Barn Door for JK factory hardtops

[TCM]

Why put the battery in the cargo area when putting it under the hood with a proper dual charge controller will accomplish the same thing. Plus if the battery were to become damaged it keeps potential fumes under the hood and out of the cabin. Run a 8 or 10 gauge lead from the second battery under the hood back to the outlet/switch(s) that will then provide power to the fridge. 10 liter Scepter water cans happen to fit really nicely over the fender well in the cargo area and are a great use of that space.

 

[jscherb]

This sounds like a very cool project.
Four thoughts come to mind:

1). Optional 4 pack of switches would be great. This would make wiring in things like LED strip lights a breeze.

2). Seems like the majority of threads I've read where people have installed these power port systems (myself included), mounted the panels close to the rear tail gate for ease of access when the back is full of stuff. I've seen a lot of threads where the whole back of the Jeep is loaded floor to ceiling.

3). Avoid tapping into the Jeeps electrical if at all possible.

4). Seal the connectors best as possible. A lot of dusty places are pretty alkali. Alkali is very corrosive to copper. Deutsch or Weather Pack connectors are easy to find, and the tools to make repairs are cheap. They also seal really well.

Hope this input is helpful.

Thanks for the input Scott. What do you envision the bank of 4 switched being used for (besides LED strip lights)? I was thinking this would just be to power the fridge and one other kitchen item, perhaps the pump for the sink. What else would you power?

No tapping of the Jeep's electrical system will be required, this will be plug-and-play.

 

[jscherb]

Why put the battery in the cargo area when putting it under the hood with a proper dual charge controller will accomplish the same thing. Plus if the battery were to become damaged it keeps potential fumes under the hood and out of the cabin. Run a 8 or 10 gauge lead from the second battery under the hood back to the outlet/switch(s) that will then provide power to the fridge. 10 liter Scepter water cans happen to fit really nicely over the fender well in the cargo area and are a great use of that space.

Dual battery systems under the hood are a fine way to go, but some people (like me) may not want to go to the expense and trouble of installing a dual battery system under the hood. Also the dual battery systems for the JK/JKU that I am familiar with require batteries like the Optima; this system works with the stock battery.

 

[Comanche Scott]

Thanks for the input Scott. What do you envision the bank of 4 switched being used for (besides LED strip lights)? I was thinking this would just be to power the fridge and one other kitchen item, perhaps the pump for the sink. What else would you power?

No tapping of the Jeep's electrical system will be required, this will be plug-and-play.

I was thinking mostly for lighting:
Lighting in the drawers
Light strip around the hatch
Reading lights
low lumen red lights for night vision

But they could also power relays for things like On Board Air, Operator Fans (keeps the cooking smells out of the Jeep), 12V Margarita Blender, Drop down big screen TV, Hawk missile launcher... etc.
Seems like a "bank of 4 switches" is most common.

 

[jscherb]

I was thinking mostly for lighting:
Lighting in the drawers
Light strip around the hatch
Reading lights
low lumen red lights for night vision

But they could also power relays for things like On Board Air, Operator Fans (keeps the cooking smells out of the Jeep), 12V Margarita Blender, Drop down big screen TV, Hawk missile launcher... etc.
Seems like a "bank of 4 switches" is most common.

If there's a real need for that much power in the back, I wonder if you've just come up with a new product idea - easy-to-install, plug-and-play rear power outlets. Maybe not as part of the fridge power system, perhaps a separate product?

 

[Comanche Scott]

Probably a good idea for those not running a secondary battery back there.
Seems electrical is one area the majority of people are nervous to get involved with, unless it comes in a kit with simple to follow instructions.

 

[Yuke]

Grille looks awesome!

One can only assume all the "angry eyes" grill makers are working on this as well. I hope you can beat them to market and offer it here. I am interested.

 

[jscherb]

I've been talking to several RV plumbing suppliers I met at the RVIA show about the sink for the Trail Kitchen and I'm getting very good support from several of them. I've got one sample pump already, and a few more samples on the way from different suppliers. I'm thinking I'll mount the pump behind the battery mount, it's called out in this image. Also in this image, mounted to the side of the battery holder, is a photocopy of what I'm planning for an updated power system for the kitchen.

I implemented a prototype sink option some time ago using a gravity-fed water source. It works very well, but one of the reasons for implementing a pump is to allow for more flexibility in where the water source is located. The photo below shows the gravity-fed water source, it uses a 2.5 gallon Rubican water container (could be a Rotopax as well) mounted to the side of the fridge slide. I could use the same source with the pump, but the reason I'm posting this is to ask where you guys would like a water source mounted, and how much water it should hold. Some possible places for the water tank:

1. Mounted to the slide as I've done with the gravity feed solution
2. On the rear floor on the passenger side of the kitchen
3. On the floor in the rear footwell (could be one or both sides depending on capacity requirements)
4. On the roof rack
5. Vertically, mounted to front of the rear roll bar down bar
6. Underneath the Jeep, bolted to the underside of the Jeep floor
7. A jerry can mounted on the tailgate (or a side mount), you'd run a hose into it when you were setting up camp
8. Where else?

And how much capacity should the tank have?

bb

 

[jscherb]

Here's an option for carrying water for the sink - I could design a mount that attaches to the tailgate reinforcement and provides space to fit a 4 gallon Rotopax or 5.2 gallon Rubican between the tailgate and the tire. Here's a crude photo-edit of the idea...

Another option would be to mount a 4-gallon Rotopax/5.2 gallon Rubican above the cargo area. It would be in line with the rear roll bar, so you wouldn't see it in the rear view mirror.

 

[Comanche Scott]

Hi Jeff,

I'm not sure there is a wrong answer when it comes to water.
My only thought (and this comes from when I was considering a water tank to mount under the Jeep after remote mounting the Evap Canister), is making sure potable water stays potable.

I like your interior roof mounted system, especially if you could fit 2ea of the 2.5 gallon Rubicans.
Might be worth looking at the Grenadeacorp roof drawer setup. Would be nice if it could flip down like that drawer does to make loading the full containers easy.
https://www.northridge4x4.com/part/...orp-sub-roof-concealed-locking-storage-system.
The designer is a member of this forum. If I remember right he has a thread on here about this. I *think* his user id is psycosquirrel...
Hope this helps,

 

[jscherb]

Hi Jeff,

I'm not sure there is a wrong answer when it comes to water.
My only thought (and this comes from when I was considering a water tank to mount under the Jeep after remote mounting the Evap Canister), is making sure potable water stays potable.

Scott,
Thanks for the input. I agree there probably aren't many wrong answers, and I think there will be a lot or right answers depending on how each person outfits and uses their Jeep. The way I'm designing the sink water system it will be easy to implement pretty much any water tank location. What I was hoping to hear from experienced campers is where they'd prefer their water supply - if there are one or a few commonly suggested water source locations I could design them to be plug-and-play so there would be nothing to figure out by the Jeep owner - just bolt it in place. I do have a few locations I will be designing specifically for, but still looking for input from people more experienced than I. BTW regarding potability, the people from the RV plumbing companies I'm talking to about components for this project are experts in RV water supplies, so I'll lean on them for advice.

I like your interior roof mounted system, especially if you could fit 2ea of the 2.5 gallon Rubicans.
Might be worth looking at the Grenadeacorp roof drawer setup. Would be nice if it could flip down like that drawer does to make loading the full containers easy.
https://www.northridge4x4.com/part/...orp-sub-roof-concealed-locking-storage-system.
The designer is a member of this forum. If I remember right he has a thread on here about this. I *think* his user id is psycosquirrel...
Hope this helps,

Yes, two 2.5 gallon Rubicans can fit up there. So can two 2 gallon Rotopax, or one 4 gallon Rotopax. Or, one 5.2 gallon Rubican (right photo below). I can do a swing-down water container mounting system for up there that would be very affordable. I've got a basic design worked out already, maybe I'll build a prototype.

 

[JDaPP]

I will weigh in as a experienced camper, my biggest concern is portability, accessibility and restowage. I have a j30 so my concerns may be different than others.

Most campgrounds I find you will need to walk to water supply and walk it back, so lighter would be better (5 gallons isn't much until you have to hump it back). Personally I would prefer to carry 2x 2 gallon than 1x 5 gallon (2arm vs 1 arm).
The other piece is putting it back in. Having to unpack everything to get it back in would be a real downer for me. I have a bad shoulder so lifting above head for extended times wouldn't be optimum either (but that is me)

 

[jscherb]

I will weigh in as a experienced camper, my biggest concern is portability, accessibility and restowage. I have a j30 so my concerns may be different than others.

Most campgrounds I find you will need to walk to water supply and walk it back, so lighter would be better (5 gallons isn't much until you have to hump it back). Personally I would prefer to carry 2x 2 gallon than 1x 5 gallon (2arm vs 1 arm).
The other piece is putting it back in. Having to unpack everything to get it back in would be a real downer for me. I have a bad shoulder so lifting above head for extended times wouldn't be optimum either (but that is me)

Thanks for the input, that's very helpful. The mount I've already implemented on the side of the kitchen slide should work well given what you describe - it holds a 2-gal Rotopax or 2.5 gallon Rubican, and it slides out with the kitchen so it's very accessible for removing a container to refill and replacing it when full.

What's also nice about the 2-gal. Rotopax containers is that there are lots of solutions for carrying them. If you're staying in campgrounds for the trip you may not need more than 2 gallons since you can refill at the campground, but if you're camping in the wild you may want more water. One of the many Rotopax mounting options on the market would expand water capacity easily. The side mounts, for example, can hold 2 containers each, so if you started the trip with one full one mounted to the kitchen and 2 on each side mount, you'd have 10 gallons (or 12.5 gallons if you were using 2.5 gallon Rubicans)

Campgrounds brings up another question - waste water from the sink. If you're staying in the wild, and not using anything in the sink that's not biodegradable, waste water could be handled simply with a hose out of the bottom of the sink that would reach far enough away from the campsite, but if you're in a campground you probably can't do that. If you're using a 2-gal. Rotopax for the water supply, a second 2-gal. container could collect the waste water. Anyone have any thoughts on waste water from the sink?

One other question - other than Rotopax and Rubican containers, are there any other type of small container (<5 gallons) I should design for? I can set up the sink pump to draw water from pretty much anything, even a bucket .

 

[akpostal]

I like gravity fed for a water supply, but then you have to lug and mount the cans to resupply.

If you're using a pump can it be reversed or be able to plumb it so the cans can stay mounted when being filled? Use the same pump to dispense and refill water.

 

[jscherb]

I like gravity fed for a water supply, but then you have to lug and mount the cans to resupply.

If you're using a pump can it be reversed or be able to plumb it so the cans can stay mounted when being filled? Use the same pump to dispense and refill water.

I could do the plumbing so the pump could work in either direction, I think all it would take is two valves and a couple of "Y" connectors, or, it could be done with quick connect fittings at the pump, you'd swap the hoses when you wanted to pump water into the container.

When refilling the container you'd also have to disconnect the hose from the spigot and put that hose into the water source (or have an alternate hose stored in the Jeep to use when filling). Either the spigot hose or the alternate hose would have to be long enough hose to reach whatever source you were getting the water from (and have an appropriate connector for that source), and you'd have to park the Jeep close enough to that source.

Personally I'd rather pull a Rotopax/Rubican off the mount and carry it to the water rather than swap hoses, park close to the water and carry an extra long hose. Seems to me having to maneuver the Jeep close enough to the source to take on water would be a recurring hassle, and to me more hassle than bringing a container to the water, but if people think a reversible pumping solution is worth implementing let me know.

My initial gravity-fed implementation worked very well (video below) but it does limit the options for placing the water source - the source must be above the faucet, which may not fit in with everyone's plans for the inside of their Jeep. For example, the Front Runner footwell water tank (https://www.frontrunneroutfitters.com/en/us/water-solutions/front-runner-footwell-water-tank.html) may be a good solution for people who want extra water capacity and can spare the footwell space for it. But it requires a pump.


Nothing I'm doing with design of the sink option precludes implementing a gravity-fed solution, if that worked best for someone they could install everything except the pump and it would work just fine.