Pacific Northwest yetti
Expedition Medic
I know on my 04, the 33 fits in the under bed OE location, with the 17inch H2 rims. Maybe worth double checking? I may have pulled a heat shield, I dont actually remember at this point.
Lee's '04 Chevy Silverado 2500HD and Radica MoonLander camping shell
- Thread starter Lee
- Start date
There is something about the GMT800 platform.
Yes it has a few issues that are well known but overall, there is a lot to like.
I've had my truck for 20 years, 150k miles and it still brings a smile to my face.
Long winded story
OK, your making me do my homework now.
I'm old school and plan to carry 2 spare tires.
I know 2 spares are going out of fashion now, Andrew SPW (4XOverland) and Ronny Dahl both are switching to a single spare.
(I prefer YouTube over TV - I'll watch what I want to watch but it's way out on the fringe apparently)
I've been in 3 situations where more than one spare was required, twice as a kid traveling with my parents and once as the responsible adult.
In the early 70's my Dad made a tent trailer from a teardrop donor trailer.
He set up the trailer to have the same bolt pattern as his Jeep Wagoneer.
I was a kid so I don't remember where we were but we ended up taking a tire off the trailer and going in to Barstow or Mojave to get 2 tires fixed, then back out to recover the trailer.
In the late 70's we lived in Australia for 5 years.
When we left Dad and I made a tour from Alice Springs (where we lived) to Queensland and back to the NT in Moms' Holden Sedan.
Dad had arranged to sell the car in Darwin and we would board a plane back to the US.
We planned to take the Barkly Highway from Tennant Creek to Mt Isa.
But 50 miles from Tennant Creek we shredded a tyre.
Dad suggested we mount the spare then make lunch and plan what to do.
The fly's where so bad we threw the tools in the boot, hooked a U-turn and retreated to Tennant Creek to replace the tyre.
I still haven't been to Mt Isa.
20 years ago my wife, kids and I lived in Japan.
I stored my toy hauler at my brothers place in Lancaster California.
After moving back to Ohio we went out to pick up the trailer.
On the way home we had 2 flats within an hour of each other.
I ended up dropping the trailer on the side of the interstate, driving in to Deming New Mexico to buy 2 tires.
Back to the trailer and back to the tire store for 2 more tires.
Note - the shelf life of tires is different between Ohio and Lancaster out in the desert.
Can a 33 fit under the bed?
Yes - but.
I spent some time switching out a spare with one of the front tires and took some pictures.
This is my current spare, it's a Cooper Discoverer in the stock size.
The tire hangs down to the same level as the OEM trailer hitch receiver, I measured 15" clearance.
And this is a picture of one of the 33s in that space, I set up a jack stand to get the phone the same height off the floor.
This is 12.5" to the floor.
So, my preference will be to carry 2 spares on the back.
Will I ever need the 2nd spare?
Will I ever need the 2.5" of extra ground clearance?
Probably not on both accounts but it will be there.
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ExpoMike
Well-known member
Yeah, 2 spares seems like overkill and two of your examples are from tires in the '70's which were not a tough as modern offroad tires today. Seems like a lot of extra weight for the once in a blue moon situation. I would carry tire repair kit, as many times you can repair before swapping out. Also a common thing I have seen happen, folks get into rougher trails but never air down. We were in Death Valley and saw a guy who managed to get a rock the size of my fist, through the tire and inside the the wheel/tire area. He was running at full tire pressures.
Pacific Northwest yetti
Expedition Medic
I know mine sticks down, but the hitch is still lower. I do have a flatbed though, so I am not using the OE reciever. All of ours have the spares there. I do cary a hd patch kit, and a compressor though and usually air down.
No worries though to each their own.
No worries though to each their own.
I am also of the “two is one, one is none” school of thought when it comes to spare tires on certain trips, but as pointed out above, we all have different conditions and risk tolerances.
My solution is to carry a LT255/80/17 Toyo on a steelie as a spare for the LT285/70/17’s on the truck to help with clearance underneath and keep tire heights close. The spare spare for trips where I feel I need it is a loose 235/80/17 tossed on the roof .
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I do carry a plug kit, side wall slugs, compressor.
I would not run a side wall slug on the interstate but I would get out to where I could replace the tire.
At the end of the day I have a 2 day hard slog to get home - 1000 to 1200 miles from where I like to play to where I have a job.
If I ever need to mount a spare being able to hop on the interstate and not think about it has value to me.
I have no illusions that everyone / anyone would agree with me.
In 2017 I made a trip to Death Valley.
My daughter had listened to my Dad talk about the race track and the time we forgot the family dog when we left (only made it a mile or two before he figured it out), so she wanted to go there.
At the time I was driving an Acura MDX as my company car so that is what we took.
I read in a review that said they use that road as a test for the 'off road' part of there vehicle testing.
This was during the Christmas break so there was a lot of people in the area, they kept looking at me like I was crazy.
On the way out there was a guy with a Nissan pickup that had two flat tires, I stopped to see if I could help (this guys tires where past there 'take it to Death Valley' date)
There was another guy that stopped with a well kitted Chevy Avalanche.
He swaped one of the tires out with this Nissan's spare while I plugged the other and inflated it.
The whole time this guy is playing 20 questions with me trying to figure out why some idiot with an MDX in Death Valley had the stuff to plug and inflate a tire.
The MDX at Teakettle Junction.
View attachment 847085I had considered using the stock 16" alloys with a 255/85R16.
That would give almost the same rolling radius as the 285/70R17 size I have on the ground.
But, in the end if I have the same size spare as what is on the ground I can rotate the spares and wear all 6 out evenly.
I doubt I would opt to run an odd size spare.
Also, I got myself in to the size by selecting the Method bead grip first, then the 33" diameter.
The wheels and tires are wider than I would have preferred.
I may have been a little bit too focused on wanting to try the bead grip technology.
In my job I'm used to setting a spec then creating what is needed to achieve it, not really a cost effective method for putting tires on just one vehicle.
I almost got a little more progress made.
I like the idea of bundling mods that make sense, so I ordered a 52 gallon fuel tank from Titan, an in tank lift pump from Fleece and a 2 kW diesel heater from Espar.
With a month from when all the parts arrived till the next outing I wanted to attend, I figured there was plenty of time.
After supporting the truck on jack stands and dropping the tank I did a little rust abatement on the frame, just on the areas I hope to never see again.
My Chevy truck has the frame treated with wax (I have no idea if they still do this).
The problem with wax is it eventually stops working and it is a bear to completely remove – and nothing sticks to wax except dirt.
My strategy is to de-grease with a solvent, attack the rust with a needle scaler then apply a rust converter and topcoat with rustolium.
This is not a strategy to restore the frame – just to delay the inevitable return of the rust.
The frame in the before state – it’s not that bad for a 20 year old Ohio truck…
The frame after, I treated the brackets and grill for the fuel cooler heat exchanger, the core itself was in pretty good shape.
Once I got to this stage, I started to dry fit all the new parts, in the picture above you can see the new tank straps hanging on the frame (better to find out if it fits now then when manhandling the tank).
For the life of me I could not get the lock ring to engage with the aftermarket pump in the tank.
I was using an oversized screwdriver and a hammer, like everybody dose, to set the ring but it would not click in.
(foot note: I design these systems for my employer)
So, I stopped before destroying the lock ring (that is code for it is only munched a little) and ordered the correct tool to set the ring.
Because of a project at work that is going less than ideal I spent too much time at work and not enough time in the barn over the last month.
So while waiting for the lock ring tool I decided to throw the old tank back in and go camping.
Continued below...
I like the idea of bundling mods that make sense, so I ordered a 52 gallon fuel tank from Titan, an in tank lift pump from Fleece and a 2 kW diesel heater from Espar.
With a month from when all the parts arrived till the next outing I wanted to attend, I figured there was plenty of time.
After supporting the truck on jack stands and dropping the tank I did a little rust abatement on the frame, just on the areas I hope to never see again.
My Chevy truck has the frame treated with wax (I have no idea if they still do this).
The problem with wax is it eventually stops working and it is a bear to completely remove – and nothing sticks to wax except dirt.
My strategy is to de-grease with a solvent, attack the rust with a needle scaler then apply a rust converter and topcoat with rustolium.
This is not a strategy to restore the frame – just to delay the inevitable return of the rust.
The frame in the before state – it’s not that bad for a 20 year old Ohio truck…
The frame after, I treated the brackets and grill for the fuel cooler heat exchanger, the core itself was in pretty good shape.
Once I got to this stage, I started to dry fit all the new parts, in the picture above you can see the new tank straps hanging on the frame (better to find out if it fits now then when manhandling the tank).
For the life of me I could not get the lock ring to engage with the aftermarket pump in the tank.
I was using an oversized screwdriver and a hammer, like everybody dose, to set the ring but it would not click in.
(foot note: I design these systems for my employer)
So, I stopped before destroying the lock ring (that is code for it is only munched a little) and ordered the correct tool to set the ring.
Because of a project at work that is going less than ideal I spent too much time at work and not enough time in the barn over the last month.
So while waiting for the lock ring tool I decided to throw the old tank back in and go camping.
Continued below...
Continued from above.
I recently started looking for YouTube channels that talked about overlanding in Ohio/West Virginia/Virginia to pick up some tips for places to visit locally.
Doing this I happened to find “Rubicon Matt” who was proposing a meet and greet at Burr Oak State Park in Southeast Ohio.
The timing didn’t work out great, I didn’t get my parts installed, my wife had arranged to take my Mom to Japan ( a: Mom is Japanese b: she is 89 years old, we felt better having some one go with) and Ohio has a burn ban.
But it all worked out, Rubicon Matt had added comments to his YouTube video advising us the meet and greet would be rescheduled when we could burn stuff (and the park rangers were telling him that even a Colman stove would not be allowed).
There where 5 or 6 Jeeps, 2 Toyotas and my Chevy there anyways.
I figured I had the time off, the weather was beautiful and I was going anyways, several others thought likewise.
Friday I spent the day poking around the trail heads for the ATV trails.
These where the known to me dirt roads in Wayne National Forrest.
I had heard that some of them where a little rough and not recommended for my 17’ box trailer.
I discovered smooth gravel and 30’ toy hauler trailers at the furthest most trail heads.
So, not too much adventure but now I know.
Hocking Valley canal lock #17.
This lock is next to an on-ramp for the interstate, so the earth works of the canal are pretty much erased in this area.
Having been raised in an arid place I find the whole canal thing quite fascinating.
Starting in the 1850s the area around Wayne and Burr Oak were mined extensively (coal and iron) then in the 1920s there was a lot of oil exploration.
The forest is doted with pump jacks, storage tanks and random pipes.
Wayne National Forest is unusual in that it is a patch work of random land stitched together in the 1930’s to make a “forest”.
In actuality the area is a collection of strip mines, tapped out oil fields and abandoned company towns, but its what we have locally.
I arrived at camp late afternoon.
The nice lady at check in let me know the fire ban had been lifted (but I had packed food that I could heat in the microwave, oh well).
I managed to not get any pictures of the camp with the vehicles.
On Saturday the group did a run to one of the local trails.
I opted to ride along in one of the Jeeps.
This area is known for tight under growth crowding the trails and mud holes – not exactly what my ¾ ton truck is set up for.
Covered bridge on the way to the trail:
Rubicon Matt negotiating one of the trail obstacles, it’s been dry enough to warrant a fire ban but the trail still has a little mud.
I had a good time hanging out with the crew and chewing the fat.
Maybe it was more like camping than overlanding but from the looks of the vehicles I was with – we were overlanding.
Now, back to drop the tank and ...
I recently started looking for YouTube channels that talked about overlanding in Ohio/West Virginia/Virginia to pick up some tips for places to visit locally.
Doing this I happened to find “Rubicon Matt” who was proposing a meet and greet at Burr Oak State Park in Southeast Ohio.
The timing didn’t work out great, I didn’t get my parts installed, my wife had arranged to take my Mom to Japan ( a: Mom is Japanese b: she is 89 years old, we felt better having some one go with) and Ohio has a burn ban.
But it all worked out, Rubicon Matt had added comments to his YouTube video advising us the meet and greet would be rescheduled when we could burn stuff (and the park rangers were telling him that even a Colman stove would not be allowed).
There where 5 or 6 Jeeps, 2 Toyotas and my Chevy there anyways.
I figured I had the time off, the weather was beautiful and I was going anyways, several others thought likewise.
Friday I spent the day poking around the trail heads for the ATV trails.
These where the known to me dirt roads in Wayne National Forrest.
I had heard that some of them where a little rough and not recommended for my 17’ box trailer.
I discovered smooth gravel and 30’ toy hauler trailers at the furthest most trail heads.
So, not too much adventure but now I know.
Hocking Valley canal lock #17.
This lock is next to an on-ramp for the interstate, so the earth works of the canal are pretty much erased in this area.
Having been raised in an arid place I find the whole canal thing quite fascinating.
Starting in the 1850s the area around Wayne and Burr Oak were mined extensively (coal and iron) then in the 1920s there was a lot of oil exploration.
The forest is doted with pump jacks, storage tanks and random pipes.
Wayne National Forest is unusual in that it is a patch work of random land stitched together in the 1930’s to make a “forest”.
In actuality the area is a collection of strip mines, tapped out oil fields and abandoned company towns, but its what we have locally.
I arrived at camp late afternoon.
The nice lady at check in let me know the fire ban had been lifted (but I had packed food that I could heat in the microwave, oh well).
I managed to not get any pictures of the camp with the vehicles.
On Saturday the group did a run to one of the local trails.
I opted to ride along in one of the Jeeps.
This area is known for tight under growth crowding the trails and mud holes – not exactly what my ¾ ton truck is set up for.
Covered bridge on the way to the trail:
Rubicon Matt negotiating one of the trail obstacles, it’s been dry enough to warrant a fire ban but the trail still has a little mud.
I had a good time hanging out with the crew and chewing the fat.
Maybe it was more like camping than overlanding but from the looks of the vehicles I was with – we were overlanding.
Now, back to drop the tank and ...
Continued from October of last year!
So my work project didn’t let up till late spring, plenty of overtime and weekends spent at the office.
Kind of puts a crimp on life in general.
When I finally got back out to the barn I had 3 half finished mods waiting for me, a 52 gallon fuel tank, an in-tank lift pump and a diesel heater.
The Titan fuel tank at 52 gallons is almost twice the fuel capacity as the stock tank, it’s not any wider so that makes it really long.
On their web site they have an animation of a CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) showing how the fuel will slosh over a triangular shaped bump in the bottom of the tank and the fuel level will be higher on the side with the pickup.
I’m pretty skeptical.
I did pour five gallons of fuel into the tank to see what it looked like.
The top of there speed bump is just visible at the level of the fuel.
The LB7 Duramax (and several other Duramax variations) don’t have a lift pump, the CP3 injection pump pulls fuel from the tank with suction.
Because of this the LB7 is susceptible to cavitation issues causing high wear on the injectors.
Fleece makes a nice in tank pump that looks and feels like an OEM in tank fuel pump and, as an added bonus, it’s protected in side the tank from off road hazards (not so much the oversized tank).
I suspect some of the aftermarket lift pump makers are hanging the filters low for visual impact.
After all, you are paying several hundred dollars for something that doesn’t really make a performance difference (until you shell out $1k for new injectors and another $5k in labor).
Installing the pump turned out to be a chore.
The fuel tank has a kit for the later model LB7s that includes a special SAE style bayonet lock ring.
The interweb says to use a hammer and a screwdriver to rotate the ring till it locks.
I hammered on it till the ring was yielding, there was no way this was going to work so I ordered the official tool my employer specifies for their gas tanks – I should have known better.
It took just a few minutes to install the fuel pump with the correct tools.
The ring popped in with a pretty good “POP”, I thought for a second something broke.
Turns out it was the sound of success.
For a 21 year old Silverado (GMT 800) there are at least three aftermarket fuel tanks.
I had a difficult time understanding exactly how much the tank would hang down below the stock tank from information on the internet.
Titan’s web site said the tank would hang down less than 1” below the fuel tank shield bracket.
Whatever that means.
Low point of the tank to the ground is right at 10”.
The tank hangs down about 2” below the frame.
The cross member in front of the tank is 9 ½” from the ground.
So it hangs down, not my favorite and it’s not well protected from ground contact.
But the way I have used my rig so far I think this is acceptable.
We did make a trip to Tennessee towing the box trailer, 300 miles each way.
With the larger tank we can go about 500 miles towing so this was significantly more than my bladder capacity, it’s kind of nice to pick where we stop rather than ‘stretch your legs and enjoy the scenery around the truck stop’.
I did add a tap for the heater fuel supply.
The tube runs down to about one and a half inches from the bottom of the tank, I’m guessing its around 4.5 to 5 gallons remaining when the heater runs dry.
Like a dummy I didn’t think to check the heater tap when I put fuel in to see what 5 gallons looked like.
For the heater my plan is to build a box that bolts into a hole in the side of the bed.
The heater will be protected but live outside the living space.
If there is a diesel leak it will be contained outside of where I sleep.
A couple of pictures showing cutting the hole in the bed side and test fitting a templet of the box.
For now the heater feed line is capped off and the bed side has a temporary cover plate bolted on, I will put off the heater install for now and concentrate on more relevant mods before my July trip out west.
So my work project didn’t let up till late spring, plenty of overtime and weekends spent at the office.
Kind of puts a crimp on life in general.
When I finally got back out to the barn I had 3 half finished mods waiting for me, a 52 gallon fuel tank, an in-tank lift pump and a diesel heater.
The Titan fuel tank at 52 gallons is almost twice the fuel capacity as the stock tank, it’s not any wider so that makes it really long.
On their web site they have an animation of a CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) showing how the fuel will slosh over a triangular shaped bump in the bottom of the tank and the fuel level will be higher on the side with the pickup.
I’m pretty skeptical.
I did pour five gallons of fuel into the tank to see what it looked like.
The top of there speed bump is just visible at the level of the fuel.
The LB7 Duramax (and several other Duramax variations) don’t have a lift pump, the CP3 injection pump pulls fuel from the tank with suction.
Because of this the LB7 is susceptible to cavitation issues causing high wear on the injectors.
Fleece makes a nice in tank pump that looks and feels like an OEM in tank fuel pump and, as an added bonus, it’s protected in side the tank from off road hazards (not so much the oversized tank).
I suspect some of the aftermarket lift pump makers are hanging the filters low for visual impact.
After all, you are paying several hundred dollars for something that doesn’t really make a performance difference (until you shell out $1k for new injectors and another $5k in labor).
Installing the pump turned out to be a chore.
The fuel tank has a kit for the later model LB7s that includes a special SAE style bayonet lock ring.
The interweb says to use a hammer and a screwdriver to rotate the ring till it locks.
I hammered on it till the ring was yielding, there was no way this was going to work so I ordered the official tool my employer specifies for their gas tanks – I should have known better.
It took just a few minutes to install the fuel pump with the correct tools.
The ring popped in with a pretty good “POP”, I thought for a second something broke.
Turns out it was the sound of success.
For a 21 year old Silverado (GMT 800) there are at least three aftermarket fuel tanks.
I had a difficult time understanding exactly how much the tank would hang down below the stock tank from information on the internet.
Titan’s web site said the tank would hang down less than 1” below the fuel tank shield bracket.
Whatever that means.
Low point of the tank to the ground is right at 10”.
The tank hangs down about 2” below the frame.
The cross member in front of the tank is 9 ½” from the ground.
So it hangs down, not my favorite and it’s not well protected from ground contact.
But the way I have used my rig so far I think this is acceptable.
We did make a trip to Tennessee towing the box trailer, 300 miles each way.
With the larger tank we can go about 500 miles towing so this was significantly more than my bladder capacity, it’s kind of nice to pick where we stop rather than ‘stretch your legs and enjoy the scenery around the truck stop’.
I did add a tap for the heater fuel supply.
The tube runs down to about one and a half inches from the bottom of the tank, I’m guessing its around 4.5 to 5 gallons remaining when the heater runs dry.
Like a dummy I didn’t think to check the heater tap when I put fuel in to see what 5 gallons looked like.
For the heater my plan is to build a box that bolts into a hole in the side of the bed.
The heater will be protected but live outside the living space.
If there is a diesel leak it will be contained outside of where I sleep.
A couple of pictures showing cutting the hole in the bed side and test fitting a templet of the box.
For now the heater feed line is capped off and the bed side has a temporary cover plate bolted on, I will put off the heater install for now and concentrate on more relevant mods before my July trip out west.
Attachments
Thanks!.
I keep thinking I will need to replace this truck one day, but I like the GMT800 platform and I'm just not in a hurry.
I’ve been collecting parts for an on-board air set up.
For some time I have been adding ideas to an Excel document, every time I see something I like I will drop a link and a picture into the file.
There are some really interesting parts and pieces for Toyota and Jeep applications but not so much for a 20 year old Chevy.
The Apex hose reel is one item I stole from American Adventure Labs Jeep applications, they have several different setups for Jeeps that feature this component.
Drooling over the pictures online I thought the hose reel could work well for my application.
Once I opened the box and saw the parts I was really impressed – they could have charged me double.
The design is really simplified, most of the parts are anodized aluminum and the reel itself is an injection molded glass reinforced nylon.
They have very cleverly marked the fastening and fitting sizes on the mounting face, really nice touch.
I made a quick bracket from aluminum to bolt into the corner of my shell.
Just a few simple cuts and holes and one bend (held in the vice and bent with a crescent wrench).
In the picture you can also see the mounting bracket from Apex to hold the hose reel.
The hose reel fits nicely out of the way tucked behind the overhang part of the shell.
This leaves the opening clear, but the hose is still easily accessible with just the upper door open.
Standing on the ground, reach in and give the lock wingnut half a turn and pull hose.
Putting it away is almost as easy, turn the crank while guiding the hose to wrap neatly until the end of the hose is pulled snug and give the lock wingnut half a turn.
In the future I want to make a narrow cabinet behind the wheel well, the hose reel would move there eventually.
In the photo above I have an ARB hose coupler and it has a lose nipple inserted to bleed off the air pressure.
I looked for some sort of bleed off valve but I haven’t found what I want yet.
My image is to put a valve between the air tank and the hose reel so I can bleed the air off after using the compressor.
I don’t want to lay in bed at night thinking about the tank under my pillow or listening to a slow leak all night long.
The compressor is mounted to ARBs universal bracket.
This bracket is designed to accommodate mounting in a pickup bed with the corrugations.
I added riv-nuts to the inside bed wall and mounted the tank on the bedside.
There is a 2 meter braded stainless wire jacketed hose connecting the tank to the hose reel.
Previously I added a goose neck 7 pin trailer plug to the side of the bed wall behind where the compressor is now.
This has a plug in it for the running lights and center mount stop light on the shell.
I had to move the trailer plug closer to the fender well to make room.
All of this stuff is tucked outside the line of the wheel well so things can be slid to the front of the bed.
Overview of the left side of the bed.
The ARB wire harness exits the bed space where the trailer plug used to be.
I made a plate to blank off the hole left from the trailer plug when I moved it, then added a smaller hole to accommodate a rubber grommet holding the wire harness.
I have no plan to ever add air lockers to this vehicle so I unwound the ARB harness and removed all the stuff for the lockers. (I have the G80 locker which is a poor substitute for an air locker – but It’s in there)
Then I added about 9 feet to the length of the harness and used plastic corr tube to re-bundle it all in to a harness.
The electrical and harness work is outside of my expertise so I will skip describing my amateur efforts to extend the harness.
Maybe I will add some comments later about my take on automotive electrical vs overlander electrical.
When I flipped the switch on the dash the compressor came on.
With the compressor in the shell I could tell it was running but I doubt it will annoy my wife sitting in the cab while I air up.
I have played with the compressor pumping up a tire but I haven’t timed it yet.
I can now retire my old portable compressor that took 12 minutes to pump up 1 tire (with a 15 on / 45 off duty cycle).
For some time I have been adding ideas to an Excel document, every time I see something I like I will drop a link and a picture into the file.
There are some really interesting parts and pieces for Toyota and Jeep applications but not so much for a 20 year old Chevy.
The Apex hose reel is one item I stole from American Adventure Labs Jeep applications, they have several different setups for Jeeps that feature this component.
Drooling over the pictures online I thought the hose reel could work well for my application.
Once I opened the box and saw the parts I was really impressed – they could have charged me double.
The design is really simplified, most of the parts are anodized aluminum and the reel itself is an injection molded glass reinforced nylon.
They have very cleverly marked the fastening and fitting sizes on the mounting face, really nice touch.
I made a quick bracket from aluminum to bolt into the corner of my shell.
Just a few simple cuts and holes and one bend (held in the vice and bent with a crescent wrench).
In the picture you can also see the mounting bracket from Apex to hold the hose reel.
The hose reel fits nicely out of the way tucked behind the overhang part of the shell.
This leaves the opening clear, but the hose is still easily accessible with just the upper door open.
Standing on the ground, reach in and give the lock wingnut half a turn and pull hose.
Putting it away is almost as easy, turn the crank while guiding the hose to wrap neatly until the end of the hose is pulled snug and give the lock wingnut half a turn.
In the future I want to make a narrow cabinet behind the wheel well, the hose reel would move there eventually.
In the photo above I have an ARB hose coupler and it has a lose nipple inserted to bleed off the air pressure.
I looked for some sort of bleed off valve but I haven’t found what I want yet.
My image is to put a valve between the air tank and the hose reel so I can bleed the air off after using the compressor.
I don’t want to lay in bed at night thinking about the tank under my pillow or listening to a slow leak all night long.
The compressor is mounted to ARBs universal bracket.
This bracket is designed to accommodate mounting in a pickup bed with the corrugations.
I added riv-nuts to the inside bed wall and mounted the tank on the bedside.
There is a 2 meter braded stainless wire jacketed hose connecting the tank to the hose reel.
Previously I added a goose neck 7 pin trailer plug to the side of the bed wall behind where the compressor is now.
This has a plug in it for the running lights and center mount stop light on the shell.
I had to move the trailer plug closer to the fender well to make room.
All of this stuff is tucked outside the line of the wheel well so things can be slid to the front of the bed.
Overview of the left side of the bed.
The ARB wire harness exits the bed space where the trailer plug used to be.
I made a plate to blank off the hole left from the trailer plug when I moved it, then added a smaller hole to accommodate a rubber grommet holding the wire harness.
I have no plan to ever add air lockers to this vehicle so I unwound the ARB harness and removed all the stuff for the lockers. (I have the G80 locker which is a poor substitute for an air locker – but It’s in there)
Then I added about 9 feet to the length of the harness and used plastic corr tube to re-bundle it all in to a harness.
The electrical and harness work is outside of my expertise so I will skip describing my amateur efforts to extend the harness.
Maybe I will add some comments later about my take on automotive electrical vs overlander electrical.
When I flipped the switch on the dash the compressor came on.
With the compressor in the shell I could tell it was running but I doubt it will annoy my wife sitting in the cab while I air up.
I have played with the compressor pumping up a tire but I haven’t timed it yet.
I can now retire my old portable compressor that took 12 minutes to pump up 1 tire (with a 15 on / 45 off duty cycle).
Some thoughts on overland electrics.
I work in the auto industry, seeing how vans and overlanders do their vehicle electrical systems there is a significant gap mostly in thinking about what happens when things go wrong.
From my observation (meaning I realize there is a lot of variation) house battery and solar charging systems typically are laid out on a board (wood or plastic) and it depends on an air gap to isolate the components and wires.
I’m used to not seeing any bare metal, no terminals or the back side of terminals and everything is fused within inches of the battery.
If the vehicle is crumpled up like you see in car crash tests the power stays isolated despite the significant damage done to the integrity and shape of the car.
That is not to say cars don’t catch fire.
But they don’t in the standardized testing the government mandates.
For my overland vehicle I have opted to not install a bespoke electrical system (batteries connected to DC/DC chargers and a solar charger etc.).
I have opted to install a power station and connect a few isolated accessories connected to the vehicle battery.
The reason I have gone down this path is to avoid having to decide if I know enough to trust my own design / fabrication.
I know too much to think I could wing it and think I will be OK, but not enough to do it myself.
So this leaves me with doing some wiring to hook up my accessories.
My method so far has been to select one supplier that I think has decent quality and mix and match the components they offer.
I ended up using CE Auto Electric located in Arizona, they made custom length wires for the winch install and sent them out in a day.
Ordering stuff off of Amazon would be faster, cheaper and I would have parts sooner but the down side is the quality is all over the map.
And there is the issue of compatibility.
Compatibility really comes into play with connectors and crimp tools.
Mixing manufactures can give varied results, when one company’s connectors are set with another company’s crimp tool it can crush too much or not enough.
I recently read a really good post on this forum by @ramblinChet were he mentions getting a large kit of connectors from a reputable company, then as he uses components he can order replacements after the fact.
I thought about linking a post but I don’t know which one to link, this is post 1 of his build, he is talking about electrical starting in the high 40 pages:
https://forum.expeditionportal.com/...ev-prospector-fwc-grandby.221431/post-2872557
I read the whole thing hoping to pick up tips about onboard air systems, as I write this he still hasn’t installed his compressor.
But I picked up tips on electrical, overlanding routes on the east coast and tips on life in general. (thanks Chet)
I work in the auto industry, seeing how vans and overlanders do their vehicle electrical systems there is a significant gap mostly in thinking about what happens when things go wrong.
From my observation (meaning I realize there is a lot of variation) house battery and solar charging systems typically are laid out on a board (wood or plastic) and it depends on an air gap to isolate the components and wires.
I’m used to not seeing any bare metal, no terminals or the back side of terminals and everything is fused within inches of the battery.
If the vehicle is crumpled up like you see in car crash tests the power stays isolated despite the significant damage done to the integrity and shape of the car.
That is not to say cars don’t catch fire.
But they don’t in the standardized testing the government mandates.
For my overland vehicle I have opted to not install a bespoke electrical system (batteries connected to DC/DC chargers and a solar charger etc.).
I have opted to install a power station and connect a few isolated accessories connected to the vehicle battery.
- A winch, fused at the battery positive lead.
- A compressor, ARB provided dual fuses at the positive connection.
- A charger for the power station, it has a circuit breaker at the charger end (not installed yet – I might fuse it at the battery)
- The house 12 volt will plug in to the power station as well as a few 110 volt items.
The reason I have gone down this path is to avoid having to decide if I know enough to trust my own design / fabrication.
I know too much to think I could wing it and think I will be OK, but not enough to do it myself.
So this leaves me with doing some wiring to hook up my accessories.
My method so far has been to select one supplier that I think has decent quality and mix and match the components they offer.
I ended up using CE Auto Electric located in Arizona, they made custom length wires for the winch install and sent them out in a day.
Ordering stuff off of Amazon would be faster, cheaper and I would have parts sooner but the down side is the quality is all over the map.
And there is the issue of compatibility.
Compatibility really comes into play with connectors and crimp tools.
Mixing manufactures can give varied results, when one company’s connectors are set with another company’s crimp tool it can crush too much or not enough.
I recently read a really good post on this forum by @ramblinChet were he mentions getting a large kit of connectors from a reputable company, then as he uses components he can order replacements after the fact.
I thought about linking a post but I don’t know which one to link, this is post 1 of his build, he is talking about electrical starting in the high 40 pages:
https://forum.expeditionportal.com/...ev-prospector-fwc-grandby.221431/post-2872557
I read the whole thing hoping to pick up tips about onboard air systems, as I write this he still hasn’t installed his compressor.
But I picked up tips on electrical, overlanding routes on the east coast and tips on life in general. (thanks Chet)
I wanted to mount a shower tent on the driver’s side of the shell and move the Kammok awning off the roof to a lower position where I could reach it standing on the ground.
At Christmas I ordered myself a Kakadu shower / instant hot water heater and their shower tent.
To date I have only tested the water heater in the house but in the on-line reviews it sounds like the propane system will work at 10,000-foot altitude.
I haven’t figured out how to test the high-altitude function in Ohio as our highest elevation is only 1,549 feet, I guess a trip to Rocky Mountains is called for…
Watching YouTube and reading on-line forums it seemed like adding a track system to the side of the camper would be a good solution for the mounting.
There are several systems that utilize tracks on pickup bed racks where a hanger bar spans the gap from the top of the bed rail to the upper rail of the rack.
Also, Grenadier has L-track attached to the side of their vehicles for similar accessory mounting.
Andrew of 4X Overland fame has been adding Fount Runner Universal Tracks to the side of his Toyota Land Cruisers, I think the intended use for these tracks is on the roof as a base for a roof rack.
This seems like a good system to copy, the hanger bars to mount the accessories need to be custom made but they are easy enough to fabricate.
The L-track (the extruded aluminum track with the half circles) would be the less expensive system but attaching to the L-track is not straight forward.
Also, I have to wonder if the L-track makes noise at freeway speeds.
I ended up ordering the Front Runner Universal Track in both 1400 mm and 1800 mm lengths.
Theoretically the Front Runner track is easy to attach to, you slide a bolt into the track, add your accessory and attach it with a nut, the track will hold the bolt from rotating as the nut is tightened.
I ended up ordering 4 set of bolts before getting it almost right, two sets off the Front Runner web site and two sets off McMaster Carr.
In the end a metric M12 bolt head is the right width across the flats but the head is too thick, I ground the heads down and painted the back side.
At first I was considering mounting the tracks to the vertical frame members of the shell but then it occurred to me I could simply mount the track along the edge trim of the shell into the horizontal top and bottom frames of the shell.
And the Front Runner track color matched the trim on my shell, it almost looks like I planned it.
I marked, center punched and pilot drilled the hole locations, then opened them up to the final size, deburred the outside with a countersink and the inside with a burr in the dermal.
Because of the thickness – frame pipe wall, VHB tape, outer skin, another VHB tape and the trim – I used plus nut rivet nuts to mount the trim.
The plus nuts are more amenable to variation in thickness and when set the legs of the “plus” will hit the wall of the square tube they are in as extra protection to prevent rotation of the rivet nut.
For the hanger bars I ordered some ¾” X 1 ½” rectangular steel tube, planning to make ends from 1/8” plate so I could keep the hanger bars tucked in close to the side of the shell.
However, I received a notice that the order would be delayed 3 weeks for whatever reason, so I dug around in the eternally delayed project stockpile of steel tubing and found some 1” X 2” 0.120 wall tubing (originally purchased to fix the sliding man door on the stock trailer).
This stuff is way overkill for the weight that will hang on them - the weight of the hanger bars is close to the weight of the shower tent, but it was available without delay.
Thinking this set of hanger bars would be temporary until I circled back to re-make the hanger bars from the ordered material, I simplified the design to just a 30 degree angle cut, weld some caps on and drill holes from opposite sides.
(The ordered material arrived and was immediately placed in the eternally delayed project stockpile)
I dug the remnant of the pipe out of the scrap pile for this picture, the cut pipes where soaked in vinegar for 2 days to remove the mill scale and rust.
It works a treat with just a little rub with a Scotch Bright pad.
I added 1” plastic plugs for the large holes and the shower tent was moved up from the initial placement, so I added some push pins to plug those holes (it looks like it was designed to be adjustable – as opposed to being designed and then adjusted).
However, the hole saw cut a little large so I used grip glue (for holding handle grips on motorcycle handlebars) to make sure they don’t pop out (for this project my 1” hole saw cut threw a combined 2.5” of steel, so I’m not surprised it’s cutting large).
I have a fear that at interstate speeds the tubing will whistle, that is why the ends are capped and welded and the holes plugged, but it also helps to give it a clean look.
With the awning at a reasonable height, I think it will get used a lot more.
For the shower tent my wife found a duckboard at Cost Co (with the old free standing shower tent she would hunt around to find flat rocks to stand on).
At Christmas I ordered myself a Kakadu shower / instant hot water heater and their shower tent.
To date I have only tested the water heater in the house but in the on-line reviews it sounds like the propane system will work at 10,000-foot altitude.
I haven’t figured out how to test the high-altitude function in Ohio as our highest elevation is only 1,549 feet, I guess a trip to Rocky Mountains is called for…
Watching YouTube and reading on-line forums it seemed like adding a track system to the side of the camper would be a good solution for the mounting.
There are several systems that utilize tracks on pickup bed racks where a hanger bar spans the gap from the top of the bed rail to the upper rail of the rack.
Also, Grenadier has L-track attached to the side of their vehicles for similar accessory mounting.
Andrew of 4X Overland fame has been adding Fount Runner Universal Tracks to the side of his Toyota Land Cruisers, I think the intended use for these tracks is on the roof as a base for a roof rack.
This seems like a good system to copy, the hanger bars to mount the accessories need to be custom made but they are easy enough to fabricate.
The L-track (the extruded aluminum track with the half circles) would be the less expensive system but attaching to the L-track is not straight forward.
Also, I have to wonder if the L-track makes noise at freeway speeds.
I ended up ordering the Front Runner Universal Track in both 1400 mm and 1800 mm lengths.
Theoretically the Front Runner track is easy to attach to, you slide a bolt into the track, add your accessory and attach it with a nut, the track will hold the bolt from rotating as the nut is tightened.
I ended up ordering 4 set of bolts before getting it almost right, two sets off the Front Runner web site and two sets off McMaster Carr.
In the end a metric M12 bolt head is the right width across the flats but the head is too thick, I ground the heads down and painted the back side.
At first I was considering mounting the tracks to the vertical frame members of the shell but then it occurred to me I could simply mount the track along the edge trim of the shell into the horizontal top and bottom frames of the shell.
And the Front Runner track color matched the trim on my shell, it almost looks like I planned it.
I marked, center punched and pilot drilled the hole locations, then opened them up to the final size, deburred the outside with a countersink and the inside with a burr in the dermal.
Because of the thickness – frame pipe wall, VHB tape, outer skin, another VHB tape and the trim – I used plus nut rivet nuts to mount the trim.
The plus nuts are more amenable to variation in thickness and when set the legs of the “plus” will hit the wall of the square tube they are in as extra protection to prevent rotation of the rivet nut.
For the hanger bars I ordered some ¾” X 1 ½” rectangular steel tube, planning to make ends from 1/8” plate so I could keep the hanger bars tucked in close to the side of the shell.
However, I received a notice that the order would be delayed 3 weeks for whatever reason, so I dug around in the eternally delayed project stockpile of steel tubing and found some 1” X 2” 0.120 wall tubing (originally purchased to fix the sliding man door on the stock trailer).
This stuff is way overkill for the weight that will hang on them - the weight of the hanger bars is close to the weight of the shower tent, but it was available without delay.
Thinking this set of hanger bars would be temporary until I circled back to re-make the hanger bars from the ordered material, I simplified the design to just a 30 degree angle cut, weld some caps on and drill holes from opposite sides.
(The ordered material arrived and was immediately placed in the eternally delayed project stockpile)
I dug the remnant of the pipe out of the scrap pile for this picture, the cut pipes where soaked in vinegar for 2 days to remove the mill scale and rust.
It works a treat with just a little rub with a Scotch Bright pad.
I added 1” plastic plugs for the large holes and the shower tent was moved up from the initial placement, so I added some push pins to plug those holes (it looks like it was designed to be adjustable – as opposed to being designed and then adjusted).
However, the hole saw cut a little large so I used grip glue (for holding handle grips on motorcycle handlebars) to make sure they don’t pop out (for this project my 1” hole saw cut threw a combined 2.5” of steel, so I’m not surprised it’s cutting large).
I have a fear that at interstate speeds the tubing will whistle, that is why the ends are capped and welded and the holes plugged, but it also helps to give it a clean look.
With the awning at a reasonable height, I think it will get used a lot more.
For the shower tent my wife found a duckboard at Cost Co (with the old free standing shower tent she would hunt around to find flat rocks to stand on).