Another Around the World Tacoma

Thank you. I tried to PM you but you don't allow messages.

 

I actually found a local who is willing to let me 'test drive' a tune on my truck to see if I like it before I commit to buying it, so I'll get that on the schedule sometime soon.

 

Front bumper was removed in anticipation of the new 12k winch being delivered.

I removed the old synthetic winch line and I will put a loop in each end so that I can have a winch line extension, just in case.

 

I pulled the front bumper on Friday, with Stacy's help, and the winch arrived late that night, so I tackled the install early Saturday morning.

New Winch Install - Warn VR Evo 12S by Michael Rickerd, on Flickr

This gave us a chance to check out all of the bumper hardware, which was all in great shape, as the bumper hasn't been on the truck for very long. We cleaned everything up with a wire brush in anticipation of an easy reinstallation.

I went with the 12S as they say you should double the weight of your truck as a baseline for the minimum winch size.

I swapped from a Warn Zeon to a Warn VR, so there were some minor differences. The VR, despite having a higher capacity, is actually a bit smaller in all dimensions.

It also has a slightly different control module. On my setup, the control module cannot live directly on top of the winch, as it might be on a Jeep for example, as some metal structure is back there. So my old control module was relocated to a homemade aluminum structure.

I didn't want to have to buy more stuff, so I modified the Zeon relocation bracket for the VR module. The holes were almost identical, so I just stepped up the size of each hole by 1/16" and used washers to secure the module to the bracket.

The VR has just enough cable from the module down to the winch to use the old holes in the aluminum structure to mount it. However, the winch is on the frame, and the module is on the chassis/cab, so they move independently of one another. So I lowered the mounting holes, using M8 nutserts, 3" to make sure everything has room to flex without issue.

All of the wiring was the same as the previous winch. With two sets of hands, the bumper went back on very quickly and easily.

New Winch Install - Warn VR Evo 12S by Michael Rickerd, on Flickr

First test was a success. This winch makes me realize, when it did work, how poorly my old winch ran. This new one is so smooth and responsive. Very happy this was taken care of. I torque striped all of the bolts on the front bumper as well.

I removed the old synthetic winch line to make an extension. This thing was dirty so I gave it a thorough cleaning. I am waiting on a Fid to arrive so that I can get two eyes in the lines ends.

New Winch Install - Warn VR Evo 12S by Michael Rickerd, on Flickr

The lower shock mount bolts arrived from Offroad Warehouse, so those got installed, loctite-ed, torqued, and torque striped as well. No more issues with these please.

We added some support to the backseat area after we did our test fit.

New Winch Install - Warn VR Evo 12S by Michael Rickerd, on Flickr

This netting will allow us to keep three of our rope/adventure bags nice and in place. The top hooks to the Meso overhead rack (finally have a use for this thing, purchased it two years ago) and the lower corners are attached to small d-rings secured to two OEM bolts in the rear seat cubbies.

New Winch Install - Warn VR Evo 12S by Michael Rickerd, on Flickr

Nice and stable with the bags pressed in there. It is also double layered, with the opening along the top of the netting, so we can tuck thin/light things in there if we need to.

We did a similar thing to the underside of the sleeping platform. The pouches I made over a year ago never quite worked out, as I barely knew what I was doing back then.

So we went with another piece of stretchy netting, affixed to medium-ish d-rings on the M5 bolts that I used to secure the old pouches. This was purely a Stacy idea, and it is working out wonderfully.

It keeps things tight and in place and you can modify where you hook the carabiners to to either create tension or make a certain section looser, depending on what you need up there.

New Winch Install - Warn VR Evo 12S by Michael Rickerd, on Flickr

I am really happy with it, and it gives us better utilization of that space, as there are no separations between the 'pockets'.

I found a write up for converting Starlink to run on DC power, so I bought the tools and components for that. I rewired the Starlink Dish cabling, and another ethernet cable, so I can use a DC-DC converter to take my systems 12v and increase it to 48v to send it through a POE to the dish, which houses the modem. We bought a router and wired it to run on 12v as well (very simple). The converter hasn't arrived yet (today), so that system isn't completely done, but I'll get photos once it is complete.

I have the dish stored in the Pelican case on the top of the cab. It fits pretty well, and I am thinking my solution for keeping it in place will keep it from sliding around as we are bumping along off road.

We also purchased an XTool D8 to keep in the truck. It is basically a dealership level diagnostic computer with an easy-to-use interface. It does everything. Hopefully we never need it, as if we do that means something is seriously wrong with the truck. However, it can take a peak into any OBD-II vehicle, up to 2026 (we get free yearly updates for 3 years after purchase), so it may be helpful one day for someone else. At the very least it is a nice piece of mind, and I can now change my own and my friends seatbelt chimes, number of blinks with the blinker, etc.

Departure day is quickly approaching, which is awesome, as it is supremely hot here this time of year.

Most things on the truck are completed. Without being loaded out, this is basically how we will be traveling. Our to-do list is very small, and mainly consists of personal things outside of the truck.

Hoping to test Starlink tomorrow.

Until then.

 

The DC-DC converter arrived and I got right into it. 113 degrees be damned, I have things to get done!

Its design is a bit subpar. The holes that you can use to secure it are so close to the body that it skews the bolts when they get close to being tight.

Starlink Install by Michael Rickerd, on Flickr

So I used a Dremel and cut out the hole to the edge to resolve this issue.

Starlink Install by Michael Rickerd, on Flickr

I used (2) M5 nutserts and bolts to get this secured to the Power Command Center (PCC). It is the silver thing in the photo below.

I placed the Power Over Ethernet (POE) just below the converter. It is the black box with the green light in the photo below.

Starlink Install by Michael Rickerd, on Flickr

I wired the converter into the BlueSea fuse block. I put it in the only remaining place on the block. I checked with the multimeter and I see 48v on the output at the POE connector. With nothing on I see a 0A draw on the battery. This confirms that when this system is off, and the dish is unplugged, that no juice is being pulled from the system.

I stashed the router up and under the bed platform, on a small shelf at the cab end of the camper. I stuck the hooked part of a Velcro strip to the underside of the router, and simply placed it on that grey carpet up there. It hooked right into the carpet and it is plenty secure for its weight.

This is the part that finally feels a bit excessive. I mean, a router? Haha. It simply feels like some threshold was crossed I suppose.

Starlink Install by Michael Rickerd, on Flickr

To use Starlink all I will have to do is press the power button on the router, set the dish outside, plug the cord into it, and then plug the other end of the cord into the POE. Give the dish ~3 minutes to do its thing (based on a family members setup) and you have internet.

This is the overall layout of the PCC as we near departure. A bit disorganized wire-wise, but I could only see so far ahead when I originally laid it out. The important aspect is what matters, and that is that everything works as intended, which it does.

Starlink Install by Michael Rickerd, on Flickr

 

I decided to take a look inside of my faulty Warn Zeon 8S winch, for research purposes. Maybe this info will help me in the future.

The winch is approximately 8 years old and spent time in FL and then AZ.

I was pretty surprised by what was inside.

This is the winch without that cross piece that hold the two halves together. I took that off to get the old synthetic winch line off easier.

8yo Warn Zeon 8S Teardown by Michael Rickerd, on Flickr

The drum itself is pretty gross, but pleasant compared to what I would find inside.

When I removed the bolts holding the winch motor side together, a disgusting smelling water came out of the unit. Not a good sign, and this half definitely was not IP68 watertight like Warn says it is.

Oof. Yeah. Not what I expected to see.

8yo Warn Zeon 8S Teardown by Michael Rickerd, on Flickr

I pulled a c-clip and pounded out the center shaft of the drum. The entire inside was full of some dry dirt and some moist dirt. I live in Phoenix, where the temp is 111 degrees and there is maybe 30% humidity. Seems like once water gets in, it doesn't want to come out too easily.

8yo Warn Zeon 8S Teardown by Michael Rickerd, on Flickr

More of the same on the planetary gears side. This side was not spared either.

8yo Warn Zeon 8S Teardown by Michael Rickerd, on Flickr

The planetary gear hub. This is the setup that allows a rather small electric motor to pull with such tremendous force. The motor spins fast and the drum spins slow, but with a whole lot more torque.

Unfortunately for the winch, the entire thing is rusted to bits, and two of the three largest gears were rusted in place. Several wacks with a hammer did not free them. This is likely what caused the winch to cease functioning properly; along with the general state of everything else.

8yo Warn Zeon 8S Teardown by Michael Rickerd, on Flickr

The only non-rusty component was a beauty cover on the gears end that makes the winch look symmetrical.

8yo Warn Zeon 8S Teardown by Michael Rickerd, on Flickr

Nasty

8yo Warn Zeon 8S Teardown by Michael Rickerd, on Flickr

The gears themselves, all rusted to bits.

8yo Warn Zeon 8S Teardown by Michael Rickerd, on Flickr

After cutting two wires I got the motor side separated. It was also a mess, and no wonder why the winch wouldn't function.

8yo Warn Zeon 8S Teardown by Michael Rickerd, on Flickr

8yo Warn Zeon 8S Teardown by Michael Rickerd, on Flickr

8yo Warn Zeon 8S Teardown by Michael Rickerd, on Flickr

Tearing this old winch down taught me some things:

- Keep up on winch maintenance. Probably not best to have an attitude of 'It's alright, it'll work when I need it to', like I used to have. Unspool your line every so often (once a month while we are living in the truck for me) and check out the drum, cleaning it if necessary.
- Maybe quickly splashing through those mud puddles isn't such a good idea. Hopefully Warn has better QC nowadays, ~8 years later, but it's probably best to try and keep the winch clean if you can help it.
- When washing the truck, try to avoid spraying the winch directly with water. Maybe also unspool the winch line and let it dry fully before running it back in.

Anyways, just some observations that may help out at a future date. I now know that I will be keeping a much closer eye on my winch from now on.

 

Have you seen this tool setup.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=uftN7F5Xqvg

 

Yes I have, I found it after I wrote that post that you quoted.

My setup ended up being very similar to his in the end.

I'll share exactly what mine has it in as I get more confident that it has everything that I may need.

Thanks for sharing.

 

Did you drag that thing out of the Truk (Chuuk) lagoon?

 

I know. What a disaster.

 

I'm scare to look at mine now

 

We took the truck north this past weekend to spend the weekend experimenting with our setup. We have camped in it a lot, but this time we focused intently on using the entire setup as we will during what we anticipate our future life to be like.

We set out to spend our days as we will be spending them M-Th, as those are the days (at least for now) that we will be working remotely.

So, we found a nice spot, near-ish enough to some hiking and views, and set up camp.

At 8,790 ft of elevation, we welcomed the cooler weather. It is abysmally hot here in Phoenix, so escaping up north, and then heading even higher into the mountains, was very enjoyable.

Pre-Departure Practice by Michael Rickerd, on Flickr

Pre-Departure Practice by Michael Rickerd, on Flickr

Our main goals (apart from escaping the heat) were to simulate what we will be doing 53 days from now.

Everything went well. We set up our exercise equipment, tested out some items we bought, and talked about the general vibe of what we anticipated.

This is all as good as we can make it, as we know that only the real deal will show us exactly what it will be like.

The truck and camper are as comfortable as ever. The Shadow Awn gave us shade in the afternoon after a long hike, and all of the amenities stacked on top of the Tacomas frame were exquisite.

We finally found some excellent camp chairs, the Nemo Moonlite. They are remarkably comfortable, and very easy to get used to.

Our main goal out of everything, was to test out the Starlink setup. This device is the reason that we can leave as early as we are leaving, so getting it figured out is important.

At first I had some troubles. I had the dish out in the field near the truck, and it was talking to the satellites zooming past in LEO effectively, constantly really. I was under the impression that the dish locked on to a single satellite overhead and just used that. I learned that is not the case, as it continuously updates which satellite it is communicating with as they pass through its view.

I could see the dish was doing what it was supposed to be doing, but I couldn't get any internet. 0.01 mbps down and up. Not good.

Turns out, I hadn't set up the router. Beginner mistake.

So I set that up, changed it's name and password and chose the settings that best aligned with what Starlink offers.

Alright, with that changed, I was now connected to the router, but the dish would no longer communicate with the router, or any satellites as a by product.

It turns out that I had to let the capacitors in the dish drain down (takes ~90 minutes according to folks online). So I left it for the night and tried it again the following day.

With the capacitors drained, it was no longer trying to communicate with the router under its old name, and in just a handful of minutes we had 20-50 mbps download speeds within ~100 ft (I didn't test how far away I could get, though I will at a later date) of the truck.

Pre-Departure Practice by Michael Rickerd, on Flickr

The area we were in was 1.87% obstructed, according to the Starlink app. This resulted, over the course of 4 hours, in 11 seconds where the dish couldn't communicate with a satellite. Not bad really. We will have to prioritize finding spots with open areas nearby, but we don't have to be in the wide open desert to get internet. If two of the trees had just been ~5 feet shorter we would have had no obstructions. There can't be a mountain (or other large obstruction) that is both close by and to the north, as that's the direction the dish faces in the northern hemisphere.

We practiced video calls with each other, no problems, and checked out how the internet worked in general. It functioned exactly as it does at home, where my brother pays for top-tier internet from our local provider.

I'd call it a win.

The dish will drain its 'batteries' every time we put it away, and it has to basically set itself up every time I put it out, so it does take ~10 minutes for the download speeds to stabilize to an acceptable level to do our jobs.

The system used 2.7A on average as it was running. On a sunny day this will easily be negated, as the panels can pump ~9A into the battery on average, and even more in direct sunlight.

It was not fun to head back down into the heat at the end of the weekend, but we are close enough to escaping this place that we were excited about our experience.

Until next time.

 

38 days to go!

As we get closer to departure, we have been putting all of our efforts into practicing our setup. Just when we think our list is done, we find a dozen or so little things to tweak.

We spent the past weekend up near West Clear Creek, escaping some of the hotter temperatures of the valley. This time we focused on our weekly food prep, determining if we had any weak spots as far as that goes.

WCC - 7-20 Weekend - 1 by Michael Rickerd, on Flickr

We didn't encounter any issues during food prep. It was pretty relaxing to prep and cook food out in nature. I routinely notice this strange phenomena, that when you aren't in a house, you don't feel rushed to do menial tasks. At home, flossing my teeth always feels like it's holding me back from something, so I do it quickly. But out in nature? I just sit back, or wander around aimlessly, and floss my teeth. The same thing happened with food prep. There was no pressure to hurry and get things done. This feeling is awesome.

We did test out Starlink again. We were in decently thick forest, with fairly tall trees (for this part of the country at least), so this showed us that finding a suitable location isn't always going to be easy. We also found that if we elevated the dish off of the ground, it is as if all of the trees that are obstructing it are that much shorter. So, following another ACCC owners idea from Expedition Portal, I purchased a pivot mount for the dish, and I will mount that to the very top of the tent on the passenger side roof rail. This will put the dish ~11'-6" above the ground, which will help out immensely I think. I will slide my solar panels forwards the distance required to fit the mount, about 12" it seems.

The pivot mount can be laid flat, where it is just a bit thicker than the solar panels. I will determine the angle I need to set it to, and then mark the mount with a marker, so getting it vertical is a piece of cake each time I need to use it. We will only use this in wooded areas, when necessary, otherwise the ground is way more convenient.

We have it 'strapped' down in the above photo, as it was a bit windy where we were, and I didn't want it slipping off of the box. It functioned well, and we practiced more video calls amongst ourselves and with some of Stacy's family.

We are considering looking into a more capable router, one that you can also plug a SIM card into, that also has the ability to meld/mesh the various 4G/5G/LTE bands out there into one usable signal. I need to do some detailed research on this, mainly to see if the SIM card and this meshing of bands is more effective than our cell phones at having signal. If it does, and we can get an unlimited data plan, then we will spend the money on the more sophisticated router to increase our internet connectivity.

This is all only a concern because Stacy needs consistent video chat capabilities to perform her work. And this requires a steady connection at all times, plus it needs decent speeds at all times too. If we didn't have to do this then we would be fine, as all other aspects of the internet work without issue. We just want to be very certain that her connectivity is top notch as often as it can be. Plus, if we can get internet without even needing to deploy the Starlink, that saves us on electricity demand, which is never a bad thing in my opinion.

We also tested out some CGear sand-free mats around the truck and we really liked them. They make walking around without shoes comfortable, and they are nice to lay down on. We took a 10x10 ft mat and cut it in half, half along the back and half along the drivers side. Worked great. Lightweight and easy to tuck in the backseat amongst our gear.

Trying (and failing) to be artsy with some photography. I have a lot to learn still. Practice, practice, practice.

WCC - 7-20 Weekend - 2 by Michael Rickerd, on Flickr

While we were out there we hiked a bunch, did a canyon, and enjoyed the creek.

Cool/cold water was refreshing to be in.

Adventure Prep by Michael Rickerd, on Flickr

Stacy disappearing down a rappel

Adventure Prep by Michael Rickerd, on Flickr

Getting home, we had ~12 things to add to the to-do list.

This was done prior to this past weekend, but we switched to a full size shovel. Our smaller one was nice, but it's a pain to dig holes as a tall guy with such a small shovel. Plus it also didn't like being pried on to get dirt out of the holes we dug.

The only place we found that made enough sense to install a shovel.

Adventure Prep by Michael Rickerd, on Flickr

I did cut the end down by two inches so that the shovel won't interfere with the Rotopax on the rear of the camper.

The pins are designed to hold 4 Maxtrax, and we only have two, and the shovel weighs about as much as 1 Maxtrax, so I figure the pins are fine to hold it. No wind noise from the shovel either.

We cut two small slits in the bottom level of the Maxtrax, pushed a cinching strap through the hole, and then clipped a carabiner around the strap. Pull the straps tight and the shovel is rock solid.

Adventure Prep by Michael Rickerd, on Flickr

The carabiner is slim and thin enough that it fits into the channel on the Maxtrax on the inside. The Maxtrax stack very well, but they still aren't perfectly flush due to the nubs that give you traction, so this idea (Stacy's idea for sure) works really well for us.

I shortened the ethernet cable for the BT dongle for the charge controller. I used the tool I purchased to modify the Starlink ethernet cable.

Glad to have this done, looks a lot cleaner.

Adventure Prep by Michael Rickerd, on Flickr

Our rear bumper plastic is beginning to tear. Makes sense, as we use it hundreds of times a day with this setup. Nothing to worry about, but I will keep an eye on it. I like fresh/new looking plastics, so I won't be upset if it cracks too much and I have to replace it.

Adventure Prep by Michael Rickerd, on Flickr

This small, pressurized, water sprayer is a game changer IMO. It makes 1 gallon of water feel like 5 gallons. We use it for absolutely everything, and it really stretches our water for us in an easy to use way. I will recommend these things to everyone. Super cheap online and very, very convenient.

Adventure Prep by Michael Rickerd, on Flickr

I removed the paper towel holder that I installed way back in the day. We just don't use them, as we prefer to use reusable microfiber clothes nowadays. This also makes the back corner pouches (which are turning out to be very handy) much easier to use.

I used one of the mounting holes to install this small homemade bracket to the upper channel of the camper. It is a bit hard to see in the photos, but it has two tabs that will capture the handles of a water bottle and my nighttime pee bottle while we are up in the bed. This is another Stacy idea, and the slightly different mount on her side of the bed has been very practical thus far, so definitely worth the time it took to make and paint this.

Adventure Prep by Michael Rickerd, on Flickr

And yes, I can feel a 'Hope you grab the right bottle at night' joke at the forefront of your mind, and yes, you are correct. Thankfully the two bottles are VERY different, so a mix up will not occur. Haha

That's it for now, until some of the things we ordered arrive, and I do more research on a couple of things.

As info, we averaged 2.25 gallons of water per day. This included our weekly food prep and cleanup. It also included an average of 4 miles of hiking per day, with day-time highs in the low 90's (i.e. about 15 degrees too hot for us, if we had our way). This equates to 8 days of water capacity, at this level of exercise combined with the high temperatures.

Finally, we got to camp after the sun went down on Thursday night, so I finally got to use all of these Baja Design lights that I paid good money for. And man, are they worth it. Holy hell.

The area lighting around the camper is fantastic, and plenty bright. The light easily splashes 30' away from the truck on the sides. I need to set that switch to dimmable, as it could definitely be dimmer and still keep us happy.

The rear dust lights truly shined as backup lights after a fallen tree had us backing up a narrow trail. They are the S2 Pros and they lit up the area behind the truck wonderfully. It created a lot of confidence in that situation.

And the LP6's. Phew. I am in love. I am finding it hard to find suitable words. I suppose, it's as if it is still daytime, high noon even, when you turn these things on. The trail in front of you is fully lit. And I mean fully. The light is so bright, goes everywhere, and travels far; it is as if you are driving in day light. I wish I had a reason to get more of them. Say what you want about gaudy lights on the front ends of trucks, but when you get a high-quality, high-dollar light, they are so worth the cost.

Thanks for reading.

 

What are you using for the Starlink power source — 120 AC or 12 VDC kit?

 

I have it powered off of 12v DC.

I am using a 12v to 48v DC-DC converter wired to a POE which in turn runs the dish. No kit, just an assemblage of parts that I put together based on someone elses writeup.

 

Hey Mike the truck is awesome!!! Thanks for the tour of the truck the other day, nice seeing you again !! Definitely looking forward to seeing more of your adventures!
I might have missed it or forgot, are you guys going to be taking bikes with you? If so what mount are you using?

 

Chris,

Good to see you too my friend. The headlights were successfully delivered to Will this past weekend.

Yep, I will have my Pivot and Stacy will have her Specialized.

We are using a Kuat Pivot to swing the bikes out of the way, and a Kuat NV 2.0 bike tray to hold them. We are contemplating adding some sort of bike cover to keep them out of the sun and elements, but all of the reviews of products I have found so far are saying that the covers don't last too long in the wind. Still strategizing on that one.

Kuat Pivot 2 and NV 2.0 by Michael Rickerd, on Flickr

 

We had another practice weekend, this time up in and around Flagstaff.

7-27 Weekend by Michael Rickerd, on Flickr

I had the opportunity to test out the camper area lighting that I installed.

This is the light output at full brightness, well after the sun had gone down:

7-27 Weekend by Michael Rickerd, on Flickr

It's a lot of light, which is awesome. A lot of it is splashed out to the sides, and not the rear, which is not perfect, but totally acceptable.

These lights can be dimmed, so I can turn them down if need be.

We did some hiking, some more testing out of our equipment, and enjoyed the cooler weather, and even some mountain rain!

We met a guy who had been living out of the back of a first gen with a camper shell (it got totaled) and then a third gen with some sort of fiberglass camper, for the past two years. We chatted for a while about what he had experienced thus far, and we shared our desires and strategies and plans as well. It was a good time.

Our main reason for going all the way to Flagstaff was to help a friend, @Sixthelement with a leaking rear main seal on his 3.5L. So while Will and I did that, Stacy practiced the meal prep herself, as I had done it a previous weekend while she tested out her work setup.

Pulling his transmission (a 6sp Manual) was really helpful for me at understanding what is going on on the back of our engines.

Apart from two stuck starter bolts, it wasn't actually that tough to get it removed. There is a decent amount of space under there, especially compared to the old BMW's I used to wrench on.

Wills Truck Assistance - Clutch and Rear Main by Michael Rickerd, on Flickr

The view from the driveway wasn't too shabby either.

7-27 Weekend by Michael Rickerd, on Flickr

A smaller handful of tweaks presented themselves this past weekend, so I will work on those this week, prior to another test run this weekend. We are in our final month before departure, so the tension and excitement is steadily building!

 

I'm amazed a how poorly Warn sealed (or didn't) seal the older winches. I hope the newer ones are better. I recently tore down a 25 year old winch that looked pretty similar. Everything was locked up tight from corrosion and gunk. Full of mud and god knows what. I think the only saving grace was that the gunk sealed the metal and kept it from rusting. I soaked the gear in diesel for a couple of days and got everything free, but it was a mess. The difficult part after getting it back together was knowing that it wasn't any better sealed than before.

 

The friend I helped with the leaking rear main seal has a ~1 yr old Warn Evo 12s, the same winch I just bought.

He has used it a lot this past winter, due to his trucks ability to get places, and a lot of snow, and his unit is already seeping a bit, drivers side, rear of the case.

I was not super excited to see this, but I am unsure of what else to do. I will keep a very close eye on mine.

We came across a lot of deep puddles this past weekend, and I slowly drove through all of them.