1. Welcome to Tacoma World!

    You are currently viewing as a guest! To get full-access, you need to register for a FREE account.

    As a registered member, you’ll be able to:
    • Participate in all Tacoma discussion topics
    • Communicate privately with other Tacoma owners from around the world
    • Post your own photos in our Members Gallery
    • Access all special features of the site

Another Around the World Tacoma

Discussion in '3rd Gen. Tacomas (2016-2023)' started by MR E30, Nov 30, 2021.

  1. Jan 5, 2024 at 1:20 PM
    #341
    Tenmile Tacoma

    Tenmile Tacoma IG: tenmile_tacoma

    Joined:
    Mar 19, 2012
    Member:
    #75182
    Messages:
    511
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    Nate
    Colorado
    Vehicle:
    2016 DCLB TRD Sport 4x4
    F&R locked on 33s
    Great report, Michael. Really enjoyed the read! Happy you guys made it out of getting stuck alright. Sounds like all the travel was smooth sailing for you guys, but did you have any concerns w/ safety traveling on some of the less populated areas / non major traffic ways? From what I've read, sounds like Baja is pretty safe outside of the Tijuana area.

    Interested to read the additional reports and hopefully see some pictures of the incredible wildlife!
     
    MR E30[QUOTED][OP] likes this.
  2. Jan 9, 2024 at 8:35 PM
    #342
    Frog4aday

    Frog4aday Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jul 22, 2023
    Member:
    #429584
    Messages:
    51
    Gender:
    Male
    MS
    Vehicle:
    2001 Toyota Tacoma SR5 4X4 V-6
    Aftermarket wheels...that's it.
    I enjoy seeing the wildlife, too, and it sounds like there was enough critters everywhere that you could have done your own episode of "Planet Earth". Neat.

    I'm glad you were able to get unstuck & back to firmer/safer ground. Getting stuck for good on day 1 in Mexico would have been a bad omen.

    Bees on your water spigot - wow. Just shows how rare & precious water is out in the wild. Nice of you to share! Good capture of the wings midflight; very cool.
     
    MR E30[OP] likes this.
  3. Jan 10, 2024 at 6:44 AM
    #343
    MR E30

    MR E30 [OP] Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Oct 22, 2018
    Member:
    #270223
    Messages:
    2,316
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    Michael
    Wherever it's parked
    Vehicle:
    2021 Silver TRD OR DCLB w/ AluCab and All the Mods
    I said the exact same thing when we started to sink into the sandy mud. Haha

    We used this, and a later issue, as practice for Stacy. I purposefully really, really slowed down the solution in an attempt to work to condition myself to not react too hastily when a problem arises.

    I definitely don't mind sharing, but the sharing was not up to me. During that week, we were at the mercy of the bugs. They were in control for roughly ~6 hours each day.

    I'll get another Baja update here shortly. I am currently in the midst of taking care of some substantial changes/upgrades, which is keeping me distracted from finishing the story (not that it's overly impressive or anything, but still).

    Until next time.
     
    Frog4aday[QUOTED] likes this.
  4. Jan 10, 2024 at 11:50 AM
    #344
    Deluxe714

    Deluxe714 Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Sep 18, 2022
    Member:
    #406138
    Messages:
    84
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    Vince
    MR E30[QUOTED][OP] likes this.
  5. Jan 10, 2024 at 1:50 PM
    #345
    MR E30

    MR E30 [OP] Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Oct 22, 2018
    Member:
    #270223
    Messages:
    2,316
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    Michael
    Wherever it's parked
    Vehicle:
    2021 Silver TRD OR DCLB w/ AluCab and All the Mods
    Thanks Nate!

    We initially had concerns about unknowingly disobeying some traffic laws, but that disappeared by the second day. No concerns about safety. In fact, everyone we met was very pleasant. People walking down the street, even those who appeared a bit down on their luck, were happy to smile and wave back to me. I may have been smiling a lot, as I was having a great time.

    No personal experience in the Tijuana area, but I have heard similar things.
     
  6. Jan 10, 2024 at 1:50 PM
    #346
    MR E30

    MR E30 [OP] Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Oct 22, 2018
    Member:
    #270223
    Messages:
    2,316
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    Michael
    Wherever it's parked
    Vehicle:
    2021 Silver TRD OR DCLB w/ AluCab and All the Mods
    Thank you!
     
  7. Jan 11, 2024 at 10:43 AM
    #347
    MR E30

    MR E30 [OP] Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Oct 22, 2018
    Member:
    #270223
    Messages:
    2,316
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    Michael
    Wherever it's parked
    Vehicle:
    2021 Silver TRD OR DCLB w/ AluCab and All the Mods
    We woke up the second day of our Baja adventure to incredibly pleasant weather. The humidity was near 100%, which felt unusual, but nice, given our usual desert habitation.

    [​IMG]Baja - 2023 by Michael Rickerd, on Flickr

    We spent the morning taking it slow, and giving our camper a thorough cleaning. We deployed the awning, dropped the support leg for it, and spread out all of our bedsheets and blankets on top of the awning to sit and bake in the sun. We pulled out the mattress and used our recently acquired rechargeable small vacuum (we should have purchased one of these way earlier, bougie or not, it is so nice to have the ability to vacuum up small messes inside of the camper) to clean out the camper itself. So refreshing.

    Once this was done, we put on our backpacks and just walked along the beach. The place we were at is called 'Shell Island' and it did not disappoint. I have never seen such an abundance of shells, nor shells of such size. Many of them were pristine.

    We did stumble across something that I was not expecting: a deceased sea turtle.

    As my good friend Will said "Nature is metal"

    [​IMG]Baja - 2023 by Michael Rickerd, on Flickr

    Not sure why this poor fella decided to park itself right here, and then expire, but here it was.

    We found other sea turtle parts (dried, meatless bones and shells) strewn about the beach in other places, but I guess I didn't take any photos.

    The sound of the crashing waves was quite the draw, and we decided that we would head back to the truck, after finding what we thought was the entrance to the beach, eat lunch and then get right near the water.

    While warming up lunch we see a 100 series LC drive up, and Stacy and I quickly made friends with Scott, Adria, and their adopted son Adam.

    Strength in numbers, we would work together to get on to the beach.

    We finished eating and headed back to Mexico 5 to travel south for ~3 km's. We make it to the coast, near a little beach village, but our access to Shell Island was again cut off by the ocean itself. I could barely make headway in the soft sand aired down and in 4wd, and Scott was having a very challenging time being still aired up.

    So, we resign ourselves and head back to the area we met each other at to camp for the night. Scott had a few friends arriving, and one was in a 2wd Promaster, which definitely couldn't have made it to the beach even if we had found a path.

    Stacy and I decide to go swim in the ocean, while testing out our wetsuits, so we head over and enjoy undulating with the waves, the wetsuits keeping us afloat without any effort from us.

    The day continues, and as the sun sets I run out to the ocean, which is now much farther away, as the tide travels a substantial distance at this particular beach. I set up the camera, but I am unlucky when it comes to snapping a worthwhile shot. The relaxing birds were too far away, and would move as I approached, and every flying bird was just too far away as well.

    Oh well. Worse places to fail to get a photo.

    [​IMG]Baja - 2023 by Michael Rickerd, on Flickr

    Snapped one of the moon.

    [​IMG]Moon by Michael Rickerd, on Flickr

    Night envelops us, a fire is lit, and we share friendly camp conversation with the other travelers.

    The next morning we awake slowly, enjoying our vacation. Our plan for the day is to travel back to San Felipe, where we will buy groceries, and then press on to the base of Pecacho del Diablo (The Devil's Peak), which is the highest point in the state of Baja.

    We say our goodbyes to our temporary companions, as they would be pressing further south on their trip.

    We head northbound and get back into civilization. At this point, driving was back to being second nature. A bit more attention paid at intersections, but everything else was just the same as in the US.

    We opted to try out a local breakfast place, and I found Georges. It ended up being delicious and pretty well priced. The waitress and I, and a local lady who was bilingual, had a great laugh when I asked for a bit of change on my 1,000 peso payment. My brain checked out and I automatically said that I wanted 'cien dolares' from the 1,000 pesos I gave her. Except 100 dollars is ~1,700 pesos, which caused the confusion. After I apologized we all laughed about it. The bilingual lady helped out and told me that they were grateful that I was even attempting to communicate in Spanish, as many Americans simply do not so this, which made all of that practice and studying feel worthwhile.

    After finishing breakfast it was time to get groceries.

    Truck parked near a local CaliMax (the most popular, largest grocery chain in Baja afaik)

    [​IMG]Baja - 2023 by Michael Rickerd, on Flickr

    Groceries acquired, without issue, despite my poor Spanish. The grocery store was very similar to what we find in the states. The prices of food were alright, certainly not incredibly cheap or anything. In fact, we found that most things we did, gas especially, were not 'pennies on the dollar' as some may have espoused.

    We wanted to give ourselves a workout, and I had found an image of a track, and the gpx file, for the hike from near Dry Lake up to the tallest peak in Baja. 11 miles and ~15,000 feet of elevation gain is right up our alley. We would head to the base today, prep our food, and then hike to the peak the following day.

    On the way out of San Felipe I couldn't pass up this sign without snapping a photo:

    [​IMG]Baja - 2023 by Michael Rickerd, on Flickr

    There were two routes out of San Felipe and towards the mountains. I opted for the far more difficult route, though I didn't know it at the time.

    Strictly following the trail in Gaia took us right to a landfill. Turning around, we follow a powerline road. This trail was thrashed, and full of whoops, but the truck ate it all up without issue.

    We ended up teeing into a paved road, which we would use to head back away from the mountains when it was time to leave.

    In the distance, the highest peak awaits:

    [​IMG]Baja - 2023 by Michael Rickerd, on Flickr

    We came across several people in this area, and each of them asked if we were alright, if we needed anything, etc. All incredibly friendly. It has the vibe of a very helpful place, which makes sense based on what I was seeing.

    We work our way towards the mountains, and we descend into the valley below.

    As we descended into the valley, we reconnected with a trail on Gaia, and I could see some lighted structures out in the distance, so I felt confident in our route.

    But that rain from our arrival day was still causing troubles. The two roads across the Dry Lake, which was now a sloppy mess, were impassable. Maybe if we had had a friend with us we would have tried, but as a lone vehicle who just got stuck yesterday? Nah, we will simply have to ditch the hike, as the base of the mountain was still ~10 miles away as the crow flies.

    Resigned to our fate, we set up camp in this valley and get to prepping our food.

    Pecacho del Diablo there right above Stacy's head:

    [​IMG]Baja - 2023 by Michael Rickerd, on Flickr

    It was dead quiet out here. Except for the coyotes that is. An uncountable number of large burrows in the ground must have been the food source for the unidentifiable number of hoots and cries the coyotes gave out as the sun was setting. It was a cacophony, a symphony of nature, unlike anything I had heard before.

    While wrapping up food prep we had the only uncomfortable experience of the entire trip.

    Two incredibly intoxicated guys in a Nissan pickup drove by, and then came back after they discovered the road was impassable. They pulled up and shut off their truck. I offered a friendly greeting, but our communication with one another were very poor. My usual apology and description of my poor Spanish fell on deaf ears. They weren't directly aggressive, but it certainly wasn't comfortable or friendly.

    Eventually they fired up their truck and moved on.

    Night descended and we slept well.

    The next morning I needed to hop out of the truck to use the restroom, and I stepped out into a heavy cloak of moist air.

    Super dense fog.

    [​IMG]Baja - 2023 by Michael Rickerd, on Flickr

    This was unexpected. The ground was saturated as well.

    I hop back into the camper to chat with Stacy, and it is then that we hear an eerie sound.

    Somewhere off not that far away we hear a steady thunking sound. Thwack, thwack, thwack. And then something that sounded like a car, but not really, would make noise for ~15 seconds. More thwacking. Unknown noise. Thwack. Closer and closer. And then it was gone.

    Weird.

    With our ability to get to the mountain foiled due to the wet ground, we decide to have a quick tea and then climb out of the valley, where we would prepare the rest of our food in the warmer, drier air.

    The exit of the valley was easy enough. One steep, sandy section gave initial concern, but the wet sand gave us enough traction to escape.

    We pull off the road in a small wash and finish making our food.

    [​IMG]Baja - 2023 by Michael Rickerd, on Flickr

    Several people drive by, all of them wave. One white lady in a Rubicon, escorted by two trucks of Policia Nacional, stops and tell us that we can camp on her ranch if we like. We thank her before heading back towards San Felipe.

    We get to the end of the dirt section and I stop to air up. While finishing up the last tire I hear a newly familiar sound. That car that doesn't quite sound like a car.

    Turns out it was a well worn Ford Ranger, loaded with a truck bed full of chopped up wood, which was going to be sold on the streets of San Felipe, piloted by a very helpful and very nice man named Jose.

    This would be my favorite encounter of the trip. Between my poor Spanish, his ~15 words of English, maps drawn in the sand, and a whole lot of pantomiming, I would learn a few things.

    One, this was the creator of the eerie noise in the dense fog. Chopping up firewood, and then driving a short distance to the next bush or tree.

    And two, that there was a way to the base of the mountain. We just had to make our way wayyyyyyy around the muddy lake. Jose scribbled maps in the sand, and we worked together to understand a way around the mud. It was such a pleasant interaction.

    I thank him for his knowledge, and go back to tell Stacy what I learned.

    Let's give it a shot she says.

    Good enough for me.

    We head back into the valley, which has since cleared of the fog. Using my memory, I work to find this elusive road/trail that he was describing.

    Turns out the word trail or road is definitely a misnomer. All I really knew was that I needed to stay as far right as I could the entire valley, until we made it past this low lying set of hills.

    So we found a two track, pushed our way through the bushes, and set off.

    We would randomly encounter sections of deep, loose sand. The truck would slow and sink, and liberal throttle would be used to slowly make our way through. There were plenty of bushes, and enough trees to use as an anchor, so I was pushing it a bid harder than I would otherwise.

    We eventually make it all of the way around this muddy lake.

    Only to be completely thwarted by a flowing river from the rain we experienced on Friday.

    Drats. All this way, but this was truly impassable, one truck or twenty. We were still ~5 miles away from the base. I suppose we could have walked to the trail, but with its length we didn't want to do it.

    New plan. We will go back out and camp on the beach, and then head to the National Park (where the Devil's Peak is located) to hike to it from there.

    Starlink was functioning the entire time, so even way out here we were getting 200 mbps to use to connect to the internet. The Parque de Nacional was open, so let's go check it out.

    We make our way slowly back out of the valley and camp on the beach. The next day we drove almost all the way to the park, which is only accessible from the Pacific coast side of the peninsula. Unfortunately no roads exist on the eastern side, where we were.

    We drive across Mexico 3, through Ensenada, and south to San Pedro de Martir road, the 100 km road with the park at its terminus.

    [​IMG]Pre and Post Baja by Michael Rickerd, on Flickr

    Another CaliMax stop for some snacks and essentials

    [​IMG]Pre and Post Baja by Michael Rickerd, on Flickr

    Driving through Ensenada was a trip. Stacy was stressing, and I was just going with the flow. Traffic signs were more of a suggestion it seemed. Folks had no issue just cutting off of the paved surface, onto the dirt that is basically the parking lots for businesses, to skip past traffic lights or stopped shuttles/buses.

    We opted to obey all stop signs and traffic lights. Haha

    [​IMG]Pre and Post Baja by Michael Rickerd, on Flickr

    The final road to the park was so windy, so steep, and loaded with absolutely blind corners. This was the only paved road that has ever given the truck pinstripes. We rise from ~500 ft up to ~8,800 ft, mainly in two large ascents.

    The day was getting late by the time we were closing in on the park, so we pulled off of the side of the road at a campsite marked in iOverlander to spend the night.

    At camp, leveling the truck, I drop two leveling blocks in front of the rear drivers tire.

    And there, in the absolute quiet, I hear it. The sound of the first flat tire I have ever had.

    Sitting right in view, the remnants of the culprit:

    [​IMG]Pre and Post Baja by Michael Rickerd, on Flickr

    Alright, another learning opportunity for Stacy!

    I originally tried to close the hole with the tire on the truck, but I couldn't push the cord through the rubber from that angle.

    Jack under the axle and off comes the flat, and on goes the brand new spare.

    We work together and plug the tire, but it turns out that there were actually two holes, right next to one another. Knowing this, I knew I didn't want to reinstall this tire, so we left the original spare on. We still did patch the tire, just in case, but it got stashed on the backdoor, only to be used if we really needed it.

    With that taken care of, we relax for the evening and head to bed.

    Up early, we set off towards the park.

    Up and up we go. More than one section of road was at ~20 degrees of incline, which is just nuts for a paved road. 12 degrees was the steepest the truck had experienced up to this point.

    We passed a handful of 'viewpoints' on the way up. On the way down we would learn that these were primarily used as pull offs where folks could let their brakes cool down. On the descent we would drive through the stench of overworked brakes quite often.

    Luckily for us, engine braking was plenty capable of regulating the trucks speed. Even with all of our weight, and the extreme downhill of the road, our OEM brakes were never overworked. For reference, the road was so steep that I traveled the ~50 miles from the park back to Mexico 1 on just a single gallon of gas. I don't know what I averaged getting up there, but I'll just conveniently forget about that part. Haha

    Alright, we make our way to the park. Turns out it is open, but in a limited capacity. Alright, there are still hikes to do, so we pay the entrance fee ($7) and drive into the park.

    And just like that, snow:

    [​IMG]Pre and Post Baja by Michael Rickerd, on Flickr

    Parked at the highest point on a paved road in the state of Baja.

    Time to bust out the Cramp-ons. Haha. We come to Mexico for the warmth and sunshine and we end up putting spikes on the underside of our shoes just to walk around.

    Excited for the exercise, we set off. The park is up in the trees, and it was beautiful and very quiet.

    The terminus of the main hike is this viewing tower. No code regulation stairs here, despite this being government property, but up we go.

    [​IMG]Pre and Post Baja by Michael Rickerd, on Flickr

    Pecacho del Diablo in the distance. All of that driving and effort, just to get to the other side of it, maybe ~10 miles from where we were the day before.

    [​IMG]Pre and Post Baja by Michael Rickerd, on Flickr

    iPhone panorama

    [​IMG]Pre and Post Baja by Michael Rickerd, on Flickr

    The photo definitely doesn't do it justice. Well worth the effort. We were unable to hike towards the highest peak, as that part of the park was unfortunately closed.

    As we get back to the truck the park had exploded with people. So many groups having fires, playing games, singing, dancing, etc. It was a joyous celebration up here in the mountains. I need to get more comfortable snapping photos of people, as there was a lot of joy that day in that place.

    Map of the park

    [​IMG]Pre and Post Baja by Michael Rickerd, on Flickr

    Most of the day used up, we descended back down the mountain towards our campsite from the previous night.

    We stop off at the Condor Viewpoint, and are lucky enough to see one flying around, riding the thermals, as it scans the ground below for a meal. No photos of the bird though, just too far away unfortunately.

    Photo composed just right to keep the 4 vehicles behind the truck out of view, all of them allowing their brakes to cool down. Haha

    [​IMG]Pre and Post Baja by Michael Rickerd, on Flickr

    Baja Mountain Camp

    [​IMG]Pre and Post Baja by Michael Rickerd, on Flickr

    The next morning we decided to head towards a paid campground so that we could do some laundry and take a shower. We would travel back through Ensenada and then into Guadalupe Valley for the night.

    The most delicious, and well priced tacos/food of the trip.

    [​IMG]Pre and Post Baja by Michael Rickerd, on Flickr

    And of course it's a truck photo mainly. You can see the paved/dirt interaction in the photo as well. That is Mexico 1 fyi. No curbs or anything, just pull off whenever you feel like it.

    No running water in the restaurant, but ~$1.60 loaded tacos more than made up for it. We ordered a few, then more, and then more. Just delicious.

    With our available time coming to an end, and great timing down from the National Park, we decide to skip the paid campsite in Mexico to head back into the states to do some hiking along the Pacific Crest Trail, one of the three long distance through hikes in the US.

    I read of a little extortion setup that was at the border in Tecate, so I made sure to not make that mistake. Google maps has you drive right towards the border, and then tells you to make a left along the border wall. Except this is where everyone has to wait, so a line forms that extends past this intersection. Common sense dictates that you aren't going to cut in line, so the warning wasn't super necessary. Instead you turn right, get to the end of the line, and the U-turn in behind the last vehicle.

    [​IMG]Pre and Post Baja by Michael Rickerd, on Flickr

    While sitting along the border (crossing took ~1 hour in total) we see an old man with an AZ plate cut in line at that intersection I mentioned.

    The gents selling food along the border pull out some handheld radios as a ton of cars start honking at this guy. 4 cops on motorbikes pull him out of traffic and take him away to pay a ~360 usd fine (based on what I read online).

    In Mexico, at every military checkpoint, we would have a secondary inspection done. No surprise. They wouldn't rummage through anything or things like that. Mainly I would explain what we had going on to the person in charge, and we would just talk about our experiences. Always friendly, never threatening or standoffish in any way.

    At the gate in the US we had another secondary inspection, again no surprise. Stay in the truck we are told, so we do. The guy can't figure out how to open the side hatches, but he does get the rear door open. He finally closes it and comes around, handing us our passports.

    "Nice spice rack" he says as he waves us along. Damnit, not again! Stacy has amassed a strong W with that one addition, as that is the single most complimented aspect to the entire build.

    It is never the 39 inch long shocks in the relocated shock towers, or the camper itself. Nope, just little metal containers magnetized to a piece of sheet metal. Haha

    A long day behind us we opt to do something we have never done before, camp at a paid campsite.

    It was well worth it. Hot water and a sink to actually do dishes, and open air showers paid for via quarters. It felt amazing. We had a whole half to ourselves.

    [​IMG]Pre and Post Baja by Michael Rickerd, on Flickr

    It was right next to a nature preserve, so in the morning we woke up and hiked for many miles up and through the hills.

    Later that day we push on towards the southern terminus of the PCT.

    Cue Hades from 'Hadestown' and 'Why Do We Build the Wall?"

    [​IMG]Pre and Post Baja by Michael Rickerd, on Flickr

    [​IMG]Pre and Post Baja by Michael Rickerd, on Flickr

    We camp nearby, and spend the evening and the next day hiking along a section of the PCT. We really love just finding a trail and walking along it, so this was right up our alley.

    Conversation got to flowing between the two of us and a new idea was born.

    We move on and sleep in the dunes for a night.

    We then make our way to Kofa for the first workweek of the year.

    [​IMG]Pre and Post Baja by Michael Rickerd, on Flickr

    That is almost to today. But I need to get back to work. Lots to get done, making that recently discussed idea come to fruition.

    More updates soon.

    Thanks for reading.
     
    Last edited: Jan 11, 2024
  8. Jan 11, 2024 at 9:05 PM
    #348
    Roadkill69

    Roadkill69 Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Aug 22, 2020
    Member:
    #338492
    Messages:
    141
    Gender:
    Male
    Vehicle:
    1998 Xcab 4x4 SR5 V6 TRD-OR; 2021 TRD-OR ACLB
    @MR E30
    Great writeup, man you're brave to type that all in one post... I've lost sooo much typing that way lol!

    I read a bit of your post to my wife. She loved the red sunset photo from last one.

    That was some big effort you put towards getting to that peak hike!

    I missed it somewhere, but what made you decide just a week in Baja? It's more than I've done for sure, but thought you were leaning towards a longer trip? Just decided to dip the toes in at first?

    Oh, also, I am super interested in how much you used heater, and how your power and solar use is working out? You guys are maybe the most "hi tech" folks I've read, for a truck camper, so you are a great resource for folks learning what it takes to stay connected. I figure you use more power than tons of the "200wh a day!" Reports I see all the time. I've linked your posts to the TuneM1 owners group, where some foljs asked starlink questions. Love to hear more on your solar/alternator/usage balance!
    My camper install is 7 days from now, you are getting me super excited, thanks so much!
     
    MR E30[OP] likes this.
  9. Jan 14, 2024 at 5:01 PM
    #349
    MR E30

    MR E30 [OP] Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Oct 22, 2018
    Member:
    #270223
    Messages:
    2,316
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    Michael
    Wherever it's parked
    Vehicle:
    2021 Silver TRD OR DCLB w/ AluCab and All the Mods
    Haha, thank you, thankfully TW saves your unposted messages every ~60 seconds it seems, so I have never lost any of the things that I have typed.

    Thank you. Especially with your camper install so close. Will she be joining you on adventures?

    We definitely did. A bit bummed we never made it, but next time.

    I didn't really spell out why we only stayed a week, though I wrote about it in a round about way a few posts ago.

    Basically, we need two sources of internet, one for redundancy, for Stacy's work. So currently we always use Starlink, but we are always camped in areas where we have enough cell service to carry out her job. This is a non-negotiable for Stacy, and I respect that. Her job is helping a lot with securing our future.

    I had roughly 1 bar of service in Baja, outside of towns/cities. It wasn't enough to use as a backup for working unfortunately. Speeds just too slow.

    That was the main reason. The car insurance was another detractor, as it was massively expensive. Fully covering the modified truck, and the camper through BajaBound (highly recommended, probably the best) was just silly. A single month down there would have cost the equivalent of what I pay for a year and a half here in the States. They do do 6 month policies as well, but that too was expensive.

    I was originally thinking of a longer trip, and I wanted to do it to prove to myself that I was in this thing for real. But that decision was made prior to actually doing the truck life thing. And sometimes your expectations don't meet up with the reality. We will get back there for a longer period of time, but that will be after we begin to work less hours each week.

    We have used our Dickinson fireplace for probably 200 hours in total up to this point. If it is over ~38 degrees then the furnace is fantastic. It heats the camper effectively, and can even make it too hot in there.

    But as soon as the temp drops below that ~38 degrees, its efficacy drops to almost zero. It just can't overpower the cold.

    So one of the upcoming additions to the truck will be a diesel heater. This is what is required to effectively warm the camper in those colder temperatures.

    Power use is almost a non concern at this point. We can survive indefinitely currently. Even with these really short days. We can easily chug down 100aH each day, but the 400w of solar on the roof is just so effective at grabbing all of that energy from the sun.

    If we catch a day of bad sun, or moderate to heavy clouds, I will power down the Starlink overnight, as it eats about 3.5 amps per hour. We have also been using an electric blanket a lot at night, and that eats about 2.5 amps per hour as well. We normally wake up at about ~60% in each battery, and we end the day (when the sun is setting), even with everything running all day, back at 100%. I never check the battery balance right before we go to bed, but it's probably around 92% or so. After a cloudy day we will be down in the 30% range, and a solid day of sun can put as back up to 90% or so by the end of the day.

    Definitely install as many panels as you can fit, or as many as your MPPT controller can handle, if you want to have a setup like ours.

    The alternator charges the batteries at 25 amps per hour, max (that's the limit of the charge controller, not the Tacoma). So it can be used to charge the batteries, but it would have to run for 8 hours to take our system from fully dead to fully charged. That's why solar is so important.

    Hope that helps.
     
  10. Jan 15, 2024 at 8:38 AM
    #350
    Roadkill69

    Roadkill69 Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Aug 22, 2020
    Member:
    #338492
    Messages:
    141
    Gender:
    Male
    Vehicle:
    1998 Xcab 4x4 SR5 V6 TRD-OR; 2021 TRD-OR ACLB
    @MR E30 thanks so much for your thoughtful reply. Your power use info there is some of the best data I've come across, very helpful!

    Yes, my wife will join me for camping trips. Before my kids hit high school with all the sports schedules limiting other activities, we used to tent camp all the time. However, we are NOT "van Life" or "truck life" folks, I don't think. We like 3 to 5 days, or at least that's what our previous job schedules allowed us and made us used to. I guess once a year week long trips.

    I can empathize with the need for internet access for the job, I used to require good phone access for customers daily when I managed a lot of properties. And your comments on the Baja insurance costs are interesting, it is something I've never seen discussed really. Combined with the mostly normal cost of living I see reported, or at least not "live like a king for dirt cheap," it really calls into question for me why I'd do long-term Baja, when I have all of the Southwest US to explore still ;)

    I look forward to reading more of your adventure.
     
    MR E30[OP] likes this.
  11. Jan 15, 2024 at 8:53 AM
    #351
    MR E30

    MR E30 [OP] Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Oct 22, 2018
    Member:
    #270223
    Messages:
    2,316
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    Michael
    Wherever it's parked
    Vehicle:
    2021 Silver TRD OR DCLB w/ AluCab and All the Mods
    Thank you. To add a bit more:

    - Stacys laptop is an older Dell, and is plugged in 100% of the day. I have a newer Surface 4 that requires ~2 hours of charging per day (a bit less if I don't use it at night to research, edit photos, etc.). 47l ARB fridge set at 37 degrees. Usually runs ~15 mins per hour. After we cook food for the week and stuff it in there it will run ~40 mins per hour for roughly 8 to 12 hours (depending on quantity and how much the food cooled down prior to stashing it inside).

    Nice. Prior to this, the 7 to 9 day trips were our longest excursions. Definitely a lot of fun.

    Baja insurance costs are likely not a big deal for everyone. The liability insurance only was very cheap, just a couple of dollars a day. And I am sure if you are fully insuring a ~10,000 older 4runner the price for full coverage wouldn't be as heavy. But our setup, and its value, and my requirement to have it fully insured, skyrocketed our insurance cost.

    I have two friends bikepacking though mainland Mexico now, through much smaller, less traveled, non-touristy places, and they are 'living like kings' in that way. But Baja was not like that, at least in my personal experience.

    With spending a lot of time in the US, one thing I came to realize is this: I would see a lot of people online traveling through the US for a while and then going elsewhere. Came to realize that the vast majority of them are not American Citizens, and thus, the time they are legally allowed to visit this place is limited to just 12 months at a time. This forces them to only stop here for a short length of time before moving on.

    Being US passport holders ourselves, our time here is limitless. We can take all the time we want to through hike the PCT, or to drive/ride the TAT, etc. because we do not suffer from those limitations of stay.

    This is not to say that the US is the end all be all of travel destinations. But man, Stacy and I just absolutely love to walk along maintained trails. And that was a huge thing that was lacking in Mexico for us. Whereas almost everywhere we go in the US, especially when we are closer to cities, they are simply everywhere.
     
    chrslefty likes this.
  12. Jan 18, 2024 at 6:57 PM
    #352
    Frog4aday

    Frog4aday Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jul 22, 2023
    Member:
    #429584
    Messages:
    51
    Gender:
    Male
    MS
    Vehicle:
    2001 Toyota Tacoma SR5 4X4 V-6
    Aftermarket wheels...that's it.
    I like reading about your travels. The things you see. The people you encounter. The things that stand out to you.

    The creepy guys in the Nissan would have left me wishing I had some form of protection (handgun) you aren't allowed in Mexico. I doubt I would have slept well after that. I'm glad it was just an uncomfortable encounter & nothing more than that. Moments like that make you realize your vulnerability and that's not fun to embrace.

    I read about the hike you were planning to the top of Pecacho del Diablo (10,154ft) & it sounded pretty intense. Three days to accomplish (in & out); skilled, well prepared, experienced folks only. No wonder you wanted to do it! The views from the top sound impressive, too. I hope you get back in May or Sept to try again.
    https://www.summitpost.org/picacho-del-diablo/925851

    Driving in the chaos of a Mexican city earns you my respect. The taxi ride in Juarez had me tensed up, expecting to die for 10 minutes. Crazy! The locals seemed to understand the rules of the road but I couldn't make heads or tails of it. Death Race 2000 came to mind?

    Sticky plugs for fixing tires work pretty good & I was glad you had them. They are simple but effective. Your puncture answered a question I had ("Are they using Ride-On or Slime in their tires?") I patched/plugged many a motorcycle tire with the 'strings' and rode them to the end of their tread life. But (big BUT) plugged tires don't do well aired down and you air down a lot in your travels. That can pull the strings out. Strings like a fully inflated tire for happiness. Also, don't mix strings with Slime or Ride-On; do one or the other. The goo in the tire doesn't allow the strings to adhere to the tire properly. (You surely know all this as you are a very thorough guy in researching things, but I thought I'd mention it for the home viewing studio audience.) Oh yeah, Slime works well on screw/nail/thorn punctures. That green, magic goo saved many a trip on the dual-sport bikes that used tubed tires.

    Please keep the posts coming. You are a great writer & photographer and I look fwd to reading about your adventures. Stay safe, stay lucky, and keep being happy. You are living the dream. We are vicariously along for the ride. (Hey, look at that cool spice rack! Ha!)
     
  13. Jan 20, 2024 at 7:58 PM
    #353
    Roadkill69

    Roadkill69 Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Aug 22, 2020
    Member:
    #338492
    Messages:
    141
    Gender:
    Male
    Vehicle:
    1998 Xcab 4x4 SR5 V6 TRD-OR; 2021 TRD-OR ACLB
    @Frog4aday good info for me on the tire repair, did not know airing down and string didn't mix well, thx!
     
    Frog4aday and MR E30[OP] like this.
  14. Jan 22, 2024 at 12:58 PM
    #354
    MR E30

    MR E30 [OP] Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Oct 22, 2018
    Member:
    #270223
    Messages:
    2,316
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    Michael
    Wherever it's parked
    Vehicle:
    2021 Silver TRD OR DCLB w/ AluCab and All the Mods
    Glad to hear!

    Yeah, it was unsettling for a bit, but their truck was loud enough that it was super easy to tell that they had driven away as they should have. Plus, being inside of the camper has this weird feeling of security that I enjoy. We forgot about them in no time. Plus, all of the coyotes were quite the distraction.

    Yeah, we really wanted to wear ourselves out with that hike, as it would have been an absolute doozy. Right up our alley.

    I felt so neutral in the busy traffic. To me, it is the speed of other drivers that gets me uncomfortable. 45 mph outside of my brothers house, and people go 60+ all of the time. But in Ensenada everyone was going so slow. In the 'treacherous' intersections the speed was so minimal that I felt at ease.

    I did take a taxi cab ride in Beijing once, and that was quite the fright. Driver must have been auditioning for an F1 race with his Toyota minivan.

    Yeah, we had the ARB setup that I bought a while ago.

    The tire ended up having two holes right next to one another, so we plugged them both and just put the tire on the rear door, just in case. We ended up getting a warranty replacement from DT for $76.40, and now we are back to 5 puncture free tires.

    Thanks for the info about mixing strings and Slime or Ride-On. Glad to know the goo works well in bike tires. We use something similar (Stans) for our mountain bike tires.

    Haha I certainly will. It's time to make an update post or two anyways. Probably tomorrow!
     
  15. Jan 28, 2024 at 2:12 PM
    #355
    MR E30

    MR E30 [OP] Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Oct 22, 2018
    Member:
    #270223
    Messages:
    2,316
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    Michael
    Wherever it's parked
    Vehicle:
    2021 Silver TRD OR DCLB w/ AluCab and All the Mods
    Update time:

    We have spent the last couple of weeks in Phoenix, and our time here once again is coming to a close. I will say, we are coming back to my brothers house more than I anticipated. It is alright, all a part of the learning process. Even with all of our preparation, there are still things that we need to modify or install to adapt to our surroundings.

    One of those things had to do with heating the camper itself.

    Diesel heaters are the way to go. I mean, they keep guys like Mispronounced Adventures alive in -30 degree weather. But I didn't know that at the time. I thought the Dickinson LP9000 was the go to solution for warming the camper.

    Yeah, not so much. If I had read a review like the one I am about to share, or the opinions that I have shared previously, I would never have installed one.

    It just sucks at warming the camper. I am not sure why I was unable to find someone who says something similar, but man is it a let down.

    It can add about 60 degrees to the air it expels from whatever the outside air temp is, and then gently fart a tiny bit of that air into the camper.

    Meanwhile the chimney on the exterior of the camper is dangerous to touch, even for an instant. Loads and loads of heat in the system, but only a tiny amount makes it out alive to warm us up.

    Anything below 38 degrees (which is when you really start to need this), and the fireplace is no longer worthwhile. It will certainly keep the inside from freezing, but just barely. At 25 degrees outside the camper only reaches a temp of 40 degrees. This wasn't working for us. However, we will not be removing the Dickinson, as it is already installed, and it is very handy for temps above 38 degrees.

    So, a decision was made to procure and install a proper device for heating the inside of the camper.

    Yep, diesel heater time.

    We went with a ~$120 option from Amazon, a Vevor unit in the 5kwh size. Typical sizes are 2k, 5k and 8k. I read that a 2k unit was a bit too small to keep a camper with fabric (a non-hard sided camper) warm in colder temperatures. But an 8k was overkill, so we settled on the 5k size. This is the very typical size that many YT videos are about.

    Once it arrived, we set it up outside of the truck to gain an understanding of how it functioned, how hot it got, how loud it was, etc.

    [​IMG]Diesel Heater Install and Slider Repaint by Michael Rickerd, on Flickr

    These units are pretty simple. The ECU is contained within the main unit. One wiring harness goes to ground/power, the fuel pump, the main unit, and the thermostat. All connections are easy to make, as they are all very different connectors.

    The unit draws in air to be warmed (we opted to have it draw air from outside, as we couldn't figure out a way to get it to draw air from inside the camper) from one side, and expels the warmed air out of the other side.

    The combustion portion also has an intake, and an exhaust, albeit much smaller (1" in diameter compared to 3"). Add in a fuel tank, a filter, and a pump and the entire setup is present and complete.

    Connect it to power and plug in the thermostat and you are ready to go.

    We ran it on high for 45 minutes and found out the following (all temps in degrees F):

    Ambient air temp (inlet temp): 68
    Outlet air temp: 200 and the best part is that it flows out at such a pace. It probably expels an equivalent volume of air to the campers internal volume every ~3 minutes. Way, wayyyy better than the propane fireplace.
    Exhaust temp: 588
    Exhaust piping temp: 224

    Fuel consumption (manufacturer provided info): .16l per hour, so ~26 hours per gallon of diesel.

    The OEM fuel pump clicked once every ~1 second while the unit is running on high. The sound is definitely noticeable while outside, and a little perceptible when laying inside with the camper closed.

    The unit itself would not become too hot to touch. Neither would the outlet air tubing. Excellent.

    After understanding how hot it would get and all that, it was time to find a way to fit this into the truck.

    We originally thought about some sort of portable/movable solution, but quickly scrapped that. We needed this to be permanently mounted so that it could always be used, whether we were present or not. I'm not a fan of the inside of the camper falling towards freezing, so being able to set the thermostat at ~60 ad then go away from the truck for several hours (or more) was on the priority list.

    We settled on mounting it underneath the bed of the truck, behind the AG HH cross brace and in front of a piece of metal for the rear bumper. This location was usable for us as our spare tire is mounted to the rear door. If you have your spare tire in the OEM location you can't use this location. The unit itself also blocks the line where the lowering tool goes to release your spare tire.

    To secure the main unit to the underside of the bed I'll use the same strap idea that I used for the water tank and the house batteries. Mounting the unit outside of the camper meant that all we had to get into the camper was a power wire (hooked via 20A fuse to the BlueSea DC Block), thermostat wire (a tiny little square 4 pin connector) and the hot outlet air from the unit.

    The wiring was easy. We just removed the caulk from the lower, rear, drivers side corner, right by the taillight, and fed the wiring through the same 'hole' (really a gap in the camper to bed interface) that the brake light wiring came through.

    Next up, how do we plumb the hot air into the camper?

    This one ended up being pretty straightforward, after investigating for a bit, but came at a hefty price.

    Cutting holes into this bed never gets any easier. This one took some getting used to. I literally had to amp myself up (after figuring out a contingency plan if this didn't work), just to put the hole saw against the composite and start pulling the trigger on the drill. I was groaning and moaning as it was drilling the hole. Suffice to say, I did not enjoy it. Haha

    [​IMG]Diesel Heater Install and Slider Repaint by Michael Rickerd, on Flickr

    But it was done.

    [​IMG]Diesel Heater Install and Slider Repaint by Michael Rickerd, on Flickr

    The tubing for this part of the heater is 3" in diameter, so a 3" hole saw worked flawlessly. Hole came out really clean too. We simply caulked the directional vent housing in place. This component has a fixed base, glued onto the bedside wall (as opposed to screwing it into place, I wanted less holes), and then a rotating vent. Once the base was cured, it was locked in place.

    We opted for this location for a few reasons:
    - The provided tube was long enough to reach from the outlet on the unit to this location.
    - On older 3rd gens there was a cubby in this area, so we know the bed was tough enough to have a hole there in the first place.
    - The way the tubing would be routed would keep it away from the fender. Last thing I wanted was to be warm inside, but have the inside of my fender being cooked, and damaging the paint on its exterior.

    Alright. With these two mysteries out of the way, the installation process could begin.

    My good friend @Sixthelement recommended a quieter fuel pump, so I ordered up one of those. It is roughly the same diameter, just a bit longer, and uses the same electrical connector as the OEM fuel pump. It barely squeezes into the rubberized mount (which you can blurrily see just above my index finger in the photo below). This mount is attached via a single M5 bolt to the underside of the truck.

    [​IMG]Diesel Heater Install and Slider Repaint by Michael Rickerd, on Flickr

    The unit, outlet tube, exhaust, and fuel pump installed. Pardon the mud. I thought i had cleaned all of Baja off of the underside of the truck, but I definitely missed quite a lot.

    [​IMG]Diesel Heater Install and Slider Repaint by Michael Rickerd, on Flickr

    The top of the unit is covered in ~1" of heat resistant sound deadening material. It is slightly compressible, so I added three layers to the top. My idea was that the strap would crush the unit up and into the bottom of the bed. That idea held true once installed. This thing is going nowhere.

    The straps are secured on the left (from the photos perspective) to one of the ribs on the underside of the bed. I drilled a small hole through the composite and used M5 hardware to secure that end of the strap vertically (no bends at this end). I drilled another M5 sized hole for the right connections, on the underside of the bumpers metal frame, so that I could tighten to strap upwards as required.

    I put the same sound deadening foam on the inside of the straps as well. If I were to do it again, I wouldn't have tried to make the second bend in each strap, as they ended up not being in the right spot, as you can clearly tell from the photo on the drivers side strap. With the angle and everything else I should have just kept it straight and then pressed it into shape during install. Oh well. It's still rock solid in there.

    We covered the entire exterior of the hot air tube with that same foam, and then covered all of that in duct tape. There is one place were the tube has to be squished between the bed and the frame, so the duct tape helped keep that area all together. I also was not confident in the foams ability to stay stuck to the tube over long periods of time. Plus this will hopefully keep a bit more warmth in the air being sent into the camper.

    I also installed the exhaust system at this time. The exhaust system comes with a muffler, and after checking a YT video, I realized the muffler is definitely necessary if you want to be polite. Without it, the unit kind of whistles a bit, which I bet would get very annoying. For both us and the people we would be camped near.

    Another recommendation from Will, I wrapped the exhaust in a header wrap. This was done because I wanted to do my best to keep the exhaust from ruining the PC on the AG HH cross brace, which is what the exhaust is strapped to. I didn't do it to protect the exhaust system in any way, as it is very cheap. In fact, wrapping it will probably expedite its decline, but I am ok with that. Would rather replace the exhaust compared to working on repairing/refinishing the cross brace.

    In order for this location and routing to be viable, I had to place the muffler in the middle of the exhaust tubing so that it all made sense. I wanted to keep it from being a hazard as best I could, so that meant nothing hanging out of the way, too low or close to the ground. This ended up being tough to do, as the tube comes 'crinkled' in the middle section (basically 90% of its length), so that you can bend it to shape. Only the ends are finished smooth, allowing the tube to be easily attached to the unit and the muffler. I had to cut the exhaust tube, slot its ends, as well as slot the ends of the muffler itself, to be able to fit it all together. I used (4) small screws, as well as the provided hose clamps, to hold it all together before wrapping it up.

    You can also just barely see the fuel pump, mounted to an existing hole in the spare tire carrier/brace. The fuel lines run along existing structures to help keep them safe.

    This was the hard part, and now it was done.

    The last piece of the puzzle was the fuel tank situation.

    I started by thinking I would simply get another Rotopax, with their proprietary mount, and then mount that up underneath the truck, affixed to a custom bracket bolted to the spare tire carrier.

    But after talking with Will, a literal fuel expert, he provided the recommendation which ended up being the tanks final resting place.

    I couldn't get one of my existing Rotopax to fit into this tight space, so I started searching for other tank options. This ended up ultimately being a waste, as the 10l tank that came with the heater ended up being just right.

    Let's start by helping it blend in a bit better. It's going to be mounted in a fairly visible place.

    [​IMG]Diesel Heater Install and Slider Repaint by Michael Rickerd, on Flickr

    I taped off a section of the tank so that I can add fuel level lines to the tank. They are marked every 1/4 gallon, after the 1/2 gallon mark. I also opted to use a 5/16" quick disconnect, glued to the tank, between the tank and the rest of the system. The one end of the QD had a tube, notched at the end to avoid it being sucked to the bottom of the tank, which was placed inside of the tank, extending to the bottom. I didn't want the cap, or the fuel line penetration to constantly have fuel against them (fuel will certainly slosh on them, but that is fine). So I didn't want the feed line penetration at the bottom of the tank, hence the pickup tube.

    [​IMG]Diesel Heater Install and Slider Repaint by Michael Rickerd, on Flickr

    Drill and install the (3) mounting points, after marking, checking, and double checking their locations, which are once again M5 nuts/bolts.

    [​IMG]Diesel Heater Install and Slider Repaint by Michael Rickerd, on Flickr

    Yep, we ended up going with the space between the cab and camper. Ingenious if you ask me. That space is wasted anyways, as the cab and camper move separately, so I never put anything back there (except for dirty clothes occasionally), despite it being a kind of closed off space.

    The bolts are bolted to the camper skin first, and then additional nuts and large fender washers hold the tank to the wall. The thickness of the tank is thicker than the M5 nut, so it is effectively clamped into place, and the bolt won't fall out if the tank is ever removed. I caulked both the inside and outside of the M5 bolt/nut to prevent water intrusion.

    [​IMG]Diesel Heater Install and Slider Repaint by Michael Rickerd, on Flickr

    We will not be removing this tank to fill it. I will instead fill a Rotopax with diesel, and then use a bulbed line to hand pump fuel into this tank. Yeah, a bit cumbersome, but I didn't want to mess with trying to get a fuel spout to this tank as well. Transferring 3/4 gallon of diesel only took ~90 seconds, so not too bad.

    The fuel line was dropped down between the cab and the bed, and then run along the frame rail to the heaters fuel filter and pump.

    Time to test it out, fire extinguisher at the ready!

    I had installed the thermostat inside of the camper, on the drivers side, accessible from the rear door, drivers side side hatch, and most importantly, from the bed. Click one button and the unit comes to life!

    Once again, problem free operation from an installed system.

    Outlet air temp:

    [​IMG]Diesel Heater Install and Slider Repaint by Michael Rickerd, on Flickr

    No issues. The exhaust temp is still ~600 degrees, but it doesn't flow out very quickly, so it does not gather and cook the underside of the truck. In fact, you can place your hand ~6 inches away from the outlet and be totally fine.

    The unit itself makes a very white-noise style noise, when listening intently from the bed with the camper closed up. The fuel pump does still make an audible sound, despite being quieter and mounted via the rubberized mount. It is not jarring, but when it is super quiet we will be able to hear it.

    It was ~65 degrees out when I tested it, but all closed up the heater made the inside of the camper too hot in just 3 minutes. Just what I was looking for. This was what I was expecting when I originally purchased the Dickinson. That I could run it for ~1 hour and get the inside cooking, warming everything up inside of the camper to hold that heat, and then shut the unit off and go to bed. I will report back my findings after using this out in real life situations.

    I let it run for another ~45 minutes to test for heat soak and all that. Nothing scary or unexpected happened. The outlet tube still got hot, but that heat didn't transfer out to the fender. The underside of the bed also didn't get hot either. Now that the exhaust was wrapped, every part of the system could be touched with my bare hands without issue (I did not grab and hold onto the exhaust pipe though!). The muffler was the only part of the exhaust that exceeded 200 degrees (just barely to boot, just 201 degrees), the rest of the tubing was only around ~150 degrees. When the outside temps are low and this thing is cooking, overheating stuff will be an even smaller concern.

    Testing complete, we power off the unit with just a single button press and that is that.

    Overall, very satisfied, and I should have done this sooner. If you're building something like what we have, just get the diesel heater from the start. Wayyyy cheaper and far more practical and useful.

    With that done, I needed to address the paint on my sliders. It had been about 2.5 years since their last painting, and it was showing.

    Time to bust out the grinder with paint removing disc, the palm sander, and the sand paper.

    Getting started:

    [​IMG]Diesel Heater Install and Slider Repaint by Michael Rickerd, on Flickr

    I cut away all of the skateboard deck tape (this stuff lasted and is very impressive fyi) that was ruined. I will leave all of the healthy pieces, and just paint over them.

    Healthy amount of surface rust to remove. Nothing debilitating to the frame or anything like that at this point, just ugly to see.

    [​IMG]Diesel Heater Install and Slider Repaint by Michael Rickerd, on Flickr

    Better. All surface rust sanded and then the sliders were cleaned with water. Next is to tape it off, prep the surface with alcohol, and then get to painting.

    [​IMG]Diesel Heater Install and Slider Repaint by Michael Rickerd, on Flickr

    But that's for tomorrow.

    Thanks for reading.
     
    Last edited: Jan 29, 2024
  16. Jan 28, 2024 at 5:09 PM
    #356
    Phessor

    Phessor Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Feb 15, 2014
    Member:
    #123156
    Messages:
    3,580
    First Name:
    Bob
    Vehicle:
    1998 TRD XTra Cab
    Stuff
    I picked up a small diesel heater from Germany that I need to install. I believe it is a chinesium heater assembled in Germany, making it cost more.
     
    MR E30[OP] likes this.
  17. Jan 28, 2024 at 8:27 PM
    #357
    POOLGUY

    POOLGUY Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Feb 19, 2013
    Member:
    #97958
    Messages:
    11,373
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    JEFF
    ALABAMA
    Vehicle:
    2008 TRD Sport 6sp, 2015 TRD Offroad 6sp
    Dobinsons suspension
    Nice write up, very detailed.
     
    MR E30[OP] likes this.
  18. Jan 29, 2024 at 6:31 AM
    #358
    MR E30

    MR E30 [OP] Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Oct 22, 2018
    Member:
    #270223
    Messages:
    2,316
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    Michael
    Wherever it's parked
    Vehicle:
    2021 Silver TRD OR DCLB w/ AluCab and All the Mods
    Thanks, I added a bit more detail to the post, as I was in a bit of a rush to get out the door to go pick Stacy up from a weekend class she was attending.
     
    POOLGUY[QUOTED] likes this.
  19. Jan 29, 2024 at 11:20 AM
    #359
    Roadkill69

    Roadkill69 Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Aug 22, 2020
    Member:
    #338492
    Messages:
    141
    Gender:
    Male
    Vehicle:
    1998 Xcab 4x4 SR5 V6 TRD-OR; 2021 TRD-OR ACLB
    @MR E30
    Nice writeup, thx. Your install looks very neat and doesn't take up inside space, very nice! In the SW that looks like it will work great.
    I have a Vevor all in one vertical heater installed in my Tacoma. I will throw in a few points, you probably know them but future readers may not. Just because you were not happy with the Dickinson heat output, and you're missing out on much of the diesel heating--may not be needed, but also may be such as this month's super cold spell!
    1. These diesel heaters are mostly intended to be installed INSIDE the area to be heated. There is a massive efficiency increase to reheating the inside air, instead of constantly taking cold outside air and heating it once.
    2. The 98 page Eberspacher installation manual is of great use here... these are all exact clones of the Eberspacher, but of course come with terrible documentation despite being great copies. Eberspacher demanded professional installation, making them cost $3000, exactly because of all the types of errors and incorrect installs you see on Youtube. You can download the install manual, also useful if you get errors.
    3. There are untold hundreds of thousands of these running in long haul trucks everynight, safely and efficiently installed inside the cabs, often under the passenger seat. With a separate in/out combustion loop, which is safely routed outside, there is no reason to give away 60% of its heating ability by not recirculating input air. If you ever find you need better heat, you can cut another hole and route a duct from inside out to the hot air input for huge gains. Or for other folks, just install that heater portion inside, as original designers intended as primary install method.
    4. There is not actually a difference between 5kw and 8wk versions, according to all scientific testing I have seen on Youtube, it is a marketing scam apparently. Price is usually the same, so buy whichever has better price. Newer ones, at least from Vevor, have altitude compensation to get correct fuel air mix, which is great. As well as nice bluetooth app.
    5. Always run ot on HIGH for 10 to 15 minutes before shutdown, to burn off carbon buildups that occur when you run them many hours on lower settings, like 1 to 3, which as you described might be common. The main combustion errors folks get is from running always on low, and not doing this burn off.
    6. Pump sound deadening-- I wrapped mine in fiberglass muffler wrap, then aluminum muffler tape around that. Works well to deaden the clicks.
    7. Here is a great 18 part youtube series by John McK on these heaters, covering most all errors and issues:
    https://youtu.be/tvwmU_CcmGI?si=sWBCSk-IT72ergHG

    Anyways, not criticizing your work, it looks great as always. Have been following some popup camper folks who decided outside install without recirculation, didn't work well enough in this recent -20 cold snap, so wanted to give the "book install answer" for readers. It is also possible to install the heater body in that fender/body area you ran your hot air duct, a guy makes aftermarket mount that replaces the 3rd gen cubby and plug there, and holds heater body back in that big wasted space area.
    I particularly like the diesel tank position, I've been looking at installing up under the body fender in same area but filling has stumped me. As always, your work is top notch and your writeups detailed and interesting, thanks much!
     
    Last edited: Jan 29, 2024
  20. Jan 29, 2024 at 12:25 PM
    #360
    MR E30

    MR E30 [OP] Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Oct 22, 2018
    Member:
    #270223
    Messages:
    2,316
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    Michael
    Wherever it's parked
    Vehicle:
    2021 Silver TRD OR DCLB w/ AluCab and All the Mods
    Oh wow, this is a detailed response, thank you!

    Yeah, I definitely know that putting it inside of the camper would have been the best bet, but two things stopped that from happening; One was that I could not find a place to put it (I was unaware of the cubby style mount that you mentioned, good option though for sure) inside of the camper, as our space is rather filled. The only area that it might have went was in front of the fridge, mounted to the bedside wall, but that space was too valuable to give up. That's where I sit and lean when I am sitting downstairs, among other things.

    And two, is the fact that we really aren't cold weather folks by any stretch. Haha. -20 is much too cold for us. Hell, even 20 degrees (during the day, as the high) is outside of my desired living temperature. We mainly wanted this to act as a buffer against cold mornings, and as an emergency option in case we experience cold (to us and our plan) temperatures.

    I will say, we do have another contingency plan, to route air to be warmed by the heater from the air that is inside of the camper, if we end up needing it.

    But I totally agree. If you can, install the unit inside of the area to be warmed. Even the residual heat from the unit itself would be nice. Keep your tea warm or warm up a nice scone in the morning. Haha

    Thanks for sharing about the fuel pump deadening. I will look into that this week. Also the running it on high for 10-15 minutes, good practice for sure.

    Also, I personally have nothing against some criticism. I am by no means an expert on anything, and I just do the best job that I can with the information that I have. I always enjoy learning more from those more experienced/exposed than myself.
     
    Last edited: Jan 29, 2024

Products Discussed in

To Top