JT w/ AluCab Khaya Camper
- Thread starter mav204
- Start date
brookie0907
Member
The Khaya Camper was my ideal plan, but bed capacity of the JT is an issue. The camper weighs a least 750 lbs and my Rubicon has a limit of 1200 lbs. Watching.
Herbie
Rendezvous Conspirator
GVWR is a whole other issue, and the short answer is: It takes more than suspension.
That said, as I asked in post #4: WILL IT EVEN FIT?
The basic mechanical dimensions of the camper are on the Alu-Cab site here: https://www.alu-cab.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Khaya-GA.pdf
I would start by comparing those dimensions to those of the JT bed. I don't have one to measure, but based on what I can find in a 5-minute google search, you're going to have more than a foot of stick-out past the end of the bed just at the floor level, and portions of the camper sticking out like 2+ feet from the end of the bed. Aside from looking bad, it will likely shift the COG too far aft to be a good idea.
You'll also want to look at how the bump-out past the wheel well lines up (the 1200mm vs 622mm measurements in the bottom-center orientation - it's possible that you'd have to mount the camper even farther aft if the wheel wells don't line up with that.)
That said, as I asked in post #4: WILL IT EVEN FIT?
The basic mechanical dimensions of the camper are on the Alu-Cab site here: https://www.alu-cab.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Khaya-GA.pdf
I would start by comparing those dimensions to those of the JT bed. I don't have one to measure, but based on what I can find in a 5-minute google search, you're going to have more than a foot of stick-out past the end of the bed just at the floor level, and portions of the camper sticking out like 2+ feet from the end of the bed. Aside from looking bad, it will likely shift the COG too far aft to be a good idea.
You'll also want to look at how the bump-out past the wheel well lines up (the 1200mm vs 622mm measurements in the bottom-center orientation - it's possible that you'd have to mount the camper even farther aft if the wheel wells don't line up with that.)
fourfa
Observer
You deserve a long answer too. In the US, AFAIK there is no way to re-rate the official GVWR, full stop. (I gather in some Australian states you can, but this seems to come with strict enforcement, checkpoints, mandatory weight checks, etc that are unheard of in USA.)
Upgrading suspension to stay off the bump stops and handle OK with overload is the easiest part, and in most cases it seems that's all anyone deals with. Brakes can be upgraded to bigger pads, calipers, & rotors (though for Tacomas specifically, improving the wimpy rear drums usually also means a whole rear axle swap, master cylinder swap, etc and is rare. Overweight Tacomas usually just have awful brakes. Mine did).
The official GVWR also encompasses cooling, emissions, towing, handling and rollover tests, crash tests, et cetera. Even if you modified the truck to compensate for every single one of those things, you could still be on the hook legally in the event of a crash and a lawsuit or prosecution... What's the likelihood of that in the real world; well that's probably a different thread.
Personally I aim to minimize or eliminate overload. On the gladiator platform, that's going to mean strict attention to weight in every way possible. With a Khaya there would be little to nothing left over; certainly it would not be possible to deck it out to make full use of the space and possibilities. For me it's out of the question even if it were to fit.
Even a smaller ACCC will need careful management of loadout, accessories, and extras to stay under GVWR (in fact that's exactly what I'm doing with the JT and ACCC I have coming to replace my old Taco)
Upgrading suspension to stay off the bump stops and handle OK with overload is the easiest part, and in most cases it seems that's all anyone deals with. Brakes can be upgraded to bigger pads, calipers, & rotors (though for Tacomas specifically, improving the wimpy rear drums usually also means a whole rear axle swap, master cylinder swap, etc and is rare. Overweight Tacomas usually just have awful brakes. Mine did).
The official GVWR also encompasses cooling, emissions, towing, handling and rollover tests, crash tests, et cetera. Even if you modified the truck to compensate for every single one of those things, you could still be on the hook legally in the event of a crash and a lawsuit or prosecution... What's the likelihood of that in the real world; well that's probably a different thread.
Personally I aim to minimize or eliminate overload. On the gladiator platform, that's going to mean strict attention to weight in every way possible. With a Khaya there would be little to nothing left over; certainly it would not be possible to deck it out to make full use of the space and possibilities. For me it's out of the question even if it were to fit.
Even a smaller ACCC will need careful management of loadout, accessories, and extras to stay under GVWR (in fact that's exactly what I'm doing with the JT and ACCC I have coming to replace my old Taco)
brookie0907
Member
It seems there are other slide in options for the JT coming to market.