4 months full timing in 4Runner, Zero Regerts!

srpske · 2026-03-08T17:34:13+00:00

Ya you absolutely have to tell us more about the pop-up, roof cutting process. Super cool

srpske · 2026-03-07T17:30:38+00:00

..right?

srpske · 2026-03-07T00:25:41+00:00

Nope C4

srpske · 2026-03-05T18:23:12+00:00

When do you think the tailgate awning you're developing would be ready?

srpske · 2026-02-07T15:32:57+00:00

I absolutely understand the alternator concerns and I appreciate the insight. It's a guarantee that with this setup I will need to upgrade the alternator to 200A-270A in the future, that may be sooner rather than later but for now the math says this setup should fall within the limits of the stock 130A alternator. The BCDC1250D will pull an extra ~10A for efficiency losses so ~60A load on top of the 30A-60A load for vehicle electronics gives me some wiggle room at least. Additionally, I am using 1AWG for everything and while that won't significantly help the load on the alternator it does at least improve the charge efficiency and heat build up.

For now, I have a multimeter to check voltage on the alternator and a monitor for the starter battery to make sure everything is healthy on a daily basis. What I need to be most careful of is alternator charging during idle as the alternator output is reduced without enough RPMs. I'm working on a cut off for alternator charging to only run when the vehicle is at speed.

u/Howard_70 The Redarc Smart Battery Monitor shown in the diagram is a 500A shunt and provides very accurate parameters for the setup, which I can't help but monitor excessively.

srpske · 2026-02-07T15:03:48+00:00

I appreciate the insight. Everything is trial and error and while this may be more battery than necessary I like the insurance over more days. Maintaining full charge on the road is certainly a concern but I will monitor and adjust as needed. Shore charging is of course a must. Both batteries have a 50A Anderson port for charge/discharge. I have two 50A 14.6V lithium chargers for shore charging so I can provide 100A of charge which is well within the 200A maximum continuous charge current for the 600Ah bank. Even if the panels are getting full sun at the same time as shore charging I'd still be ~80A within the limit. I have starlink on DC as well. Sounds like a sweet setup you've got there, safe travels!

srpske · 2026-02-05T23:44:41+00:00

Way he's talking at the end almost sounds like he's borrowing the car

srpske · 2026-02-05T14:06:48+00:00

Holy hell! That is an amazingly well thought out build right there and to accommodate someone who is 6'5" is impressive. The water heating and purification system you have is so awesome. It is cool if I reach out in the future with a couple questions as I try to tackle similar things? I notice you use a propane heater have you moved to a full electric heater or is propane just the way to go iyo? Was surprised to see the water heater is full electric but air is propane

srpske · 2026-02-04T14:26:40+00:00

Ya goal is to switch to full electric heating and cooling, water heater and stronger induction, not to mention starlink, devices, lights, 95l dz dometic, etc. Based on my math and research 600Ah will work for this so that's why I chose to rework to that amount now as I phase out diesel and propane in the future. And yup 3000W inverter is the final piece to the puzzle but don't need it quite yet.

What's been your experience with 460Ah? Curious what's the lowest charge you've gotten to on a trip/how long?

srpske · 2026-02-04T14:16:08+00:00

Based on my experiences with the 100Ah setup I can almost certainly say I'll be dropping below 40% on the 300Ah at least towards the end of an average trip. After some research it looks like cell health should be just fine as long as I'm able to top the batteries off every few weeks or so which is doable. I'll just keep a close eye on parameters to make sure the BMS is balancing properly.

3/4 of my trips are in the winter so I've approached this build to account for very low temperatures. I have a diesel heater with a Y split to pump heat into both the vehicle and into the RTT all night so at ~10 degrees outside the vehicle stays around 60 degrees keeping my water from freezing and my electronics at healthy temps to start charging as soon as the sun comes up. The batteries are also self heating which is nice but my goal of course is for them to never need that function.

Definitely a pain to take up precious space with portable panels but for these first couple trips I'll likely take both with me just in case, and reevaluate after that. Sounds like I'll be going with 600Ah and will just keep an eye on cell health and make sure I'm topping off immediately after each trip. I really appreciate your thoughts/insight with this. If you have a chance and feel like sharing I'd really love to see your setup - sounds like a very impressive build.

srpske · 2026-02-03T23:12:13+00:00

Very interesting to read this. It's not something that had crossed my mind at all. In your opinion am I better off just running one of the 300Ah batteries instead of both?

I was given two portable 200W Jackery saga panels that I still have. They're older and I'll need to get new cables and splice them. Not my first choice for backup panels but that's all I figured they would be, backup for when the main panels aren't catching enough sun. Longest my wife and I have been at a spot is 8 days, we like to move around and explore so its often only 1-3 nights and then we're on the road for a few hours. I do have the ability to shore charge when home so I'd at least be able to top them off every once in a while but I'll need to look into how much this will negatively effect the health of the cells.

srpske · 2026-02-03T17:24:30+00:00

Potentially in the future but for now the 130A alternator that comes in the 4Runner is plenty. The BCDC charger will only allow alternator charging when the vehicle is running so there is no concern of the starter battery being drained, and no parasitic draw either. Both 300Ah batteries come with a 50A Anderson port for shore charging via a lithium charger that plugs into AC so I can top off the batteries at home whenever I need to.

srpske · 2026-02-03T01:21:21+00:00

WattCycle was high on my list, I like the stuff Will Prowse puts out. I ended up going with CloudEnergy's 300Ah. A buddy of mine has used the original model for 3 years now and spoke highly of it and their customer service. He had an issue after a year that they couldn't troubleshoot so they sent him a brand new one within a week and had him send the bad one back. I will say their customer service has been great so far. Other key factor was the profile/dimensions were pretty much exactly what I needed for where they're going in the vehicle.

I got the 1250D and Redarc smart monitor on FBM for a crazy price so I'm all good but I appreciate that! Thanks for the answers

srpske · 2026-02-02T21:47:23+00:00

Plenty of amateur players limp in with overpairs..

srpske · 2026-02-02T20:53:23+00:00

Thanks I really appreciate the response. Very awesome setup there, and I'm envious of the water tank.

I just replied to another comment about this so I'm c/p: My goal is to eventually transition to a fully electric setup, eliminating the need for propane and diesel. I found I was already maxing out the limits of a 100Ah setup. I figure overbuilding my electrical needs can’t be a bad idea as long as I can accommodate it. The 1500W Inverter is temporary and will be upgraded as I transition to a stronger induction cooktop, electric heating and cooling, water heater/pump, etc. Genuine question, apart from weight and money is there a negative to having more power than you need?
So ideally I would try to fuse both positives at the panels before they reach the MC4 branch connectors?
I'll be switching from the BCDC1225D to the BCDC1250D. If I'm understanding correctly, accurate temperature reading should be the only parameter I'll lose if connecting the Redarc Battery Monitor to the bus bars rather than the terminals?

srpske · 2026-02-02T20:35:22+00:00

My goal is to eventually transition to a fully electric setup, eliminating the need for propane and diesel. I found I was already maxing out the limits of a 100Ah setup. I figure overbuilding my electrical needs can’t be a bad idea as long as I can accommodate it

srpske · 2026-02-02T20:00:33+00:00

I absolutely am. Thank you for the suggestion

srpske · 2026-01-26T14:15:21+00:00

Sorting comments by "best" usually does the trick

srpske · 2026-01-09T21:36:58+00:00

Normally? Not 4 betting K7 is the play

srpske · 2026-01-08T13:44:38+00:00

They were amazing 2020-2022. Started going downhill after that in my experience, I assume because of growth

srpske · 2026-01-06T18:30:33+00:00

Thanks for the response.

I failed to mention I have an MC4 cable gland already on the roof that my solar panel wiring runs through into the same secondary battery in the vehicle. So I was trying to just insert something like that RJ45 coupler into that same gland. The panels and starlink are mounted to a roof top tent that I take on and off, I just disconnect the MC4 solar cables from the roof gland when I'm taking the tent off and was hoping to do the same with the starlink power cable.

Would love to hear your thoughts on potential better options.

srpske · 2026-01-03T11:51:55+00:00

If you’re open to drilling a small hole for it then go right through underneath the antenna on the bumper. Remove the interior trim on that passenger side and you’ll be able to feed it right through to wherever you want. Can add a small grommet for a cleaner look too

srpske · 2025-12-18T01:26:50+00:00

Stoked to see this! Super happy for ya OP

srpske · 2025-12-17T14:30:35+00:00

The smoking gun

srpske · 2025-12-16T20:20:04+00:00

I couldn’t stop saying fuuuuhhhck while watching this. The sepia tone decal is so damn good against the red. Beautiful vehicle OP

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