Custom use of empty spare tire well?
- Thread starter Kaprice
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ChrisJHarney
New member
That is actually a really well engineered water tank, much nicer and full of features I haven't seen a lot of in the field. I bet it wouldn't be too difficult to utilize ratchet straps to get it mounted up and out of the way. Thanks!
ChrisJHarney
New member
No need to apologize, threads need to be derailed sometimes in order to remind us all why we're here. I love seeing camp pics and people out using their mules.
Cruising around Joshua Tree (the city that is) really ate at me. My wife gave me the OK to take the long way home, so we hit Old Dale on Sunday morning and took Berdoo Canyon out of the Park. I remember Berdoo being a little more difficult last time I went, but it was almost a Blvd. cruise on Sunday. Really appreciated the dirt though, and just what we needed.
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4RunnerAquasport
Senior Member
Imo the extra weight of water or fuel negates the practicality for most of us. With tools and recovery gear, bumper and winch, full skid plates, and a full tank of fuel, (no rear bumper, just a hitch carrier) my truck weighs just shy of 6k lbs. Way too much. If you plan on spending weeks off grid, then maybe the water or fuel would be useful.
I like the idea of the rear ASB disconnected for extra articulation, and then install this All Pro Anti Rock to regain on road stability and still have the articulation. An LT rear setup could be installed and utilized to it's full potential. The other side of this coin is its lot of money to spend for most of us for either set up, and how often you could actually get to use it.
I like the idea of the rear ASB disconnected for extra articulation, and then install this All Pro Anti Rock to regain on road stability and still have the articulation. An LT rear setup could be installed and utilized to it's full potential. The other side of this coin is its lot of money to spend for most of us for either set up, and how often you could actually get to use it.
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ChrisJHarney
New member
I agree that for the vast majority of 4runner long weekend campers and day trip trail runners, this subject is a little over the top, and I can appreciate that. My family and I go out for a week at a time (5-7 days) at least 3 times per year, and at least 2 of those trips we go to areas where we don't see a gas station until our last day. With 3 kids and 2 adults, you can imagine how creative we need to get with packing, especially since we have to utilize the 3rd row on some of these trips. Interior space is at a real premium, and the rack is packed solid with the not so heavy (but often times space intensive) gear like tents, sleeping bags, clothing, etc. We've even gone to the lengths of vacuum sealing things like sleeping bags so we can combine them in one box. Now I've really cut back on the fuel I bring, but water is extremely important when we're out of cell coverage in the desert and need to be prepared for the worst case scenario.
We do take trails that test the limits of the 4runner's IFS, so being able to remove the rear sway bar is really appealing to me, but so is keeping the safety of my family on the road. I like the idea of that anti rock product, and the price really isn't horrible considering what we pay for suspension in general. I notice that in the picture they have the charcoal canister removed as well as the spare wheel frame cross member. I wonder if the idea behind the cross member removal is that the bar they provide would now be the lateral support you lose by cutting out said cross member. Either way, with that cross member removed, it really opens up the space under there, and could be a way to combine a water tank with something else. I'm over the idea of a fuel cell, as fuel jugs on the bumper are just as easy and much less complicated, but a water tank and perhaps an air tank/CO2 would fit nicely together, two things I'm not so keen with being inside the cab. And with the water on the driver's side and some buffering away from the exhaust pipe, maybe it'll stay cooler? Good find!
Just an FYI, for those of you saying a gas tank would be dangerous, are you familiar with fuel cells?
Buy a fuel cell and install the appropriate fuel cell bladder into the fuel cell. Upon receiving the impact, the bladder with deform around the impacted fuel cell and not rupture.
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Buy a fuel cell and install the appropriate fuel cell bladder into the fuel cell. Upon receiving the impact, the bladder with deform around the impacted fuel cell and not rupture.
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Look into DEI, DesignHeat Solutions | Design Engineering, Inc. Engineering. They make all kinds of thermal protection. They offer a number of different products to address your heat concerns
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ChrisJHarney
New member
Nice resource! The Form-a-Barrier is decently priced, and if that isn't enough, maybe extend or replace the OE heat shield on the pipe, in particular the portion of pipe that bends above and over the axle. That would be my only concern about a water tank down there that I used for drinking and not just washing. I'm not all that fond of drinking hot water unless coffee is involved.
And very true about fuel cells, completely different technology than the old Pinto gas tank horror stories of the 70's.
In that same line of thinking, I was also contemplating a water cell in an aluminum or steel box so I could incorporate it as a rear skid plate. Just completely box it in and add a water bladder, just like a hydration pack. I came down pretty hard off a ledge in N. Fish Creek this year and did a number on a lower rear bumper support bracket. I got it bent out but if I'm going to be taking difficult (some may say stupid) lines, I'd like a little protection under there.
Out on some of these trails I really miss my YZ250.
LFD_Off_Road
New member
Bumping this thread, we just installed our proof of concept prototype finally this afternoon...
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