Kimbo Camper BS and Mods

Hi Kimbo users,

My Kimbo delivery date unfortunately just got pushed till March, but that gives me more time to upgrade the suspension in my Taco.
Any recommendations regarding that? What upgrades have you done before putting kimbo on your Taco. I’m sorry if that topic was already covered here and thanks for any recommendations.

 

@DogtorK, that's a bummer to hear. What number was your order and when were you supposed to pick it up?

Regarding suspension, i'm sure you have already read but the firestone airbags are a must. I plan on adding those in and keeping my stock suspension.

 

No worries. I went with the Firestone air bags with the Daystar cradles. The cradles allow for you to still fully flex your suspension without worry of damaging the bags. I already had a suspension upgrade but its not necessary unless you're trying to fit larger tires of course. Also, find a well reviewed LT tire. You can play around with the width if you're trying to save some weight. I went with the Toyo AT3 and have been happy with its performance, but new Cooper Rugged Trek may be next on my list.

https://coopertire.com/en-us/find-tires/all-tires/discoverer-rugged-trek

 

What are you guy's doing with your battery pack (Goal Zero or the new Ecoflo River) during the winter when the Kimbo is parked and the temperature is below freezing?...it appears 32 deg F is the lowest number they want you to run it at which basically says I'll have to remove it from the Kimbo and store it indoors. I am getting the Ecoflo river when I pick up the camper in November.....thanks for any feedback ......below 32 deg could even happen on a trip where you are away from the Kimbo for all day.

 

From what I understand, the damage happens when attempting to charge when the chemistry is frozen - that's why the more sophisticated systems have a low temp disconnect. When we get into snow camping, we pretty much keep the furnace going all day long on the lowest setting (actually we turn it down below the lowest setting so there's just a bit of a flame).

If not planning on camping for an extended time, it may be best to bring the battery inside just to keep it topped off and ready for the next adventure. The system is very compact/light/easy to disconnect and bring inside.

 

Bummer about the delivery date - LT tires and bags are the basic recommendations...beyond that, pocketbook is the limit.

 

The Ecoflo River is Lithium so you should be fine to charge and use it in below freezing temps. It's the sealed lead acid that you have to be more careful with. Lithium you are also able to use 100% of the capacity vs 50% of lead acid to maintain a healthy battery. Hope that helps.

Edit: Read the spec sheet wrong. Will not charge below freezing but will discharge below freezing.

 

So I use my Yeti 400 with an AGM Lead-Acid in the winter and it definitely gets below freezing in Montana. Per the owners manual: "Cold temperatures (below freezing) can impact the YETI’s battery capacity. If you’ll be living off-grid in sub-zero conditions, we recommend keeping your YETI in an insulated cooler, and connected to a power source (solar panels). The natural heat generated by the YETI contained in an insulated cooler will keep battery capacity at its highest." The Kimbo is insulated, but not as much as a cooler. I keep it plugged into my solar panel which they say will help. My main question is this, what about my truck batteries? Aren't they AGM Lead-Acid? All my vehicles' batteries have been lead acid right? I've been charging those batteries via my alternator and living in temperatures well below freezing and there is no insulation in the engine bay, I can see the pavement below. Just trying to understand.

On another note, I was able to locate a use 1up bike rack on craigslist. Brought the treasure home last night. What a fine piece of craftsmanship. Now I just need to fabricate/Frankenstein it to the moto rack and I should have a rack than can carry the moto and MTB off the hitch and open my tailgate when the rack is lowered without unloading the moto and mtb. Very exciting!

Then onto the surfboard mounts. I bought these off target: https://maloneautoracks.com/SUPSwing-Folding-SUP-Wall-Mount-Cradles.html I am planning to mount them where the camper jack mounts attach on the Kimbo (I usually take my camper jacks off after loading the Kimbo on the truck). My main concern is that its a bit wide. I have also thought of the surfboard rack going on the roof, just using smaller car roof bars and throwing the boards in a bag and then strapping them to the roof. Or I could just out the boards in a bag and put them in the cab over bed. Anyways, always happy to hear your thoughts. All the best!

 

A/C and A/C alternatives:

Ok so if you have a full size truck bed, flatbed or sherptek a possible AC unit setup would be to mount this: https://www.globalindustrial.com/p/...cqSpgpHR2lULZ8xkDN0c1Xn77PVJPPDhoC4-UQAvD_BwE outside the Kimbo and then make a hole and pipe in that cool air. Power for the AC unit would be accomplished by this: https://alpgenerators.com/products/alp-generator-1000-watts-orange-black and fed from the 30 pound propane tank in the Kimbo.

However, all of that seemed like a decent amount of money and a very tight fit. Alas, I thought I might be making things too complicated and expensive. What about this:

Evaporative Air Cooler, Personal Air Conditioner for Room Office, Portable Mini Cooler with 700ml Water Tank, 3 Wind Speeds 3 Cooling Levels

https://www.amazon.com/Evaporative-...4Q8ZLCN,B08T249Y4X,B08XXPMKZD&srpt=AIR_COOLER

Do you guys think a mini evaporative (swamp) cooler is a bad idea in the Kimbo? This would be used out in the desert with very low humidity so it should be effective. Cold water and ice is right in the cooler. I'm concerned that the wet air might be bad for the interior of the Kimbo, but it should dry out on the way home, or once the swamp cooler gets turned off. Thoughts?

 

Yeah, the 500x is lithium chemistry and the lithium will be destroyed if attempting to charge while frozen - the insulated cooler is a good idea though. The lead acid is a different animal and likely has a better operating temp.

I can confirm that the 1up is a fantastic - great workmanship and overbuilt - been using mine for a few years and only issue was when my wife backed into a cement pillar, only bent the red arm and ratchet bar, easily replaced and didn't break the bank. Very good rack IMO.

Love the idea of mounting the surfboards on the jack mounts - if they're long enough to fit. Roof would be a challenge but they'd be out of the way and a little more height prob wouldn't be noticable. May have to stack them due to the vent and they'd likely cover part of the solar panel. If they're not too long, maybe verticle in front of the propane storage?

 

Thanks for the info. I'll just keep using the Yeti 400 AGM until it quits. I keep the shortboards in the bed of the truck next to the Kimbo, these would be for the mid lengths (7'2" and 7'6"). Ok I like the idea of having them on the side of the truck too, getting up on the roof is a little awkward and you are right about real estate up there as well as height, I'm pushing 12' I think. All the best.

 

Thanks for all the battery info guys.....great networking...I'll plan on taking them out since in the mountains here in Bend Oregon, it freezes in the winter at 5:00pm at night and does't get above freezing till 10;00AM the next morning......on-on

 

Thanks. Originally when I inquired about the kimbo they said January after paying the deposit for February date now it’s not going to be ready until March unfortunately

Good on tires and airbags. Do you think that putting a full suspension kit is an overkill?

 

Be glad Collin is there, I had a pretty big issue with him but in the end he (and possibly the owner) came through. When I first looked at the factory (we went up there) in the beginning of 2020 it wasn't much more than a " hey dudes lets build some campers" kind of place. In fact had it not been for my wife wanting a hard side camper for the taco I wouldn't of bought one (now glad I did, she was right as usual) . I think Collin started around july of 2020 and by the time we picked up our camper about 10 months after ordering the place was much more organized and seemed quite Collin dependent. They are a very young company with a young owner who is strong on the creativity side, so having someone a bit more mature and business oriented is just what they needed. He probably needs an assistant, but that may not be fiscally prudent for them at this point. All imho.

 

Looks like I read the EcoFlow River spec sheet wrong. I saw the +/- and thought -5 degrees. It will definitely stop charging below freezing.

Some more info on AGM vs Lithium. Battle Born is at the top of the list when it comes to quality,(and price) lithium batteries, so their BMS can be trusted to safely turn off at 25 degrees and turn back on at 32F. The BMS will decrease the charge current until shut off. As far as discharge the lithium will outperform the AGM across the board in cold weather. The BMS will shutdown the charging but the battery is still able to be used. I'm not sure of the quality of the AGM batteries used in the test, so a Goal Zero may have better results.

"At 25° F, a Battle Born battery will no longer accept a charge. This is to preserve the cells in the battery, and the internal BMS will allow a recharge when the temperature is above 32° F. Every single battery that we assemble has this intelligent internal BMS.

Lead acid AGM batteries do not have an internal BMS, meaning they may operate at colder temperatures for a bit, but you risk damaging the entire battery and losing power for good. Damaging a lead acid battery can be very dangerous for you and your rig and should be avoided."

I imagine the Goal Zeros do have a BMS built in their system do to the all-in-one design and remain safe in freezing temperatures.

https://battlebornbatteries.com/lead-is-dead-white-paper-study/

 

I would try the cooler next summer I think. Curious if it makes it a tad more comfortable for the pooches during the day.

 

Full suspension would not be overkill. It would help with stiffing the suspension with that load depending on what you get. Stock leafs in the older Tacomas were know to sag early so a beefier leaf pack would solve that issue. Again, not needed but helpful. With a stock suspension it will handle fine and you can get the full suspension down the road if you feel like you want it.

 

I get it man. It does suck. Mine got pushed back a month too during the start of the pandemic. So instead of using my Thanksgiving break for traveling and pickup, I had to use my Christmas break instead. I teach and any other time off is very difficult. This forced me to build it out during the winter since we went for just a base model, no heat. So no use during last winter as the buildout went slow in the cold.

With their years of being in the business, surviving the pandemic with quarantining and other hardships, I believe they will continue on in this current market. I'm sure the supply chains are a huge headache and cost is being passed on to the consumers everywhere. Again this sucks. I agree they should have someone if not the owner working the phones. Employee shortage may be an issue also for that type of position, just not sure these days. Don't know their business model either, how many Kimbos on hold with deposits and how many they complete each month. Having just less than half paid might be needed with a small setup and highly skilled workers/fabricators/etc working the floor. I really do hope they are able to make some changes soon in that area, customer service. It would provide more of a piece of mind for you and others that want to invest in their company.

 

I certainly don't want to damage the Kimbo with a lead acid battery, but I still don't understand how car/truck batteries do fine in sub zero temps. They use lead acid batteries in the engine bay and they are recharging as soon as the vehicle starts running of gas/diesel. Are we saying that my lead acid Yeti 400 is going to explode inside my Kimbo in the winter?

 

Also, we did have the wood stove as our one option which would have give me a heat source. This was also a top list item for choosing Kimbo. They canceled this option do to poor performance. This was a huge let down and also led to the issue of no winter use. I did respect them for pulling this option due to performance quality though. I just had to research it and do it better my self, increasing draft performance in the flue system. Will soon be finished with this mod in the next couple of weeks though. Better late than never.