Well I'm sitting in line so I figured I'd post an update. I'll have to back up a bit and give the background and fill in the details that I missed before.
I bought a couple pieces of flat bar stock and bent them into some straps to hold the water tank in place. I used 2" vinyl hose to connect the outside filler door to the tank. The bends in the hose were a bit more sharp than I liked so I added a pair of 45° angle elbow joints to smooth out the bends. I then sealed the joints with some glue and the self-vulcanizing tape to prevent leaks. The water tank was then connected to a short run of hose to a strainer, then to the 3gpm Shureflow electric pump, and finally to the filler door. I ran the wires for the pump switch to the filler door as well so when I want to use the water I simply open the door and flip the switch. The one lesson learned is that I need to also install a vent tube so that as water fills the tank, the air inside the tank has a place to go. As I have it now I get a geyser out of the fill tube once the filler neck is full. I should have thought of that before but oh well, I'll slow down when filling the tank till I have the vent hose added.
https://instagram.com/p/3WolmSpuRx/
The battery did a great job running the fridge, lights and pump for 2 days which is a great sign.
The fridge is AMAZING! its super quiet and power efficient. The insulation is so good that the compressor doesn't have to run very often to keep the frozen stuff frozen below the thermal barrier and the refrigerated food just cold. FridgeFreeze is the way to go.
The whole time my plan has been to ship my Jeep Cherokee XJ and pull the trailer with the Yukon XL. Turns out that the shipping company won't accept my XJ because it does not have a mechanical parking brake. That curve ball is a big story all in itself that I'll save to tell on The 4x4 Podcast. Ultimately the decision was made to ship the Yukon and drive the XJ....on 35" mud tires...and 8" lift...with 5 people and a dog. Ugh. That also meant that I had to get the tent moved over from the Yukon to a trailer that didn't have a rack. I sent out a message to a local fabrication shop in Kansas City, Major Metal Fab for some help. I dropped the trailer off at his shop on Saturday night and by Sunday the rack was painted, mounted and ready for the tent.
And that's where I am currently. Here's what's left on the punch list for the trip
- I need to fix an issue with the trailer light harness on the Jeep
- Get AC fixed
- exterior flood lights for around camp
- fab/mount fenders
- add water tank vent tube
- fab fuel can rack holder for Jeep roof rack
- Move Yukon spare tire to Jeep rack for trailer spare
- stencil The 4x4 Podcast logo on trailer
I think that's it for now. I can't wait to get this show on the road and Alaska bound!
Dan
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