Off Road Build with DIY and Production Mods on 37’s

Bought a nice 5lb propane tank mount for my rack off Etsy

 

That's a nice looking propane bracket!

All the ones I've been finding feel too thin for my liking.

Do you have a link for that one?

 

Yeah it’s well built and stout

https://www.etsy.com/listing/123136...f=sr_gallery-1-2&sts=1&organic_search_click=1

 

Wow! That's a great price too!

A bunch of the others I was looking at were well over a $100.

Thanks

 

Yeah I agree, great product and a fair price. Much better than a Power Tank mount for sure. The guy who makes them is out of Idaho as well which I like helping local small business

 

What mobile unit are you using or do you recommend? About to get my technician license.

 

I have the Yaesu 400XDR but they just discontinued it and launched a newer model. It’s been very solid and I had Ham Radio Outlet do the MARS mod so I can also use GMRS channels if need be. Technically not allowed but often the very shops you buy it from will do it for you for like $35. One can do it themselves but if you screw up it can brick the radio.

 

Awesome. You're the second person to recommend that unit but hard to find because they're discontinued as you said. Some have suggested the 400 is still better than the newer 300 and 500. Maybe the 300 will be in my future still. Is there a handheld you like by the way? Thanks!

 

Yeah I use the Yaesu FT-60 handheld, there’s definitely a newer version as mine does not have a color screen. But it’s solid, similar to what departments use

 

Camping Heater Build

Now that my wife and I live up in North Idaho we decided to invest in heat for our RTT set up because it gets cold! I decided on a forced air propane heater due to nearly zero maintaince and I already carry propane. For me I like my build to be easy to use because then I use it more. I bought a Propex 2211 from VanCafe which is the external mount model that is weather resistent, but not completely water proof. My requirements were I wanted to permanently mount it on the rack under the iKamper and it had to be easy to set up, like under 5 minutes!

I tried to find a location on my @KB Voodoo ProMax rack to mount it but stalled cuz I just didn’t like the way it looked, it didn’t look clean to me. So I decided to fab a box to place it in which makes it look cleaner and also stores my hoses which can be a bit ungangely. I bought 2 “Fat 50cal” ammo cans from a military surplus store then cut the bottoms off, and connected them end to end by bending a stainless steel sheet to extend the length. I wired up an 8 pin plug for the power and controls to route of the box and to my rack harness with the power coming from the truck. I used a project box for the control panel and it lives full time in the tent with the master power switch on my rear control panel mounted by my tail gate. I bought off Etsy a window tent pass through which works great!


Camping Diesel Heater Rotating Dual Tent Vent Assembly - Etsy
This Car Accessories item by CounterCultureShop has 44 favorites from Etsy shoppers. Ships from Garden Grove, CA. Listed on Jan 26, 2024
www.etsy.com

Propex HS2211 6500 BTU Exterior Gas Air Heater
The Propex HS2211 is a weatherproof, externally mounted gas air heater, perfect for keeping your van warm during cold weather while saving space!
vancafe.com



Workflow: pop the tent, open the ammo can, pull out attached hoses and tent window pass through, power up the heater from the master switch, select temp in the tent on the control panel and bam! Heat!



Just got back from camping and snow wheeling in Montana

 

That heater is slick!

From my research, I see a lot of guys drift towards diesel heaters to avoid condensation, which people claim propane is prone to. Did you notice any condensation issues with this set up?

I'm slowly building up my Tundra to replace my GX as my main camping rig and heat is one of the requirements for the new rig.

 

Good question but it’s mixing apples and oranges. Diesel heaters work amazing, super hot, and diesel is cheap. Propane does create condensation at the point of ignition but the Propex propane heater is basically a miniature home furnace as its combustion and heated air exchange are separate. A Buddy Heater will make a tent wet, but diesel and propane exchange heaters dry out a tent. My bias is for a propane exchange heater but they can cost A LOT more. You can get a cheap diesel heater on Amazon for like $150 but many users struggle to make them reliable. My buddy had to add anti-gel to his diesel tank to get it to work in cold weather when he tested it then at camp he never turned if off as he was worried it wouldn’t fire back up. I set mine for 65° like at home and it turned on and off all night just like a house furnace.

So that’s the big difference. It comes down to budget, hassle factor, fuel you wanna carry as both will get you similar results.

Long answer to a short question!

 

Exactly the type of answer I needed. Thanks.

I've seen tons of videos on those Amazon heaters. I've waffled back and forth on trying one out, but I'm really looking for something more reliable. I know there's a few places that sell a more professional setup, but then you're in the same price point as what you posted. So it becomes a question of what makes the most sense as a fuel source.

How much propane do you carry and how long are you out for generally?

I have an Ignik 5# that I take with me and run a two-burner Mountaineer stove as my only propane powered device. The canister generally lasts months for me on 1-3 day trips, cooking for two adults and two kids.

I'm curious if I'd have to up my propane if I went that route for heat.

 

So I just installed this and did a weekend in Montana, I have a 5lb and we were heating the tent for about 12 hours (granted it goes off and on like a house unit) and it used maybe a third. So if you just used it for sleeping I’d say at least 4-5 nights if you sleep 6-8 hours heated.

Another factor is diesels pull 15A or so when heating up the glow plug each time they start, but that’s only for like 5 minutes I believe, then run around the power drain of a fridge, 1.3A or so. Propane just pulls 1.3A and the fuse they send with it is only a 5A fuse

 

Blue Mountains
Oregon

 

Did you fit the 27F battery yet? planning to copy your work

 

Hopefully working on it today then traveling for work till Sunday, so we will see.

 

I installed an X2 AGM battery to replace my stock 75AH battery with 92AH. The X2 Group 94R fits nicely as a direct replacement and has 81AH 159 reserve minutes of capacity. I opted for the larger X2 27F which has 92AH and 190 reserve minutes of capacity. The 94R is 7.4” (about stock) in height whereas the 27F is 8.75” so I thought about getting fancy and making a new center bracket. But I didn’t.

There is a bottom bracket which secures the battery into place and the center strap is secondary. I reversed the bracket and bent it to fit. Isn’t too pretty but it fits nice and snug. The battery cables reach just fine and overall pretty easy.



Reversed the bracket then gave it some mallet love



The bolt is cinched tight


This screenshot is of my fridge when going about 60mph and it’s registering 14.3v which is enough juice to top off an AGM nicely

 

Awesome Build Man!

 

Camping Mod-

I added solid LED’s to my 270 awning, used a project box for my electrical junction box, and bought a dimmable switch that is fully waterproof. I put the LED’s on every other support bar so it wasn’t too much, it is camping after all……ha





I placed carpet tiles on my iKamper base, helps with the cold and the knees.

 

Today I added SDHQ ABS Guards. Simple mod that can save a lot of headache and repair if you off road. They protect the sensor from a broken branch or something catching the loop and ripping the sensor wire out which would cause a lot of problems trying to drive the truck. They don’t cost too much for the protection

 

Camping tonight at Frenchman Coulee in WA where catastrophic ice age glacial floods devoured the landscape. Pretty cool views



The waterfall was 3.5 miles across and 400 feet tall, nuts

 

I installed my 5lb propane mount and given the clearance of my @KB Voodoo rack I placed it to the side of the slide out cargo tray underneath. It’s plumbed in and I just need to open the valve to run my heater, or remove it for my fire pit if there’s a regional fire ban in the summer.

5lb mount off Etsy


Extrusion mount I threw together


Regulator mount solution with quick connect


With the Rotopax locked on its hard to steal


I made an ammo can fire pit, I added rounded lava rocks later. I made a mistake on the cut so I fashioned a fire emblem to cover it up

 

Such an amazing weekend at Hells Canyon Idaho

 

awesome build thread and thx for the info, just learned some new today lol

 

Hey Dave, we chatted years ago about PullKitchen stuff (shame looks like it's no more, I always thought it was a rad setup)

In any case, I've been doing lots of planning on my own new Tundra build, and was randomly searching for a Tundra specific hood antenna mount - and somehow ended up on your build thread here. Shot you an email to your old address, but it bounced. Really was just shooting you an email to say awesome work on the build and all the documentation (so I'll just say that here instead, haha). I was planning a second battery and some bed power similar to what you're doing, and saw lots of your other little mods and just lots of clever stuff for inspiration.

Take care!
-Mike (Last Line of Defense)

 

Thanks! I use my PullKitchen every trip, this is at Whiskey Rock Bay on Pend Oreille Lake in North Idaho. Set up really fast to heat up some soup

 

That pull out kitchen is next level!

 

Not related to Tundras but considering building out a Humvee ambulance camper conversion! Haha