TheNatural's 2012 Totally Expo Trail Limo Build

UCA's are aftermarket with uniballs.. and they're pretty new showing no wear. I'll try replacing LBJ and see if that fixes it. Didn't notice any play wiggling it when it was on a jack, but I might just not be able to push hard enough to recreate it.

On another note. hilift on sliders sucks even more when it's icy. Gotta get me one of those slider adapter cup things. Or maybe this is a hint for my secret santa.

 

While I was shopping for a lower ball joint I came across these things! Energy suspension poly bushings for stock control arms. Looks like they might be a worthwhile upgrade for my too-broke-for-aftermarket-LCAs self. I wish it would get warmer than -10C so I could do some of these things... I'm already hoping for spring!

 

I wanted an "expo" fridge but I was shocked at the cost of what was available so I decided to see if I could bring an alternative to market with equal quality and a lower price point. I've been keeping this under my hat so far to make sure the production model is indeed ready for production before I generate any hype. But the time has come!

I got my first small production batch of fridges a couple days ago and I've been busy testing them out. Very happy with them! These ones are a 42 quart and I hope to add 52 quart and something family sized like a 95 quart to the line up in the new year.

I don't believe in paying for features I'll never use. What I have here are rock solid fridges with the features you need, and none that you don't. Features include:
-adjustable voltage protection so the fridge will shut off before draining your starting battery. Low Medium and Hi settings shut the fridge off at different levels if you want to be more conservative or if you need a lot of juice to start a bigger engine.
-Runs on 12V power with included cigarette lighter cord, or will work with Hella style 12V socket or can be hardwired to battery.
-Includes adapter (external power brick) to run on 120V household power. I'm using mine to keep a couple cold Coca-Cola's on hand in my home office right now.
-Eco mode runs compressor at lower speed for more efficient operation (great for at camp overnight, or if it's just not that hot out). High mode will keep your goods cold on summer trail runs.
-Rugged design. Operate flawlessly on angles of 30 degrees and are fine bouncing around on the trail.

I'll get some better pictures later, but the best I can do in my dark basement right now is:

 

My battery was struggling on cold mornings last winter but once it got warm again I forgot all about it. Until my truck wouldn't start the other day. I put a new battery in but it's a little bittersweet. I wanted to do a dual battery setup with a couple nice AGMs, but could not afford so it'll have to wait.

 

Well I've been at my parents house for a week now, visiting for the holidays, and I just got around to unwrapping my Brute Force Fab HC bumper! I'm very impressed with build quality and how it was packaged. The only thing I did not anticipate is... no instructions. There's a few little pieces that I imagine are for bedside supports, and bearings and stuff for the swing out. Fingers crossed I can figure it all out when I dive in. Now to see if I can find a place to paint it while I'm here!

 

Wait.... you made your own line of fridges??

 

Yes sir. And I love mine!

I was away for the holidays and came back just in time to start a new job so I haven't had much time to work on marketing/distribution. The plan is to get them on Amazon soon-ish and have inventory stocked in their warehouses for easy, quick, and cost effective fulfillment. So far they're for sale out of my garage though

 

So incredibly badass... What is the cost on the 95qt big-boy going to be? I feel like my current one is too small.

 

Retail should be under 1k USD on the big boys. How far under depends on a few things I haven't nailed down yet.

I haven't sold any of these little guys outside of Canada yet, but they're going for the equivalent of 540 USD to give you an idea.

 

I look forward to these coming out. Good luck to you sir!

 

Thanks! I'm looking forward to the big ones too. 42 quart is a nice size for a weekend, but I'd like to be able to stock up on lots of goodies for a much longer trip into the unknown.

 

Yea, my problem is that no matter how big it is I'll just fill it anyway... And I discovered after purchase that it's really easy to fill 51qt :/

 

Snorkel from the group buy came in a while ago... got it installed today. Looks purdy, but you have to wait till at least tomorrow for pics.

 

Hey man, if you want a good AGM Battery, I'm selling my one year old odyssey. Still has warranty. I'll give you a fellow BC TW price. Not trying to sell something you don't want, but just thought it might help you out! Especially with running your own fridges! That's so cool dude

 

any more news about the fridges? I'm in the market for one

 

Got a full time job in December plus working on a master's degree and renovating a house has made for not much fridge development time.

I have a few 42 quart models piled up in the basement that I've been too busy to sell... shipping to you might be a PITA but PM me address and I'll give you a quote

 

Thanks for the offer! I was just going to wait till I needed to replace this one again... but that'll take years.. why are you selling? Is it a group 27F?

 

Subbed just for the fridge jk I like the truck too!

 

I'm selling because I went dual battery and wanted matching group 35s. It's the odyssey 34r-pc1500. not quite as big as a 27, but still has substantial reserve. I've never had a problem running my fridge or lights on it! I can give you the receipt as well for warranty purposes if you have any troubles with it!

 

I've been taking advantage of the nice weather this week to finish painting my Brute Force HC rear bumper. It's getting close to install time which is making me very nervous. Anyone have install tips? I think I'm going to use the jigsaw to make the cuts and I'm in search of a 1.5" wrench to borrow for the swing out.

Sorry I missed this. Thanks for the offer, but I think I'd like to go matching group 35s next as well. I checked out the first few posts in your build thread and your Argentina trip sounds like a blast! How long are you expecting it to take?