American Adventure Lab Tailgate Compressor Mount - Early Review

[BadlandsJ]

I’m still in the middle of wiring. I’ve only had a few minutes each day to work on it, but I should be done in the next day or two. I have a soft top with lux, so a couple things are different from the original instructions.

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[paperboy]

I’m still in the middle of wiring. I’ve only had a few minutes each day to work on it, but I should be done in the next day or two. I have a soft top with lux, so a couple things are different from the original instructions.

Can't wait for the details (and some photos!) of the wiring route to the battery.

Thanks for sharing.

 

[waveform55]

So AAL has a Cargo Floor Multi-Mount with the option to tuck in 4x 18aH batteries and a 1225 or 1240 REDARC...I wonder if you'd be able to wire the tailgate compressor setup to that instead of all the way to the main battery?

I love seeing their products out in the wild and definitely interested in both this AND the Cargo Floor auxiliary battery setup. Want to get all that squared away before I start adding their flip'n'slide drawer and cargo drawers...

 

[BadlandsJ]

Can't wait for the details (and some photos!) of the wiring route to the battery.

Thanks for sharing.

I’m almost done with the wiring, just waiting on an Amazon delivery with a few things to clean up the install - some Tesa tape to re-tape the looms, some butt splices, etc. The AAL loom makes things pretty easy, but since I have some extra options (Lux package, soft top, dealer tow package) there’s a lot of stuff behind the quarter panel trim pieces to work the wiring around. I just want it to be a super tidy install, so I’m taking my time.

But really it’s pretty straightforward. So for the wire run to the battery… from the relay (which is mounted behind the passenger quarter panel trim, the wire runs along the rear of the cargo area, behind the driver-side rear quarter panel trim, then along the door sills, through the firewall grommet, into the AAL supplied fuse in the engine compartment, then to the battery.

I’ll post a video soon.

 

[BadlandsJ]

So AAL has a Cargo Floor Multi-Mount with the option to tuck in 4x 18aH batteries and a 1225 or 1240 REDARC...I wonder if you'd be able to wire the tailgate compressor setup to that instead of all the way to the main battery?

I love seeing their products out in the wild and definitely interested in both this AND the Cargo Floor auxiliary battery setup. Want to get all that squared away before I start adding their flip'n'slide drawer and cargo drawers...

I would think so, as long as the wire you run to the rear is large enough (large enough gauge). But, I’m no wiring expert. I can tell you that AAL’s customer service has been excellent, and I feel confident they could help you sort out the wiring for your whole setup.

 

[paperboy]

I’m almost done with the wiring, just waiting on an Amazon delivery with a few things to clean up the install - some Tesa tape to re-tape the looms, some butt splices, etc. The AAL loom makes things pretty easy, but since I have some extra options (Lux package, soft top, dealer tow package) there’s a lot of stuff behind the quarter panel trim pieces to work the wiring around. I just want it to be a super tidy install, so I’m taking my time.

But really it’s pretty straightforward. So for the wire run to the battery… from the relay (which is mounted behind the passenger quarter panel trim, the wire runs along the rear of the cargo area, behind the driver-side rear quarter panel trim, then along the door sills, through the firewall grommet, into the AAL supplied fuse in the engine compartment, then to the battery.

I’ll post a video soon.

Thanks. When you say "the wire runs along the rear of the cargo bay" - I'd like to see where that is! How is it popping off those rear quarter panels?

I also have Lux.

I have a manual - if I remember correctly, I do not have the same firewall grommet option as an automatic. I'll have to drill a hole and make my own?

Take your time for sure!

 

[redone17]

I have a manual - if I remember correctly, I do not have the same firewall grommet option as an automatic. I'll have to drill a hole and make my own?

Having a manual we lose the small grommet on the driver side because of the master cylinder. But, there are two large grommets on each side of the firewall that have a nipple up top. That’s where you go through.

This is driver - but; that’s what you’re looking for.

 

[BadlandsJ]

Having a manual we lose the small grommet on the driver side because of the master cylinder. But, there are two large grommets on each side of the firewall that have a nipple up top. That’s where you go through.

This is driver - but; that’s what you’re looking for.

This looks right to me. I have a dealer-installed hitch, and that grommet looks the same as where the wiring is run through for that. https://www.bronco6g.com/forum/attachments/ford_oem_4-pin_fact_inst-pdf.350150/

 

[BadlandsJ]

Thanks. When you say "the wire runs along the rear of the cargo bay" - I'd like to see where that is! How is it popping off those rear quarter panels?

I also have Lux.

I have a manual - if I remember correctly, I do not have the same firewall grommet option as an automatic. I'll have to drill a hole and make my own?

Take your time for sure!

Here a video showing how the power runs:

 

[paperboy]

Having a manual we lose the small grommet on the driver side because of the master cylinder. But, there are two large grommets on each side of the firewall that have a nipple up top. That’s where you go through.

This is driver - but; that’s what you’re looking for.

That is extremely helpful! I found the access on both sides and am very pleased I now know about this! I had somehow missed this in all my reading.

Thanks for the insight.

 

[paperboy]

Here a video showing how the power runs:

Great video - thanks so much. Very helpful. The dealer installed hitch instructions pretty much spells it out for what we are trying to accomplish. I feel confident now thanks to this thread.

 

[BadlandsJ]

Well, the gear I ordered from Amazon to finish the install didn’t arrive, now scheduled for delivery tomorrow. I won’t be able to work on it until Friday, so it’ll be a couple more days before I post a final install video.

Note: You don’t really need more than what comes with the kit from AAL, but I’m just being extra detailed.

 

[BadlandsJ]

Damn, that was more work than I thought. Took me several hours including removing my tailgate table, cargo drawer, and all the interior trim pieces. But it’s done, and it works!

The hard part is running all the wires behind the trim panels. The panels are easy enough to get off, but I have the lux package, so with all the extra electronics behind the panels, there’s a lot to work around. I took my time to route the wires in the best way possible so the wires wouldn’t chafe on anything or rub against any other wires. You could probably do it much faster, but I took my time.

Things I would suggest for installation: A roll of felt Tesa tape, panel removal tools, and a six-pack. Also, I broke off a couple of the white panel snaps that hold the panels to the body. I ordered a few more, but they are expensive! Around 5 bucks a piece for some reason.

The single compressor inflates much faster than I thought. I didn't time it, but seemed like less than two minutes to inflate from 23 to 39 psi. I'll time it one day. Also, the hottest temp I got off the tailgate was 116 degrees. This was after about 5 minutes of inflating and I was outside in the sun. Again, I'm going to test this more in the future, but those are my initial findings.

 

[paperboy]

Damn, that was more work than I thought. Took me several hours including removing my tailgate table, cargo drawer, and all the interior trim pieces. But it’s done, and it works!

The hard part is running all the wires behind the trim panels. The panels are easy enough to get off, but I have the lux package, so with all the extra electronics behind the panels, there’s a lot to work around. I took my time to route the wires in the best way possible so the wires wouldn’t chafe on anything or rub against any other wires. You could probably do it much faster, but I took my time.

Things I would suggest for installation: A roll of felt Tesa tape, panel removal tools, and a six-pack. Also, I broke off a couple of the white panel snaps that hold the panels to the body. I ordered a few more, but they are expensive! Around 5 bucks a piece for some reason.

The single compressor inflates much faster than I thought. I didn't time it, but seemed like less than two minutes to inflate from 23 to 39 psi. I'll time it one day. Also, the hottest temp I got off the tailgate was 116 degrees. This was after about 5 minutes of inflating and I was outside in the sun. Again, I'm going to test this more in the future, but those are my initial findings.

Well done! Must be nice to have that completed and thanks for sharing your journey.

Where did you order the extra clips from?

Did you end up using an Aux switch as a "master"? I like that idea. If not, what do you think it would take to do that?

 

[BadlandsJ]

Here is a video I shot while I was doing the wiring. It's really just to show the layout of the harness. I cleaned up a lot of the wiring when I finished the install. I posted a video of the power wire run to the battery in an earlier post:


Here is how the whole things looks and works when it's done:


All of the interior panels came off pretty easily, with the exception of the speaker cover/dead pedal in the driver's foot well. It's actually easy to remove, but it's bolted down to the floor underneath the dead pedal. So it just took a while to figure that out.

The ARB switch needs to be powered by a power source that comes on when the ignition is on. I decided to use the AUX switch wiring for a few reasons: so that I could control it from two locations, I had a power source that was 100% only on when the car is on (supposedly the cigarette lighter in the back can stay on for a bit with the car off), and so that I didn't accidentally hit the switch while loading/unloading cargo.

So, that's my install. Time will tell how it holds up, and I'll check the temps fully when I do a complete tire inflation on all four tires. But so far, so good! If anyone has any questions, wants any measurements, or anything else, just let me know. I'd be happy to help out.

Also, here are the little clips that seems to like to break behind the interior quarter panel trim pieces. They are pricey. I got them from Ruxer Ford for $23.40 + shipping.

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