New Tacoma Expedition Rig

[texasflyboy]

Hi Everyone,

Just wanted to show some pictures of our new build. We took her on the maiden voyage up to Jasper, Canada (from Tehachapi, CA) and she did wonderfully. We had a comfortable and dry place to sleep, hot showers in the morning and hot food at night. The only thing I was really missing was a good canopy to keep us dry when not in the AirTop.

More to come on the actual build if people are interested. Very happy with this rig!

Jon

 

[Ryanmb21]

^ I dig those top three pictures.

 

[montypower]

Those tents are fantastic. I love mine. You might consider revising your attachment. The bed/cab are designed to move/flex independently. You will be stressing the tent mounts by trying to span between the two. You're best option is to either mount on the roof or truck bed not both. Nice looking rig!

 

[texasflyboy]

The rack has also been designed to flex with the truck/cab. We are looking into upgrades that will allow the tent-to-rack joints to flex a little more than they do today. Good eye!

The issues I faced were that the tent is too heavy for the factory roof rack. Even aftermarket racks have pretty severe weight limitations.

If I were to mount the tent over the bed only, it would either hang over the cab or over the back of the truck. Over the cab could work, but then we'd lose the back porch which is currently the point of entry into the tent.

Monty would you be willing to share your attach method?

Jon

 

[INSAYN]

You could always use the ladder and enter from either side.

Maybe make a sliding rack mount that allows the tent to be mounted to the bed racks for travel, but unpinned from a locking point, and slid forward to rest on supports that are attached to the cab racks once at camp. This gives you back your rear porch entry, yet eliminates the need to create a flexible rack between the cab and bed.

 

[montypower]

Monty would you be willing to share your attach method?

I reluctantly ended up going the canopy route. Actually, I'm very happy with the canopy. Having secure storage that is protected from dust and water is very nice. You'll need to either reinforce a standard canopy or go with something HD like this contractor canopy (rated for 500lbs on the roof). The rack was custom built. Here's a bunch of pics... Maybe give you some ideas.

 

[texasflyboy]

We really didn't want to go with a canopy to maintain good access to all parts of the bed. For example I've got a propane tank mounted in such a location that a canopy may get in the way. Also, having propane in an enclosed space isn't exactly something I'd like to have, can be pretty dangerous. When the rack is off the truck, it's also much easier to store than a canopy would be (it's all "2D" structure when disassembled). That all being said, that's a nice looking canopy. What is in those ARB bags?

When/if we want to close off the bed, we have some roll up (also very lightweight) canvas covers that can close off the bed area. These can double as awnings if so desired.

Also keep in mind that the bed itself will deflect/flex significantly. Our composite beds tend to move a lot more than the equivalent metal bed. So even if we had a bed-only mounting solution, there would still be a significant amount of deflection to deal with. Alternatively, if we were mounted over the cab (if that were possible) those cross rails have a lot of play in them to allow for deflection, though I'm sure the cab deflects much less than the bed.

The system is still technically in test, so time/experience will tell if it holds up well. Give me about a year to report back!

By the way, does anyone have any opinions about air suspension to lift the back end when under these loads?

Work Done to Date:
- Custom Tacoma rack system
- AirTop Autohome mounted
- 55 Gallon water tank mounted
- 50psi 12V DC water pump and plumbing system
- Tankless water heater
- Shower head and hot/cold water faucet
- 30lb Propane tank mount and plumbing for water heater and two burner stove (propane system electrically grounded to truck)
- Bed storage false floor with plastic waterproof bin storage
- Tacoma hood gas lifts and 3M vinyl matte wrap on hood (reduces glare/reflection)

Future Mods (please comment if you have experience):
- New water tank (rectangular tank)
- New full coverage awning for rain
- Bicycle mounts (side or rear mount)
- Minimal and lightweight skid plates in needed areas
- Front hidden winch mount
- Possibly air suspension in the rear to level load
- Auxiliary lights mounted near front grille

 

[texasflyboy]

Photos

Here are some photos of the build. Enjoy!

 

[bat]

Nice truck the only thing I would be leery about is the small footprint for the rack mounting, MAYBE over time with such a small footprint it might cause fractures in the glass.

 

[dorton]

Cool ride. I'll second that the top three pics are beautiful.

 

[texasflyboy]

Nice truck the only thing I would be leery about is the small footprint for the rack mounting, MAYBE over time with such a small footprint it might cause fractures in the glass.

I'm not sure I understand your concern bat, would you elaborate?

 

[bat]

I'm not sure I understand your concern bat, would you elaborate?

Stupid me picks the wrong truck to make my concern, I was looking at Montypower setups and my one brain cell just could not handle it.

 

[texasflyboy]

Stupid me picks the wrong truck to make my concern, I was looking at Montypower setups and my one brain cell just could not handle it.

Were you talking about the small footprint on the tent or on the canopy.

I should say that AutoHome recommends attaching the tent to cross bars that are as wide as the tent and no shorter. Currently my cross bars are a little short so we'll be extending them to fully span the width of the tent.

 

[VE7OSR]

nicely done both Jon and Monty. I like your use of the Autohomes, compact, protected, an you keep your bedspace for the rest f the camping gear!

 

[galvyork]

Do you have any pics of the plumbing and hot water setup?