Home builts packing system in my Patrol
Posted: 28 Oct 2017 17:02
I use my Patrol solely for taking customers on Safari and family holidays to places like Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Namibia and of course South Africa. I also do other African destinations.
This is what I built into the back of my Patrol:
Two slides, one above the other. The lower one houses two high lid ammo boxes (so the plates and everything can stand upright, i.e.on their edges, not stacked on top of each other), with two normal ammo boxes on the slide above, and a pull out table attached to the lower slide, so it can stay out when the slide is pulled out. This is convenient if you have things on it and suddenly you need something out of the ammo box!! The yellow thingies on the bottom right of the two ammo Box Slides are clips I manufactured to lock the slides in place.
A bit difficult to see is the 2nd aux battery that is between the slides and the left (side) window, in a battery box, utilising the space above the wheel arch. This box had a second smaller box connected via a umbilical cord. This second box houses two small Brad Harrison connectors, two cigarette lighter sockets, a 300w inverter, one Hella Plug connector and a 5v USB plug incorporating a battery voltage LCD display (2nd last picture). It also houses my 3 x two way radio charging station. Below and behind this battery, I screwed a 110mm PVC drain pipe to the frame, in an upright position, making it a safe and secure storage place for the fire extinguisher.
On the right is the fridge/freezer slide for the 90lt NL unit, and between that and the right (side) window, is again a compartment above the wheel arch; for the ground sheet to slide in from the back and a fold up chair from Frontrunner from the inside when the seat-back is folded down. Sharing the space with the chair are two rechargeable battery lanterns.
Above this all is a full wall to wall shelf, from left to right, and front to back where the recovery kit, tyre compressor, first aid kit, tool box, washing up dish, stainless tray, 220v battery charger and extension leads get stored. The middle portion of this shelf has two cut-outs for two gas bottles and two gas stove tops. The gas bottles actually stand on a second layer, type of dummy surface, below the top larger surface. The gas bottles are held down by an elastic harness that can unclip to take the gas bottles out. This shelf has a metal frame, plywood tops covered in the same grey carpet as fitted in the vehicle.
In front of the slides and the fridge slide is a 60lt water tank that takes up nearly the full width with about 200 to 250mm to spare on either side. There is a snap in water outlet between the ammo box slide and the fridge slide, than can only be used when the rear door is opened fully. The tank is wedge shaped and fits in with just millimeters to spare behind the seat backs. Under the tank (and seats) I have a safe, my high lift jack (dis-assembled), HL jacking plate, cross brace and a spade. There is a second water tap and a water inlet connection, half under the right rear seat as you open the right rear door.
On top of the water tank, a wooden frame for the smallish PV panel fits in, and seconds as a safety "net" to prevent things from the rear to come flying forward under severe barking. It very nearly touches the roof and the two side of the vehicle, so it seals that back shelf off very effectively from heavy flying objects. (last picture)
This unfortunately makes it impossible to see out of the interior rear view mirror, so I fitted a second rear view camera to the radio screen, one that switches on this rear view camera via an extra switch I fitted just above the diff-lock switch (without switching on the reverse lights, as the reverse lights actually powers the reverse camera). Sorting out the wiring for this was a major undertaking, as the two cameras interfere with each other.
I have a second Aux battery mounted in the engine bay and charging is controlled via a National Luna charging system, which by the way, I am less than impressed with. I think a straight old fashioned solenoid would give less issues. The cable leading from the front Aux battery can be disconnected from the rear battery, the cable can be interrupted buy unplugging the two small Brad Harrison connectors just after the fridge freezer. This is so that if one battery gives a problem (I've had dead cells give me problems on one of my two Aux batteries on a trip on two occasions!!)
The frame was built bit by bit, fitting it to see if it actually would fit into place, then removing it and getting the next part built and again put back, just to repeat the process (about 10 times). It took me about 4 weeks to build the unit. It can be removed totally and no new holes were drilled to fit it. Two 38 x 5mm steel flat bars were bolted to the existing Tie Down brackets' bolt holes with their captive nuts. These bars run from side to side and everything is bolted to these two flat bars.
Here are some pictures:
Unfortunately the next two pictures are somewhat blurred and out of focus, but you can still see what I am trying to show:
This is what I built into the back of my Patrol:
Two slides, one above the other. The lower one houses two high lid ammo boxes (so the plates and everything can stand upright, i.e.on their edges, not stacked on top of each other), with two normal ammo boxes on the slide above, and a pull out table attached to the lower slide, so it can stay out when the slide is pulled out. This is convenient if you have things on it and suddenly you need something out of the ammo box!! The yellow thingies on the bottom right of the two ammo Box Slides are clips I manufactured to lock the slides in place.
A bit difficult to see is the 2nd aux battery that is between the slides and the left (side) window, in a battery box, utilising the space above the wheel arch. This box had a second smaller box connected via a umbilical cord. This second box houses two small Brad Harrison connectors, two cigarette lighter sockets, a 300w inverter, one Hella Plug connector and a 5v USB plug incorporating a battery voltage LCD display (2nd last picture). It also houses my 3 x two way radio charging station. Below and behind this battery, I screwed a 110mm PVC drain pipe to the frame, in an upright position, making it a safe and secure storage place for the fire extinguisher.
On the right is the fridge/freezer slide for the 90lt NL unit, and between that and the right (side) window, is again a compartment above the wheel arch; for the ground sheet to slide in from the back and a fold up chair from Frontrunner from the inside when the seat-back is folded down. Sharing the space with the chair are two rechargeable battery lanterns.
Above this all is a full wall to wall shelf, from left to right, and front to back where the recovery kit, tyre compressor, first aid kit, tool box, washing up dish, stainless tray, 220v battery charger and extension leads get stored. The middle portion of this shelf has two cut-outs for two gas bottles and two gas stove tops. The gas bottles actually stand on a second layer, type of dummy surface, below the top larger surface. The gas bottles are held down by an elastic harness that can unclip to take the gas bottles out. This shelf has a metal frame, plywood tops covered in the same grey carpet as fitted in the vehicle.
In front of the slides and the fridge slide is a 60lt water tank that takes up nearly the full width with about 200 to 250mm to spare on either side. There is a snap in water outlet between the ammo box slide and the fridge slide, than can only be used when the rear door is opened fully. The tank is wedge shaped and fits in with just millimeters to spare behind the seat backs. Under the tank (and seats) I have a safe, my high lift jack (dis-assembled), HL jacking plate, cross brace and a spade. There is a second water tap and a water inlet connection, half under the right rear seat as you open the right rear door.
On top of the water tank, a wooden frame for the smallish PV panel fits in, and seconds as a safety "net" to prevent things from the rear to come flying forward under severe barking. It very nearly touches the roof and the two side of the vehicle, so it seals that back shelf off very effectively from heavy flying objects. (last picture)
This unfortunately makes it impossible to see out of the interior rear view mirror, so I fitted a second rear view camera to the radio screen, one that switches on this rear view camera via an extra switch I fitted just above the diff-lock switch (without switching on the reverse lights, as the reverse lights actually powers the reverse camera). Sorting out the wiring for this was a major undertaking, as the two cameras interfere with each other.
I have a second Aux battery mounted in the engine bay and charging is controlled via a National Luna charging system, which by the way, I am less than impressed with. I think a straight old fashioned solenoid would give less issues. The cable leading from the front Aux battery can be disconnected from the rear battery, the cable can be interrupted buy unplugging the two small Brad Harrison connectors just after the fridge freezer. This is so that if one battery gives a problem (I've had dead cells give me problems on one of my two Aux batteries on a trip on two occasions!!)
The frame was built bit by bit, fitting it to see if it actually would fit into place, then removing it and getting the next part built and again put back, just to repeat the process (about 10 times). It took me about 4 weeks to build the unit. It can be removed totally and no new holes were drilled to fit it. Two 38 x 5mm steel flat bars were bolted to the existing Tie Down brackets' bolt holes with their captive nuts. These bars run from side to side and everything is bolted to these two flat bars.
Here are some pictures:
- 20160924_Safari Patrol-02.jpg (202.13 KiB) Viewed 7698 times
- 20160924_Safari Patrol-03.jpg (159.65 KiB) Viewed 7698 times
- 20160924_Safari Patrol-04.jpg (319.92 KiB) Viewed 7698 times
- 20160924_Safari Patrol-05.jpg (114.88 KiB) Viewed 7698 times
- 20160924_Safari Patrol-05a.jpg (59.2 KiB) Viewed 7698 times
- 20160924_Safari Patrol-07.jpg (89.81 KiB) Viewed 7698 times
- 20160924_Safari Patrol-08.jpg (96.15 KiB) Viewed 7698 times
- 20160924_Safari Patrol-09.jpg (130.5 KiB) Viewed 7698 times
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