Another Around the World Tacoma

Haha you know I always prefer our face-to-face interactions, but glad to hear it.

And thank you. I'm one lucky guy.

 

Thanks Jeff, I appreciate it.

Appreciate it! And I haven't forgot about the loaded out photos, I just haven't figured out how to photograph it yet, but I'm working on it!

 

Take care of the more important things; getting married, power upgrades and truck maintenance.

 

glorious thanks for sharing this with us!

 

Much appreciated!

 

Our time in Phoenix is coming to a close, so now is a good time to catch up on what has been done while we have been here.

These aren't in any particular order, but all things that were done since we returned to Phx to pet sit while my brother is traveling.

Our time here was productive, but not overly enjoyable, especially since it was still over 100 degrees most days and I had a lot of outside/garage related things to get done.

We got the Prius fully detailed (paint correction) and sold.

I spent ~12 hours doing a full paint correction on the truck as well, as it was covered in pinstripes from our Kofa adventure back in April of this year.

It's hard to see, but the paint is back to being silky smooth with a deep shine to it. I know we live outside, in this truck, but I still want to do my best to keep it in as good of condition as I can.

Oil Change and Detail by Michael Rickerd, on Flickr

Despite it being a bit early, I performed an oil change. Oil changed, tires rotated, and both air filters sprayed out on 10/15/2023 at 23,979 miles.

Oil Change and Detail by Michael Rickerd, on Flickr

I think we will be somewhere conducive to completing our 30,000 mile service when we get to that mileage.

I purchased a threaded 90 degree elbow for our water tank. Not being able to pour water into the opening I added to the tank itself was a big bummer, so this rectified that issue.

Now, the tank can be filled 100% without using the pump itself to top it off. I tested for leaks over the course of 4 days and found no problems. The fitting is very tight.

Upgrades - Oct 2023 by Michael Rickerd, on Flickr

This does protrude into the area behind the fridge, but I do not foresee it being a problem. It doesn't block the closest pouch, and while we do use the space behind the fridge to store things, they are often times grabbed from the area to the left of the elbow (when looking at the tank).

A big change came when we swapped out our old Camp Chef Everest 2.0 stove for this new Eureka Ignite stove.

I originally went with the Everest because I thought I would need the actual stove sides themselves to actually hold the stove up in the air while mounted to the backdoor. So I purchased the most robust stove I could find that fit the bill. But after using the stove I found out that using small wire rope to suspend the bottom from the top was the way to go.

Also, I added that slide out cutting board, which was useful when first installed, but quickly became obsolete whenever I added the aluminum table to the underside of the overhang on the CC. In the end it was just too bulky.

The final straw (apart from the small leak the stove had, the main reason it got replaced) had to do with the grate on the Everest and how it simply rests on top of the aluminum cover around the burners. Whenever you would open the stove and begin tilting it down, the grate would stay vertical, and if you forgot to grab it before it came crashing down, you would have to hear a rather unpleasant noise. Cry me a river, I know, but it certainly got annoying after a while.

The new stove is much smaller physically, while still allowing us to use our 10" cookware, and therefore takes up less space on the rear door and protrudes less into the truck when the door is closed. It is also mounted at a height that allows us to close or open the door with the stove in the down position. This is not something we have yet to do, but it is nice to know it can be done. Our old stove couldn't do this, due to the cutting board and its overall thickness.

Upgrades - Oct 2023 by Michael Rickerd, on Flickr

The stove also boasts advanced simmer control, which I have found to be truthful. The knobs each require two full turns to fully open, but the first 360 degrees of rotation on this new stove is equivalent to roughly 1/8 of a rotation on the Everest stove. We find that we rarely need full BTU's, but we find that we almost always need more precise control of low level flow.

I must have been a bit rough with the Everest stove as I was getting everything figured out, because it did develop a small internal leak. The piping inside had completely broken loose of what it was mounted to inside of the stove, likely causing the issue. I have learned from all of that, and have fit and secured the propane hose in a way that avoids this issue with the new stove.

All in all, while I felt dumb for needing to replace the stove, I am glad to have swapped it.

We tried to repair our damaged Trasharoo, but it was simply too far gone. I found a similar style of spare tire trash can, this one with a lifetime warranty, to test out. It is a Rhino Bag and I will report back about how it handles being outside permanently. The old Trasharoo lasted a bit less than two years outside, which isn't too bad for 50 dollars.

Now on to the largest addition to the truck: The dual, dual battery setup!

I am a terrible predictor of the future, and when I first designed this system I did not know that Stacy would be joining me, or that her work would provide her with the most power hungry computer ever built, so I had to get us more capacity in both storage and energy acquisition.

This became apparent out at Locust Point, where it became clear that our 100ah and 200w of solar couldn't keep up with all of our work energy demands.

The approach was broken down into a few steps:

- Determine what battery to get
- Determine where to put this second house battery (engine bay or in the camper near the other battery)
- Determine what MC4 connectors I would need to add (2) more panels
- Purchase the battery and panels
- Put it all in

I hopped on Renogy's site and was eyeing their new smart Bluetooth battery, the step above the non-smart Bluetooth battery that I currently have. I was also researching running two 12v batteries in parallel, and it led me to ask Renogy if I could install these two different batteries (both LifePO4 mind you) in parallel. They informed me that I COULD NOT run these two batteries (same chemistry, almost identical, but different part numbers) in parallel. Well, that does it, I guess I am ordering the exact battery I currently have. No problem. They are almost the same in every way.

With that out of the way it was time to figure out where to install the battery. I originally wanted to stash it in the engine bay, despite the added heat, as I didn't want to clutter up the bed any more than I already had. But, turns out the Renogy battery simply doesn't fit anywhere up there, so in the back it goes. Figuring out its placement wasn't too hard, there aren't a lot of options space wise, though the battery can be installed in any orientation, thankfully.

I opted to use a 4 into 1 MC4 adapter to connect all of the solar panels into the MPPT. Renogy didn't sell this, so I ordered one off of Amazon.

With that, I bought it all and waited to hear from my brother that it had arrived. Renogy has pretty fast shipping fyi. Everything arrived in just 4 days.

Alright, install time. I started with the battery.

Our wetsuits are almost the same size as this new battery. We can easily store the wetsuits somewhere else (in the new Alu-Cab roof box when it finally arrives), so this battery really won't mess up our closet area in any way.

I decided to use the same type of mounting system as the original battery, the 1.5" strap from HD. It isn't installed in the photo below, as the paint was still drying, but I used the existing 2020 extrusions to 'clamp' the battery between them and the water tank. I used that sound deadening material on the strap to help keep the battery secure. I used oversized washers and M5 hardware to connect the strap to the extrusions.

Wiring, while originally a bit daunting, ended up being very straightforward. My main battery was at ~80% charge and the new one supposedly had ~50%, according to the manufacturer. This disparity in charge level was not an issue.

To maintain a 12v output, while doubling your capacity, you want to wire the batteries in parallel. This means positive to positive and negative to negative.

In order to have the batteries both charge and discharge at the same rate (roughly, it can be ~5% off at times) you want to have the ground come in to one of the batteries, while the positive comes out of the other battery. You do not want the main ground and power output to be attached to just one of the batteries. This will still work, but is not the correct way to do it.

With that in mind, I decided to leave the main power output attached to the old battery, and move the main ground to the new battery.

I maintained 4g wire throughout. I cut and then used a mechanical splice connector to extend the main ground to reach the new batteries negative terminal.

I then made (2) jumpers to go between the two positive terminal and the two negative terminals.

Avoid getting too electrocuted, and be prepared for the quick and pain-free arcing that happens when you connect the two batteries, and cross your fingers that it all worked out.

House Battery Upgrade by Michael Rickerd, on Flickr

Yes the wiring is messy down there, that is one of the downsides of the SP9100 (though not nearly enough to not get one or to choose a competitor), but that little area is just a bit messy and will stay that way.

Nothing caught on fire (haha), and my Renogy app popped up with good news! We are now a triple battery vehicle.

House Battery Upgrade by Michael Rickerd, on Flickr

Once connected the batteries began balancing each other out, that's what the 2A and -2.2A represents. The app shares with me the overall level of the system (the number under the partially filled battery symbol) as well as the levels of each battery individually, and finally what the charge controller is seeing.

With the battery taken care of it was now time to add the (2) new 100w panels (the same model as the two that are already up there) to the roof.

This was relatively straightforward, with the only difficulty coming from the fact that the roof tracks aren't parallel all the way to the front. They follow the angle of the tent itself, which turns in at the overhang.

Not a huge problem, though I did have to get creative with bending a mount (poorly, very poorly) to secure the drivers side. It also means the panels aren't square/parallel all the way down, but oh well. It is what it is.

400w of Solar by Michael Rickerd, on Flickr

I moved all of the panels as forward as I could. I did this to help with the amount of weight that the roof struts need to overcome to open the tent. I was able to slide the two rear panels forward ~14 inches to relieve this burden a bit. The Starlink and omni-directional antenna stayed where they were. I need them near the top of the tent so that they have the greatest chance at getting good signal.

I used that 4 into 1 MC4 connector to get the panels connected to the P50 Andersen plug on the roof of the CC. The panels have enough wiring attached to them, and the 4 into 1 MC4 connector had long enough leads, that I needed no other connectors in the system to have all 4 panels linked together.

With all that done, we are now in business. Based on some simple math, we can handle a decent amount of cloud coverage for a decent amount of time without worry.

Alright, where does that leave us? Seems to be about it.

We will be spending next week in Cornville again, finishing up a 1/4 mile trail that Stacy and I created up there. We need to plant a sign in the ground and install ~10 steps in the steepest portion of the trail.

We built this trail a few weeks ago to connect her sisters property up the the larger trail system behind their place. It starts at this sandy fire pit area and goes .24 miles and 167 feet up a few washes to the plateau above. We cleared the entire thing and placed rocks alongside both edges of the trail in its entirety. I also added a lookout area .11 miles up the trail, which overlooks the property and the creek below. It turned out really nice tbh, but it was some serious backbreaking labor.

After that we will travel west, through a rather sparsely populated area of central AZ, as we slowly make our way towards St. George for a family Thanksgiving gathering. After that it is Death Valley NP for 1-2 months and then Baja California for as long as the weather is ideal (~3 months I think).

I have a few photos I took on the last night at Marble Canyon that I need to edit and then add to this thread.

On the photography note, I am getting out of control! My D7500 left a bit to be desired, so I found a Nikon D500 to upgrade to. I also went full crazy and purchased new lenses, including a 200-500mm super telephoto lens.

Nikon D500 with Nikkor 200-500 f/5.6 Supertelephoto by Michael Rickerd, on Flickr

Now when my pictures turn out terrible I have no one to blame but myself. The D500 is considered one of the best DSLR's ever made, and its autofocus system has yet to be bested. I now have glass that ranges all the way from 10mm (wide angle) to 500mm (super telephoto). I really like taking photos. There is so much to see when you are stationary in one place for so long. Photos take me back to a place and time too. When I look at them I transport to the place they were taken, and I like that. They help me not forget the things that I have done.

I did receive a polite notice that I would not be bringing the D7500 along, so I need to find someone to buy that from me before we go. Haha

Can't wait to leave this place and get back on the road. I miss the excellent sleep I was getting in the truck, the solitude, and most importantly, the simplicity of that existence. There is just too much to contend with living in a populated place.

 

I still have a lot to learn, but here is an initial attempt at some evening and moon photos.

Moonshot - First Attempt - Edited by Michael Rickerd, on Flickr

This one looks much better. I think the slight increase in ISO on the upper shot took its toll on the paint of the truck.

MC - Sept 2023 by Michael Rickerd, on Flickr

 

This is so cool…..thanks for sharing this journey with us

 

I appreciate reading that, thank you!

 

A buddy would bring his big Nikon with him on big day trad routes. We would frequently climb two other friends, one of which constantly made fun of the camera coming along. The jokes ended after the photos were shared after the first trip. After that, I carried most of his water and lunch to make sure he brought it.

 

Did you change up your rear camera location? If I recall you originally put just above the bumper and right of the slot used to lower the OEM spare. I would think with the swing out and bike rack, most of the image would be blocked.

 

I haven't made the decision to carry it through a canyon yet, but I would expect similar results!

 

The thought has crossed my mind, but no, I have not changed the location of the rear view camera yet.

As of now, the pivot portion and bike rack cut off about 15% of the bottom of the image, but the camera still looks through the opening above the rack and between the bike wheels, meaning I can see everything I need to see.

The only time the camera is completely blocked is when we have the cover on the bikes, but we only do this on dirt roads when we aren't likely to be tailgated. We don't use the bike cover while on paved roads. With the cover on the camera is useless and I rely solely on the side mirrors.

Moving it to a higher place on the camper is an idea though. I would want a more flush mounted camera, not the way that it is now. This one would stick out too much and get bumped around as we opened the tent and all of that.

 

Wow.

What a great build thread. I thought I put a lot of time into my build thread.....then I saw this. Amazing job here both on the documentation and the labor you put into this.

AWESOME!

 

Nice images - Nikon Rules -

 

Just rolled the odometer on my D7200, I like the D7200 and sport a less obstructive Sigma 100-400. Much easier to handle and take a nice image.
If I had the dough I'd probably look at the Z8 coupled with the Nikon 100-400. If I were in the market I'd talk turkey on the D7500 as I'm in Phoenix
myself, but with a stent operation on the horizon I wouldn't be able to swing it.

 

Awesome thread and you really seem to be doing life right! God Bless you and your family!

 

Thank you, I really appreciate that!

I'm not sure how many people will see this thread, but I try to overload it with as much information as I can recall, because that's what I always wanted to see when I was planning out my build, but would rarely come across. It has already helped enough people to justify the effort, so I'll keep it up.

 

Agreed, I have a strange attachment to Nikon for some reason.

 

Thank you.