Custom Tundra Bed Storage: Phase 1
- Thread starter cwvandy
- Start date
amo292
Adventurer
Amazing system! Wish I had the time and money to do that in my tundra. I'm sure you could sell the plans. A guy like me would sure buy them. Do you have any more photos of the bed rack to support the shell? I want to do something similar but be able to easily remove the cap and keep the cage exposed for the summer months.
Hi all. New to this, all the way from South Africa. As a nation we are pretty geared up on the 4x4 side, and i enjoy this space a lot. Got a question thought...for some reason i can't see the pics in this post. I can see that they are either .jpg. Using an iPad. Would love to see photos of the rig.
Any ideas?
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
Any ideas?
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
ama292
Thanks much.
The internal rack comes off with the shell, but is modular so it can be removed from the shell if I want. I have a lift in the ceiling of my garage for moving the RTT from my trailer to my truck. I also use this to remove the shell (after first disconnecting the water vent/fill lines). Photos below show the internal structure and the roof rack it is bolted to on the shell top. I took one picture with roof tray down and one with it in the up, locked position.
I have also included some photos of the bottom of the pull out tray as requested earlier.
htruter: I am not good enough with the photo pasting process to diagnose your photo viewing issue. Sorry.
Thanks much.
The internal rack comes off with the shell, but is modular so it can be removed from the shell if I want. I have a lift in the ceiling of my garage for moving the RTT from my trailer to my truck. I also use this to remove the shell (after first disconnecting the water vent/fill lines). Photos below show the internal structure and the roof rack it is bolted to on the shell top. I took one picture with roof tray down and one with it in the up, locked position.
I have also included some photos of the bottom of the pull out tray as requested earlier.
htruter: I am not good enough with the photo pasting process to diagnose your photo viewing issue. Sorry.
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I suppose since this falls within the category of "storage" (and because several members PM'd me with request for photos) I thought I would also show the spare tire carrier I had built for my Expedition One rear bumper.
I had wanted Expedition One to do the tire carrier as they had done a one-off for another Expo member. Unfortunately, when I requested that they build this for my bumper they said their projects to date had been "too expensive" and "unreliable". They are still working to solve this as they apparently get a ton of requests for this option.
I really like their product so I went ahead and ordered a front and rear bumper from them. I then worked with Custom Exhaust Specialities here in Bend to fabricate a swing out carrier that was simple, repairable, and reliable. They hit it out of the park with their design and craftsmanship. I could not be more pleased. I have never had any failures and regardless of how rough or dirty the trip, the system works flawlessly.
The gate can be locked closed with a pin on the latch closure mechanism as well as a spring loaded drop-down pin in the arm to prevent accidental opening even if the latch fails or is left open. The drop-down pin also locks the tire carrier in the open position. The tire clears my backup camera and still makes the stop/turn lights at least partially visible.
I had wanted Expedition One to do the tire carrier as they had done a one-off for another Expo member. Unfortunately, when I requested that they build this for my bumper they said their projects to date had been "too expensive" and "unreliable". They are still working to solve this as they apparently get a ton of requests for this option.
I really like their product so I went ahead and ordered a front and rear bumper from them. I then worked with Custom Exhaust Specialities here in Bend to fabricate a swing out carrier that was simple, repairable, and reliable. They hit it out of the park with their design and craftsmanship. I could not be more pleased. I have never had any failures and regardless of how rough or dirty the trip, the system works flawlessly.
The gate can be locked closed with a pin on the latch closure mechanism as well as a spring loaded drop-down pin in the arm to prevent accidental opening even if the latch fails or is left open. The drop-down pin also locks the tire carrier in the open position. The tire clears my backup camera and still makes the stop/turn lights at least partially visible.
Attachments
bigwapitijohnny
Adventurer
Noice!
Cwvandy,
Cwvandy,
.
Welcome to the EXO1 family. I have been following your thread since it was first posted. I am the guy that has the one-off tire carrier from EXO1, I had to wait 18 months for them to design & build it...I'm glad that yours turned out well ~ it looks like a great design from the pics. By the way, which brand did you go with for your slides? I am currently thinking about going with Hinton industries for my slide system. Also, I am curious to the overall weight of your set-up, and how did you address this additional weight suspensionwise? It looks as if you have planned and executed your design well..
Congratulations..
Regards,.
BWJ
BWJ
Thanks for the Welcome!. I looked at a number of front/rear bumpers and deciding on Expo One was easy. Great people to deal with and great product. As much as I asked, they were unwilling to take-on another tire gate project just yet. Building a one-off and producing something that they can sell in quantity can be two very different things. I think what my fabricator created for me may be workable. I am going to send them photos and see if they can use the concept. My fabricator is fine with sharing our solution.
And thanks for the kind words as well. Your build was one I followed and was inspired by many of your ideas.
My bed slides are Hinton Industries. They are great to deal with and easily handle custom work. They normally do not do double slides and had no problems building mine. As you can see, the tolerances were fairly close and they hit my measurements spot on. Contact Duane Hinton and he will work with you to build whatever you need. dwayne_hinton@truckcargobed.com
Weight...ah, the ever present challenge! With 38gals of water and a 46 gallon fuel tank, this puppy can get heavy when fully loaded. I weighed it on one trip to Utah and the total load was 2000 lbs. and change, more than 600 lbs over recommended GVW. I have an Icon Stage 5 kit front and rear and added airbags. The only time I need the airbags is when towing one of my heavier trailers and then only need 30-40 lbs. max in the bags. I can notice the weight at the gas pump (Tundras are not known for sipping fuel to begin with) , but have never had any handling or braking issues and no perceptible suspension sag when loaded. Unless I am carrying the rooftop tent I really try to keep things off the roof and weight lower in the truck. I think the 1400 lbs. payload numbers are incredibly conservative and the suspension upgrade carries my loads really well. On trips where I know I am going to encounter tougher conditions I shed as much weight as possible, taking only what I need to for the conditions (1/2 tank water, less "stuff", etc). And then there are trips where I plan to live in comfort for a couple of weeks, don't plan any class IV+ trails and have the KTM in tow. Beauty of the Tundra is its capacity when you need it.
Good luck with the slides, btw. Having easy access to the bed has been a life changer for me.
Thanks for the Welcome!. I looked at a number of front/rear bumpers and deciding on Expo One was easy. Great people to deal with and great product. As much as I asked, they were unwilling to take-on another tire gate project just yet. Building a one-off and producing something that they can sell in quantity can be two very different things. I think what my fabricator created for me may be workable. I am going to send them photos and see if they can use the concept. My fabricator is fine with sharing our solution.
And thanks for the kind words as well. Your build was one I followed and was inspired by many of your ideas.
My bed slides are Hinton Industries. They are great to deal with and easily handle custom work. They normally do not do double slides and had no problems building mine. As you can see, the tolerances were fairly close and they hit my measurements spot on. Contact Duane Hinton and he will work with you to build whatever you need. dwayne_hinton@truckcargobed.com
Weight...ah, the ever present challenge! With 38gals of water and a 46 gallon fuel tank, this puppy can get heavy when fully loaded. I weighed it on one trip to Utah and the total load was 2000 lbs. and change, more than 600 lbs over recommended GVW. I have an Icon Stage 5 kit front and rear and added airbags. The only time I need the airbags is when towing one of my heavier trailers and then only need 30-40 lbs. max in the bags. I can notice the weight at the gas pump (Tundras are not known for sipping fuel to begin with) , but have never had any handling or braking issues and no perceptible suspension sag when loaded. Unless I am carrying the rooftop tent I really try to keep things off the roof and weight lower in the truck. I think the 1400 lbs. payload numbers are incredibly conservative and the suspension upgrade carries my loads really well. On trips where I know I am going to encounter tougher conditions I shed as much weight as possible, taking only what I need to for the conditions (1/2 tank water, less "stuff", etc). And then there are trips where I plan to live in comfort for a couple of weeks, don't plan any class IV+ trails and have the KTM in tow. Beauty of the Tundra is its capacity when you need it.
Good luck with the slides, btw. Having easy access to the bed has been a life changer for me.
bigwapitijohnny
Adventurer
You, Sir, are spot on...
Cwvandy,
Cwvandy,
.
OK ~ thank you for your reply and kind words. Let's see now, Hinton Industries, Icon, Expedition One...Great minds think alike...:ylsmoke:.
Regards,.
BWJ
VictorSmalls
Observer
Great build. Very well thought out.