Alu-Cab Has Landed In The USA!

[NudeLobster]

@rino im also curious about the side awning and how they connect. I recently installed the gen 3 and after 5 nights in it, I can say I love it. Only things I would add are the side awning for the door, a telescoping ladder, and a better mattress. Gonna try the exped MegaMat and order a ladder off amazon. Ill be contacting Mudraks to see about availability on the entrance awning.

Exped MegaMat is fantastic. absolutely great investment for camping.

 

[Stabwell]

I love the Exped mattresses I have, but wanted a different option for my tent. I wanted to be able to climb right in without having to fiddle with under or over inflation.

I swapped out the horrible stock mattress for a 3 inch perforated latex mattress topper in medium firmness. It's great. I just finished a 6 night trip, and never had a bad night. I can climb right in and go straight to sleep, which is exactly what I wanted.

My main concern was the heat affecting the mattress since I live in Phoenix. We've had months of over 100 degree temperatures and I always have to park my black gen 3 in the sun. I can't sense any difference in the feel of the mattress, so I'm going with the excessive heat not being a problem.

 

[Lownomore]

@rino im also curious about the side awning and how they connect. I recently installed the gen 3 and after 5 nights in it, I can say I love it. Only things I would add are the side awning for the door, a telescoping ladder, and a better mattress. Gonna try the exped MegaMat and order a ladder off amazon. Ill be contacting Mudraks to see about availability on the entrance awning.

The Tepui Telescoping ladder works well. A piece of flat stock steel with a 90 degree bend on each end bolted to the eyes on the ladder then pull the mount off the top of the Alu-Cab ladder and bolt it to the flat stock and you are good to go.

 

[Stabwell]

I removed the mount on the Alu-cab ladder and bolted it directly to the telescoping ladder I bought off Amazon.

 

[Lownomore]

I removed the mount on the Alu-cab ladder and bolted it directly to the telescoping ladder I bought off Amazon.

View attachment 531762

Is it plastic at the ends of the ladder rungs? If so be cautious and watch for stress cracks in the plastic. The reason I mentioned the Tepui is they are solidly built and I haven't seen any troubles with them used in that application. We tried another well known brand of ladder that used more plastic construction and it broke the second time the customer used it.

 

[Stabwell]

Is it plastic at the ends of the ladder rungs? If so be cautious and watch for stress cracks in the plastic. The reason I mentioned the Tepui is they are solidly built and I haven't seen any troubles with them used in that application. We tried another well known brand of ladder that used more plastic construction and it broke the second time the customer used it.

They are just plastic caps on the ends, and not part of the structure. I have used mine plenty, almost 8 months now, and haven't had any issues.

Thanks though, I will keep an eye on them.

 

[80t0ylc]

@rino,

Have you had any inquiries about or knowledge if anyone has successfully mounted a Shadow Awning to a Prinsu Roof Rack? I looked on the OK4WD website and the Shadow does not list a Prinsu mount kit. With those hefty 1/4" aluminum side rails, it looks like you could just drill the correct hole pattern and it would bolt on.

TIA, Tom

 

[adamophoto]

I can't find any information regarding the rain gutter. Does it stay attached and fit in the bag? Or is it a separate installation each time I use it?

 

[80t0ylc]

@rino,

Have you had any inquiries about or knowledge if anyone has successfully mounted a Shadow Awning to a Prinsu Roof Rack? I looked on the OK4WD website and the Shadow does not list a Prinsu mount kit. With those hefty 1/4" aluminum side rails, it looks like you could just drill the correct hole pattern and it would bolt on.

TIA, Tom

Was able to get my Shadow mounted to the Prinsu on my 80 Series. Had to fab brackets that raised mounting height approx 2" above direct bolting to rack's side plate. This is necessary for awning bag to clear doors. Rear bracket is necessary anyway to allow mounting far enough rearward to allow awning to open completely, plus reinforcement to support awning hinge. If a RTT is also mounted to Prinsu, it must be mounted 1st, otherwise once awning is mounted, access to underside of rack on awning side is extremely limited (- if you have any access at all. It was tough enough to get just the RTT mounted).

A few other points: If Shadow awning is to be used frequently, recommend fabbing & adding another crossbar to the extreme rear of Prinsu to beef it up for awning hinge. I purposely limited "raised height" to 'as little as possible'. The higher it is raised, the more unstable it will be. There is also some interference with rack gutter clamps. I had to reverse the middle 2 roof rack mounting clamp bolts and use shorter bolts than were provided by Prinsu.

 

[rino]

@rino,

Have you had any inquiries about or knowledge if anyone has successfully mounted a Shadow Awning to a Prinsu Roof Rack? I looked on the OK4WD website and the Shadow does not list a Prinsu mount kit. With those hefty 1/4" aluminum side rails, it looks like you could just drill the correct hole pattern and it would bolt on.

TIA, Tom

We have not but interested in how you worked it out, pretty sweet?

 

[rino]

I can't find any information regarding the rain gutter. Does it stay attached and fit in the bag? Or is it a separate installation each time I use it?

It slides in an aluminum channel you attach to your rack/tent and it attaches with velcro to the rear most awning arm. Most popular on our campers but we do offer it as a DIY kit.

 

[80t0ylc]

We have not but interested in how you worked it out, pretty sweet?

It looks fine. Not super happy with the strength of Prinsu at the hinge end of awning. I can see rack plate flex if pulling down on end of awning arm when opening. I intend to setup pole every time awning is setup. Also, I moved awning from my trailer back to the Land Cruiser for this one trip that I can't use the trailer on, so it's not permanent on the rig. I will be super conservative with awning deployment. Only bringing it for shade, wall kit stays at home with trailer. Some pics of installed on Prinsu:

 

[steffen707]

We are excited to announce that 2014- 2019 Colorado 5' Canopies and Canopy Campers are now available and will begin shipping this March!

Both of our Colorado offerings feature a new mounting design from the engineers at Alu-Cab that allows the stake pocket holes to be utilized for a secure connection that cannot rattle loose or loose tension like J style hooks. These stainless steel mounts also have integrated lashing points for your gear!

The Colorado spec Canopy Camper also utilizes a rear rebate section that bolts into the rear tailgate hinge bolt holes for a complete bolt on install.

Visit your local Alu-Cab dealer or https://ok4wd.com/brands/alucab/alu-cab-canopy-for-2014-chevrolet-colorado-1 for more details!

Got any cad renderings of how the Gladiator Explorer Cap mounts like you showed with the Colorado?

 

[rino]

Got any cad renderings of how the Gladiator Explorer Cap mounts like you showed with the Colorado?

I do not, but i have some test fitment shots , https://ok4wd.com/brands/alucab/alu-cab-explorer-canopy-for-jeep-gladiator . They literally use the same mounting system as a third generation Tacoma and share a near identical bed width and length. It is important to note, that you must purchase the MOPAR accessory rails if your JT did not have them from the factory, however they are >$300 and a clean way to mount accessories.

Link to pics: https://ok4wd.com/brands/alucab/alu-cab-explorer-canopy-for-jeep-gladiator

 

[steffen707]

mounting system as a third generation Tacoma

got any photos of that?