Sasquatch's (aka "Sassy") Tinker and Adventure Tread (1 Viewer)

[dividedan]

Finally got a chance to muck around with the rear locker and got it working again. Turns out it somehow blew its 10 amp fuse so replacing that got it engaging again. Anyone know if that’s the appropriate fuse size for the Harrop? Seems odd that it would pull more than that.

 

[dividedan]

Best shots of the day for our run up to The Crater. Cruiser(s) hiding in the first.

 

[dividedan]

After hearing the dreaded click one too many times replaced the starter today at 152k and some change, evicting a small critter nest in the process. That DS starter bolt is a PITA! Also changed the oil and replaced the antitheft lug nuts with OEM. Went camping up Hermit Pass in the Wet Mountains and got properly snowed on, then fixed my mini-Anderson plug for the fridge. Productive week in Cruiserland!

 

[dividedan]

Tire rotation this week, posting here so I can remember when and how!

PF > spare
Spare > PF
DF > DR
PR > DF
DR > PR

Passenger front was worn a few millimeters more than the others for some reason.

Also used it a few weeks back to drag home a new money pit!

 

[MongooseGA]

Tire rotation this week, posting here so I can remember when and how!

PF > spare
Spare > PF
DF > DR
PR > DF
DR > PR

Passenger front was worn a few millimeters more than the others for some reason.

Also used it a few weeks back to drag home a new money pit!
View attachment 2486062

I keep a laminated copy of this in my glove box. I place it in the cup holder next to my wheel lock key if I'm ever having my tires rotated, and obviously it's easy to get to it I'm doing it myself. Just depends how lazy I feel on oil change day or if the weather isn't nice.

 

[dividedan]

I keep a laminated copy of this in my glove box. I place it in the cup holder next to my wheel lock key if I'm ever having my tires rotated, and obviously it's easy to get to it I'm doing it myself. Just depends how lazy I feel on oil change day or if the weather isn't nice.

View attachment 2486372

Thanks man, I was wondering if there was a protocol. I went based on tire wear to try and keep it all even, is that a thing people do?

 

[MongooseGA]

I do it via the set pattern so they're all netting the same wear over 5 cycles (25,000 miles).

 

[dividedan]

Bought a little present for the old gal, first impressions are it is really awesome and can’t wait to get camping. The @nakman quick release brackets are really nice too, makes mounting so simple. Still have some tinkering to do to stop all the rattles, but so far some electrical tape and old bike tubing has helped tremendously! Can’t wait for summer (it’s literally snowing right now ).

 

[dividedan]

Finally got my drawer from @cruzerDave installed! I had to pull the existing drawer and floor so took the opportunity to get it all cleaned up. Not bad for an 18 year old truck!

The Landshark Outfitters drawer is so well made and easy to assemble. I did have to do a little fab work to get it to play nice with my existing ARB roller top drawer. I replaced the front plywood cleat that came with the kit to tilt the drawers to clear the tailgate with a thicker ply material then cut similar blocks for the back and sides to even the drawer and allow it to clear the bolts that attach the ARB drawer to the plywood floor cover. The universal mounting plate worked great, it’s bolted to the plywood floor with some T-nuts and is not going anywhere. I think it turned out great!

I’m planning on pulling it back out to paint it the same gray as the ARB drawer and carpet the top for the dogs. Maybe some day I’ll spring for a Clearview fridge drop slide and get another Landshark drawer for the other side, the wife is only 5’4” so fridge access is an issue. Or the other option I am considering is to build out the wing adjacent to the ARB for better use of that space. We have a 3 week road trip planned for the summer so this will come in handy in packing 2 kids, 2 adults, 2 dogs, and all our crap in the cruiser.

 

[dividedan]

Epic 4 days to Mesa Verde NP and touring Ute Mountain Ute reservation. Such a special place. We camped at Morefield in the park, borrowed an a-frame camper from a friend. Cruiser was flawless, making me want to get the second swing out for the Dissent bumper to expand our range and for better water storage. Ironman awning was a game changer for sure, makes me want a 270 to cover the rear hatch as well but losing the quick set up and take down may not be worth the trade off.

Looking at ordering a teardrop camper now for hopeful pick up in 2022.

 

[dividedan]

Finally got the media mount from @Ramathorn15 installed in preparation for a 3,000+ mile road trip from CO > FL.

Here’s the disaster during:

And here’s the finished product:

This is a 6” arm which I think is a perfect position, we’ll see though once we can test it on the road. Last projects are a 2nd row platform for the pooch and installing a grid panel from Gamiviti.

 

[dividedan]

Upgraded the rear accessory panel wiring this week to 8 AWG. Was getting so much loss of voltage under load with the fridge running that it would trip the voltage protection and shut off even though the battery was reading 12.6V with no load. PO had run 12AWG which since the run ends up being almost 25’ was not cutting it.

Also purchased a BugOut 130 from Overland Solar to hook up while sitting to keep the battery topped off and hopefully allow us to sit indefinitely and keep the food cold. It’s a really nice piece of kit, made iBoise, Idaho from US made SunPower solar panels. Comes with a cheap charge controller and all the wiring for $750 which is pretty decent considering the cost of a similar wattage setup from Zamp that’s made in the USA. I love how small it packs down for the wattage size, I was concerned about finding a place to safely stow the Zamp or Renogy kits since even folded they’re pretty large. This will fit in the drawer easily and is made of burly Cordura. I plan to mount the charge controller next to the battery, possible on the lid of the main fuse box where it’s sitting in the pic below. Will hard wire to the battery then just have to plug in the panel using the already installed Anderson SB50 plug and be charging. I know that heat will stop these from charging properly, but will only have the panel hooked up while the truck sits and the

Only down side to the BugOut package is the controller gives you no data regarding the power being generated by the panel. I’ll use this one for a while, can easily replace it with a Victron to get the Bluetooth capability, or even a Redarc DCDC charger when I eventually jump to a dual battery system.

 

[WreckDiver1321]

Love your practical build approach, and a nice looking Cruiser! Great work.

 

[dividedan]

Love your practical build approach, and a nice looking Cruiser! Great work.

Thanks dude! I can’t take much credit for the cruiser as it sits, but just trying to slowly make it better.

 

[WreckDiver1321]

Thanks dude! I can’t take much credit for the cruiser as it sits, but just trying to slowly make it better.

Well regardless, it's a cool rig. I wish mine was white instead of Old Man Tan. Nice to see you out using it with your family too, that's the destiny of mine as well.

The awning still holding up well for you? I had an Ironman on my Nissan with built-in lighting, I liked it but it wasn't as nicely made as some others I had seen. Granted, this was back in 2017, so their design may have changed since.

 

[dividedan]

Well regardless, it's a cool rig. I wish mine was white instead of Old Man Tan. Nice to see you out using it with your family too, that's the destiny of mine as well.

The awning still holding up well for you? I had an Ironman on my Nissan with built-in lighting, I liked it but it wasn't as nicely made as some others I had seen. Granted, this was back in 2017, so their design may have changed since.

I haven’t had any issues with the awning so far and have used it probably 20-30 times. I can see some stitched areas that are potential failure points, but overall the critical parts seem solid. At half the cost of an ARB I’ll take the chance. Still need to wire the lighting, but honestly in no rush since with 2 young kids we’re usually in bed by the time it’s getting dark!

 

[WreckDiver1321]

I haven’t had any issues with the awning so far and have used it probably 20-30 times. I can see some stitched areas that are potential failure points, but overall the critical parts seem solid. At half the cost of an ARB I’ll take the chance. Still need to wire the lighting, but honestly in no rush since with 2 young kids we’re usually in bed by the time it’s getting dark!

You've got a point, as a value proposition it's kind of hard to beat! I didn't use mine as much as I thought I would, but when I did I always appreciated it. The shade and lighting was nice. I saved my butt from getting soaked plenty of times.

Ha! I hear you on the kids. I've got two, one and three.

 

[dividedan]

Great success this weekend! First time taking the whole crew including two dogs out camping, went to Eleven Mile State Park. New wiring on the fridge worked flawlessly, never had low voltage cut off issues. I am curious how many amps the fridge actually draws, was a little surprised that despite the daytime temp right at 70 and the nighttime lows in the 40s still woke up with the battery at 12.0 the second morning. That was with driving the truck some on Saturday and pretty limited solar charging time. It’s a 100Ah battery so being at 12.0 would be ~60-75Ah spent in 36hrs not including any of the alternator or solar charging I did. Meaning I used more than 2Ah per hour if I’m thinking correctly, seems like a lot for just a 12V fridge then again the Edgestar isn’t known for its energy efficiency. Maybe time to think about replacing the battery though?

With the truck sitting totally still for that long and getting some quality high mid day sun with the solar panel I bet it’ll be OK. Headed to Four Corners Folk Festival in 2 weeks where we’ll be parked for 4 days camping, that’ll be the ultimate test. Hopefully the fridge doesn’t have to be converted into a cooler towards the end!

 

[dividedan]

 

[dividedan]

Successful Four Corners Folk Festival in Pagosa Springs, CO! Drove up Friday, parked the truck at 3PM and didn’t start it until Monday at 11am with no dramas. Temps were pushing 90 during the day which means ambient temp in the back of the cruiser must have been at least 100. With the fridge set at 37F and moving the solar panel a few times per day woke up with the battery right at 12.0-12.1 each morning. Nights were in the 40s which helped, though I still feel like at 100Ah the battery should be able to sit longer before hitting 50% discharged. Hard to know without taking actual measurements of Wh from the solar panel and Ah pulled by the fridge, thinking about purchasing a Kill A Watt to measure those in real world conditions. I’m reading so many threads with guys sitting for 3+ days with smaller batteries before needing to charge and that’s without solar, though no one seems to mention what their voltage was. I’m trying not to discharge beyond 12.0 to extend the battery life, even though the truck with obviously start with less juice. Maybe I just need to let that go? 3 day Moab trip coming up in a few weeks, just concerned about not keeping up if the days are scorching (though they shouldn’t be). Would a traditional battery tester tell me if my battery needs replacing to reach its full Ah potential?