Pisso's tourer build up..

[pisso01]

Got the tray on over the weekend.. Not too bad a job really.. The suspension came up 95mm with the tub and canopy off..
Im pretty happy with it except I think its too high.. Ill post a few pics see what you blokes recon. I think Ill cut the brackets down about 100mm or so.. Next thing is the jack off canopy which ill hopefully order this week..





Also If a few of you could measure the distance from the under side of your tray to the top of your chassis rails it would be good. Gives me something to compare too...

Cheers,

Chris.

[cjfish]

Hi Chris,

I have an 06 dual cab with a Toyota (Triple M) aluminium tray. The distance from the under side of the tray to the top of the chassis rail at the back between the 2 tray mounting points is 240mm.

Hope this helps.

Cheers,

CJ

[pisso01]

Hey mate,

Cheers for that.. Mines actually lower than yours. Mine measures 218mm.. Do you mind posting a pic of it..

Cheers,

Chris.

[cjfish]

Hi Chris,

I hope this is what you are after. That is a S/S water tank in the back ground, incase you were wondering.





Cheers,

CJ

[pisso01]

Hey mate thanks for the pic's.. I was measuring from the underside of the two C channels that run down the length of the tray. If I measure the same as you its 320mm, so there is only 80mm in it.. I might cut it down to about the same as yours.. Its a bit high to lift onto like it is..

Is that water tank custom made? Im thinking about putting one in the same spot..

Picked up another 4 Prado wheels today.. going to paint them and put new rubber on them. Im going to sell 2 of my current ones of anyone is interested..

Cheers,

Chris.

[cjfish]

Hi Chris,

Did you get all of the info you need from the photos?

Yes, the water tank is custom made. That one is about 58l and for non-potable water as I fill it up from a water tank or bore water if I am out bush. I mainly use it for hosing the kids off after going to the beach etc. Quite handy. I am going to make another tank for drinking water as well. It will be about 40l and mounted at the rear of the tray. It will only be full when going camping etc.

Best of luck getting yours set up. Mine is taking forever.

Cheers,

CJ

[crankskee]

Aye bud I got 160 from underside of tray (checkerplate floor) to top of chassis at the wheel. Try to upload a photo but phone is given me the s#@ts!

[pisso01]

CJ - Yeah mate photos were perfect. How much was your tank? Im thinking I might see what I can get off the shelf to fit there and then lower the tray to suit..

crankskee - Cheers mate. Yours must be really low.. Have you ever had tyres rub on the tray at full flex and a bit of a load?

Also looking at getting a long range tank for next time I pull the tray off. What brands are you blokes useing and what do you think about them..

We went shopping for fridges yesterday.. Looked a Waeco's but didnt really like them, the lids are all flimsy looking and half the latches on the display ones were broken.. Engle's look pretty good but too pricy. So we have narrowed it down to a Primus 60L or their new duo model (fridge freezer), or a bushman but cant seem to find anyone in Sydney that stocks them to look at one.. Any thoughts?

Cheers,

Chris.

[Alby]

Chris

The Bushmans are bought direct from the manufacturer, I am not aware of any retail resellers. Have a look on their website they have a lot of pics and give them a call at their central coast office they might be able to tell you where to see one??. They deliver for about $15
They are usually at any camping shows, that is where I saw them, their hinges and latches are similar to the Engel type

Interesting what you said about the Waeco latches, somebody else said the same thing but I have not had any problems with mine.

Just another thing to keep in mind with your fridge selection is the direction that the lid opens on different brands.
Depending on how you are going to set up your storage area one type of door may work better than another.

[crankskee]

gday chris
the 160 is from the high part of the chassis at the wheel location, the underside of the checkerplate to the low part of the chassis at the rear measures around 240.
the measurement between the top of the tyre to the checkerplate as around 250
ive got a steel tray so it doesnt need as many or as large rails as an aluminium one would.
im about 5 foot seven and when loadin gear in the back the tray sits at gut level, just about perfect.
hope this pic works, those last pics were monsters sorry bout that .
cheers
steve.

[cjfish]

Hi Chris,

My tank was pretty cheap as I work for a company that uses lots (understatement) of S/S. As I am a sheetmetal worker by trade and an engineer by profession, I was able to make it fit pretty well in the available space, while still leaving room for future tanks. I am not too sure if there are any that you could buy off the shelf as I have never looked into it.

I am also looking at fitting a long range tank under the tray but I am a little concerned about the whole insurance issue if I ever had an accident. I am 100% confident that I can manufacture a leak proof, structurally sound S/S fuel tank but I am unable to certify it as a fuel storage tank. If, in the event of an accident I am sure the insurance company could void the policy. Being a diesel, it is at least a little safer when compared to petrol. I would never make a petrol tank again, especially for a vehicle.

I have an Engel MR40F which is the 38l plastic body compressor model. Great unit but may be a little small for what you are after.

Good luck with it all. I just need a bit more time to finish mine.

Cheers,

CJ

[A,Sharwood]

i am currently in the middle of making a 150 litre diesel tank for an up and coming trip across the simpson desert with some family and friends, i knew it would be alot of work when i started but am still surprised at the amount of effort involved, and im not even up to ensuring that its a sealed unit, will have 12v bowser pump in pump box on top or side, and tips would be greatly appreciated, i would definately think twice about another fuel tank but will definately make a water tank.
in regards to a fridge i believe engel is really the only way to go for reliability in the bush

cheers
adam

[pisso01]

Thanks for all your imput guys it really makes life easier when making all these decisions. There are so many product and opptions out there it would send anyone mad trying to work whats best for your buck..

Ive been pretty busy lately adding to the truck. Got another set of Prado wheels off ebay the other day so ive sanded and painted them black.. They still need another coat but so far look good.. When they are finished Ill head out and get some nice new BFG all-terrain Rubber in 265/75's..

I called into ARB and opposite lock today.. Looked at the ARB fridge which i quite like adding another option to my short list.. Going to wait till a 4wd show to buy one and hopefully get a barrgain..

Also had a look at ARB's air compressor They look pretty good and about $330 including hose kit.. Opposite lock have the blue tongue compressor which he recons is better than ARB (he would say that though). Its about $400 once you buy the air hose etc.. Any thoughts?

The guy at opposite lock showed me a diesel tank which holds about 130L. It will fit under my tray and I can gravity feed into the main tank. I should still have room for a small water tank under there too.. So all up id have about 200L of fuel on board and it cost half as much as a long range tank, which only carries a total of 140L. So I think Ill go this road and lower the tray as much as I can once its installed..

Put my new A-Sure GPS in last night too.. So far im still learning to use it and customise it. There are a few things which are frustrating about it but hopefully ill sort it all out in time.. Im having a little drama with the DVD/CD player but ive emailed A-sure so hopefully have a solution soon.. I was going to put the reverse camera in today but its too hot so much do it tonight..

Not long now until we head off on out trip.

Cheers,

Chris.

[amitch888]

Interested in seeing more info on this diesel tank, size and how it fits up!

This build is coming along fairly quick, nice work!

[pisso01]

amitch888 - if you go to enmachind.com.au and check out their brochure its the last one on page 9. There is a smaller 80L one on page 8 as well..

Yeah we are going flat out to get the truck ready for our 3 month trip in may.. Getting there..

Might head out and do some work on it now if its cooled down enough.. Crazy weather lately cyclones and floods in QLD and VIC and a heat wave here...

Cheers,

Chris.

[barraboy]

Nice build pisso01
I have the slimline tank from enmachind had it for over a year now and have done a few trips to the gulf in Queensland. Just bare in mind that they are subject to bulge not as bad as some other poly tanks I have seen and require a big breather to fill them up other wise it takes ages to fill up.

Amitch888 if you would like some pics of my set pm me ur email address and i will send them too u.

[pisso01]

Thanks for that barraboy. Could you send me the pics too? Does yours fill up alright? Im guessing you put a big breather on it? Do you gravity feed it into the main tank?

[amitch888]

Thanks Chris, those poly guys have a few decent things to offer. Just need to find one that sqeezes under the tray, be a fairly tight fit. I'll stick it on my oneday list, the past week ive blown my budget big time

Good luck getting things done for the trip!

Cheers, Mitch

[barraboy]

Thanks for that barraboy. Could you send me the pics too? Does yours fill up alright? Im guessing you put a big breather on it? Do you gravity feed it into the main tank?

No worries mate just pm me your email address

[pisso01]

No worries Mitch. Keep an eye on here Ill post some pics when I get around to doing it..

Got an email back from A-sure this morning with a solution to my problems so hopefully it will all be up and running properly later today..