Having it all - JTRD sun buggy, trail rig and overlander

[Rburns1776]

Headed to the shop. It's November in the Northeast, let the off-season upgrades begin ...

Very cool, exactly the wheels and tires I want for mine. Very curious to hear what your opinions are, would love to see some pics of them on the truck!

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[Fcmalie]

Summer 2022 lesson #1: Power

I run with a EcoFlow River Pro power station, which advertises a capacity a little over 700Wh. It's a great little self-contained system, and super easy to fit into the back of my rig. I keep it in the rear footwell behind the driver's seat, and power it from the front DC "cigarette lighter" power socket in the dash. I like the location because it's easy to read with a quick peek in the door, but otherwise out of sight to avoid curious eyes. I plan on adding a Blue Sea power panel to the side of my Goose Gear 60 delete to power it in the future, and run that off the Aux 1 line. That 40 amp circuit should have enough juice to stay on top of the EcoFlow.

The main mission of the EcoFlow is to run my IceCo VL60 dual zone fridge. Talking about power use only, it's a great fridge most of the time. It runs on AC or DC, so I usually plug it in to house power the day before I head out to get it down to temp, and then switch it to truck DC power through the EcoFlow as I head out.

So the main setup then is the EcoFlow plugged into DC in the truck, and the IceCo plugged in DC output from the EcoFlow. At camp I can break out a set of 110W EcoFlow solar panels, and I've been known to plug in lights, radios, and a standard iPhone/iPad/MacBook Pro bundle as needed.

Other than the fridge, my power needs are light, but I've learned I'm living on the edge a bit and I need to constantly play a game of numbers -- hours driving, hours at camp, hours of sun, fridge temp settings, air temp, and toy time (especially the laptop).

Driving recharge -- When driving, the truck pumps a steady stream of about 80-90W into the EcoFlow. With the fridge plugged in, it charges the power station at a pretty steady 10% per hour.

Solar recharge -- All of my experience has been summertime on the Northeast, but the best I've seen my 110W solar panels actually put out was about 80W, and 70W is more typical. That's even when lined up to point pretty squarely at the afternoon sun. Good sun (fog lifted, trees cleared) tends to run from 11-6 up here, so at an average recharge rate of just under 10% an hour with the fridge plugged in (and a few half-shade hours in the morning and evening) I can recharge the battery about 75 percent on a sunny day.

Fridge drain -- The IceCo fridge has a bit of a dual personality. If it's been cooled on house power and both halves are set to 41 degrees in "eco" mode (what I've come to call typical), it sips power pretty gently. Demand usually tops between 45-50W when the compressor is on, and as far as I can tell with normal use that's not more than about one-third of the time. Overall, it draws down the EcoFlow about 35-40% in 24 hours, so I can go 2 1/2 to 3 days straight off battery power. However ... jack the air temp above the low 80s, or drop one side into pure freezer mode (say set to 10F) and the power use jumps. I've seen it drain the EcoFlow by 40% in just one 8-hour night, when no one was opening it! If the days stays hot and cloudy, the battery is scrapping single digits by the next evening.

Gear drain -- I'm not a photographer or videographer, and I don't fly a drone (I'd love to, if your giving one away), so my gear is mostly table lamps, head lamps, a tent fan, some portable GMRS and CB radios, a Garmin InReach, and the standard Apple stuff. The only thing that can make a dent is the MacBook Pro, which will draw 60W and, when it's low, suck about 15% from the EcoFlow before it's done. All the other gear seems to barely make a dent. The EcoFlow has a ton of ports (1xUSB-C, 3xUSB-A, 1xDC "car" port, 2xDC small plugs, and 3xAC outlets) and for fun I've plugged something into every one and it barely pulled another 20W.

So, on a good day at camp, the sun is shining but the temps are mild, the computer gear doesn't need much and the IceCo is a fridge on both sides. The fridge might need 40% in 24 hours. Lights and radios another 10%, and the solar panels can pump in 75% throughout the day. All good.

But a hot, cloudy/rainy day means the fridge wants all the power in 18 hours or so, and I'm in trouble by the next morning. I've learned to plan trail drives or jumps between camp sites for rainy days, so the truck can recharge things when the sun can't, but I need a 10-hour drive to keep pace. That runs counter to my experience this summer -- I've learned I like to spent 5-7 days exploring a site before moving to the next one, and I like to get the fridge out of the cab before I hit any tough trails.

That means I need more input. My plan is to add another 110W set of solar panels, to hopefully double my sunny day power generation potential next season. If that doesn't do it, I can add to the battery capacity on the EcoFlow (it can double with a plug in expansion). The latter doesn't solve the input/output imbalance, but it buys me more time before a string of sunny days or a stop someplace with house power available might turn the tide for me.

One last recommendation -- If you're using portable solar panels and typically keep the power station beside the fridge in the truck, invest in a few solar panel extension cables. EcoFlow sells a 10' cable for $30, and there might be better deals out there. With a fridge that loves the shade and panels that need the sun, it's definitely worth the investment.

Not sure if you've done much research on racks/tonneau covers, but I'm working with an Xtrusion-Overland XR1 rack mounted to a BAK Revolver hard rolling tonneau cover. So you can still seal up your bed, and mount a rack with tent and everything else.

 

[John in the Woods]

Very cool, exactly the wheels and tires I want for mine. Very curious to hear what your opinions are, would love to see some pics of them on the truck!

I’ve done about 500 miles on them so far, including three 100+ mile highway runs, one good rainstorm and about 10 miles of forest trails. The tires feel great. A little chunky when you first roll on a cold morning, but they smooth out within a minute or so. Handled rain very well at 65-70 mph. Laughed at shallow mud and a few small logs I crawled over. Overall, a good solid feel.

Only snag right now is the balance. The dealer outsourced mounting and balancing, and that shop used beads instead of weights. It rides very well until about 40 mph, then build to a pretty solid shudder around 50. That shimmy and shake stays up through at least the low 70s, which is as high as I pushed it. Nothing that feels like I’m headed out of control, but definitely unpleasant and it’s got to be too much stress on the steering system. I’m working with the dealer now to get the beads cleaned out and have them rebalanced with weights.

If they end up riding at 65 the way they feel at 35, and if they’re half as good on rocks and mud as they look like they should be, these things will be a dream.

As for looks, I think the 37s fill the wheel wells just right, and the AEV wheels are very well designed, with just a touch of poke. I’m very happy with them.

 

[John in the Woods]

Not sure if you've done much research on racks/tonneau covers, but I'm working with an Xtrusion-Overland XR1 rack mounted to a BAK Revolver hard rolling tonneau cover. So you can still seal up your bed, and mount a rack with tent and everything else.

I’m actually looking hard at the rack-tonneau question right now. I need some additional gear storage space, and a season of ground tenting has made me very interested in going rooftop. Thanks for the insights. I’ll check them out.

 

[mx5red]

Not sure if you've done much research on racks/tonneau covers, but I'm working with an Xtrusion-Overland XR1 rack mounted to a BAK Revolver hard rolling tonneau cover. So you can still seal up your bed, and mount a rack with tent and everything else.

I’ve been looking, there aren’t many fridges that fit under the Bak revolver.
Do you think the ARB would fit on a fridge slide under there? I’m assuming you’d have to unlatch the back of the cover to get a little clearance to slide the fridge out, but would the fridge fit under there with the cover closed?

 

[Fcmalie]

I’ve been looking, there aren’t many fridges that fit under the Bak revolver.
Do you think the ARB would fit on a fridge slide under there? I’m assuming you’d have to unlatch the back of the cover to get a little clearance to slide the fridge out, but would the fridge fit under there with the cover closed?

Not at all, I'm going to need to remove the feet on the ARB because it is currently rubbing on the bottom side of the tonneau cover. If the feet were the right distance to fit between the raised parts of the bed it wouldn't be an issue, but it doesnt.

 

[Rburns1776]

I’ve done about 500 miles on them so far, including three 100+ mile highway runs, one good rainstorm and about 10 miles of forest trails. The tires feel great. A little chunky when you first roll on a cold morning, but they smooth out within a minute or so. Handled rain very well at 65-70 mph. Laughed at shallow mud and a few small logs I crawled over. Overall, a good solid feel.

Only snag right now is the balance. The dealer outsourced mounting and balancing, and that shop used beads instead of weights. It rides very well until about 40 mph, then build to a pretty solid shudder around 50. That shimmy and shake stays up through at least the low 70s, which is as high as I pushed it. Nothing that feels like I’m headed out of control, but definitely unpleasant and it’s got to be too much stress on the steering system. I’m working with the dealer now to get the beads cleaned out and have them rebalanced with weights.

If they end up riding at 65 the way they feel at 35, and if they’re half as good on rocks and mud as they look like they should be, these things will be a dream.

As for looks, I think the 37s fill the wheel wells just right, and the AEV wheels are very well designed, with just a touch of poke. I’m very happy with them.

Thanks John, appreciate it much. Looks awesome. Sorry to hear that about the beads, have never had good luck with them on anything either on much smaller tires (motorcycles mainly), couldnt imagine them working well in such a large heavy tire

 

[Hoytster]

I’ve been looking, there aren’t many fridges that fit under the Bak revolver.
Do you think the ARB would fit on a fridge slide under there? I’m assuming you’d have to unlatch the back of the cover to get a little clearance to slide the fridge out, but would the fridge fit under there with the cover closed?

The RV45D from Setpower fits, but you have to unlatch the cover in order to slide it in an out of the bed.

 

[T-MAN-R6]

A quick post-summer update on the ARB step/sliders.

I did a quick write up on the install back in January. So far, I love these things. Great step. Great rocker and side protection from fender to fender. They've dropped on and been dragged over a few rocks and trees and come away with barely a mark.

Since the install, the truck has seen very little snow. I'm in upstate NY, but t's in a garage at night and since watching my previous build disintegrate into a rust pile I'm a bit of a fanatic about car washes after salty roads.

So I'm a little bummed about rust and coating bubbling appearing on both sides, everywhere the step/slider bolts to the rocker guard. I'm not sure if it's the screws or a reaction between the metals, but in every spot where the tab from the bottom of the rocker guard goes under the step/slider and bolts to it -- every hole on both sides -- is showing rust. Nothing anywhere else, either under the sliders where they've been scratched or on the rocker guards where they attach to the tub. Not a deal breaker, but something of which to be aware if you're thinking about a set.

Here's a few pics of what I'm seeing ...

Notice it's only where the step/slider attaches to the rocker guard, and not at any of the places the rocker guard bolts to the tub, so I don't think it's something with the overall coating. Just something going on where these two pieces meet.

And although I haven't seen any problem with strength, I did mention when I installed them that it seems like a missed opportunity not to connect the step/slider to the four bolts locations on each side used by the factory rock rails. The ARB sliders use the body mount bolts, and then connect to the rocker guards which as bolted to the tub, but in between those two points are four factory-installed anchor points engineered to support a slider. Why not use them too? It seems even more like a miss when you see how the ARB sliders are within an easy few inches of the factory rock rail bolt mounts. A few tabs and these things would have picked up some added strength.

That's about it on these. I'm still very glad I got them. Great service. Great look. And I love that since they go out 3-4 inches from the side, I'm essentially parking-lot ding proof.

John, thanks for the write-up on the ARB Rock Rails; along with the others.

I've been up in the air, either going with those or other rails I've found. I wanted something functionable, relatively easy to install, and had a slight step; but nothing that hung down too low or impede the structure and function of the slider.

These seem perfect for the look and function I'm wanting.

Again, Thank you!

 

[John in the Woods]

Thanks John, appreciate it much. Looks awesome. Sorry to hear that about the beads, have never had good luck with them on anything either on much smaller tires (motorcycles mainly), couldnt imagine them working well in such a large heavy tire

Beads out. Weights on. And they ride smooth as silk. More thought in a little bit.

 

[John in the Woods]

Not sure if you've done much research on racks/tonneau covers, but I'm working with an Xtrusion-Overland XR1 rack mounted to a BAK Revolver hard rolling tonneau cover. So you can still seal up your bed, and mount a rack with tent and everything else.

Thanks again for the tip on this. I wanted to stick with the Mopar cover that I have. It's worked well for me, and if I can save a few bucks (for some other toy, of course) I thought I would. The folks from Xtrusion told me their rack doesn't work with the Mopar cover, so I ended up ordering the KB Voodoo MAX Modular. I'll let you know what I think when I see it.

 

[John in the Woods]

OK, time to catch up on the upgrade plan for 2023 that's already underway.

I'm doing this build in stages, trying not to overbuild or overbuy along the way while I learn some real world lessons. I put about 12,000 travel miles on my truck from May through September, a good chunk of that on interstates getting around from South Florida to New York's North Country.

But the 2022 season included hundreds of miles of forest trails, some beach driving, a little crawling at my favorite PA offroad parks; and a half dozen camping trips of a week or more where even though the East Coast never took me far from available supplies, I forced myself to live like I was a one-truck island somewhere in one of those soul-inspiring videos from Utah or Alaska.

I tried to capture a few lessons in details starting back here, but the much shorter takeaways are:

• I love an open ride. Doors off, top open as much as possible.
• More storage space is good, and I need to be much smarter about what I carry and how I use the space I have.
• I need to step up some of my gear. Mainly cooking and trail navigation.
• A little more clearance would be nice. I drag the center frame rails more than I'd like cresting on trails, and I've had a few logs and rocks give the oil and tranny pans a little too much love.
• I need more electric power; stored, made on site, or both.
• Definitely need somewhere to be on a long rainy day.

So I started planning and shopping when the cold weather hit Upstate NY and the prices started dropping online in early November, and I expect after a shift to central Florida after Christmas I'll be working on the next phase until early April. Here's the plan:

• I picked up @ARB_USA diff covers from @Northridge4x4 and grabbed some aluminum skid plates from @ASFIR 4x4.
• Bumped up the tire size from 35 to 37 during my planned 50K mile change, adding Mickey Thompson Baja Boss ATs from 4WheelParts (got 30% rewards on my card for the purchase!), and AEV Borah wheels and a Fox steering dampener from my buddies at @Northridge4x4.
• Ordered a 14-inch aluminum bed rack, with tonneau brackets and a locking storage box, from KB Voodoo @Max Modular.
• Ordered a Condor Overland RTT direct from Roofnest. Comes with a privacy tent too.
• Thanks to this forum I found an ex-Mojave guy cleaning house and picked up his one-season old Mopar soft top. It's in great shape, and he even tossed in a @SPIDERWEBSHADE too.
• Plan to use an IBS dual battery system I have leftover from my previous build to add a house power system in the bed to run the fridge and power the tent, camp lighting and charge my EcoFlow power station (while driving).
• Added a second set of EcoFlow 110W solar panels which I'll connect to the power station or to house power as needed through an MPPT controller.
• Plan to build a slide-out kitchen in the bed.
• Will add an iPad and some navigation software in the cab.
• Once I see how the rack and the RTT work together, I'll add a modest 270-degree awning.
• I'll likely upgrade some camping gear to improve performance or lighten the load, including a stove with better flame control and lighter/smaller chairs.

On the back side of this build phase is a jump to the Keys, then a three-month trip across the lower US from Florida to California, up the West Coast to Washington or BC, then a weather-appropriate crossing back to Upstate NY for the summer.

Ahh, the best laid plans of mice and men ...

 

[Fcmalie]

That's a heck of a list. We just got one of the iKamper Disco Tripods that might be a more versatile option than a full pull out kitchen. We will be testing it out on an overnight trip in a couple weeks.

https://ikamper.com/products/disco-...FP4Hm6QnngdGg9iMkludJ1GfTGspxjnkaApnqEALw_wcB

 

[John in the Woods]

That's a heck of a list. We just got one of the iKamper Disco Tripods that might be a more versatile option than a full pull out kitchen. We will be testing it out on an overnight trip in a couple weeks.

https://ikamper.com/products/disco-...FP4Hm6QnngdGg9iMkludJ1GfTGspxjnkaApnqEALw_wcB

I love those Skottle-esque cooktops, but it's hard to get my head around the cost. For now, I'll go with a pullout kitchen as much for the storage efficiency as the cooking surface itself. I find that bins waste a lot of space in how they're formed and how they fit together, and are never a perfect match for the space I have under the tonneau cover. They're also no fun to lug out at a highway rest area when trying for a quick lunch. I'm hoping that a custom-made pullout can make maximum use of the space with minimal lost to structure, while giving me an quick campsite or roadside access.

Of course, let's see what I think a few months from now when I'm actually making the thing

 

[John in the Woods]

First up on is phase of the build was some added underbody protection. I'm not a heavy rock crawler at all, but I do enjoy a trail challenge from time to time, and I do want to be able to push deeper into the trails than the average weekend warrior for that added measure of campsite peace and quiet (and better fishing).

I already have shock and control arm skids, solid sliders that offer side protection too, and the compliment of skids that comes with the Rubicon package. I also relocated the steering dampener. Given how and where I drive, the trail dings I find most common are either rocks or logs pivoting up and smacking the underside as the wheel rolls over them, or when dragging the frame rails over a crest or ledge. That's what cost me the original dampener, and spiked my adrenaline a few times when I took hits to the diffs or the engine and tranny pans, or found rocks and dirt packed around the fuel filter.

Diff covers then were a given. The factory stamped steel covers held up ok, but I don't want to find there limits in the woods somewhere. I did some research and there are definitely a lot of great options. Based partly on design, partly on company reputation, partly on looks, and partly because I could get them from a vendor I trust, I went with a set of ARB covers from @Northridge4x4. Install is straightforward, a few tight spots but nothing needs to be removed to get this done. ARB gives great instructions with plenty of available YouTube explainers. I was able to reuse the Mopar gaskets with no issue, and my dealer recommended Red Line 75W85 GL-5, which I found for $20 a quart at an O'Reilly not too far from me. Definitely invest in a pump or a different bottle that fits above the diffs, or lift the truck a bit to make some room above the diffs, to access the upward-facing filler in the ARB covers. Honestly, filling the diffs back up on the garage floor without making a mess took more time than installing the covers. Once on, the ARB covers are cast-iron solid, so I don't fear the reaper anymore.

(You can see the Synergy steering dampener relocation in this shot, and the Fox dampener I added just before I upped from 35s to 37s)

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