Hannibal Awning install 98 XJ w/Borla roof basket

[jrfII]

Ok, the awning showed over up the weekend and I should have it mounted this week.

Here is the Up Country that gets the awning.



Here it is with the trailer in process.



Today this showed up at the shop. I was climbing all over this for quite a while. When I finally made my way back to the office my wife ask if I liked the straw truck. My puzzled look must have been very apparent. Finally she said, in a very intense tone, "you know, the one that would break the camels back."



I know better than to push a good thing. Too bad though, what an awesome camper build this could be.

I guess I'll stick with the awning install...for now. :drool:

 

[Logans91XJ]

LOL Glad she has a great sense of humor..

 

[jeep-N-montero]

Attachments are not working, fun story though.

 

[jrfII]

Attachments are fixed

Had to drop the poser pic as I don't know what happened when I uploaded the images the first time.

 

[jrfII]

Basket mods...

Yesterday afternoon the brackets were bent for the Borla basket.



All welded in place.



Primed, painted and reinstalled for the ride home.



On the outside of the welded on brackets we are mounting a piece of aluminum 1/2" thick by 5" high and 70" long. The Hannibal universal mounts will be attached to the piece of aluminum which will be bolted fast to the new basket brackets. All stainless hardware of course.

More to come.

 

[jrfII]

Next step...

The aluminum mount with all basket bolt holes laid out for drilling and tapping. The Hannibal awning ends are clamped in place and are also marked for drilling and tapping.



First pass on the drill press we opened the holes to 1/4".



By the time we drilled all twelve holes to 1/4" the evening was getting long. We elected to call it a day and resume the project the next day.

Tonight we will finish drilling and tapping and dry fit everything. The weather has turned wintery again so depending on how late or dark it is tonight will depend on dry fit pictures to post.

On another note, the Hannibal awning carries a pretty hefty price tag but the quality of the craftsmanship is impressive. The pieces are well made and finished smooth with very nice looking welds on all components. The hardware is all stainless. The quality of the stitching is exceptional as well as the ripstop material. :bowdown:

Now that I have been able to see the product I believe that this purchase will last a very long time. Assuming I don't do something stupid!

 

[jrfII]

Progress

Last night all holes were finished to size "U" to tap 7/16"X14, twelve in all.

A pic of the aluminum plate attached to the Borla rack.



Detail of the Hannibal bracket bolted to the mount plate.



Side view of plate fully attached to the rack with Hannibal hardware.



Top view of the entire assembly.



Marked all components for easy removal and installation.



So that was it for last night, today the aluminum mount rail is being etched and painted. Tonight should be the final chapter.

:sombrero:

 

[jrfII]

The bad news

We got a really late start tonight.

The good news is I have a fully functioning Hannibal Awning!

Too dark for process pics. Tomorrow completed pics will be posted.

The awnings works great and is high enough that a six foot person can walk upright under it.

Very impressive piece of gear.

Until tomorrow, then back to the trailer build.

Woo-Hoo! :wings:

 

[SEETHEWORLD349]

Maybe i skiped this part but why isnt this a bolt on thing??? seems light and easy enough why all the drilling and fabricating
is the awning made for hannibal racks only???? would this much work have to be done to install it to an ARB rack????

what other awning did you consider???
I like this one too mainly because the extra room feature good place to shower get dressed, 1 and 2 (dont like the idea of a whole other "outhouse" tent ) too much work

and last how much did you get it for?? $?

 

[jrfII]

Overkill I suppose

The brackets included with the awning are for a 1"X2" side rail. The Borla rack is chrome-moly tubing. The awning does include a universal mount that requires drilling and tapping. So flat vertical mounts on the rack were a necessity. The awning is 70", this is the medium size, the Borla rack is 68" at its longest point, bottom bars. So in addition to the vertical weld on mounts, extensions would have been requied.

Now, I may dual purpose the awning on the adventure trailer or for the sake of simplicity, I can remove all of those bolts attaching the awning to the rack and I have a one piece awning coming off the Jeep to store as a unit. When its time to bolt back on, set it in place and bolt it down.

The other reasons for all the work, according to Overland Journal, this awning will rock a G series Benz without buckling. We live in a very windy area and I wanted the extra stability for exactly that reason.

Lastly, I want to move the Jeep when chillin' to block the sun for long lunches and the occassional cigar. No other awning gives you the freedon of vehicle movement fully deployed. All others require posts and most require tie downs. The Hannibal requires neither. No stakes to worry about on sand or rock.

We used the awning today in a constant breeze with gusts to 25 knots. A little movement was all that was noticed. Finally the last factor was deployment and stow time. I am setup in under a minute and stowed in less than two.

Try that with support poles and guide lines.

Twice the price of the ARB, but I am so happy I held out for the Hannibal.

Hope I addressed all of your concerns.

 

[jrfII]

Forgot the pics...

Got so busy responding to the previous post I didn't upload the pics.



The fabric does buffet in a strong wind. But when the Jeep was moving today from the wind under the awning I would hardly complain. The cover for the awning will flap back and forth in this kind of wind. The buckles hitting the basket and roof can be a bit troubling. Simply cinch the buckles to the rack base and problem solved. No need for this without significant wind.



Just relaxing under the new awning and giving the RTT its spring airing out.

Cheers!

:bigbossHL: