Wiring is finally done! Electrical is one thing I want nothing to do with, so I took the truck over to Wired by Greg and he did all of it.
Originally I wanted to go with KC Highlites because of the retro round light look, but I couldn’t bring myself to spend $2,000 on a light bar, although I was pretty damn close to pulling the trigger on that one. I ended up going with a much more reasonable and cost effective route and went with some Baja Designs LP6s on the bumper, some Driving / Combo Squadron Sports for fog lights (still need to figure out some sort of bracket since the AFN prototype bumper didn’t come with them), and some Cornering S2 Sports for ditch lights. These are all controlled with a Switch Pros SP-9100. Given that fact I usually try to get to camp BEFORE it’s dark, this seemed the more sensible low key way to go.
In the back of the truck in the Goose Gear compartment behind the fridge, there’s a second battery system - VMAX 125 ah battery hooked up to a smart charger. I ended up going with the CTEK D250 SE (not the SA since the Gladiators have “smart alternators”). I decided not to go with RedArc because I don’t have a degree in electrical engineering and all I’ve heard is how complicated their systems are, and how unresponsive their customer service is. The whole key to this build is simplicity. The CTEK is paired with a Bluetooth compatible Victron shunt to monitor battery life, charging, draw, etc… as well as a Blue Sea fuse box. On the roof, we hard mounted a Renogy 100W panel, as well as put Anderson plugs on both the front and rear bumpers for another 100W Renogy soft panel with a ~15’ leader on it. The thought behind this was to use the hard mounted panel to keep the second battery alive since I live in an apartment and can’t plug into a trickle charger, and then utilize the soft foldable panel with the leader while camping where I typically do my best to park in the shade, that way I can move the panel into and with the sun.
After the second battery system was hooked up and charging with solar and the alternator, the roof fan was was wired up, the National Luna 50L dual zone fridge was hard wired in, a Blue Sea dual USB and 12V plug was installed and wired up, and some red/ white LED strips were put on complete with dimmer switches.
Haven’t been able to get out on the trail and test any of this stuff out while camping due to the forest closures here in CA, but I am extremely happy that this is done and the way it turned out!
Originally I wanted to go with KC Highlites because of the retro round light look, but I couldn’t bring myself to spend $2,000 on a light bar, although I was pretty damn close to pulling the trigger on that one. I ended up going with a much more reasonable and cost effective route and went with some Baja Designs LP6s on the bumper, some Driving / Combo Squadron Sports for fog lights (still need to figure out some sort of bracket since the AFN prototype bumper didn’t come with them), and some Cornering S2 Sports for ditch lights. These are all controlled with a Switch Pros SP-9100. Given that fact I usually try to get to camp BEFORE it’s dark, this seemed the more sensible low key way to go.
In the back of the truck in the Goose Gear compartment behind the fridge, there’s a second battery system - VMAX 125 ah battery hooked up to a smart charger. I ended up going with the CTEK D250 SE (not the SA since the Gladiators have “smart alternators”). I decided not to go with RedArc because I don’t have a degree in electrical engineering and all I’ve heard is how complicated their systems are, and how unresponsive their customer service is. The whole key to this build is simplicity. The CTEK is paired with a Bluetooth compatible Victron shunt to monitor battery life, charging, draw, etc… as well as a Blue Sea fuse box. On the roof, we hard mounted a Renogy 100W panel, as well as put Anderson plugs on both the front and rear bumpers for another 100W Renogy soft panel with a ~15’ leader on it. The thought behind this was to use the hard mounted panel to keep the second battery alive since I live in an apartment and can’t plug into a trickle charger, and then utilize the soft foldable panel with the leader while camping where I typically do my best to park in the shade, that way I can move the panel into and with the sun.
After the second battery system was hooked up and charging with solar and the alternator, the roof fan was was wired up, the National Luna 50L dual zone fridge was hard wired in, a Blue Sea dual USB and 12V plug was installed and wired up, and some red/ white LED strips were put on complete with dimmer switches.
Haven’t been able to get out on the trail and test any of this stuff out while camping due to the forest closures here in CA, but I am extremely happy that this is done and the way it turned out!
Last edited:
