Building an Expedition-Worthy 2005 4Runner

[mph]

Great looking 4runner...We have the exact same setup minus the rooftop tent. Curious...How do you get away with putting that much weight on top? The factory bars are rated to 250 lbs. I thought...I have always wanted to go in that direction but was very nervous about the weight and support.

Thanks much,
mike

 

[DrJohn]

Your rig looks great out in the field. Nice work!

How much does your ARB RTT weigh?

Great looking 4runner...We have the exact same setup minus the rooftop tent. Curious...How do you get away with putting that much weight on top? The factory bars are rated to 250 lbs. I thought...I have always wanted to go in that direction but was very nervous about the weight and support.

Thanks much,
mike

The RTT weighs 130 lbs, and the rating for the Toyota OEM bars applies to the cross supports. As far as I know, the stock rails can hold more weight with the beefier Thule Crossroad system.

In fact, Thule and ARB have teamed up together, and this is the setup they recommend for the RTT.

So I feel confident that the tent is secure up there, and the rack shows no signs of wear after a week of use.

Eventually, I'd like to get a Gobi rack so I can stack more gear up there, but this works great in the meantime.

 

[Overland Hadley]

The RTT weighs 130 lbs,

Hefty thing!

 

[DrJohn]

Hefty thing!

Sure is - it took quite a lot of effort to hoist it up on the roof with my brother in law.

It's very roomy though, and it feels very solid while sleeping in it, so I think those few extra pounds are well-served.

 

[Ursidae69]

Really nice photos, I love seeing expedition rigs out in the field supporting field researchers.

 

[Wander]

Looking good!

What happend to the D/S rear corner? Are you going to have a rear bumper made, that is one area with few options for the 4R's right now.

 

[DrJohn]

Looking good!

What happend to the D/S rear corner? Are you going to have a rear bumper made, that is one area with few options for the 4R's right now.

Thanks! The dent on the rear bumper was done by someone in a Uhaul within the first month after I bought the car.

I applied the insurance money for a replacement ($400) to a CBI bumper. It's all finished and I'm getting it powder coated as we speak. It'll be done tomorrow, and then it's just a matter of bolting it on :wings:

 

[DrJohn]

Really nice photos, I love seeing expedition rigs out in the field supporting field researchers.

Thanks Ursidae - we still need to meet sometime and talk research over a cold one :beer:

 

[Wander]

Thanks! The dent on the rear bumper was done by someone in a Uhaul within the first month after I bought the car.


I applied the insurance money for a replacement ($400) to a CBI bumper. It's all finished and I'm getting it powder coated as we speak. It'll be done tomorrow, and then it's just a matter of bolting it on :wings:

Ugh! I missed that post-that sucks.

That will be good to see- are you going to cut the quarters or are they fabbing a panel to cover that section?

 

[DrJohn]

Ugh! I missed that post-that sucks.

That will be good to see- are you going to cut the quarters or are they fabbing a panel to cover that section?

Their bumper covers the quarters - here's a photo from the first one they made for a 4th gen 4runner (I believe):

 

[Wander]

That is very nice looking- the best I've seen so far.

 

[Larry]

Man, I got to tell you DrJohn, you have done a great job with this 4Runner . I haven’t been the biggest fan of the latest generation of bigger body 4Runner (or Tacoma for that matter) but your build is quickly changing my mind. Great work! :drool:

 

[hikingff77]

Hey, first off sweet rig, exactly how I'd build a 4-runner... although I'm not a huge fan of the RTT, it looks good.

Speaking of tents, the REI tent you camped with when you had your old Tacoma, which by the way was suweet too, what model was it, the tent? Looked roomie and nice.

 

[DrJohn]

Man, I got to tell you DrJohn, you have done a great job with this 4Runner . I haven’t been the biggest fan of the latest generation of bigger body 4Runner (or Tacoma for that matter) but your build is quickly changing my mind. Great work! :drool:

Thanks Larry! I remember hating the look of the 4th generation 4runners when they first came out. I thought that Toyota sold out and started making a good rig into a soccer mom car.

So I'm glad that the modifications helped reveal the 'true' nature of the car :coffeedrink:

 

[DrJohn]

Hey, first off sweet rig, exactly how I'd build a 4-runner... although I'm not a huge fan of the RTT, it looks good.

Speaking of tents, the REI tent you camped with when you had your old Tacoma, which by the way was suweet too, what model was it, the tent? Looked roomie and nice.

That was the REI Base Camp tent. That thing was nice - everybody always called it the "master suite". The only problem was that setting it up and taking it down took a good while.