I was fortunate to acquire a second hand Manley ORV Utility model. It came with a soft tonneau cover that is really nice, but not very secure. It also came with a rack system which had an ARB RTT, but I sold the tent once the CVT GB was announced.
I have been hoping to learn to weld so I can fabricate my own lid and adjustable height rack system for a RTT, but I can't seem to find enough time, the metal shops are never open when I'm not at work and my summer trip with the kids is only 10 days away. So, I picked up a utility topper and set it on top of some pressure treated 3/4" plywood. It's a bit taller, longer and wider than I would like, but for $275, it will do fine. The color worked out well too. We cleaned out the toolboxes, repainted them and added some rubber liners. The side toolboxes are steel, and everything else is aluminum. The manufacturer told me that the ladder rack holds 250lbs. My tent weighs less than 200 and my kids are pretty light. I get to sleep on a cot in the annex.
Got the CVT tent mounted today. Was super excited until I realized that it was the wrong tent. The tent pictured is a Mt Adams. I ordered a Mt McKinley which has more annex space and covers the ladders. I called Bobby at CVT on Sunday, and he's taking care of it. Good guy. Until the McKinley arrives, we'll use this one. The quality is great and these 4+ person tents are roomy with dual ladders and a separation wall between the kids. Haven't quite figured out how to assemble all the spring poles and the annex yet, but will get to it soon enough.
Back to the topper, I really like it, just would like to size it down a little. Probably not worth cutting it up to make it fit perfectly. I'll either make a more common style lid over time or contact ARE to custom make another similar topper.
Cheers,
Maxx
I have been hoping to learn to weld so I can fabricate my own lid and adjustable height rack system for a RTT, but I can't seem to find enough time, the metal shops are never open when I'm not at work and my summer trip with the kids is only 10 days away. So, I picked up a utility topper and set it on top of some pressure treated 3/4" plywood. It's a bit taller, longer and wider than I would like, but for $275, it will do fine. The color worked out well too. We cleaned out the toolboxes, repainted them and added some rubber liners. The side toolboxes are steel, and everything else is aluminum. The manufacturer told me that the ladder rack holds 250lbs. My tent weighs less than 200 and my kids are pretty light. I get to sleep on a cot in the annex.
Got the CVT tent mounted today. Was super excited until I realized that it was the wrong tent. The tent pictured is a Mt Adams. I ordered a Mt McKinley which has more annex space and covers the ladders. I called Bobby at CVT on Sunday, and he's taking care of it. Good guy. Until the McKinley arrives, we'll use this one. The quality is great and these 4+ person tents are roomy with dual ladders and a separation wall between the kids. Haven't quite figured out how to assemble all the spring poles and the annex yet, but will get to it soon enough.
Back to the topper, I really like it, just would like to size it down a little. Probably not worth cutting it up to make it fit perfectly. I'll either make a more common style lid over time or contact ARE to custom make another similar topper.
Cheers,
Maxx
