Water Tank/Pump In Spare Tire Well

All,

I'm planning on adding a permanent potable water tank in the spare tire well of my '21 ORP. It would be a sealed system except for the breather.

I'm planning on having the pump and the breather inside the cab between the trim and body.

I'm fairly certain I'll add add 2 hydraulic quick disconnects for the spray nozzle and for the fill funnel but would appreciate advice on the approach.

Once it's installed, I'll add a skid plate to protect it.

Does anyone have any advice, resources/links to sites where someone has done something similar?

On a related note, I won't need or use the entire well for water. I'm considering installing an air compressor there as well and run inboard air to my wheel wells. I'm concerned about the atmosphere: Dirt and grime or heat if I try to encapsulate to protect from dirt and grime. I don't have room under the hood because I installed a dual battery where the compressor would normally install. Option 2 would be to install it in the rear hatch cubby on the passenger side.

 

Its admittedly rare I think to put something specifically in the spare location, but there are options if you're handy or have a few dollaroos handy. Otherwise the other posters will remind you of all the easier options to go on your roof rack.
Air tank Fuel/water
https://trail4runner.com/2020/05/30/trailed-spare-tank-install-for-5th-gen-4runner/
Inspiration
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/piecing-together-an-aux-fuel-tank-setup.475581/

Just some input. Good luck and let us know your thoughts

 

Personally I would just buy this and call it a day.

https://yakima.com/products/roadshower

 

Sounds extreme, but one thing I would consider is a drain so you can fill and flush to keep it clean.

 

I installed a similar concept on my former 2016 Yamaha YXZ. Mine was more for washing my hands and face after a dirty ride.

I used air chucks for the quick disconnects on the water line. Cheap, easy and plentiful.

 

Thank you very much. I appreciate the links. Rooftop is certainly an easier install but less convenient for filling and not really practical for dispensing beyond gravity fed. The rotopax-style storage containers don't seem that practical. They provide out of the way storage but any time you'd access, you'd have to drop the rear tire chain. I generally don't need water in gentrified campgrounds where there's level ground and it's relatively clean. The catalyst for this was a trip to Baja last Feb. Everything in the desert is hard and sharp. The idea of dropping water every night and stowing it every morning isn't appealing to my old, broken-assed body.

The spare air tank install is very similar to what I was thinking with the exception of the compressor location. Maybe I'm overthinking this but having a compressor exposed to the underside of the vehicle would shorten its life expectancy. I'd prefer to have it in the controlled environment of the cab. I realize it's common to install under the hood. The reason I'm not looking at that is I installed a 2nd battery where the compressor is normally installed and the heat from the engine compartment shortens the compressors life. I do like the rational of having the switch on the console to start the compressor before stopping.

I'd appreciate any feedback as I'm still in the design in my head stage of the project.

Cheers,

Ken

 

I overengineer every project I've ever done. There's no doubt this is the case here. Good call on the drain.

 

You can pressurize the Yakima too.

 

I love your idea, but let me play devils advocate for a moment. I’m interested in knowing what volume of water you envision. Electric pump or hand pump? Maybe both would be prudent. Better have a way to get to the water if your electric pump gives up the ghost. Also please explain the procedure for filling the water tank. Most places I’ve been that don’t qualify as glamping are such that it would be more convenient to bring containers to the tap rather than the truck to the tap. One last thought on the water: quick disconnects and hoses should be food grade.

Regarding the compressor, there should be no problem running an ARB compressor in the spare space. I’ve seen videos where they say expressly that mounting under the vehicle is no problem. You can get a remote breather for the intake and run that into the cabin if you want.

 

Thanks for the thoughts and feedback. Responses:

- 10ish gallons. With the tank full, this would add an additional 100ish pounds to the rear of the vehicle. I'm already planning on adding some progressive springs based on the rear end being a little bouncy and hitting the bump stops too frequently in whoops.
- I hadn't considered the pump failure. Thank you. I'll have to figure out a hand pump plan. If water would flow through the electric pump, maybe an additional attachment with a hand crank vein pump.
- Filling would be a hose and funnel that would extend outside the vehicle. My frame of reference for the design is Baja. Most water stores have a hose to fill up water trucks. Great call on the fill limitations. Based on your question, I'd likely carry an external jerry can for camping in the states.
- Great call on food grade fixtures and hoses.
- Also a great call on the compressor and the breather relocation to the cabin. That simplifies the air system considerably.

 

You're 100% correct that it would be easier. Having 100+ pounds of moving (water) weight on the top of the vehicle seems like quite a bit. I'd have to think that through and rig a test container to see how it handles.

 

Neighbor has a 7 gallon Yakima on his Tacoma. Said can't even feel it.

Figure it would be about the same on the 4R.

 

I’m imagining filling: funnel rigged to quick disconnect. Supply hose brought over to funnel. Hose dispenses water into funnel - the quick disconnect would be the bottleneck in the fill system. It might be a little tedious standing there filling the tank. If you could keep the fill pipe garden-hose-sized, with the ability to adapt to female garden hose and a ball valve, it would speed things up and be more convenient. You could screw the fill hose into the female adapter and Bob’s your uncle.

 

No real insight her. Just following for ideas and to see what you come up with. I've thought about trying to fashion a cradle for my spare fuel tank and/or water tank under there.

Very cool looking product! Thank you for the link!

The only issue I see is that it wouldn't be great for drinking water.

 

The problem with a standard (US) hose is that one of the uses for this will be trips to Baja. The water stores in MX don't have a standardized delivery system. In addition to that, I still haven't figured out how to determine fill level so I'd rather have a gravity feed so there's less chance that I run water up through the breather.