As you might imagine, setting up our Patrol for extended solo travel means we have to carry a fair bit of 'stuff'. Mostly everything has it's place - or at least that's the aim.
One thing I didn't have a place for was the 10.5 litres of oil to replace that in the motor in dire circumstances, so yesterday I put my mind to finding a spot to carry it. Finding a suitably sized & shaped container was the key. Finished the little project this morning.
This is what I came up with, utilising, as per the usual Cuppa manner, stuff I had sitting around in the shed. Some offcuts of 3mm 'signbond' (left over from the shower I made with it), some plastic edging from the same project, & some rubber edging strip which was a mistaken purchase for some kitchen renovations at our last house.
Ok I exagerate, I did need to go out & buy the hinges, only because I wanted ones which wouldn't rust, so I got a pair of stainless ones, & whilst at the hardware store I also bought the hasp which was bigger than one I had in the shed, but I wanted it's extra thickness. Subsequently it was cut down & modified to suit.
It was also built in the usual Cuppa style. Ie. 'make it up as you go along'. Getting it to close so that it holds the container tightly in place was achieved via a fair of trial & error. I think it'll do the job though, & wont draw the attention of legal jobsworth's who assume I am carrying fuel on the back of the vehicle, or those who think the container may have contents worth sniffing or stealing. It also allows me to still use the rear step between the tyres to climb up to check the solar panels on the roof.
