Other things to mention for now.
The factory tire size was 235/65R16 which is a 28” tire. I increased the diameter to 29” with a 225/75R16. I got a Toyo Open country ATII on the recommendation of a very experienced tire guy. I was a tire guy at the start of my automotive trades career which turned into me becoming a certified automotive technician so while I can give a very educated guess on what’s going to go the distance I’ll always way the options against a professional. Jason at OK tire in Campbell River gave me the advice this time and it lined up with what I was already thinking. On my trip up North which included 1800kms of a dirt highway, I did not experience a single flat tire. Tire pressures played a roll in that though.. get it... roll.
So interior stuff. The factory Ford Lights so great for lighting up the interior but because they’re on a timer, they shut off after awhile. I have not figured out a solution that I like yet so I’ve been using a couple battery powered LED lights for now. They actually work great!
I did install a fantastic fan into the roof and ran it off an auxiliary battery, mounted behind the drivers seat and charged entirely by the solar panel. There is also a battery charger that plugs into “shore power” to keep it topped up if there’s no sun. Future plans is a little more solar power and also having the battery charge off the engine too.
I have a dometic Fridge. For now it’s plugged into the power source on the van. The Body control module systematically shuts everything down, including the power sources after about a half hour. I find I do enough driving to keep the fridge cold enough to last the night.
Water tanks, holding tanks, sinks and pumps. No. I’ll have not of that. Its so easy to start getting overly creative with these ideas that you spend a lot of money. I chose a space saver folding bin, and two 5 gallon water jugs. When I’m parked, I lift the one jug up to the top of the one cabinet, and that’s my running water. It’s simple, and at the end of the day, the counter isn’t cluttered with a permanent sink. The water gets disposed of appropriately and I use biodegradable soap. future growth in this Area of the van is yet to be decided.
Lastly, I’m working on a roof rack design along with a ladder that attaches to the right side rear door. On the left door will be another rack to hold an extra spare tire and two jerry cans. The hitch rack in the previous post is going to be used for my dirtbike when I feel the need to bring it along
