Eliminating Moisture Under Foam Mattress

When I was Prius dwelling I had a Thermarest mattress under my sleeping bag.  I would notice moisture under the sleeping bag where my torso was laying when I got up in the morning.  The colder it got there was more dampness.  I would fold back the sleeping bag during the day to dry things out.

When I switched to the Four Wheel Camper (pick up camper) dwelling, I mostly slept on the passenger side bench seat.  This area is just a piece of plywood under me to the outside without insulation.  The above picture shows the bench with my sleeping bag on it.

Under the sleeping bag is 2” of foam mattress snd the colder it gets the more condensation collects on the bottom of the foam against the plywood.  On my previous years travels I would just flip the foam mattress to have it dry during the day. 

This year I found this moisture barrier for under mattresses in campers snd boats to eliminate moisture.

I bought one pieces 39” wide and 72” long and cut it to 25 “ wide to use as a moisture barrier under my bench/bed foam cushion.  I’ve tested it and there is no moisture in the AM and I’m pleased to allow air to circulate and keep the area dry.

I liked it enough that I decided to also put the moisture barrier under the mattress on the overhang bed.  I only needed to buy one more piece the same size, and with the leftover piece from cutting the size for the bench, it gives me a full size mattress underlay moisture barrier.

The camper upper bunk can be bigger but I use standard full size sheets and this is big enough for two side to side as long as no one is over 6’ tall.

The moisture barrier can be easily cut with heavy duty scissors.  It is 3/4” thick and the webbing that make for an open airflow is moderately stiff but can be compressed with fingers.  When laying in it with foam above, as I’m using, it does not compress.

When I get on the road to 2021 travels I will get to test this moisture barrier a lot more.

Brent

macaloney@hotmail.com

New Tacoma - Rust on Rear Brake Drums

When I buy a new vehicle I don’t want to see rust!  In fact it is frustrating even if it is in a hidden part like the rear brake drums.  They paint all but where the wheel touches the drum?

So, when I jacked up the rear axle to put in airbag suspension I noticed the rear brake drums were rusted.

Above - is the drum as it came from factory with my masking tape on stud threads, ready for spray painting 



Here is the drum after I sprayed BBQ high temp paint on the drum before putting the wheels back on.

When I was underneath wiring the truck bed for camper power I noticed another thing that needs paint but it’s been to cold to paint that until it gets warmer.

Brent

macaloney@hotmail.com

Inside Tacoma - Where To Mount Things

I wanted a clean look for the things I have mounted Ted in the cab of my Tacoma.  I found it!

From left to right is my phone, dash camera, ham radio microphone (radio is in the center console front pocket), and my rear camper camera screen (right).

The rear camper camera screen last year (2011 Tacoma) was mounted on top of rear view mirror with heavy duty Velcro. This screen gives me rear view while driving to see behind me with camper mounted.  Unlike the rear backing camera that comes with the 2021 Tacoma that only comes on when in reverse, I can turn this on while driving to see what is behind me.  The camera is wireless powered from the camper.

When I don’t need the rear view camera screen it easily comes off the dash.  Note, there are different mounts available but I decided to make my own mount for the screen from available parts and parts from Amazon.

I decided to go with the Taco Garage DMM mounting system. It was reasonably cost effective, although you should buy the 1” ball mounts from DMM as the screw size used on the mount are not the standard 1/4-20”.

DMM ball mount with single stud.

I bought 3 1” ball studs to mount in the dash frame (4th ball came with phone mount for DMM) that is a do-it-yourself build with a YouTube with step by step directions.

https://youtu.be/6bbiNMzegIw

Here is my upper dash fram that I’m installing the modification to.  The red tabs is what holds this plastic frame to the dash.



The modification is basically a top black metal trim and the bar stock under with the mounting nuts.  The plastic is sandwiched between the two.

What I like about this modification is that I can remove all mounts and you don’t see the modification.



Above is the black trim piece of metal that fits perfectly into the gap between the plastic frame and the dash.



My first mount was my phone.  I also bought this mount from Taco Garage and it is secure. 

The phone mount came with one ball mount with center stud.

If you buy the 1” ball mount any 1” ball camps can be purchased from places like Amazon.  

I disliked the phone mount I had in my older Tacoma as it covered the vent.  It also gets my phone up higher when running google maps.

Brent

macaloney@hotmail.com

Outside the Tacoma Upgrades

My 2011 Tacoma had these modifications and I looked forward to include them on my new 2021.

The bug/stone deflector kept the hood and windshield in great condition and well worth adding it to my new Tacoma.

I learned about rain guards and their advantage during my Prius travel years.  The ability to vent heat out of the cab and  when raining.  I enjoy this modification.

A step up from my 2011 Tacoma’s steel rims to alloy is such a nice change that came with my SR5 model.  The steel rims rusted and were replaced once only to have them rust again.  

My modification is the locking lug nut set to reduce the risk of wheel theft.

The SR5 Tacoma comes with blind spot notification in the mirror with a flashing symbol, but I still like seeing what is there so I added conveyed mirrors on both sides.

A handy feature of these is also seeing parking space lines.  The side mirrors loose the parking lines as you back to them.  With the curved mirror you can track the white lines as you back up.

Yes I have a rear backing camera that I can align to but I still enjoy seeing what is along the sides as I back.  It comes from years of backing my vehicles as a firefighter so I could drive out to calls quicker.



Mud flaps are not a nice to have in my eyes and I think they should come with trucks.  So I installed aftermarket front and back.

Ok a bit of bling.  It’s not in my personality generally to add such things but I bought these very nice black aluminum TACOMA inlays. 



I don’t feel you can have enough braking or turning visibility.  Having almost being rear ended by a tractor trailer truck last year, I added the strip light that gives braking and turn signals.

A deletion modification!

That’s right.  The Tacoma comes mow with a plastic air dam below the bumper.  I see it as useless and it is possible that when there are high curbs that your tires stop on, when you back up the dam can catch and pull, scrape and even dislodge.  I don’t need or want that problem out west catching it on a rock.  

Also if you get stuck in sand it makes it real hard to get the tow strap on the loop hole.  So, it’s removed and boxed away.

I do not notice and difference in MPG

That’s the tour of the changes on the outside for now

Brent

macaloney@hotmail.com

Installing Firestone Airbags On New Tacoma

Installing the FWC Camper on the Tacoma, near the weight limit, you should consider heavier springs or airbag system.  I had Firestone airbags I installed on my 2011 Tavoma and liked them so well, that I ordered the same ones for my new Tacoma

Above is the Firestone airbag on my 2011 Tavoma.  They worked great for my 3 years of FWC Camper travels.

Yes, I do the install myself.  It’s not that bad to do in my garage.  A floor jack and jack stands, revive the wheels and follow the directions.  You will need hand dexterity with the bracket on the inside frame rail.  Also the right size ratchet and sockets and wrenches make the job easier.

Above is the assembled airbag.  This one has a heat shield so it goes on the side where the exhaust pipe passes.

You need to cut the rubber bumper off as it goes dead center in axle.  

The bottom of the airbag system clamps around the spring pack.  The top mounts to this metal bracket built onto the Tacoma frame.on both sides. The large bolt head in the center of the frame holds the inside bracket with 4 bolts and nuts holding it to the airbag assembly.

There is the airbag mounted next to the exhaust pipe with heat shield facing the pipe.

Drive the truck a few hundred miles and then go back and check the nuts for tightness.

On both sides on the bumper I have an air fill valve. The fill stems are like what you put air in on a tire.  You can see one fill on the lower bumper drivers side.  It is a piece of angle aluminum that I cut and drilled a hole to mount to the bottom of the bumper with a hole in the center for the sir valve.  The Firestone instructions indicate that the valves sound be mounted through the bumper on either side of the license plate.  I don’t like this method as it compromises the bumper and do not want rust to start.

I mounted the air valves this way on my 2011 Tavoma and had no problem.

Red airline tubing is run from each airbag to each valve on the rear.  I was asked about using a wye to have one bag fill for both and equal pressure to both bags.  I don’t recommend both bags tied together as the weight of the camper is not ewlqualized side to side so I can set the bag pressure to match the weight distribution.

You can get an air compressor to mount under the truck and gages to mount in the cab of the truck with a switch to increase pressure to both airbags at the same time, but I just fill the bags from the rear as I have to carry an air compressor to refill tires if I air down in sand.

FYI: It is recommended to keep 5-10 lbs of air in the bags with no weight in the bed of the truck and I often run 50 lbs in the road to equal the ride with the camper on.  One thing I do is measure the height of the truck bed before I started the install so I can measure the height of the bed to level the load with air in the bags with the camper on.

Leveling the load also ensures breaking of the truck is leveled to ensure better weight distribution.  Also, when you hit bumps the springs don’t get stressed.

Brent

macaloney@hotmail.com

Getting Tacoma 12V Power To Camper

In order to trade in my 2011 Tacoma, I needed to remove the camper wiring from the truck battery to the truck bed and reinstall it in my 2021 Tacoma.  Above are the parts I removed from my 2011.  Note the aluminum plate I had the components tied to.  This plate was mounted to the drivers side fender.  I used two bolt holes in the fender to hold the aluminum plate.

I was happy to find that someone else had figured a way to mount parts in the 2021 engine.  Above photo is a picture of the aluminum bracket that sits horizontally between the fuse box and the brake reservoir.

Photo of brackets new (right) and old (right)



Here is the photo of the new panel mount with a new 40 amp breaker to my isolator (prevents power from battery unless engine is supplying power). It has a nice clean look and uses mounting holes on fender and mounting screws for brake lines.

It’s tight space between the fuse box cover and brake reservoir.

My cable to the truck bed for the camper is in the picture above, showing a trolling motor weather connection.  I have 8 ga. copper wire, both red and black from the engine.  I chose this method to limit loss in chassis ground. 

The tolling motor connector required me to drill a hole in my new truck bed.  The cables are in a plastic loom from the engine down under the chassis to the back.  All secured with tie wraps.

It is a good setup and ready for camper mounting.

Brent

macaloney@hotmail.com

I Like Having A Remote Starter

I asked the Toyota dealer about a remote starter with my new truck.  I was told they don’t put Toyota remote starters in vehicles as they don’t work well and they send people to installers in the area to have one put in.

Really???

I had a guy put a 2-way long distance remote starter in my 2011 Tacoma and I liked it other than it had a big fob to carry in my pocket.  I could open my truck across a parking lot though.  

So, I took delivery of my 2021 Tacoma and set about finding a remote starter I like.  

The Tacoma online forums indicated the N2 remote starter that is plug and play and I could install myself.  Amazon had similar units for lower prices, but N2 had the option of adding a distance remote at a later time.  Well, as you can see from the picture above I bought the N2.

To install you need to drop the lower plastic dash panel below the steering wheel.  Then remove the two halves of the steering column cover.. separate cables and plug in cables.  Also optionally cut one wire to splice into a cable to the controller.

(Above is the ODB2 “Y” cable end that plugs into the car plug.  The other end replaces the car connector that service people use.  The long end of the “Y” plugs into the controller.) 

(Above is a picture with the defective cable connector with corrosion on the emery board trying to fix it.)

I opened the dash and installed the remote starter and it didn’t work.  I talked to the owner of N2 and the support was great.  He sent out a new unit snd cables after we tried troubleshooting the one I was originally sent.

After some testing and a company technician saying the control box wasn’t seeing the signal from the ODB2 “Y” cable I found a tarnished pin, but emery file couldn’t solve the problem. (See pictures and comments above.)

As guessed the cable was bad and swapping it out solved the installation problem.  The RA label got the extra parts back for free.

This is a plug and play solution, but you can’t stop the truck from remote running with key FOB, or keep it from shutting the engine off when you open the door.

There is a solution to solve these two things !

(Above is the connector behind the left drivers kick plate.

If you cut the right wire and splice in a supplied wire that connects to the controller, you can then remotely shut truck off if running the 15 minute cycle by pressing the key FOB.

It also solves the issue of opening the door and having the engine shut off.  With the Eire splice, you get in the truck with engine running and put the key in and turn to on (2 clicks) and truck will continue to run and you can drive away.  A foot on the brake before turning key will shut off engine.

I’m happy with the remote starter and have not had the need to upgrade to a long distance starter.

N2 also sells an option to connect to the car to allow for using my iPhone to start truck and follow the truck’s status remotely.  I don’t have that need as of yet either.

FYI: H-Key is a key with a security chip in it.

The nicest feature of this install is you start the truck using the factory key FOB by pushing the lock button 3 times slowly.

Brent

macaloney@hotmail.com

Below are the sales comments.

N2 Designs 2018-2021 Toyota Tundra Plug & Play Remote Start Kit (H-Key)

$349.00 Regular Price

$299.00

Details
NO DEALER ACTIVATION REQUIRED
99.9% Plug & Play (1 wire cut)
Printed color instructions included
Complete Kit - nothing else needed
Compatible with our Long Range Remote Kits
Compatible with our Smart Phone Module 
 
Requirements
2018 2019 2020 2021 Toyota Tundra (H-Key)
Key Start Ignition
Automatic Transmission ONLY 
 
Operation
To Start:  Press the lock button 3 times on factory key FOB
To Stop:  Press the lock button 3 more times while engine is on
Parking Lights will illuminate
Run Time is 15 minutes 
All doors, and hood must be closed
 
Special Notes
Vehicle will NOT shut off when a door is opened.
You will be able to get into the vehicle after a remote start, put the key into the ingition, turn the igition two clicks to ON position, tap the brake pedal, and now your key is in control and you can drive off!

Oh No! Will The Camper Fit On New Tacoma?

I did research if my Four Wheel Camper (FWC) Fleet Model will fit in my new Tacoma.  The width and length are identical from 2011 2nd Generation Tacoma to the 2021 3rd Generation Tacoma.

The problem is that the truck bed walls on the 2021 are 19” vertical and the 2011 is 18”

(Camper hold down bars above)

Normally I have about a 1/2” space between the bed rail and the camper that overhangs the sides, with the camper sitting on the 1/2” tie down bars (shown above)

I called FWC and asked and they said I could build up the bottom of the camper by 3/4” or get a rubber stall mat that is 3/4” thick and it also keeps the camper from sliding around.

(Stall mat (3/4”) cut to fit the truck bed)

I got the stall mat from Tractor supply for about $60.00, but it needed to be cut to meet the dimensions of the truck bed.  I used a paint pen to mark out the cuts and cut the rubber with a utility knife.

There is the finished product ready for the day I get to put the camper on for my 2021 Travels.

Brent

macaloney@hotmail.com

The Decision To Replace The Tacoma

Above is my 2021 Tacoma in the foreground and my 2011 Tacoma in the background.

Although my 2011 Tacoma still ram well at 10 years old and 110,000 miles, I wanted to assure reliability as I travel to remote areas.

Although this is surface rust, it is a sign of what New England weather and road salt does.  You would never believe that I use spray paint each year to touch up the rust.  It got ahead of me.

It was September when I recognized that the end of model year sales were on at Toyota.  I then realized that COVID had disrupted the production of new trucks too.  I decided on a Toyota dealer, and when I went, there were no Tacoma’s in inventory that met my configuration requirements.  

The Tacoma I have is an extended cab (Access) and a 6’ bed.  There were many double cabs with short 5’ beds in area inventory but my camper is sized for a 6’ bed.

I decided to order the truck I wanted and it would be scheduled to come in at the end of October, being made in San Antonio, TX.

Buying a new truck is a lot of work, as I have significant small additions and modifications to suit my need.

I will address these modifications as well as ones for the camper as I wait for the COVID vaccine to be able to resume my travels for 2021.

I stopped at a boat ramp along the Connecticut River on the way home to check out my new truck.

Brent

macaloney@hotmail.com

Brent’s Travels 2021 - A Question

There I am!  This was April 2019 in Alabama with the SE GTG.  I’m in shorts and tee and in my element, enjoying my travels and being warmer in winter.

I left my friends in Utah this past spring and drove straight home to avoid the pandemic.  Little did I know that when I left I was still relatively safe wearing my homemade mask, compared to today with 3+ thousand die a day in the US and a mutated virus with the potential to make things worse.

Coming home a month early gave me the opportunity to work on many things at home and during the summer visiting my camp working there, but staying to myself, not to worry the locals.

As usual, at the end of August and the beginning of September, I started thinking of 2021 Travels.  I started sharing my time between housework and Camper/Truck changes, with all intent to leave January 3, 2021.  That was my date and my plan.

I bought a new Tacoma to replace my 10 year old Tacoma.  I also had to modify the Tacoma to accept the camper.

The camper got changes too.  I was ready for 1/3/21.  That was Monday and as the day passed I felt a sense of loss.  Loss of my love to travel.  I have traveled for the last 7 years.

To all my friends who have reached out to me, that was so nice of you as I enjoy your company and visits during my travels.

I’m home for now.  

Could I go? Yes, but with preexisting conditions and hospitals not able to cope with the virus, it is not a wise move.  Remember I tripped and fell last year and dislocated my shoulder and needed a hospital.  Hard to avoid the obvious that things happen.

What would get me to go?  If I was a days ride away, not 5, I could go and get home if needed.  Well, that doesn’t work.  If the virus was like it was this past Sumer I think a trip would be reasonable.  And the obvious one is if I could get the vaccine.

I don’t see the virus subsiding anytime soon.  It is possible that by early February I could get the vaccine and get the second dose by the beginning of March.  Wait a week and head out and stay in the road into May.

I have considered not going to southwest now and heading to FL, as it’s only 2 day drive home.  Every time I think I have a plan then there is something else.  Now the more contagious mutated virus that is spreading around the country.  

So here I am at home in MA with my dislike of winter.

I will start sharing things I’ve done this summer to make my travels, whenever they start better for 2021.

Stay well and safe all.

Brent

macaloney@hotmail.com