Need ideas to make a RTT happen

[Schattenjager]

I have decided on a roof top tent for my Tacoma. I have a Snugtop topper that is perfect for my German Shepherd to hang out in for our trips - its relatively quite with the outdoor carpet on the roof and sides and the memory foam mattress over the Bed Rug (yeah - spoiled doggie) I put a Yakima slider setup on the topper, but do not trust it for more than the weight of the basket, a couple tents and maybe a sleeping bag or two.

I found a ladder rack that looks pretty sturdy - it has flanges that go under the topper and forms an exoskeleton of sorts.

My questions are:
Is this a solid enough platform for a RTT? The manufacture I contacted did not know what a RTT was but said the rack could support 800 pounds.

What is a good price to pay for one of these units? They quoted me $765 and that just seems VERY high for the simplicity of materials and design. Perhaps this is a good deal. I would appreciate your input, however.

 

[adventureduo]

Yes more than strong enough. Tons of people use Yakima and Thule racks. Your rack will be stronger than that. As far as the pricing, maybe some of the pickup guys can help you out there.. that seems high to me too.

 

[Desertoutpost]

Plenty strong enough, and price seems to be right. Check on the rear bar being able to be removed and tell them you do not want that option. Alot of time they have the rear bar able to be removed so they can load a full pallet of block without any issues or having to unload top stack of block. Good luck.

 

[DaveInDenver]

I wouldn't worry about it being strong enough. I've seen outfitters with half a dozen bikes and 30 or 40 gallons of water on those exoskeleton ladder racks. Price doesn't strike me as out of line for a good ladder rack.

 

[HMR]

Schattenjager- LOL! Our dog has completely taken over the back of our Taco forcing us to get a RTT.

I have a shell manufactured by Vista which is supposed to be lower quality than SnugTop. I also have the Yakima sliders on top and have my RTT mounted to 2 cross bars supported by Q Towers. It's fine for my wife and I (combined weight of ~260lbs). My RTT is an older Maggiolina that weighs ~135lbs. I was going to add a third crossbar "just to be safe" but I'm leaning towards ditching the Q Towers and mounting the RTT on some home fabbed brackets connected to the sliders that will allow the RTT to ride lower, approx. 1" above the cab of the truck. All that to say that I think the shell is strong enough for an RTT and a heavy duty rack might be overkill.

FWIW- I think there's too much space between the load bars and roof with the Q Towers. It raises the CG, creates more drag and looks kinda funky:

Also, do you park your truck in a garage? Mine BARELY fits in my standard-height garage with my tires aired down. There's no way it would fit with a heavy duty rack above my shell.

 

[Schattenjager]

Wow!!!

That is AMAZING! You do not have any fiberglass cracks or sags? I would think that the weight alone would be enough to crush the topper much less add in the side to side shakes that come from off road driving. Do you have any extra supports inside the topper? A pic of the inside mounts would be much appreciated!

BTW - nice Chuck-it in the last pic. Best tool EVER for doggie entertainment.

 

[Willman]

That is AMAZING! You do not have any fiberglass cracks or sags? I would think that the weight alone would be enough to crush the topper much less add in the side to side shakes that come from off road driving. Do you have any extra supports inside the topper? A pic of the inside mounts would be much appreciated!

Ditto on that one.....I was told only about 300 of so lbs. on top of my A.R.E. shell.......

:snorkel:

 

[kcowyo]

These guys might have some ideas for mounting a RTT on a shell - Northwest Expeditions

 

[HMR]

That is AMAZING! You do not have any fiberglass cracks or sags? I would think that the weight alone would be enough to crush the topper much less add in the side to side shakes that come from off road driving. Do you have any extra supports inside the topper?

No cracks or sags yet. As you can see my truck is pretty much stock so I won't be doing the Rubicon anytime soon. However, I do spend a fair amount of time out in Anza Borrego and it handles my type of wheeling just fine. Before I bought the RTT I got up on the shell, jumped around, walked all over it on the heels of my feet, etc. There isn't a single spot that flexes. I only weigh 150lbs so YMMV. I've made no reinforcements to the inside of the shell. My bigger concern is the lift created by that big piece of fiberglass going 80mph (slow lane speed in San Diego) on the highway. So far no problems but I'd like to lower the RTT 2", just haven't figured out how to do it yet.

Note- I've only had the RTT for a few weeks so I'll have to keep you posted on the long term affects but I've probably put more offroad miles on it than the average (aka; non-Expo member) would do in a year.

And yes, the inventor of the Chuck-It should be given the Nobel prize.

 

[ntsqd]

I can think of a couple methods to lower the RTT closer to the shell's roof. What I'm not sure of is if it's worth doing. I understand why you would want it lower, and I agree with those reasons, but what about cleaning & water entrapment/retention?

Is there a lower tower option?

 

[Ursidae69]

HMR: Does the shell flex when you guys climb inside? I know another member, Howard70, had a custom internal support frame built for inside his ARE shell to keep things from flexing while using his RTT.

 

[HMR]

I can think of a couple methods to lower the RTT closer to the shell's roof. What I'm not sure of is if it's worth doing. I understand why you would want it lower, and I agree with those reasons, but what about cleaning & water entrapment/retention?

Is there a lower tower option?

I've searched extensively and haven't been able to find a lower tower option. I've thought about trying to modify the "towers" used on the African Outback Rack but haven't figured out how to attach the crossbars.

The RTT would still sit 1/2"-1" above the shell so water wouldn't be a problem. It overhangs the cab so it has to be elevated somewhat to avoid smacking the roof of the cab when the body flexes.

Edit- I should add: One nice thing about the Q Towers is the ability to quickly remove/install the RTT. See this post for how I do it solo.

 

[HMR]

HMR: Does the shell flex when you guys climb inside? I know another member, Howard70, had a custom internal support frame built for inside his ARE shell to keep things from flexing while using his RTT.

I saw a couple ideas for frame reinforcement but they all took up too much interior space. I had my wife bounce around inside the RTT while I checked the shell and I didn't see any flexing. I also don't feel any flexing with the both of us inside. Again, my wife and I are relatively light and my wheeling is tame compared to some here on Expo. The current setup is working well for us so far.

 

[mountainpete]

There has been a lot of discussion about maximum weight capacity of a canopy in the past. General concensus is it depends on the canopy and where the rack mounts (think of the old egg crushing from the side versus top principle). I have had 400 lbs on my two Yakima crossbars on my canopy without any flex, but not for an extended period of time. Many people have done without extra reinforcement, while others feel it is necessary.

In the end, it probably comes down to a gamble. Do you want to spend nothing and risk having to replace the canopy or spend $$ to get a custom exo-cage done around the canopy that you may not have even needed in the first place.

Pete

 

[Schattenjager]

Now I am thinking a trailer will solve most all of my problems. Gosh - it really is a world of compromise, huh? :cow: