Building a Toyota that fits Douglas

[allen.wrench]

Well I learned something new! It makes a lot of sense to have the inverter like you're saying Dave. I always thought the inverter in my 2017 Taco was inside the box behind the bed outlet (not the storage cubby) since to me there aren't intuitively obvious signs elsewhere.

And I don't mean to hijack your thread @DouglasVB, but is it easy to pull apart the console in the cab to get at the inverter's input and output power? Because yea if it is located there, that is super convenient for both 12V and 120VAC powwahh! Again, I'm just excited for learning something new and very much want to do the same as you did I was just ignorant till now.

Allen

 

[DouglasVB]

And I don't mean to hijack your thread @DouglasVB, but is it easy to pull apart the console in the cab to get at the inverter's input and output power? Because yea if it is located there, that is super convenient for both 12V and 120VAC powwahh! Again, I'm just excited for learning something new and very much want to do the same as you did I was just ignorant till now.

Yeah it's super easy. It took me about an hour from start to finish to pop open the center console, install the add on harness, and install the 120v plug in the back of the console.

I'll probably go back in there again at some point to add in a switch so I can select if I want to fool the inverter to think I'm in park or not (allowing 400w operation while not in park). I need to go back in anyway to install a passenger princess water bottle holder that's big enough for an oversized water bottle. I'll do the chalk bag trick.

 

[allen.wrench]

That's most excellent! Thanks @DouglasVB for further explaining all that. I appreciate it.

Super helpful, and I will soon be doing it too.

Allen

 

[DouglasVB]

I'm starting to look at winches for my truck. The bumper is designed for a Warn Zeon winch. That form factor appears to be about the same as Smittybilt and Badlands Apex offerings.

Based on forum posts, it seems I will have to reach down through the space between the grille and engine to get to the clutch handle on the winch. That seems doable although annoying.

I'm thinking of going with the harbor freight option because it's a good price point and the harbor freight winch I had on my old truck was surprisingly good. I used that winch maybe five times total in six years and none of those times was because I was stuck. I unrolled the steel cable way more often for general maintenance and inspection than I used it for any sort of recovery or other activity.

My old winch had steel cable but I think this time I want synthetic rope. That's mainly for the weight savings. In also have the perception that a broken synthetic rope is somewhat less deadly than a broken steel cable. I understand the care and feeding of synthetic rope is different and it'll be sometime I have to learn.

On my old winch, I had it setup with some parallel resettable circuit breakers that replaced the thermal resettable fuses it came with. I'm thinking I want to do sometime similar this time. I see some of the winch kits now only come with a cutoff switch though. Are fuses falling out of favor for this application?

It looks like every few months they've got a 15 or 20% off coupon for the 12k Apex Badlands winch with synthetic line at harbor freight. So I guess I'll keep an eye out for the next decent coupon.

I'll also need a different bracket for my front license plate that can flip the plate up and out of the way of the hawse fairlead.

 

[DouglasVB]

I'm thinking more about onboard air. I think the long term solution I'm trending towards is an ARB or similar compressor mounted in a bed pocket cubby. On my old 4runner, I started with the compressor under the hood but eventually moved it to the bed area where it wasn't getting cooked all of the time. I preferred it at the rear versus the front.

My current truck, being a newer one, only has the passenger side bed pocket but I can cut in the driver's side pocket with a little work. It looks like the hardest part will be the fastener hardware installation. I'm not really sure what the best approach to that should be.

This All-Pro setup seems like a good option if I'm putting in a driver's side pocket. I think that I can get all of the components so that I don't have to buy the OEM drivers pocket hardware which will save money. I prefer putting it on the drives side so it's easier to route wiring away from the exhaust and so that I don't lose the passenger pocket (not that I have anything in that pocket at the moment or have any thoughts of what I will put in there 😂).

I am still thinking if a single compressor will make me happy (that's what my old truck had) or if I want to bump up to a dual compressor system. I beat the crap out of my old compressor airing up 35" tires and I melted the electrical connector plastic plus I had to fix some stuff inside that compressor due to heavy use. I'm also thinking about an air tank that could help me air up even faster or run some air tools intermittently. I think there's room for a small tank somewhere hidden in the bed between the outer and inner side panels. But I really don't need a tank and probably don't need dual compressors at least initially.

I would probably make an air hose coupler mount somewhere I can access outside the bed so I don't need to open the bed to air up. But I would retain an air hose coupler by the compressor, too.

Does anyone have any other thoughts or recommendations or considerations?

 

[Notyourmomslx450]

I'm thinking more about onboard air. I think the long term solution I'm trending towards is an ARB or similar compressor mounted in a bed pocket cubby. On my old 4runner, I started with the compressor under the hood but eventually moved it to the bed area where it wasn't getting cooked all of the time. I preferred it at the rear versus the front.

My current truck, being a newer one, only has the passenger side bed pocket but I can cut in the driver's side pocket with a little work. It looks like the hardest part will be the fastener hardware installation. I'm not really sure what the best approach to that should be.

This All-Pro setup seems like a good option if I'm putting in a driver's side pocket. I think that I can get all of the components so that I don't have to buy the OEM drivers pocket hardware which will save money. I prefer putting it on the drives side so it's easier to route wiring away from the exhaust and so that I don't lose the passenger pocket (not that I have anything in that pocket at the moment or have any thoughts of what I will put in there 😂).

I am still thinking if a single compressor will make me happy (that's what my old truck had) or if I want to bump up to a dual compressor system. I beat the crap out of my old compressor airing up 35" tires and I melted the electrical connector plastic plus I had to fix some stuff inside that compressor due to heavy use. I'm also thinking about an air tank that could help me air up even faster or run some air tools intermittently. I think there's room for a small tank somewhere hidden in the bed between the outer and inner side panels. But I really don't need a tank and probably don't need dual compressors at least initially.

I would probably make an air hose coupler mount somewhere I can access outside the bed so I don't need to open the bed to air up. But I would retain an air hose coupler by the compressor, too.

Does anyone have any other thoughts or recommendations or considerations?

Dual is the way.... @nakman has a compressor that's a lot like the ARB but cheaper than an ARB..

 

[DaveInDenver]

Dual is the way.... @nakman has a compressor that's a lot like the ARB but cheaper than an ARB..

Anyone know where I can find a roof rack a lot like a Gamiviti but cheaper than a Gamiviti? ;-)

so that I don't lose the passenger pocket (not that I have anything in that pocket at the moment or have any thoughts of what I will put in there 😂)

That little one seemed kind of useless, especially when I put a fridge right in front of it. But that fridge needed power. So.

 

[DaveInDenver]

On my old winch, I had it setup with some parallel resettable circuit breakers that replaced the thermal resettable fuses it came with. I'm thinking I want to do sometime similar this time. I see some of the winch kits now only come with a cutoff switch though. Are fuses falling out of favor for this application?

I run a fuse on my winch power. There's a school of thought that this, like your starter, isn't necessary and perhaps counterproductive.

That's true to the extent that despite general assumption a battery is not actually an infinite source of current. There is a limit to how it can produce and produce safely. So if you crowbar your battery you're just as likely to melt the conductor as to harm the battery. For example to weld you can literally short the power supply because the conductor is consumed, intentionally in this case. Even with heavy cables, if you short them the battery will make them into fuses anyway.

So the preferred way is to use cables with good insulation that are routed and sheathed in a way that they are safe if they melt open. Make them into fusible links, so to speak. This is safe as long as the time to melt them is less than it would take for the battery to overheat and explode. That went into selecting wire sizes by the manufacturer. This is also why not using the included wiring harness with your winch is discouraged. If you use bigger wires they may not open as the manufacturer intended and could overheat your battery.

With a starter or winch the load itself can practically consume as much current as the battery is willing to produce so it's the cables you need to worry about. In that respect the motor in each will burn up before the heavy cable. So from a technical standpoint you don't need to fuse at the battery, the purpose of which is to protect wiring.

The best practices for engineering say to use the smallest fuse necessary at the location you want to protect. So fusing the winch at the battery to protect the winch is a deviation from that. If the winch (or indeed the starter) requires protection you put an appropriate fuse at it.

The reason for this is the type and size for a motor, or any load, is likely not the same as will be required for a cable.

Why I put a fuse on my winch is mainly to protect the wiring and secondarily the battery itself and people in the event of an accident that cuts the cables in the bumper. I also do it for a practical reason that someone once tried to cause havoc by jamming a screwdriver in my control box. The fuse prevented that from being anything more than an annoyance.

The flip side here is that the fuse has to be big so that it doesn't nuisance trip running the winch. I use a 300A MRBF and the curve for it on paper is fine for my Warn XD9000 and has in fact never opened while winching. And the cables I made match the fuse curve. That doesn't mean the fuse can't open winching and if it did that would vary from a fairly irritating problem to an unsafe one.

I am in no way suggesting anyone add a fuse or breaker that the manufacturer didn't include.

The better solution is a battery disconnect. However, I have a unique situation that I felt is better handled this way. My winch power branch isn't just for a winch, it also serves as a connection for jumper cables and other utility so I like having protection if someone's vehicle isn't wired safely or they drop the clamps on each other.

 

[DouglasVB]

Well while I was doing some work in my engine bay, I found the start of a rodent nest under the intake manifold. It was using the insulation from under the plastic engine cover. I removed all of the nest material.



What's my best solution to prevent more rodents in the engine bay?

 

[DouglasVB]

Today I installed a Badlands Apex 12k winch with synthetic line on my Tacoma. I've got a Body Armor 4x4 bumper that was installed by a previous owner. The winch fit perfectly and has plenty of clearance. Some people on Tacoma World had talked about it not fitting but it fits beautifully -- the winch is not even close to anything like the radiator supports or anything like that.

I'm pleasantly surprised that the winch controller works both wired and wireless. It's quite easy for me to reach down to the winch and flick on the switch to put it into wireless mode or to plug in the cable. It's also easy to access the clutch to put it into freewheel mode.

Here are photos of the install process. It took me about four hours from start to finish. If I was installing the bumper from scratch, that would have taken a few more hours probably because of the trimming that happens when this bumper is installed.

The box straight from Harbor Freight. There was a 15% off coupon and with some other stuff I was buying, I ended up getting the "Inside Track" one year membership because it saved me more money with the extra discount than the membership cost. The membership got me an extra 5% off on this plus 20% off on a 60" Hi Lift jack and a few other things that I picked up.

Opening the box this is what you find. There's an upper tray of stuff and some manuals and stickers.

Here's the stuff in the top tray. The hook, the controller, the hawse fairlead, and the control cable.

The lower tray has the winch, various cables, a plate that you use if you need to relocate the control box, the battery cutoff switch, a junction box, bolts, and a few other odds and ends.

This is all of the stuff that's on the same level as the winch in the box.

Here's the winch itself. It is surprisingly light thanks to not having steel wire like my last winch did.

I used my trusty Harbor Freight transmission jack to lower the bumper. There are four bolts on each side of the bumper that have to come out. In general, they seem like they should hold the bumper and winch in place when winching unless I go up to the max load of the winch. Maybe someday I'll install some frame braces but I think for my use case it should be fine.

Moving the bumper out of the truck.

There's such a stupid amount of space between the grille and the radiator. I know it's for aerodynamics and crash safety (pedestrian, low speed, etc.) but wow that's a lot of dead space up front. Maybe I'll stuff an annoyingly loud air horn in there eventually 🤣

Getting the hawse fairlead installed. I've also got the bolts partially secured into the winch. They use captive nuts on the winch side which is a bit odd compared to the older design of the Harbor Freight winch I had on my old truck. But I guess it works!

There's the winch installed into the bumper. You can also see the LED light bar that the previous owner installed into the bumper. It is surprisingly bright and casts light both far and wide.

Moving the bumper back into place on the Harbor Freight transmission jack.

Installed back into the truck. I think I'm going to use an old sock to protect the little bit of exposed synthetic rope on the loop end where it connects to the hook. I contemplated getting one of the Harbor Freight Badland Apex aluminum winch shackle mounts but I think there's a benefit for me to using the hook on some things that I could see myself pulling with the winch. Maybe I'll change my mind later. If I did have that aluminum winch shackle mount, the synthetic rope would be fully inside the bumper and protected.

Here it is fully installed.

On to the next project!

 

[DouglasVB]

Well while I was doing some work in my engine bay, I found the start of a rodent nest under the intake manifold. It was using the insulation from under the plastic engine cover. I removed all of the nest material.



What's my best solution to prevent more rodents in the engine bay?

View attachment 130287

View attachment 130288

I've got a rat trap under the truck now. We'll see if I catch anything. It's possible the nest had been in there a while. The neighbors caught two rats a month or so back in their traps. I caught a pair of rats on our trail cam just before the neighbors got them in a trap and I have not seen those two rats on the trail cam since then.

I'm still thinking I need something that's in the engine bay long-term to reduce the likelihood of rats or other rodents getting back in there again.

 

[DouglasVB]

Tonight I'm thinking about a few more things for the truck...

• Mounting the hi-lift jack somewhere (probably in the bed) -- this is a more immediate need compared to the other stuff below
• An accessory electrical fuse panel and mounting plate for under the hood. I'll want provisions for solar and dual batteries
• Dual battery setup (this is to support a fridge and such) including a place for a second battery (probably on the passenger side?) and an isolator
• Larger primary battery (I see Slee sells a bigger battery tray) -- my battery is from June 2022 so probably another two years before I'll do this upgrade to line up with a new battery
• Solar charging setup

I also need to figure out what I'm doing with my radios. I'm still not sure where to mount the radios or the antennas. There just aren't very many good choices in the cab unless I lose the phone charging pad (the stock one sucks. I'm hoping though that Slee comes out with an upgraded one soon like they did for another Toyota recently) and stuff radios in there or I get a radio with a remote face plate although I'm not sure where I would put the face plate. The goal is to make the radios unobtrusive in the cab.

I also need to think about putting in another 12 volt accessory outlet in the cab and one in the bed. That way it'll be easier to power my fridge without running the cable from the front. Speaking of fridges, I saw a huge fridge at Costco today for $700. Igloo brand 83 quart. I'll throw in a photo of it below.

 

[allen.wrench]

From several folks including conversations at a Bill Burke training sesh I've heard these strobe lights help repel rats from the engine bay or other locations:

https://a.co/d/j2mAjGN

Rats are annoying. I've been tempted to get these strobe lights for my truck as extra protection. Around my house I have several bait stations and traps after I found a few rats under my garden shed in 2022. For a few months the traps either killed the rats on my property or I found dead ones from the bait (poison) they ate in the stations. Now in 2024 I have not seen them or signs of them for months. Long term around the house, which includes where I park daily, that's my solution.

Good job on the winch! Glad it worked out and expect it'll be awesome. Have you spooled it out and back in to wind the line nicely? How did it go?

I'm staying tuned for the 12v bedside outlet and hi-lift mount. I've tried the rail mounts inside the bed, but never liked it much and after I added my Softoppper I took the rail mounts off so the Softoppper worked.

Allen

 

[DouglasVB]

From several folks including conversations at a Bill Burke training sesh I've heard these strobe lights help repel rats from the engine bay or other locations:
https://a.co/d/j2mAjGN
Rats are annoying. I've been tempted to get these strobe lights for my truck as extra protection. Around my house I have several bait stations and traps after I found a few rats under my garden shed in 2022. For a few months the traps either killed the rats on my property or I found dead ones from the bait (poison) they ate in the stations. Now in 2024 I have not seen them or signs of them for months. Long term around the house, which includes where I park daily, that's my solution.

I've managed to catch a squirrel so far in the rat snap traps that I put out under my truck. I'm going to see about one of those strobe things and maybe an ultrasonic noise maker. But I don't think I can stand the various smells people will use to try to dissuade rodents 🤢

Good job on the winch! Glad it worked out and expect it'll be awesome. Have you spooled it out and back in to wind the line nicely? How did it go?

The rope was spooled on surprisingly well. I played it out and back in without a problem. I think this weekend I'll get the chance to test it out fully.

I'm staying tuned for the 12v bedside outlet and hi-lift mount. I've tried the rail mounts inside the bed, but never liked it much and after I added my Softoppper I took the rail mounts off so the Softoppper worked.

It might be a few weeks before I get to that work. I ordered an ARB compressor system and mounting hardware to put it into the driver's side truck bed side wall area. When I install that, I'll also put in the 12V plug. And maybe if I can figure out what I want to do for aux power under the hood, I'll do that at the same time.

I got a 60" hi lift Jack which is the exact same length as the bed. I might shave off an inch or two so it's not touching the front of the bed and the tailgate 😅. My truck has bed side rails where stuff can mount that is below the bed sides so mounting a jack there shouldn't interfere with the current tonneau cover or a future topper.

I'm also eyeing heated seat kits. It's "winter" now in Monterey (fog season) and I'm missing heated seats 😅😅

 

[allen.wrench]

Haha my dad gave me a heated seat pad a little bit ago. Never thought I'd use it, but after a few months I love it. Lol

That's a good sign the winch came spooled nicely.

I think those strobe lights also have an ultrasonic feature. Agreed about the smell detergents. Tho it might be if you're a teenager using AXE body spray that'd work good for you and deter the rats 😆

Is it a Hi Lift brand hi-lift? I have a 5' bed too. A few months ago I upgraded from a 48" to 60" hi-lift Xtreme (I didn't need, but I had store credit to burn) and it fits inside my bed lengthwise. Or yea just chop off a few inches. The jack standard beam is not a big deal.

Until the post when Dave showed me the 120vac inverter is inside the cab, I always thought there were 12v power cables to hack into in the bed. But I guess not. An additional fuse panel under the hood would make sense. It's difficult to commit to something you want to also be expandable for unforeseen future options. Are you planning to route new cables for 12v power in the bed? How are you thinking about routing and securing the cables?

Allen

 

[DouglasVB]

Is it a Hi Lift brand hi-lift? I have a 5' bed too. A few months ago I upgraded from a 48" to 60" hi-lift Xtreme (I didn't need, but I had store credit to burn) and it fits inside my bed lengthwise. Or yea just chop off a few inches. The jack standard beam is not a big deal.

No it's from Harbor Freight. On my old truck I had a Harbor Freight hi lift (I gave it to the guy I sold the truck to) and it worked fine. The genuine hi lift brand rebuild kit even worked on the harbor freight brand Jack.

In all the years I had it, I used it exactly twice. So I'm not really needing a workhorse jack. I even thought about not having one at all but it seems like a reasonable backup plan.

I need to look at it more closely to see if removing the foot will give me the extra clearance necessary.

Until the post when Dave showed me the 120vac inverter is inside the cab, I always thought there were 12v power cables to hack into in the bed. But I guess not. An additional fuse panel under the hood would make sense. It's difficult to commit to something you want to also be expandable for unforeseen future options. Are you planning to route new cables for 12v power in the bed? How are you thinking about routing and securing the cables?

I need to look at the harness that comes with the air compressor setup (it should arrive in the next few days). It's supposed to handle bringing 12v from the engine bay all the way to the back of the truck. However, I'm not sure what gauge of wire it's got. I might choose to upgrade to something thicker. I've got a bunch of 4 gauge wire kicking around that I could use. Then I could also use that wire for a 12v outlet in the bed, to back feed power from future solar panels mounted on a bed topper, and whatever else might need 12v. But we'll see.