Alu-Cab Has Landed In The USA!

[Scoutman]

I got the awning on last night.
Being on a truck bed is a little less common than an SUV...
Because I have fold down tables on each side of the bed(and my kitchen is on the driver side), I wanted it to primarily cover the side of the bed, rather than the doors on the cab.
So, I mounted the front of the awning to the back corner of the tent, and then mounted the back of the awning(the pivot corner) to a post mounted to the bed. (2.5" x 2.5" .120"wall). (Weird, I know..)

I am loving where It covers and provides shade. Cant wait to get out there and really test it. Also like that I can see right through to the passenger side of the bed, but this is going to compromise the amount of shade when the sun is getting to lower angles.

Thinking of one of 2 things for the next step.
1. get a small square awning piece to cover just the bed itself. That will prevent light from coming in at an angle in a lot of places.
2. Get a second Shadown awning, a right handed one but mount this one to the tent in a conventional way. Setup like that, the part swinging out to the rear will cover the bed getting good shade there.

Thoughts?
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Love the thought that has gone into this setup. Do you have any pictures of the mount you fab'd at the top of your 2.5x2.5" post (pivot corner)? I'm picking up one of these awnings this weekend and I'm looking for ideas on how to mount it to my bed rack (on my Dodge Ram 3500).

 

[Diesel Junkie]

Love the thought that has gone into this setup. Do you have any pictures of the mount you fab'd at the top of your 2.5x2.5" post (pivot corner)? I'm picking up one of these awnings this weekend and I'm looking for ideas on how to mount it to my bed rack (on my Dodge Ram 3500).

The 2.5" wide post is wide enough that the 4 bolt pattern on the Alu cab awning can fit on the face. No extra bracket or wings required.
I cut the top at about 15-20 degrees, just so it would not look so generic and square. It is still kind of weird to have a post on the back corner of the truck.... but then again, the tailgate and the whole rest of the truck is getting wierder all the time.

Please dont judge the plywood tailgate, I have already swapped it for .125" Diamond plate 6061. (added feature: Tail gate can be tilted down about 15 degrees in the long chains so it is easier to load motos or just step right into the back without a stool.)

 

[Scoutman]

The 2.5" wide post is wide enough that the 4 bolt pattern on the Alu cab awning can fit on the face. No extra bracket or wings required.
I cut the top at about 15-20 degrees, just so it would not look so generic and square. It is still kind of weird to have a post on the back corner of the truck.... but then again, the tailgate and the whole rest of the truck is getting wierder all the time.

Please dont judge the plywood tailgate, I have already swapped it for .125" Diamond plate 6061. (added feature: Tail gate can be tilted down about 15 degrees in the long chains so it is easier to load motos or just step right into the back without a stool.)

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No judging here. I understand completely. That post looks like it needs a telescoping flood light or flag pole. I know how hard it can be to find a rig at KOH when in a sea of thousands of others.

 

[Diesel Junkie]

No judging here. I understand completely. That post looks like it needs a telescoping flood light or flag pole. I know how hard it can be to find a rig at KOH when in a sea of thousands of others.

I use the gooseneck hitch to mount an 8 foot fiberglass HAM antenna on top of 16 feet of 1.5" pipe. Pretty much only use that for KOH.
Makes a good flag mount too.
I already have 16,000 lumens attached to the headache rack too.

 

[dman93]

Anyone with the AluCab shell here that wants to give us a quick review?

 

[Diesel Junkie]

Anyone with the AluCab shell here that wants to give us a quick review?

What would you like to know?

 

[dman93]

What would you like to know?

I'm asking about the AluCab camper/topper/canopy/shell ... I think you only have the RTT and awning, right? I was interested in an assessment of fit and finish, hardware quality, rear window and side windoor operation. dust sealing, etc.

 

[rino]

Alu-Cab Tilting Fridge Slides

A fridge slide is a fridge slide, is a fridge slide. Or is it? At Alu-Cab we take great delight in innovation - reinventing the things that most people think can’t be improved upon. Our fridge slides are a case in point. We build our slides out of a combination of aluminum and 3CR12 stainless steel, the former for its lightness and the latter for its strength and durability. This combination of materials allows for a fridge slide that’s up to 5 kg lighter than the competition, and as any seasoned off-roader will tell you, lighter is better.

Then there are the bearings that we use. Most fridge slides feature telescopic drawer runners, very similar or even identical to the runners you’ll find on the drawers in your kitchen at home. The problem is that the fridge slide in your 4x4 has to deal with very different conditions to what your kitchen is exposed to! Nope, hard experience has taught us that sealed bearings work better and last longer.

Perhaps one of the most innovative features of our fridge slide is its tilt facility. A deceptively simple design with no complicated linkages or moving parts allows your fridge to tilt downwards as it reaches the end of the slide. This allows you to more easily access its contents.

Finally, to sweeten the deal, we include a ratchet strap with every slide. We figured you’re going to need one anyway to secure your fridge so it makes sense (and cents) to include one in the package. We also pack in a set of corner locators; these L-shaped brackets allow you to fix the fridge securely in place, so that it won’t move around, regardless of conditions under tire.
http://ok4wd.com/alu-cab-tilting-fridge-slide

 

[dcoy]

Expedition III fitted on a sweet Cruiser

Nice. I've got an FJ60 that would like to have one of those on top!

For some reason, it seems that those two sets of bars near the back either need a third bar, or need to be redistributed. Is that right?

 

[rino]

Nice. I've got an FJ60 that would like to have one of those on top!

For some reason, it seems that those two sets of bars near the back either need a third bar, or need to be redistributed. Is that right?

The Expedition III tents are built primarily to fit canopies in South Africa, allowing them to overhang up front without issue. Also it is difficult to put much weight past the forward most bar internally.

 

[dcoy]

The Expedition III tents are built primarily to fit canopies in South Africa, allowing them to overhang up front without issue. Also it is difficult to put much weight past the forward most bar internally.

Interesting. Thank-you.

 

[NM-Frontier]

@rino or any one for that matter, do you have any pictures or examples of a Expedition III tent mounted with out cross bars? Maybe with just a set of robust rain gutter towers like these from Gamiviti?
http://www.gamiviti.com/rain-gutter-towers

 

[rino]

@rino or any one for that matter, do you have any pictures or examples of a Expedition III tent mounted with out cross bars? Maybe with just a set of robust rain gutter towers like these from Gamiviti?
http://www.gamiviti.com/rain-gutter-towers

Not yet but I really want someone to! I would just need the width of these feet mounted to ensure the Alu-Cab mounts line up. Also it would be great if these were very low to the roof line.

 

[NM-Frontier]

That is what I am hoping for, as close to the roof as possible. As long as the width is enough they should work then? This is what really pushes me to the Alu-Cab from my current RTT, the ability to mount it directly to the roof. Kinda like cutting out the middle man.

 

[rino]

That is what I am hoping for, as close to the roof as possible. As long as the width is enough they should work then? This is what really pushes me to the Alu-Cab from my current RTT, the ability to mount it directly to the roof. Kinda like cutting out the middle man.

No doubt, a $3,700 tent that needs no roof rack platform ($700-1500) and can be used as a roof rack itself is quite awesome.

Would you happen to be able to measure the width from gutter to gutter on your LC60?