17' Series Please don't pick on the new kid!

[Smergen]

I mean seriously... how good is this place! Thanks heaps @ROnEM for such detailed information. I'll definitely be hitting either yours or @17triton 's mate up for some know-how. Whilst this is an interim rig, I'm not prepared to take chances towing such a big load, with a vehicle that not only sits infront of it, but more importantly, has my most precious cargo contained within...

One thing to consider in the electrical thing is that our van has the solar panels hardwired into it's wiring with panels on the roof. Don't want to screw that up.

I can also see why I didn't excel at electrical engineering at Uni...

 

[Smergen]

I also like the sound of proportional brake systems. The idea of changing brake settings depending on driving location (highway/town) doesn't really appeal to me. I'd rather it just mirror the behaviour I ask the towing rig to do.

Any chance you could post or PM me the approximate cost of such a comprehensive electrical wiring service @ROnEM ?

 

[Smergen]

OK... well I might have an exciting update... How do I upload photos? Do I need to go to an image hosting website (suck as flickr)?

 

[Smergen]

OK... let's see how we go with this...

Been down to Vicroads, paperwork done. Money transferred, done. I guess now it's officially all ours!

Oh dear god... what have we gotten ourselves into??

I must admit, now that it it's here, I'm pretty excited. It's a massive outlay to our little brood, but we hope it's a sound investment into many awesome adventures...

Just need to sort out the Rig and get the new carport built to house her as The Minister for Domestic Affairs isn't really over the moon about its current location. I'm happy as it's behind the fence and out of the way from Joe Public. It was just a shame due to room and gate width we couldn't swing her round more and park her on the grass... Need one of those fancy jockey wheels or auto-mover things to turn her on the spot...

 

[cruza driver]

Looks good, no rear bar though or are you getting one made with a bike carrier?

 

[Smergen]

Do you know, I hadn't actually noticed @cruza driver.... but considering we will definitely want to add bike racks down the track, perhaps we've saved us some hassle. Does the van actually need one other than to be a "bump stop"? I suppose it might help if someone want to make a close inspection of the back of our 'van.

 

[benrosenick]

Great choice of van... all you need now is a Prado!

 

[The Goodwins]

Some people purchase investment properties.......my 17.56 Expanda is my investment in lifestyle.......investment in family....investment in Australia property...... @Smergen that's exactly what yours is.....

 

[The Goodwins]

Great choice of van... all you need now is a Prado!

Seriously.......you MUST introduce a Prado........then its all puppies, flowers and kittens.......

 

[dagree]

Seriously.......you MUST introduce a Prado........then its all puppies, flowers and kittens.......

Think I have seen a few setups with 17.56's and Prados.... Must be some smart people out there

 

[seanparky]

unfortunately @Smergen I dont know of any Auto Electricians in Victoria, nor if a good cheap one in Renmark is close to where you are....
dont know Victoria at all - haven't been there since early '70s

as @dagree said, unless your happy with doing the wiring - I always go for a professional, that way if there is a problem down the track, you have no problems
the cost of DIY is cheap if its right - the cost when DIY goes wrong is a lot of heartache

over here we have Deerings Autos - large enough chain
I had them fit the 12 pin (because I wanted to keep the round 7 pin) - as I already had the controller fitted
when I picked up the van - it didnt "feel" right - the brake controller was not working
went back to Deerings - about 2 weeks after fitting the 12 pin
they checked it out
1 broken live wire to controller - (bugga)
still not working
1 broken earth wire to controller - (bugga)
still not working
elect controller wire to 12 pin - not connected - (phew, they paying now)
apprentice forgot to screw in the last wire - for the controller

all up - 2 1/2 hours = no charge as they did the original job - and it was all new wires now..........

my advice? take it to a reputable professional

thats when the boss should have checked the apprentice work...yes a reputable Auto Electrician.

 

[seanparky]

@Smergen

I have an excellent Auto Electrician here in Kyneton. Let me know if you want his details.

He recommended and fitted the Tekonsha P3 (proportional brake controller) to the Land Cruiser, along with the Anderson Plug, low voltage solenoid, circuit breakers, etc. He does not use the vehicle manufacture's towing wiring loom for the electric brakes - he only uses 6mm square cable from the brake controller to the pin 5 on the tow plug (7 pin round/flat or 12 pin flat). He says that all the problems he has seen with electric brakes are due to bad earths and small cables that cause voltage drops over the distance to the rear of the vehicle. Also, he does not wire the brake controller to the brake light circuit, but directly to the brake switch, so it works correctly with the cruise control or if you activate the van's braking by the controller, deactivates the cruise control.

Here is a diagram of my vehicle & van wiring.





Cheers,

Ro

Thats an awesome diagram. great computer software?

 

[seanparky]

@Smergen

I have an excellent Auto Electrician here in Kyneton. Let me know if you want his details.

He recommended and fitted the Tekonsha P3 (proportional brake controller) to the Land Cruiser, along with the Anderson Plug, low voltage solenoid, circuit breakers, etc. He does not use the vehicle manufacture's towing wiring loom for the electric brakes - he only uses 6mm square cable from the brake controller to the pin 5 on the tow plug (7 pin round/flat or 12 pin flat). He says that all the problems he has seen with electric brakes are due to bad earths and small cables that cause voltage drops over the distance to the rear of the vehicle. Also, he does not wire the brake controller to the brake light circuit, but directly to the brake switch, so it works correctly with the cruise control or if you activate the van's braking by the controller, deactivates the cruise control.

Here is a diagram of my vehicle & van wiring.





Cheers,

Ro

Great diagram but did notice car batt 1 and 2 hardwired together. do you have a solenoid in between to break circuit when vehicle not running or does it start of both batts.

 

[Smergen]

Great choice of van... all you need now is a Prado!

You got a spare one?

Some people purchase investment properties.......my 17.56 Expanda is my investment in lifestyle.......investment in family....investment in Australia property...... @Smergen that's exactly what yours is.....

Yep... that's exactly how I see it. The kids are just jumping out of their skin having it there, the better half can't stop smiling so I reckon I've made the right decision. I've just got to get my head around how this van works, its nuances and it's gremlins. That's the first years job... getting the girl ready for the big trip in a few years.

 

[cruza driver]

Do you know, I hadn't actually noticed @cruza driver.... but considering we will definitely want to add bike racks down the track, perhaps we've saved us some hassle. Does the van actually need one other than to be a "bump stop"? I suppose it might help if someone want to make a close inspection of the back of our 'van.

No it doesnt need one but as you said as a bumb stop it would eliminate any unforseen damage.

The rearbar is also a bit of insurance though if you scrap the vans bum along the ground.

 

[ROnEM]

Great diagram but did notice car batt 1 and 2 hardwired together. do you have a solenoid in between to break circuit when vehicle not running or does it start of both batts.

@seanparky,
Yes, at the moment they are hard wired together as they are the default factory fitting for the LC200 - 2 x 10 cell batteries to turn the engine over! When the budget allows, I will replace one battery with a 12 cell heavy CCA and the other will be a 100AH Marine Deep Cycle and then put on a CTEK D250S and solenoid under the bonnet, so we have a true dual-battery setup in the tug for when we go 4WDing.

Cheers,

Ro

 

[ROnEM]

@Smergen
Congrats on getting the baby home. Great decision and you will be really happy with the van - I know we are - best decision as a family too.

Looking forward to seeing many pics of your travels and mods as you go along this great journey.

Cheers,

Ro

 

[Smergen]

No it doesnt need one but as you said as a bumb stop it would eliminate any unforseen damage.

The rearbar is also a bit of insurance though if you scrap the vans bum along the ground.

That's a good point. Is it something that I could track down through Jayco (or elsewhere) easily? And dare I say.... cheaply? I can't imagine it's a spare part people often offload...

For the time being, we'll be very careful...

 

[Smergen]

@Smergen
Congrats on getting the baby home. Great decision and you will be really happy with the van - I know we are - best decision as a family too.

Looking forward to seeing many pics of your travels and mods as you go along this great journey.

Ro

Thanks mate, I'll be taking pics like nothing else... More to ask for help! I look at the thing and just go... "where do I start?"

 

[davemc]

@Smergen nice it made it home ok. enjoy mate