The build begins... Electrics for the camper. Anderson Plug install.

We have had the Amarok for just a few weeks now, and must say we are absolutely thrilled with it.  It is very comfortable to ride in, and everything just works Volkswagen style.

Whilst it is a perfect base to build our touring rig, it is far from ready yet.  There is a long (and expensive) list of things to modify, add and purchase in order to set up the Amarok for work and play.

The first thing to do was to order a canopy for the back to make it useful for camping.  This turned out to be harder than I anticipated.  There are but a few manufactures around, and many had delays until October, or provided pretty basic quotes without a lot of detail.

To cut a long story short, we have gone with a mob in Melbourne to manufacture a canopy for our tray.  The company Made 2 Order Toolbox http://www.m2otoolbox.com.au/ provided a very quick turn around on their quotes, modifying it as required until I was happy with the final version.

Professional, quick and easy to deal with - M2O Toolbox

What I really liked about their quotes was the full drawings they provided.  Whilst I have changed this again, the basic layout is what we are going with.  The Jack Off Legs mean we will be able to remove the canopy if required - either whilst we are away or at home - giving us the full flexibility of the dual cab ute.  I haven't seen the canopy yet.  I hope that it is as good as their customer service.

So with four weeks to wait until the canopy is ready to pick up, I decided to get on with the next job - electrics.


Our camper (Matilda) is fitted with two large deep cycle batteries, that are stowed at the rear of the camper.  In order to charge them, the camper is fitted with a large (175 amp) Anderson plug.  With Terry, the wiring leading to the plug was relatively small, meaning we were getting significant voltage drop in the circuit, and our batteries weren't being fully charged by the car.  With a boost from the solar panel, I had never really worried about it too much, however decided that with the new car, a job worth doing was worth doing well.

So I bought heavy duty cable, plugs, circuit breaker and voltage sensitive relay online from an Australian auto electrical store on eBay (http://stores.ebay.com.au/autoelecau) - again very impressed with the fast shipping and competitive prices.  A few sundries such as lugs, a crimper and some heat shrink I bought from Jaycar (http://www.jaycar.com.au/).

And last weekend I had the opportunity to pull it all together and install it!

Step One - lay out everything and double check I have enough to finish what I start!

All joints were soldered, crimped and heat shrink covered to insulate.

The wiring is installed - and the circuit breaker remains open just in case I have stuffed it up.

After double / and triple checking - it is tested.  14.30 volts and polarity is correct (phew)

And the over-ride switch on the dashboard doesn't look out of place at all.  Happy with the overall finish - although it was probably the hardest bit as I had to find a way through the firewall.

What I didn't show is another 50 amp Anderson plug I installed on the head board of the tray.  This will allow me to put a battery in the canopy to power lighting and possibly a fridge, if we want to go down that path.

Next up - bullbar?

Oh and now it has over 1000km on the clock, I thought it was time to do a bit of towing - and pick up some lucerne mulch for the garden - if I can keep the cattle off it!  It towed with aplomb!

Towed the lucerne bales without a drama.