormat]

Just picked up a black LX, looking to fit it with these wheels, i went through the whole thread but didn't see what tire size you're running, they look great. Can you give me more info on the offset and tire size? Thanks.

 

[dahlmaker]

Great photos @PalmoftheWild and great thread here. I'm buddies with Nate and saw you pop in on his insta and was really intrigued to see an LC among the full-size HDs. Can't wait to see more of the build.

Seriously! CA can be a real grind sometimes! I'm planning a trip through AZ for early Fall. I'll definitely hit you up, always good to have people in other states to run a trail with! I run up this hill behind my house when I get bored and need to get outside. I'm waiting for the local Sheriff to be waiting for me to come down some day.

 

[26kevin]

Definitely let me know. Got plans on where yet? Sedona is amazing if you haven't been yet, lots of fun to be had in flagstaff too.

I go to sedona at least twice a year and meet the AZLRO guys, im considering going to a100 series LC. I'm from NY

 

[CBeckFJ]

Stumbled upon your M416 build on reddit and figured id post up here. Got any other photos showing the build process? I'm close to starting mine

 

[cruisergear]

bump! your build thread has fallen way behind your IG account

 

[Epicentered]

@PalmoftheWild thanks for sharing your experience With your build. Can you share the latest? Love the IG but would love even more to hear the details (Incl that single-axle trailer).

 

[custyota]

Nice build, What OME springs are running in the rear?