Aussie Style Truck And SUV Rear Canopies And Trays

[Paddler Ed]

^ Very true

But it's also the design of those utes - particularly the Mitsbubishi where they didn't move the axle back and lengthened the tub off the back a load....

The snapped Land Cruiser isn't a factory double cab anyway, so that may also be part of the story there - the factory ones were much lazier and have a blank where the rear arch cutout would be on a wagon.

 

[Toyaddict]

I was able to find an aluminum tray in the US I could live with, especially for the price. What I would really like to see over here is some nice undertray toolboxes and trundle drawers made available. Either fabricated in the states or imported. I've never been happy with the boxes I settled on, although they work they leak in the lightest rain and are overall quite flimsy.

 

[ChasingOurTrunks]

OK... here's my thoughts on the ute tray and tool box market...

1) Alloy vs Steel: Most utes that come with "factory" tray fitted use a tray from a couple of big manufacturers (TripleM are the common ones, no matter what badge is stuck on at the end of the day). However, get out of Capital Cities and the local fabricators come out. For example, within 100miles of where I am we have 3 big farbricators that dominate the local market; they pretty much run from a box trailer to a full size truck in terms of what they'll make:

view our one ton trays | Obieco

We build custom trays for one tonne vehicles for a variety of commercial applications. View our range

www.obieco.com.au

1 Tonne Service Bodies | Obieco

1 Tonne Service Bodies

www.obieco.com.au

Service Bodies | Obieco

Canopy Style Bodies

www.obieco.com.au

Ute Trays - Sapphire City Engineering - Custom made Ute Trays. Inverell, Ashford, Bingara, Bundarra, Glen Innes, Moree, Tenterfield, Warialda. - Sapphire City Engineering

Ute Trays - Sapphire City Engineering - Custom made Ute Trays. Inverell, Ashford, Bingara, Bundarra, Glen Innes, Moree, Tenterfield, Warialda. - Sapphire City Engineering

www.sapphirecityengineering.com.au

Ute Canopies, Trailer Canopies - Sapphire City Engineering - Custom made Ute Trays. Inverell, Ashford, Bingara, Bundarra, Glen Innes, Moree, Tenterfield, Warialda. - Sapphire City Engineering

Ute Canopies, Trailer Canopies - Sapphire City Engineering - Custom made Ute Trays. Inverell, Ashford, Bingara, Bundarra, Glen Innes, Moree, Tenterfield, Warialda. - Sapphire City Engineering

www.sapphirecityengineering.com.au

Ute Trays and Bodies in New England, NSW | Uralla Metal

From trays to tippers and everything in between, Uralla Metal builds customised industrial and commercial solutions for 4WDs, utes and light vehicles.

www.urallametal.com.au

2) Aussie vehicles are taxed based on tare weight, so if you can sneak a ute under a weight threshold by using an alloy tray or removable boxes, then it's a bonus!
3) Lots of the ute + service bodies are sole trader or contractors, so if they can put a ute through the company books with a AU$15-20k body (Norweld for example) then it's great - also there's a tax break at the moment here for businesses to spend money
4) Over 4500kg GVM and you're into a truck licence, so most will GVM upgrade to 4495kg tops and stay under that
5) People will sometimes move ute bodies if they have the same chassis each time - for example, Toyota HiLux or 70 series.
6) You get what you want. I was in Toyota today and nearly every ute in the showroom was a cab chassis apart fom one demo hilux with tub and topper on.

Thanks for that info — point 4 is what I’m talking about with regards to the regs. From what I could see, our weight limit for “light duty trucks” (which is, I believe, the category for mid-sized and half tons) is about ~3850kgs as per Transport Canada. That’s about 1100 lbs less than what you folks get, which explains why substantively identical vehicles have such a different rating in terms of GVM (and subsequently, payload) I don’t know what it is the USA but we do tend to just copy the US’s numbers on a lot of this stuff so I expect it’s the same or similar.

I also really like that fabricators in Aus can use a “Diversion Code” so that a new vehicle can be delivered to them and permanently modified, which then allows the GVM upgrade to be legit in all of your states. I’m the US/Canada there isn’t that appetite — I seem to recall there being some discussion around some Jeep J8’s that AEV brought in a few years back, but you could only get one from a dealer who was willing to install the engine and list themselves as the manufacturer of record, and that was a tricky ask. Otherwise I’ve not heard of any pre-delivery diversion methods commonly used by individuals here (Commercial might be a different story). Here’s the link to the Jeep info:

AEV J8 MILSPEC: A Jeep J8, Built For Civilians

When we say the AEV J8 MILSPEC is just like a Jeep J8 Wrangler, we don't mean a close approximation, we mean AEV buys the crates as they leave Toledo and assembles them by hand.

jalopnik.com

 

[vwhammer]

Wow that's crazy to see all those busted frames.

For the most part I tend to agree with most of the opinions on here.
I would never plop 2500lbs in the back of my dinky Tacoma.
I plan to make my tray from aluminum but I also do not plan on carrying anything more than I would otherwise carry with the standard bed.
Mostly just camp gear, which I generally go lightweight on anyway, some tools, a spare tire and maybe a couple spare parts depending on where I am going.

I Recently hauled an Audi TT on a dolly behind my 5th gen 4runner through the mountains of the eastern US and it was not fun.
Never really felt dangerous but was just not super confidence inspiring.
The 5th gen is rated to tow 5000lbs I think. I might have been at 3500 and I can not imagine adding 1500 more pounds to that.

I agree. Yes. pick the right too for the job.
Don't haul a 5th wheel camper with a half ton.

Someone mentioned a "midsized" service truck or welders rig and it's funny because there was a construction crew doing some work on a piece of heavy equipment in our parking lot at work and the welding rig truck was a 2nd gen Tacoma, naturally, with a custom welded all steel flat bed.
It had the big welder and genset, a couple big tanks and some tool boxes.
Honestly it looked pretty well built and clearly had some suspension work because it was not really sagging at all.

In the US It also seems that vans play a major roll as service "trucks" and have no issues carrying a lot of weight.
Perhaps the body structure plays a big roll in that.

So at this point we get that we don't want to overload our trucks and I guess asking the question why the trays and canopies are not as popular here kind of opened the conversation to that direction.

Let's assume that we are just talking about more efficiently and securely carrying camp gear to some more remote places.
It would seem that a custom tray with a half box or full canopy would be the hot set up but it just does not seem like that is the case in the states.
I do plan on using my Tacoma for some more remote work clearing some property we recently purchased but still have no intensions of tossing 2500lbs of logs or rocks in the back.
It's a lightweight nimble truck and will be used accordingly.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

The biggest problem is that here in Oz there are thousands of people getting a boy to do a mans work by using these mid size utes to drag huge caravans around or sticking trays on twin cab utes so all the weight is behind the rear axle which leads to chassis failure.
They should be buying light trucks to do the job or big US sized utes.

Maybe they are taxed on wheelbase or something but they REALLY need to move that rear axle back farther. When it is at the front of the bed and almost eating into the cab it is VERY easy to get all the weight aft of the axle, then the whole thing is see-sawing over the rear axle.

I know Toyota actually makes a kit to stretch the wheelbase on the landcruiser trucks to help.

It used to be in NA they used to center the rear axle in the bed so you could kinda work the balance out. Overseas they don't seem to like to do that much and with the evolution of full 4dr pickups that is really fizzling in the US too. I suppose they figure a cab full of people into the balance of things or something.

 

[Deleted member 9101]

Other than being able to load/unload pallets from three sides (something few people need) I don't see where a flat bed would be an advantage for most people in the US.

I can not only haul everything that I need too in my truck bed, but with a hard tonneau cover it turns it into a giant trunk...lol. One weekend I can haul top soil and the next load the truck bed up with three weeks worth of luggage for my family and keep everything secure and dry.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Other than being able to load/unload pallets from three sides (something few people need) I don't see where a flat bed would be an advantage for most people in the US.

I can not only haul everything that I need too in my truck bed, but with a hard tonneau cover it turns it into a giant trunk...lol. One weekend I can haul top soil and the next load the truck bed up with three weeks worth of luggage for my family and keep everything secure and dry.

For me a flatbed was a end user way to fix the stupidly high/deep beds that are the current fad in the truck market.

 

[Todd780]

Even factory the Mistu's have a crazy long overhang to me. The axle def needs to be moved back.

 

[quickfarms]

With the shorter wheelbase the turning radius is reduced at the cost of the rear overhang.

The Jeep scrambler had a really long rear overhang That was often removed by chopping the body or extending the wheelbase.

The Jeep LJ corrected this issue with a short rear overhang

The Jeep gladiator has, in my opinion, to short of a wheelbase and too long of a rear overhang.

My opinion is that the current smaller trucks are designed as cars with a bed and not work trucks.

A work truck needs to have either a 6 or 8 foot bed with the axle near center and the bed rails meet to be low enough that tools can be lifted over the side.

Cargo vans could be ordered in 3/4 or 1 ton versions. The company I used to work for would order cargo vans with a van conversion cab, every power option

This is unfortunate that there is not a really viable mid size work truck now so I am stuck with my 1994 ford ranger

 

[Rallyroo]

For me a flatbed was a end user way to fix the stupidly high/deep beds that are the current fad in the truck market.

I agree with you on the absurdly high/deep beds. I have difficulty reaching into the beds from the side of modern trucks since the sides are so tall.

 

[Tudor Tanase]

The biggest problem is that here in Oz there are thousands of people getting a boy to do a mans work by using these mid size utes to drag huge caravans around or sticking trays on twin cab utes so all the weight is behind the rear axle which leads to chassis failure.
They should be buying light trucks to do the job or big US sized utes.

Exactly. The booming aftermarket industry has convinced most people that if you add harder springs you can now carry twice as much. Had a discussion a few years ago with a fleet guy trying to convince me that e.g. a Triton and a 70 series Landcruiser ute had the same 1,000kg odd payload. A quick look underneath shows that the first one can carry 1,000kg a couple times a year, with no passengers, on a smooth road and driven very carefully. The Landcruiser can carry 1,000kg every day off road. If you use them within these parameters you get good value out of them.
Also, it strikes me that few think that a "payload upgrade" consisting in harder springs does nothing to upgrade cooling, clutch, transmission, brakes, etc which have simply not been designed for that GVM. Which in turn drastically reduces reliability and life. It's the opposite of what the military has been doing for decades: take a truck designed for 10 ton and call it a 5 tonner and it will last a long time despite all sorts of abuse.

 

[cgav8r]

I’m not saying you can’t put a tray and canopy on a North American vehicle — plenty have — but our payloads on most modern trucks are between 1200 lbs at the low end (Tacoma, Bison) and 1600 lbs for mid-sizers, and around 2000 lbs at the high end for half-tons, so we don’t have the same weight flexibility as the Aussies, and going over GVM is generally regarded as a bad idea. Note, there are HD trucks that have way more wiggle room, and high payload packages on F-150s half tons, and I’ve been Informed by this board that some older Rangers have camper packages from factory that really up the weight ratings, but these vehicles are not super common. When I looked at doing a tray and canopy for my Canyon, I looked at a lot of options, but all of them would push our system well over our GVM once we loaded it up with all the other equipment that we rely on for our trips, and so we ruled it out.

Yes - agree 100%. No matter how I try to configure I alway run up against GVM. I do not like exceeding - not because I am worried about damaging the vehicle - but because I do not want it to be a reason my insurance company would decline coverage in the event of a mishap. Does not seem to be an easy way to increase GVM. Seems to be a axle limitation with the Dana 44 being 3500 lbs. You could go to a higher load axle but that does nothing to change the rated GVM which I am sure requires some engineering analysis and some kind of government certification. That seems to push you to a bigger truck, a van, or imported Defender or J series Toyota that is at least 25 years old - none good solutions for me.

 

[llamalander]

I've heard many Ozzies envy Americans as they can tear down, jack up, strip out or bolt on whatever they want to their trucks and don't need a stamped set of engineered plans to keep it legal.
Tire size, lift height, suspension geometry and plenty of other parameters need to stay fairly close to stock for the most part--so roo bars and tray backs are what they spend their dollars on.

As for trays, plenty come with a long drawer below the deck, but that deck is as least as high as the top of the wheel arch. Lifting everything another 6-12" to get it in my truck is not my idea of an easier workday, nor is lashing it down and having the higher c.o.g. Shorter, wider & higher cargo platforms don't do anything for our standardized 4x8' sheet goods or parking at the store where you have to buy them. If you want to keep your dog in the back, you have a box made for it ($$$), can't just have it hop in the back and expect to find it there when you get home.
Nearly my entire camping kit fits between my wheel wells and I sleep on the deck above that. Starting your camper at that height and going up wastes a whole lot of space low and close which is the best spot to keep the heavy things, like water, lead and beer. The American style shell, especially with doors or hatches along the sides, is a pretty useful setup that probably has as much room as a tray back, even if some of the access is more limited. The bottom half also comes free with your truck!

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

I've heard many Ozzies envy Americans as they can tear down, jack up, strip out or bolt on whatever they want to their trucks and don't need a stamped set of engineered plans to keep it legal.
Tire size, lift height, suspension geometry and plenty of other parameters need to stay fairly close to stock for the most part--so roo bars and tray backs are what they spend their dollars on.

As for trays, plenty come with a long drawer below the deck, but that deck is as least as high as the top of the wheel arch. Lifting everything another 6-12" to get it in my truck is not my idea of an easier workday, nor is lashing it down and having the higher c.o.g. Shorter, wider & higher cargo platforms don't do anything for our standardized 4x8' sheet goods or parking at the store where you have to buy them. If you want to keep your dog in the back, you have a box made for it ($$$), can't just have it hop in the back and expect to find it there when you get home.
Nearly my entire camping kit fits between my wheel wells and I sleep on the deck above that. Starting your camper at that height and going up wastes a whole lot of space low and close which is the best spot to keep the heavy things, like water, lead and beer. The American style shell, especially with doors or hatches along the sides, is a pretty useful setup that probably has as much room as a tray back, even if some of the access is more limited. The bottom half also comes free with your truck!

The floor height is higher but the bedside can be lower to kinda equal things out if not make it easier.

My lifted Ranger and stock F-150 have about the same bed floor heights, Ranger is infinatly easier to work out of because the bed isn't as deep and thus I don't have to lift things as high to clear the bed and it is easier to reach things in the bed. Gas cans, chainsaws, fencing supplies etc...

And yes you can train your dog to ride on a flatbed. One of my customers had a blue heeler that did that. He would be coming into town with his gooseneck on hauling cattle to the salebarn with his dog peeking around the cab. He would stop here and she would just wonder around, when she heard the Cummins fire up she would come running and jump on on the bed as he was slowly going out the driveway. It as comical. If it was my dog it would never work but she outlived him.

 

[DirtWhiskey]

Other than being able to load/unload pallets from three sides (something few people need) I don't see where a flat bed would be an advantage for most people in the US.

User level side access is a miracle game changer. You'll never want to go back. Not sure why you chose pallets as the reason for them. Choose your item. No climbing up on your bed dinking around. It's awesome. I'll take some pictures of one of my work rigs.