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Tiny House

Started by Auscgu, July 05, 2015, 11:03:22 PM

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Auscgu

Tiny House is a 2013 series 2 Topaz. We purchased Tiny House in April after the caravan and camping show.
We took delivery in June after having so extras supplied and fitted by the dealer.
Taking delivery was an exciting day as it is the start of planning and fit out stage for lap of Aus.
The lap of Aus is the reason for purchasing tiny house and end of the our investigating the diffrent option for the trip.
We had a 2010 adventure camper which is very comfy and very capable and where we started looking at doing the trip in the camper.
I have no doubt the trip could have been under taken in the camper but after some longer trip to the east coast the weather is a big factor with the canvas. We looked at many options from full size caravans, semi offroad caravans, truck type campers and any other serious option.

The criteria for the trip
The ability to go offroad and bush camp
Minimal weight and size for offroad abiliity
Maximum storage and able to take the bikes
Outdoor kitchen and living was key feature for us
Indoor bed setup for sleeping and seating for bad weather

I am sure the list is familiar with topaz owners and the reason we ended up with tiny house
We struggle with the size and weight of the topaz as we would of like to have been a meter shorter and at least 400kg lighter
Better rear ground clearance and the body height closer to the 4wd height
The deciding factor was the extra comfort and storage for long term living at the expense of some offroad ability



Auscgu

Taking delivery was an exciting day after waiting so long to have the bed surround wood rack and full annex fitted to the existing van
George Day and track trailer made a big effort to ensure the annex fitted to the existing van
The existing awning needs to be raised and refitted to allow the annex track to fit
The extra brackets and press studs fitted for the draft skirt and canvas over the fridge box
The annex is an important part of the van as we will be setting up for short and long term stays
The quality of the canvas and the ability to add and change setup of the walls adds function to the setup
Wood rack was added to to allow the bike to be fitted and have a home where they can live out of the way

I spent the first weekend playing with all the features of the van and checking all the items are working correctly
We had a few issues to address as this is a 2 year old demonstration van and the items are being addressed
I also fitted the annex to see how it fitted and ensure all the components where provided
The annex fitted nicely and is easy to fit a canvas annex, love the ability to add walls as required and change panel locations
Great to have full cover over the fridge and outdoor kitchen with the awning as a solar shade as required
The independent annex is a big improvement over the series 1 annex
Fitting of the annex was fun as I had never seen one in the flesh and only some pictures
The assembly was logical and went together easy for a zip type arrangement

I have completed my first mod as we all do and have a list of future mods for our lap
First mod was fitting marine carpet in the pole storage area for the shower and annex poles
Started loading the van and finding homes in a logical place for all the gear
We wanted to try the bed and bed extension as the bed is queen width but double length
The foam mattress is very comfy but the bed extension was supplied for a later series 2 and did not work for our van
I have returned the bed extension and purchased our own foam and material to cover them
The making of the covers will allows some additions to hold in place and add customize the bed system

I fitted our 75 litre National Lunar fridge and was so pleased that it fitted on the fridge slide with the cover
Neat fit an will need some custom tie down straps as the hook type would struggle to fit
A project that is high on the list
One thing noted that the right hand box opposite the fridge and the nose cone storage has no ventilation
The boxes condensate and has water stains and some minor corrosion after two years of being stored outside
If I was ordering a new van I would ensure that the right hand door has the vent and dust filter like the fridge compartment
The venting seem to reduce and almost eliminate then condensate, time will confirm that
I haven started investigating a replacement door or fitting the vent
The other items noted where not locks on the screen door or shower door
I will like to fit a round lock to both for extra security

The van is parked out the front at home so needed some security
I purchased and fit a DO35 Bi lock on the way home (first purchase)
I wanted so security to immobile with out to much bulk and weight
I have fitted a hardened master lock to the chains
2 x 8mm by 1 metre hardened master lock chains through both rims and around the suspension arms Perfect fit with the 16 x 8 rims
with a hardened master lock
No perfect security system but way better than nothing and easy to transport

HappyTraveller

Hope you enjoy your new purchase as much as we are enjoying ours 8).

You made mention of some water stains and rust in the front storage area. I fixed several water leaks, some of which were at the front.

There are various body seems at the front of the Topaz II where the body slopes down to the storage boxes. In my case, no gaps in the sealant were evident, but after running the hose I opened the large right hand storage door (other side from the fridge slide) and saw water coming in through the highest part of the bodywork above the door, dripping down to the floor and then it ran into the smaller front storage box. After removing as much of the faulty sealant as possible and masking each side of the seams to keep things tidy, I used Sikaflex marine sealant to re-seal the joints, pressing the sealant in as firmly as possible.

I also found a problem with the seals for the two front doors which allow access to the smaller front storage. Water was running behind the rubber seals where they mount into the door aperture. I removed the seals and applied sealant inside the groove of each seal where it pushes onto the door aperture.

After these fixes the front storage areas stay nice and dry.

It sounds like you may have a leak or two as well. If you do, you should be able to isolate it to a general area with a bit of patience using the hose and applying some new sealant.

Good Luck
Andrew
TVan Mk5
Trakmaster Pilbara Extreme
Landcruiser 200

Auscgu

Thanks Andrew for your input about the water leaks
I had a look in the nose cone storage area and saw some water in the bottom around the mount plates
I was thinking that the water was coming from the front
Now you explained how yours was leaking I will run the hose and investigate

Dicko

Congrats on your topaz Auscgu hope you enjoy it and enjoy your journey with it.
200 Series cruiser and 2014 Topaz Savannah.

Auscgu

I have taken the van back for warranty work which is been handled by Armadale 4x4
Mike is struggling with one more leak in the front storage box
He has fixed the radio earth, aircon bypass at the manifold, battery swelling and working on the front storage box leaks
The van was leaking in all the front storage area and all are resolved except the very front box
Track and Armadale 4x4 have been great in helping resolve the issues
Note Armadale 4x4 where approved by track carry out the work so if you need a alternate service agent consider Mike
I have fitted the retaining straps for the National Lunar 74 litre fridge
The fridge is a tight fit but nice to see a decent size fridge box on the series 2
One issue that needs to be addressed is the fridge does not have a off switch
Might sound strange but the early National Lunar fridges never had this feature
You pull the power cord to turn it off, the problem is you can not reach the power cord at the back with the fridge fitted
You have to pull the fuse in the battery compartment so a switch will be added to the circuit
The chassis level that is fixed on the drawbar plate is on a taper and not able to level the van
I made a wedge piece to correct this
I have measured up for fitting the larger sovereign BBQ and it will fit with new slides and brackets
This is on the to do list once I have a job again
I have been researching the options for a roof solar system
The semi flexible solar panels seem like the best option as they are very light and can be velcrode to the roof
The weight of a 600 watt system will still be lighter than a single 200 watt aluminium panel

Battingpig

Simple fix for fridge would be an in line on/ off switch.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Auscgu

Tiny house made it home today after 3.5 weeks to have the water leaks repaired
Mike from Armadale 4x4 was great and worked through all the leaks and replaced and sealed the storage boxes seals
Some of the box had to be removed and refitted to seal behind the joints
Not this is an early series 2 and the design has been changed to resolve these issues on the newer vans
Nice to have the van home and start fitting the marine carpet and finish the king bed extension.
I have been busy reshearching a inverter/charger system to replace the existing Projector charger and have an inverter for the entire 240v circuit
I am looking at the Victron system as is more cost effective and has compatablity to the existing battery monitor
The system is agm and lithium compatiable so the batterys can be changed when the lithium's are more cost effective
The solar regulator is also agm and lithium compatiable and has comunication ports to connect to a full monitored system

Dicko

Glad it's all worked out for you Auscgu hop it all goes well for you and in the future.
200 Series cruiser and 2014 Topaz Savannah.

Auscgu

We have had trouble with the aircon since delivery
Mike fixed the leaking at the discharge manifold and have made a significant difference to the air output
The aircon would not deliver cold air even on a 30 deg day
We arrange to have the aircon unit checked and I fired it up today
The unit changed its mined and started working
I also changed out the batteries in the remote
The remote started the unit but loss all display
New batteries and all good
The early series 2 aircon is less effective than the 2014 on aircon but is effective at 30 degs
I am sure it will struggle in the hot weather

Auscgu

The topaz 2 comes with the bushman BBQ sovereign
The bushman is the smaller size and not a useful as the bigger version (Outback)
We already had the larger BBQ fitted to our camper so kept it to fit in the Topaz
I measured up and removed the smaller BBQ
Sovereign has been very helpful and supplied the longer slides and discussed the conversion

Fitting the Outback needs the 4 feet removed to create the clearance
The feet have 4 small tack welds and are not required once in the slide
Removing the feet gives about 20mm total clearance in height
New slides are required 450mm slide with 660mm extension available from sovereign
I have removed the 4 rivets in the left hand slide and removed
The holes will be riveted and sealed
The existing slides need to be removed and new mounting brackets made to suit the larger BBQ
This is a work in progress

Auscgu

I have fitted the outback BBQ to the Topaz
The feet where removed
40x20 Aluminium subframe fabricated to allow the lower mounting postion
10mm cap screw is fitted in the subframe for the side mount
50x50x3 angle for the rear mount
The slides where provided by Sovereign already assembled for the longer travel
Note the slides are two 450mm full travel slides together
The original slide mounts where used
The slide mount near the rear of the van is in its original location
The new slides are mounted 20mm from the front of the mount
33mm from the bottom of mount to under side of slide
Note slide is close to rear of box
The the other slide mount is a perfect fit to the divider and fit toe to toe
The BBQ now has better clearance for the lid and access door
Note the BBQ is a Stove Oven and BBQ
We might all have this option in the future as it can be done
This is stage one of my outdoor kitchen more to follow

Auscgu


Auscgu


Auscgu

The BBQ open and clearance