Hilux 4x4 Forum

Hi guys and gals.

Trust you wont shoot me for posting that blue oval here ...


The electrickery journey continues -

How do you get from this –
To THIS –
In TEN DAYS ……

Project RANGER Map -
The next leg of this journey documents the evolution of a Ford RANGER from showroom floor to the camp ground. Paul, ORE on the forum starts the next episode in the journey with: “Chris jy gaan mos die elektries vir my doen.” Note, no question mark. I was just volunteered army style. 
Fact is, this provided me with the perfect opportunity to put into practice what was said previously in the “Electrickery” thread, AND to implement various new technologies.

In classic consulting fashion the project started around a braai – well truth be told, a slab of steak on the cast iron gas grill. Paul was here to discuss “electricity”, me being me, I asked a few questions:
- Electricity -
o Lights ?
o Power points (Hella) ?
o Solar ?
o 220V camp site connection ?
o Type of battery ?
- Water ? HUH ?? Yes, what are you planning around water inside your 4x4 ?
- Drawer system ?
- Where and how will the fridge be placed ?
- Gas ? Another HUH ? Yes, gas for cooking, what are your plans for this ?
- Compressor – loose or permanent fixture ?

All the while I am making notes of the answers, and of the unresolved items. The thought pattern being that I am trying to get clarity of EVERYTHING that has to go inside this 4x4. See, I paid the school fees and know that you can only get to some practical solution when you plan ahead. And with planning ahead I am aiming to identify those “must get to it quickly” items, and then finding the best spots for it. Who wants to unpack half the kit to get to a gas bottle or cooker top for the morning coffee .. kan mos nou nie rond kruip agter in n bakkie met n seer kop so vroeg in die more nie …

The ELDERS project was for a complete camper unit. Project RANGER is to be the more classic “bakkie with a Roof Top Tent”. Project Ranger is a single cab Ford with a lang-bak. The custom canopy was made by Metalian. Now it must be kitted to be ready for camp grounds, and equally ready for bush camping. In my book “ready” means the layout must be such that you can use all the amenities with minimal effort. Camping should NOT be a period noted by daily unpacking of the vehicle ! Part and parcel of this approach is the ease with which you can pack and prepare the vehicle at home for any trip.

Project RANGER components -
Thus the basic items got sorted. Henk - https://www.facebook.com/Ultimate.Overland" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; - was kind enough to answer some questions for us. The last step was to visit Safari Centre to eye-ball some of the options that we would not be able to resolve around the braai. Four days to source the goods and ten days to finish the project … tell me again, how did I get myself into this ?

- Electricity -
o HCdP Mk4 Power Panel - more about this stunning panel later – 4x4Direct
o Lights – Combined White & Yellow 12 LED lights – 4x4Direct
o Power points (Hella) – one power point per canopy side box
o Solar – one of 100W panel. Due to the RTT it was not possible to permanently mount the panel in the sun. The panel is transported inside the RTT, and allows the vehicle to be parked in the shade with the panel placed in the sun, using an extension lead – 4x4Direct
o 220V camp site connection – A caravan plug was added.
o Type of battery – we opted for a classic 105A.h DIXON from 4x4Direct.
- Water – grey tank for minimal plastic taste, with a Shurflo water pump.
- Fridge – Placed on a slider mounted above the drawer system.
- Gas – custom bracket was made to fit the gas bottle inside one of the boxes.
- Compressor – Permanent fixture
The following suppliers deserve a mention for their outstanding service, in alphabetical order :
- 4x4Direct – http://www.4x4direct.co.za/shop/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; - Pieter and George were absolutely outstanding ! ALL electrical items from the HCdP panel to the lights and power points were sourced from them.
- Metalian – http://www.metalian.co.za/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; - Once again Heinz delivered on his reputation for attention to detail. I am particularly impressed in how he used existing bolt-points to install the canopy without drilling even one hole into the cab ! The finishes are simply superb.
- Safari Centre N1 Goodwood – They supplied and fitted the RTT, awning, and slider. They also helped us with advice and we bought the water tank, pump and various other items here. There were some slight issues, they resolved it without any issues.

And then it was my turn to try and match the service levels of these guys. Heinz you set the bar HIGH !!

Project RANGER water -
Step one was to make a base to which the water tank and battery could be fixed to without drilling holes into the Ranger. A wooden base was cut to fit snugly between the cab and the slider, with wheel arch cut outs limiting sideways movement
Filling the water tank is one of those things that often turn into a pain, as the filler point is most often not easily accessible. Fitting a caravan water filler point turned into a sub-project all of its own. Now what’s the fun of having water and struggling to top up your whiskey glass? Time for a water pump and tap.


I drilled a 0,5mm hole in the valve cap to prevent a vacuum in the water tank, then also added an ON/OFF switch next to the tap as an easy way to ensure the pump stays off when you don’t need water. (rubber was placed between the copper pipe and the aluminium)

The battery was mounted next to the water tank. A battery can become a heavy missile in an accident, thus I bolt this down properly. The other danger is the possibility of shorting out the poles and causing damage or worse a vehicle fire ! Thus the upside down battery box.

Project RANGER electrickery – Power INPUTS -

Okay, this is an electrickery thread, so let’s look at the complete electrical installation starting with the three power inputs.

From the alternator (primary battery) a pair of cables was run to the electrical panel -
- 50A fuse at the front battery
- 10mm square wires, both positive and negative, from the primary battery to the HCdP Mark 4 Power Panel.
The use of “split loom tubing” really helps to tidy up the installation. We also used split loom tubing to protect the wires as it passed under the cab.

The second power input is from the back of the Ranger, where there is a 220V caravan input plug. Was nerve racking to cut a hole into the brand new canopy !!



From the side we have our third power input, the solar panel.


These three power sources all feed into the Mark 4 Power Panel from HCdP –
- http://www.hcdpelectronics.co.za/index. ... duct_id=48" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
- http://www.bushpower.co.za/products.asp?pid=647" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Why did we go for THIS panel ?

It is the only product on our market that can take all three inputs into a single unit, do some clever stuff inside and use the optimal input as it becomes available – without the user having to spare it a second thought.

Once it has this input power it then does (almost) everything you can wish for:
- The 220V is available from a 2 point, and a 3 point plug. (If you have a 220V input at the time)
- The 220V drives a charger for the second battery.
- The solar is used to charge the battery.
- The alternator power charges the battery at a maximum rate of 12A, AND it drives the fridge without reducing the charge rate to the battery.
- The Mk4 Power Panel goes further to provide the following outputs –
o 2 off light circuits
o Fridge circuit (for ONE fridge only)
o Pump circuit, for a water pump
o Power sockets (this could potentially be used for a second fridge)

In short, this panel provides in a single unit what would otherwise be multiple units, taking up space and causing a much more complicated system AND taking much longer to install. All for the price of a Ctek 250 S !

Project RANGER electrickery – Power OUTPUTS -

Before buying the Mk4 Power Panel I asked Henk if there were any tricks I should know about.

Henk’s answer: “Die dokumentasie is volledig en beskrywend genoeg dat my ouma dit kan installeer …”.

Okay, I will admit that I wondered if his ouma has an electrical degree. Fact is, the documentation IS brilliant !! And the installation truly is a breeze !
The primary output is via a brad-harrison plug to charge the 2nd battery.

Lights – We opted for 5 LED sets, providing white and yellow light. Must say the 12 LED units emit a lot more light than what I expected.



Fitting it was a matter of attaching the two mounting brackets, and clipping in the light bar. Wiring was a simple matter of solder and insulation. Velcro is very handy.

Power Points – Hella points were installed. The challenge with these installations are the exposed power points, thus we opted to install these in small boxes.

In keeping with the times we also fitted a set of USB charger sockets.


Water Pump – We installed a Shurflo pump with automatic pressure controlled on/off functionality. We also opted for an inline particulate filter. We installed an extra on\off switch in series, next to the tap. The wiring for this is simply from the panel output to the pump.

Fridge – a separate set of wires and Hella power point was installed for the fridge.


Compressor – The Mk4 panel does not have a dedicated circuit for the compressor, very understandable, since some of the twin head compressors use a LOT of power. I wired the compressor directly from the 2nd battery, by connecting it to the same Brad Harrison plug at the Panel that connects to the battery.

maxed out the number of photos in the previous chapter.

here is the photo of the compressor power point - and here is the compressor, permanently installed -

Project RANGER the other stuff -
Canopy – Metalian manufactured and installed the canopy.

Roof Top Tent (RTT) – Paul, ORE on the forum, opted for the hard shell unit from WildEarth, provided and installed by Safari Centre - http://www.wildearth.co.za/products/rooftop-tent/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Drawer system – A six ammo box Frontrunner slider unit was provided and installed by Safari Centre. It was pointed out before the sale that the thin wood cover of this unit is not suitable to carry heavy items. We thus installed a 22mm board, with an angle iron section in front to ensure sufficient strength.

I also installed a 50x50 angle iron section and pull down hooks to provide best functionality of the unit.

 
The Metalian canopy provides four side boxes. Paul had very clear ideas of what each side box should “do”.

Box 1 – Wet kitchen

Box 2 – Pantry


Box 3 – Recovery and tools (apparently these are very special ropes from Securetech - he can PUSH Hiluxes out of the mud with these ropes)

Box 4 – Electrical and compressor

And the end result – a very happy Paul.

Well done Chris on a neat and well thought out installation!

Thanks

Great stuff Chris.. I see on HcdP's site that the panel you used is discontinued??

WOW, great job Chris Jou werk is baie netjies!

ThysdJ wrote:Great stuff Chris.. I see on HcdP's site that the panel you used is discontinued??

Waar sien jy dit?

ThysdJ wrote:Great stuff Chris.. I see on HcdP's site that the panel you used is discontinued??

Thys ek sien ook die nota op hul blad - wonder of dit net n web-fout is ...

Die paneel is 15 dae terug gemaak vir ons. EN hulle het so pas die reeks opgegradeer om ook die Lead-Crystal batterye te hanteer ....


glo dit sal nog lank beskikbaar wees. :)

Kyk hierso...

Dis 'n baie nice panel en doen alles en baie meer as wat mens verwag. Dis hoekom ek verbaas is daaroor... Miskien is dit net 'n fout, of dalk het die demand bietjie die supply ge-overtake? Veral nou met die beurtkragte en so aan...

Paneel is 4 Desember 2014 gemaak :)

Onthou ook hulle het n hele reeks ander panele vir treilers .... :)


MAAR - dit is NIE "splash proof" nie ... so beslis net vir party installasies !!

ThysdJ wrote:Dis 'n baie nice panel en doen alles en baie meer as wat mens verwag. Dis hoekom ek verbaas is daaroor... Miskien is dit net 'n fout, of dalk het die demand bietjie die supply ge-overtake? Veral nou met die beurtkragte en so aan...

dalk kort hulle n nuwe webmaster .... ken jy dalk iemand ?

pietpetoors wrote:WOW, great job Chris Jou werk is baie netjies!

dankie Pieter.


Nou wag ek net vir n paar inverters ... dan kan ek weer bietjie speel ... hint hint ....

Ek sien nou.Daai is die MK4 R00.
Chris jy het die MK4 R01
http://www.hcdpelectronics.co.za/index. ... duct_id=48

OOOOOO so die fout le by Chris??

ThysdJ wrote:OOOOOO so die fout le by Chris??

Hy moet erens fouteer

Well done Chris...
Paul is lucky to have a competant friend like you...
Your work is very neat and well thought out... I would love to see similar Photographs of your set-up...
I think that I did mention this when you mentioned getting your camper...
Maybe I missed the pitchas...

ThysdJ wrote:OOOOOO so die fout le by Chris??

sorry oubaas. die mechanic hy is bieter mittie tools assie comper ...





Dankie George - ek het sommer die link daarbo gaan reg maak ook.

something for Paul to remember the hours in the garage by -

Erg netjies Chris ! En 'n Baie tevrede Fordjie.

Baie mooi gedoen Chris.

wag nou vir Paul om n paar fotos te bring.

Hy het sopas n lekker trippie gedoen, onder andere DRIE DAE GESTAAN in Die Hel !

Vrek WARM

Geen 220V

Net die 100W solar panel om als aan die gang te hou.

na drie dae was die yskas steeds op temperatuur, en battery gelaai.


Die water stelsel het goed gewerk.


Enigste probleem - stof agter in die canopy .... Pieter\George ek het vir Paul vertel van jul "Vent" .... sien julle vroeg in die nuwe jaar :)

Wow Chris

Dis fantasties gedoen, baie geluk