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Another update...

Well, we already have a Zodi Extreme for taking showers.. so i really have no excuse for this one :(

Ever since i drove the EW Tacoma i fell in love with the hot demand quick release shower setup.

Well of course i had to do my own :D

First i did this...

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Expedition Portal Forum - View Single Post - Adventure Trailer Mod Thread

Thats the shower mixer quick release that you can buy from Adventure Trailer. It's built in Israel. It's really nice quality and works bitchen. Just pop the connection in and twist to desired heat. I installed a 4 gallon per minute marine wash down pump in the trailer also. It all pulls from the 20 gallon tank. This is a bad thing because it will make our water supply disappear quickly :D

Anyhoo.. so then i got thinking how i was going to heat the water.. i wanted to do a heating element that's submergible but they draw too much power. Then i also thought about a waterless heater that the water runs through.. but i had heard they don't like trailers too much (too much bouncing around).

So i went with the heat exchanger with quick release water lines.

Figured out a place to strap the exchanger in.. im running out of room.
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The hot side of the heater (after the valve) so i can adjust the heat from the in cab climate control (no you dont have to run the fan).
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Quick release fittings so i can "plug it in" to the trailer..
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The little 12volt pump.. actually works just fine..
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In use... i kind of like this little cigarette plug shower head.. will be perfect for quick showers or washing off your feet at the beach..
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Water temp was great and it's pretty cold outside.. the climate control had more to give..
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So i still need to do quick releases on the trailer so i can run the trailer water through the heat exchanger.. but for this week it will do. Just too busy to finish the rest.




Also, we just did a front end rebuild, knuckles, marlin seals.. etc and new 5.29's. Rig gained 1mph fully loaded at 55mph on the highway. Cruises at 2400-2500 perfectly.
 
How is the "driving" now that you have new gears? What are the biggest differences that you have noticed? As reference, does it feel more like stock form? I'm trying to decide whether I should go with 4.88 or 5.29, and your rig is very similar to mine ( I run 33" tires). Does it pull the trailer better? This is a great thread and I really appreciate you sharing. Thanks in advance for your time.
 
Thanks for the kinds words Outfitter... as far as it being stock.. well its so heavy it will never be like stock again.. no matter how you gear it. But its better. It will never be fast but it's more efficient. We actually gained a mile per gallon fully loaded. I'd say maybe 2 mpg empty is possible. That being said, we set up the truck so that we run about 55mph on the highway.. at 2400-2500 RPM. It does fine up grades and for steep stuff we still need to come down into 3rd. That's just a weight issue. Our truck is not a daily driver.. if it was i'd probably go 4.88's so i can drive 65+ around town on the freeways. We can do 65 as it is now but we're at 3,000 RPM. It pulls the trailer much better, it barely knows its back there anymore, full or empty. The truck is more like a tractor now.

Hope this helps a little..
 
We've had water quarter way up the windshield once. That was about it. The best thing about the snorkel is the donaldson filter. I've led runs out in death valley before, but the true test is being the caboose. It works phenomenal.
 
THE Coolest cruiser on the site... :cheers:
I'd say I am not jealous, :cool: But I am ! :flipoff2:
 
Thank you very much for the kind works Manuel.



Do the trailer mods count? Here's the latest addition...


Well, i had a spare Yaesu 2500m laying around from a buddy so i figured shoot, why not put it to use.

I already have two antennas on the LC so my thought was to use one on the trailer as a basecamp setup when we're not on the road.

Getting out of canyons is my main priority since thats usually where we camp. Shoot if it was flat country the 5.5 gain monster Diamond SG on my bumper can hit 80-100 miles on simplex just fine. This usually isn't the case.

So i researched this pole from a company here locally in SoCal. I asked them if mounting an antenna on it would work and they said it would work just fine. I ended up heading over to HRO and they actually stocked it. So that tells me right there people are using it for this application. What it is, is a fiberglass 4ft telescoping flag pole that can extend up to 22 ft in minutes. Super lightweight and simple. Made for high winds in the desert / beaches.

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Comes with a nice carrying case and will fit in the side box on the trailer perfectly.

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I mounted the "L" flag bracket to the end.

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Along with 25 feet of Coax to get from the trailer to the top of the pole.

There are many different options for mounting the pole. However, i wanted something simple and flexible. So i chose the 2" receiver J pole. This can easily slide into any 2" receiver. So then i can use it on the back of the truck, the back of the trailer.. or the front of the trailer. Also i can use it on another vehicle if need be. HRO had this in stock also.

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Here's where it will work for us. When base camped we disconnect the trailer anyhow.. in the rear it will interfere with the drop down gate on the Adventure Trailer. Plus the radio is in the nose box anyhow.
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Shot of the radio.. i installed a clip for the mic also. In hindsight, maybe i should of put the clip on the interior section instead so the door may not fly down in the wind and smash the mic cable.. but oh well. That's never happened anyways.

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I chose to install the radio in the nose box for a few reasons. It seems to be the most sealed out of all the boxes on our trailer. Dust/rain etc. Also, i can monitor the battery levels on the solar controller while im transmitting. Lastly, it was a fast and easy install having the batteries close by, i didn't have to run 20 feet of 10 awg wire or what have you.

If i want later on i can always do a 8800 or a 8900 and have a removable face plate for the kitchen area. That could be an option since i want to be able to use the trailer as a repeater anyhow.

The coax just rolls up and sits in the nose box when not in use. Yes, the nose box locks.
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A shot of the antenna mast deployed. It's taller than our office building. Which i was told was 25 feet. The Diamond Super Gainer is on the mount in this shot. This is just for testing. Im waiting for an adapter so i can put my Comet SBB-5 none ground plain antenna on it. It will do much better.
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So all in all im not in for that much money. The mast, coax, and bracket. I had the radio and im using a spare antenna. Later i'd like to change the radio out for a cross repeater version.. but for now this will work fine.

This weekend we are heading out to Sheep canyon where its really hard to get out to a repeater. This will be the ultimate test and im excited to see how it does. I will report back with my findings of how it performed.
 
Well we made it back from the trip and our antenna setup got out just fine. Happy to report we hit Mt. Laguna from Sheep Canyon which is good enough in my book..

Here's some shots from that trip..
From this past weekend..

Yosh Driving..
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Mini Squeeze..
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Rock garden climb..
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The INTI roof rack came off today for rehab. We are going to upgrade the old rusty parts, sand blast it and powder coat it. Then it will get Lightforce lights like the ARB just did. Also we changed the Donaldson filter out from a 7" to a 10" for more adequate airflow.

Looks so sexy without a roof rack... and drives nice too!
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Where did you source those Outback bed extensions?
 
Such a great rig ! I could only hope to get to that level some time .....
Question for you though , have you had any trouble with the license plate here in CA being up there ?

Ususally cops won't bother a SUV/Van and what not, but it is outside the penal code if I'm not mistaken.
 
thestunts said:
Such a great rig ! I could only hope to get to that level some time .....
Question for you though , have you had any trouble with the license plate here in CA being up there ?

Ususally cops won't bother a SUV/Van and what not, but it is outside the penal code if I'm not mistaken.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the kind words.

Never a problem with the plate, never been pulled over once.
 
^^^Nice! Looking forward to seeing that installed.
 
Wow!!! Is all I can say, I knew you had a fantastic set up but I just read this whole thread beginning to end... You have any more pics or guidance on the heat exchanger mounting / plumbing?? You still running a rear heater?? Thanks
 
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