Gladiator Pop-Up Pass Through Camper Build

[Mules]

I think they prefer the front of vehicles. I tagged one the other week with the Civic.

I find that a larger caliber vehicle works better for highway hunting. My old Bronco survived my last deer encounter. Did the civic survive?

 

[pigsammy]

On a build several years ago, on a pickup, I built to allow the tailgate to remain while using double rear doors. This allowed easy access through one door with the option of full width bed access as well. I could load an atv with both doors open. I enjoyed the tailgate "porch".

I also like the GR8Tops upright door/liftgate combo in your post above. Similar to the ARE type gates.

My current, slow build is a k5, so more confining than a pu build. Toying with ideas for a similar double upright or upright/lift entry, possibly with a bumper mounted drop tire carrier that can double as a step/porch. Trying to visualize torsion/hydraulic assist for lifting that part.

I enjoy watching your build progress. Lots of good ideas here. The in use updates definitely validate your concept.

 

[Mules]

The Kimbo camper is interesting with both a tailgate "Porch" and a walk through door. I like the idea of having both. You can take off your shoes on the porch and use it as a seat or table.

 

[Mules]

On a build several years ago, on a pickup, I built to allow the tailgate to remain while using double rear doors. This allowed easy access through one door with the option of full width bed access as well. I could load an atv with both doors open. I enjoyed the tailgate "porch".

I also like the GR8Tops upright door/liftgate combo in your post above. Similar to the ARE type gates.

My current, slow build is a k5, so more confining than a pu build. Toying with ideas for a similar double upright or upright/lift entry, possibly with a bumper mounted drop tire carrier that can double as a step/porch. Trying to visualize torsion/hydraulic assist for lifting that part.

I enjoy watching your build progress. Lots of good ideas here. The in use updates definitely validate your concept.

Love to see your Chevy Blazer (K5) build! I think that would be a terrific base truck for an expedition vehicle. It's very similar to my old full size Bronco or my Gladiator, where you can replace the existing roof with a camper, since it comes off.

 

[m-l_johnny]

I find that a larger caliber vehicle works better for highway hunting. My old Bronco survived my last deer encounter. Did the civic survive?

I absolutely agree!
Yes, the Civic survived. I was able to get slowed to 30ish mph before impact. I had a C4 deer-slayer bumper on the Tacoma. (Traded it in on a Gladiator back in Aug) I hit probably 1/2 dozen deer with it with no damage.

 

[Accrete]

After a year of camping, I'm still on the fence about a vertical door vs. tailgate. The tailgate/hatch is great for a fold out table, but awkward to get in/out of the camper.

In context of rear door vs tailgate, though not apples for apples, we had a nice ARE shell on our first TACO build (utilizing area as a bed-deck/gear storage). What i didn't like about the rear man-door was my front lower legs were brutalized by the lower door frame while entering/exiting...but still worth the pain. One other benefit of the ARE we had was the entire tailgate with intigrated door hinges from top and swings up if desired. This example image is from the A.R.E. site:

 

[Mules]

It's a beautiful day to go hunting. I took a Buck last weekend and a doe this morning. I added a few more limb scratches to the camper also.

 

[Mules]

It's cold and I'm thinking about a Diesel Heater installed in the camper. Here's a video of a similar install.

 

[highwest]

It's cold and I'm thinking about a Diesel Heater installed in the camper. Here's a video of a similar install.

Diesel heaters are fantastic. The only negative is dealing with the diesel, IMO. If you’re interested in an Eberspacher + 6gal tank, I just removed one from our Tacoma and haven’t listed for sale yet. The 6gal tank size was great so that we only had to fill from the pump and never from jerry cans, which made it a much cleaner experience.

 

[Dave in AZ]

It's cold and I'm thinking about a Diesel Heater installed in the camper. Here's a video of a similar install.

Been reading your thread a while. I just finished starting and testing my new 5kw Vevor diesel heater, all in one vertical. Works fantastic! Took 5 min to set up, I am test running it now going on 3 hrs to see fuel burn.

Good bluetooth app, good control head, and good remote control. Running great off my Pecron e1500LFP power station, using the 30A xt60 port. Runs from 9w min setting level1, to 65W on max level 10.

I watched 60 videos on these, and 90% of them had incorrect installs that would cause errors! Pay attention to these key points for trouble free, apparently:
1. Exhaust pipe must be horizontal to downward so moisture condensation flows out. So many people say, "exhaust is too hot for moisture, I won't worry about it," and get error code.
2. Total bends in exhaust must be less than 270 degrees. Less is better, minimize combustion air loop restrictions.
3. Input Amps, needs 12v and 15A. It doesn't use 15A i.e. 180W, but will use 120W on startup, so 10 amp. If it's power draw of 10A on start is restricted, say by plugging it into a power station port that doesn't really deliver 10A, it will throw an error.
4. Input Voltage, needs 12v. If power station isn't regulated to >12v, most good ones are 12.7 or 12.8, heater can throw an error.
5. Voltage drop from too small wires, too long wire, or bad connections!! Most common error I see thrown. The supplied power cable is long and juuuust ok for 12v and 12A if no other losses. But if you use a crappy cigarette lighter plug on it, you can get errors due to voltage drop/loss from long small wire and poor connection. The best practice is cut the wire to minimum length needed. If long power supply needed, replace wire with larger gauge. Hard wire it to a DC fuse block with good connection, or use xt60 or Anderson plugs that are both good for 15A and don't lose voltage. The 5521 dc barrel plugs many power stations use for output can drop voltage too much during its 10-12A, 120 to 140W, startup cycle.
6. These are intended to be installed INSIDE the heated area, and are safe, proven by a million trucks using them. Recirculating and reheating interior air vs cold outside air, is the correct way.

There are hundreds of vids on diesel heaters out there, but yet these mistakes are made again and again, even by my favorite overlander youtubers...

 

[Dave in AZ]

Diesel heaters are fantastic. The only negative is dealing with the diesel, IMO. If you’re interested in an Eberspacher + 6gal tank, I just removed one from our Tacoma and haven’t listed for sale yet. The 6gal tank size was great so that we only had to fill from the pump and never from jerry cans, which made it a much cleaner experience.

Im going to disassemble this Vevor and mount it in front passenger corner of Tacoma bed, similar to where the video 3 posts earlier shows. But on my Tacoma, the whole area between truck bed and truck sheet metal side, is a wide open space. You can see it when underneath looking up. Planning on putting diesel tank in there with fill cap on front of pickup bed, passenger side, between bed and cab. That should keep all diesel outside of bed and make filling it clean and fume free.

 

[Mules]

Been reading your thread a while. I just finished starting and testing my new 5kw Vevor diesel heater, all in one vertical. Works fantastic! Took 5 min to set up, I am test running it now going on 3 hrs to see fuel burn.

Good bluetooth app, good control head, and good remote control. Running great off my Pecron e1500LFP power station, using the 30A xt60 port. Runs from 9w min setting level1, to 65W on max level 10.

I watched 60 videos on these, and 90% of them had incorrect installs that would cause errors! Pay attention to these key points for trouble free, apparently:
1. Exhaust pipe must be horizontal to downward so moisture condensation flows out. So many people say, "exhaust is too hot for moisture, I won't worry about it," and get error code.
2. Total bends in exhaust must be less than 270 degrees. Less is better, minimize combustion air loop restrictions.
3. Input Amps, needs 12v and 15A. It doesn't use 15A i.e. 180W, but will use 120W on startup, so 10 amp. If it's power draw of 10A on start is restricted, say by plugging it into a power station port that doesn't really deliver 10A, it will throw an error.
4. Input Voltage, needs 12v. If power station isn't regulated to >12v, most good ones are 12.7 or 12.8, heater can throw an error.
5. Voltage drop from too small wires, too long wire, or bad connections!! Most common error I see thrown. The supplied power cable is long and juuuust ok for 12v and 12A if no other losses. But if you use a crappy cigarette lighter plug on it, you can get errors due to voltage drop/loss from long small wire and poor connection. The best practice is cut the wire to minimum length needed. If long power supply needed, replace wire with larger gauge. Hard wire it to a DC fuse block with good connection, or use xt60 or Anderson plugs that are both good for 15A and don't lose voltage. The 5521 dc barrel plugs many power stations use for output can drop voltage too much during its 10-12A, 120 to 140W, startup cycle.
6. These are intended to be installed INSIDE the heated area, and are safe, proven by a million trucks using them. Recirculating and reheating interior air vs cold outside air, is the correct way.

There are hundreds of vids on diesel heaters out there, but yet these mistakes are made again and again, even by my favorite overlander youtubers...

Thanks for the tips Dave. I'd love to see a picture of your installation when you get some time.

 

[Dave in AZ]

Thanks for the tips Dave. I'd love to see a picture of your installation when you get some time.

Mule, I am awaiting a new Tune M1 popup for my truck, so haven't installed this yet. To avoid drilling hole in bed of truck, I may hang heater chamber on tslot in new camper, on front wall near truck cab. That would let me keep the popup as a complete camping unit, so I can remove whole thing and heater will stay with topper. You can install the chambers rotated 90 so exhaust goes out sideways, so long as the glowplug is at top (90 degrees one way is OK, the other way is not). Then combustion exhaust and intake would come out behind cab rear window, and exhaust go down vertically between bed and cab.

Not sure what kind of body cavities the Gladiator has, but check out this example. Guy builds a heater mount to let you mount heater outside bed in a tacoma, in the body gap near inverter plug. This will show you how much room is back in there, that you might mount the heater and or the fuel tank. If you go to dude's channel, the next video after this one he has a custom diesel tank mounted one side of bed, then routes fuel to exterior mounted heater on other side. My plan is to put fuel up in that wasted gap space too, to keep it out of pickup bed.

 

[highwest]

That’s a great use of the dead space in the bed. I did similar, but mounted the heater inside the bed on the driver side cubby. The fuel pump and combustion air intake & exhaust were in the dead space of the bed.

 

[Mules]

Mule, I am awaiting a new Tune M1 popup for my truck, so haven't installed this yet. To avoid drilling hole in bed of truck, I may hang heater chamber on tslot in new camper, on front wall near truck cab. That would let me keep the popup as a complete camping unit, so I can remove whole thing and heater will stay with topper. You can install the chambers rotated 90 so exhaust goes out sideways, so long as the glowplug is at top (90 degrees one way is OK, the other way is not). Then combustion exhaust and intake would come out behind cab rear window, and exhaust go down vertically between bed and cab.

Not sure what kind of body cavities the Gladiator has, but check out this example. Guy builds a heater mount to let you mount heater outside bed in a tacoma, in the body gap near inverter plug. This will show you how much room is back in there, that you might mount the heater and or the fuel tank. If you go to dude's channel, the next video after this one he has a custom diesel tank mounted one side of bed, then routes fuel to exterior mounted heater on other side. My plan is to put fuel up in that wasted gap space too, to keep it out of pickup bed.
View attachment 810036

That is one nice heater installation. If I had a Taco, the heater in the sidewall is sure a slick, hidden way to install a diesel heater! Where's the Gladiator kit...

Diesel Heater Brackets for Toyota Tacoma

Diesel Heater bracket for Toyota Tacoma. Utilize the built in compartment in you 2nd and 3rd generation Tacoma for out of the way placement of your diesel heater. This helps to maximize bed space for gear.

www.tiglifabrications.com