What have you done to your 5th Gen 4Runner today?

Just scored a newish 285 BFG to use as a spare. 120 bucks and doesn't even have 200 miles on it. Now to find a wheel to put it on.......

 

I glued indoor/outdoor carpet onto my sleeping platform. After it cures for a couple days, I'll wrap the edges and fasten on the underside.

 

Dobs rear springs to level out the 2.5” lift. .5” of total rake now and love it!

Dr KDSS rear sway bar billet clamps. Extended fuse box cover. Front clamps and KDSS control switch soon to come.

 

Nicely done, good call!
I've bought three spare 285's in a year, cheap FB marketplace lol
I honestly gave my spare steely a look. Well made Japanese wheel. I recently dropped it down first time, cleaned, lined up Albion Tire by the river to wrap it - $30

 

Fine taste, you have!

 

Yep, got mine on FB marketplace. Thought it was a scam then after a week I decided to see. Not sure how this tire lasted that long.

 

New lift going on today

 

These are amazing. I love mine too

 

Ohhh I like the matte!

 

Do they add anything function wise? I don't mind the xfer knob but the oem gear shifter looks ugly to me. And it frequently moves so its not always pointing straight.

 

They just look better and feel better IMO. They also stay put and don't come loose or rotate around.

 

With the Monsoon season creeping up, changed the shower material shroud to a tarp material shroud for added water protection, and instead of magnets around the edges changed it to velcro to keep the edges down when the wind blows. Additionally, because of the diminished sun availability due to cloud coverage added another 400 watts solar panel--it barely makes it two days of AC usage but it's all I need for two days. With record-breaking temperatures this week in the desert, 110-119F, still sleeping comfortably inside during the day.

 

I've been following your posts on this topic for a while. How many total (max) Watts of solar panel do you have? What range of actual captured power do you typically see?

 

Added a cover to the center console.

 

Nice where did you buy that?

 

Bet he bought it at 4Runnerlifestyle.com

 

Thanks for the inquiry, but know that I have no idea what I am doing (as another forum member pointed out in an unrelated post, "Darwanism." ) and simply throwing things together to see what sticks, as I am using this work opportunity to figure out the kinks and mishaps before a major trip to Alaska next year, 2024, and sharing here with others.

If unaware, I have a 400ah battery bank and use the AC through a 3k-watt inverter, and the AC is 8k BTU at 1800w. For solar, I am using a total of 800 watts. Two 200w panels, one permanently on the roof and the same one on the ground in the picture--to be installed permanently on the roof as a slide-out later, and another 400w as a portable folding set. The latter, the portable set, if I had the foresight I would have gotten two of them (for a total of 800w) for the current scenario of sleeping during the day while working at night instead of the extra rigid 200w panel, as the portable set is much easier to remove and store than the rigid 200w panel--it's a pain. That said, the 200w panel is much easier to deploy once I get it out of the back. However, the 200w rigid panel ($219

$158 PowerECO 200 Watt 12V Monocrystalline Solar Panel with Solar Connectors, High Efficiency Module PV Power for Battery Charging Boat, Caravan, RV and Any Other Off Grid Applications(1 Pack)

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06XQ18PW4?ie=UTF8&th=1) is less expensive than the portable ($699

$599 ALLPOWERS SP037 400W Portable Solar Panel Waterproof IP67 Foldable Solar Panel Kit with 37.4V Output Solar Charger for Outdoor Adventures Power Outage RV Solar Generator

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BG6ZTJB2?ie=UTF8).

Using this online watts:amps conversion calculator https://www.rapidtables.com/calc/electric/Watt_to_Amp_Calculator.html 800w = 67amp, which is double what the RedArc RedVision BMS can manage at 30amp max. While not certain, I did not think 800 watts of solar panels would harvest all 800w or 67amp. However, I knew the BMS does not permit more than 35amps, evident by the BMS' manual and the vehicle's alternator accepted loads at ~33-35amps max. Nonetheless, I got 800w total knowing the Monsoon season cloud coverage would affect the efficiency of the harvest. And because I am sleeping during the harvest I would not be adjusting the panels to improve their efficiency. Unfortunately, to your question, I cannot be certain of the actual harvest as I am inside when I check the monitor and was unaware if there is cloud coverage affecting the harvest or not at the time I checked. What I did know, correlating with the weather app, was the surrounding weather where I was parked and noted thunderstorms and rain nearby (~1-5miles away) but not where I was parked (sleeping), thus likely some, if not all, the harvest time might have been affected by cloud cover. Nonetheless, at its highest, I recorded 27.7amps (~330watts) with an average range of 20-25amps the times I looked the last two days, which is pretty close to the BMS' max accepting amps. Most important that the AC is not draining the battery when I need the AC.

Hope that helps.

As a side note, this current scenario is not the normal use/intent, as I am parked and using the bulk of the energy during the day without a recharging source at nighttime while parked, again, at work. For most, the battery is charged while driving during the day (or night) and then depleted at night time with its use, and solar panels are used as a supplement to the alternator charging and not the primary source of charging. However, as I learned in the winter because I use an electric heater then, most of the battery, winter (to stay warm heater) or summer (to stay cool A/C), is used between dinner and breakfast, when the solar charging is unavailable. Come winter, it's not likely I will use the heater to stay warm during the day in Arizona but I will be consuming energy to heat the shower water (12v 300w

$25 DERNORD 12V 300W DC Immersion Heater Submersible Water Heater Element Stainless Steel Heating Element with 1" NPSM Fitting

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0176DVBRE?ie=UTF8&th=1) while I am sleeping and will need to continue to use all 800w as the sun will be lower and the panels less efficient then. Because of the battery use at nighttime, I will be adding another 400ah battery for 800ah total before leaving for Alaska (maybe sooner) as I have learned that the battery is less efficient in the winter and is drained by the heater use then. On another note, despite the availability of summer sunlight as I move north, I am not sure about the rooftop solar panel harvest efficiency vs the horizon of the summer sunlight, thus having another 400ah might be beneficial.

Pardon the dissertation. Hope that helps and thanks for asking. I would like to share more if you have other questions, although with a grain of salt as I have no idea what I am doing, and maybe you have better knowledge to add. Thanks.

 

Yes, I ordered it from 4runner lifestyle. They finally got it back in stock.

 

4runnerlifestyle.com. The logo is on the cover.

 

Thanks. Was just checking their site out.

 

Thanks for the details. What you're getting seems not too different than what I've seen in my very limited testing, considering conditions. I have a 1000 Ah Jackery unit with two nominal 100W panels (200 total max). On the sunny afternoon I tested (while our power was out), I got at most 127W, with 25-80W more common later in the day, with passing clouds and tree shadows.

No doubt the last few weeks have been tough for you with ongoing heat wave. Stay cool!

 

Detailed her up.

 

Have a direct link to this? I was searching their site & didn't see it. (Might have overlooked it).

 

https://www.4runnerlifestyle.com/co...sole-cover-for-4runner?variant=43876104012021

 

Thanks!

 

My sleeping platform is all the way done. Next up is final assembly of my freshly-painted rooftop basket.

 

Pics of the new Dobinsons and Dr KDSS

 

Looks great.....that's in my future as well.

 

Excellent work man!