Wackyhacky's 2013 TaCOmarado Build

Awesome! thanks for the reply. I'm still fine tuning my buildout and these would work great for my application.

 

Just got my canopy camper installed. Some great info in this thread, thanks for the inspiration!

 

Thanks! You are going to love it. Just reminded me, I should probably do some updates on here. I have been slacking.

 

sorry if it’s a stupid question. But why specifically the 40amp breaker? I’ve been studying many systems trying to make my own schematic and have seen multiple people run 30amp and 100amp as well. All similar outputs it seems too

 

Not stupid at all! It is based on my possible total amp load/draw moving through the system and wire size handling the load. 40amp being more than enough to protect the most I am ever going to have running through it. Others may have more draw or planning to have more draw as they add more to their system.

 

Well, I have been pretty dead on here since winter has come, and no camper work to speak of has really been accomplished since the snow started flying. Mainly b/c I just want to ski with all my free time at the moment. That being said, I did finish a few things before winter hit that I haven't updated on here. First I decided to go with using a Milwaukee Pack Out box & crate for dry food storage until I decide if I want to build anymore permanent storage on the passenger side of the truck. This has worked out pretty well for us as we used it on a couple fall trips.

I got this large tool box & "fancy" milk crate using some gift cards I had collecting dust.



Then after realizing the Milwaukee brand mounting plate was going to be too big for the space, I found these metal ones off Ebay that people water jet out and they were the perfect size. There is a huge DIY community for this Pack Out stuff. All kinds of stuff.



That being said, I did have to modify/cut some clearance off the one end for the water tank strap so I could mount it to the base plate.



With the mounting plate secured to the base plate, I can lock the two into the floor in either orientation I want (crate on top or bottom), but we decided the crate on top works the best for us. I wouldn't want it much tighter than it is, but I can remove them from inside or from outside the side window if need be & lift them out. What we have found works the best is we leave the crate empty and then at meal time we use it to carry out dry food or fridge stuff from the camper to the "kitchen" so we haven't even needed to remove the big box at all.




It isn't a bad temporary solution at all for now and we can access it easily inside or outside the camper. It also is rock solid when locked into the plate. The truck/camper got a pretty good rock N roll session in the fall over Hagerman Pass and it never came loose.

I also finally got around to riveting the driver's side bug net to the camper, which had to be done. I prepped all the metal & used adhesive promoter as well, but by fall the summer heat had the velcro drooping. Definitely something that is worth the effort to do. Eventually I will install & do this for the passenger side as well, but it's still sitting in the box. ha ha...





Finally, the last thing I did was get this higher quality bug screen made for the rear door as I had mentioned months ago, that my Amazon one just didn't hold up to the abuse. It performed well, but I didn't get to use it much before cold weather. The design is similar, but it's made from much higher quality screen and other materials that promises to hold up to being taken up & down, folded etc. I am considering offering these for sale possibly in the future (because like me, you may prefer a screen that doesn't require zipping & unzipping all the time). More on that as I get to test it more this summer.
The main difference other than the high quality screen is that in addition to the magnets that pull it close at the split, there is also fiberglass rods that support the entry which make it easier to push open and then fall closed behind you.

 

Like I said, that was it for camper build stuff, but the one winter project I wanted to get done got put on the back burner unfortunately. I was already to work on getting the truck re-geared, when I started to notice the damn TOB start squeaking. Of course!!! So, considering that was going to need fixed and we are closing in on 100k miles, re-gearing switched to clutch/transmission upgrades instead. I got the TOB upgrade kit from Gadget@URD (which should keep it from wearing prematurely again) along with their Torque U heavy weight flywheel and paired it with a Stage 1 Clutch kit from SPEC Clutch. This should take care of things in that department for awhile hopefully. I used L1 Automotive in Loveland for the install expertise on this one and highly recommend those guys. Their shop & parking lot is full of 4x4 Yotas, so I knew I was in good hands after seeing that & speaking with owner. It's not always easy to find someone willing to do upgrade work (& allow you to supply parts) like this for a reasonable amount of money and they were great to work with & did a fantastic job, which also included a new rear main seal & fluid service for the tranny & Xfer Case as part of the work. The clutch is still in the break in period of course, but the pedal feel is really nice on this clutch and just in the little bit of stop & go traffic I encountered I can already tell this heavy weight flywheel is also a nice improvement in drivability. It should make off road driving a pleasure with a manual, which I am looking forward to as well.

 

You ever end up selling these? I’d be interested

 

Hi Joe,

Actually, I am just looking into this again. I wanted to test mine over several trips before I even considered selling them, which meant I really didn't get to use it till this spring/summer. I am happy to report that it has held up really well & done it's job. We camped in what turned out to be two pretty buggy spots (for CO anyway) and it really did a great job of keeping them out of the camper as long as your wife makes sure it's closed when she exits... ha ha ha.

I am going to shoot a little video about how we are using it & how it works for us, so I have some more information to share. Additionally, I also am working on current quotes for a multiple unit order to know where I would have to price them at. Either way, I will let you know on that as soon as I have that information together.

Thanks for reaching out & I will be in touch once I have some current information.

Keith

 

Looking for some advice: are you happy with the Deaver Stage 3 leaf pack? I need to stiffen up the rear end of my truck and I'm trying to decide if I need a custom pack or the Stage 3 will be sufficient. I'm currently on the icon pack, rated at 600lb and it is just passable with no extra gear / water / food / etc. My truck already weighs around 6000lb without any gear, which is a lot more than I had estimated by tallying up my camper and extras.

 

So, I would say in terms of supporting that weight and maintaining some lift, that Stage III will meet that need no problem and in my opinion hasn't been a terrible compromise in ride quality either. I was surprised that they didn't feel like a complete dump truck early on (before I really started adding weight to the camper). I honestly, still haven't taken weights with my setup, (fully loaded or moderately loaded) so I can't tell you where my numbers are at present. After 2 years & about 10k+ miles, I still have a slight rake front to back when I am fully loaded for a trip, therefore I can say they hold it all really well for an out of the box solution.

Now, all that being said, I think that if you have accurate weight data and your build out (as far as adding serious weight) is more or less complete, I would take that information and get a custom pack made by Deaver or Alcan. There isn't much of a premium for getting a pack made for exactly what you need, so if you are good with your build where it is, I would 100% go that route to get the best possible ride quality and performance. It is certainly what I plan to do at some point, along with matching the shock valving to the spring rates as well to get it perfect.

I would also highly recommend Hammer Hangers or similar products if you don't already have them. That really made the rear end feel better in conjunction with the Deavers.

 

Thanks for the quick reply! Some great insight there - really helpful. My build out is nearly there, but in addition to a new leaf pack, I'll be adding an Outgear Solutions rear bumper, hammer hangers, RCI diff skid, and simple interior camper cabinets (1/2 length on driver side, eventually full length on passenger). Hopefully close enough to make a decision if I contact Deaver.

 

No problem! Yeah, knowing what you know already & those additional weights I would imagine you will be close enough for sure. Good Luck!