Toyota Tundra and Tepui RTT - Need advice on racks

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Jeff Wright

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Hey there. Looking to possibly pick up a 2015 Tundra 4x4 from a close friend, and would want to put a RTT over the cab (it's the Crew Max). In looking around, it does not appear that any of the main rack companies (FrontRunner, BajaRack) make a rack for the Tundras.

Does anyone have a setup like the one I'm describing above, or, does anyone have throughs on the best setup for this using a Yakima or Thule rack to mount the RTT on top of? I'm looking at one of the 3-person models.

Also, the truck has an ARE shell on the back of it with a nice custom platform with drawers in the bed.

Thanks overlanders!
 
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Edit: misread the tent size. Thought you wanted the large 2 ladder type. I think a set of Thule or Yakima should do the trick. Best to double check with the tent manufacturer to be sure.
 
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I have the Yakima racks on my shell. The cross bars are only rated for 135lbs, which makes sense because the mounting point of the crossbar to the rail is just plastic.

Now, while I don't have a Tundra, what I did was I made a custom roof rack out of 2" Unistrut and bolted that down to the Yakima mounting rails, then mounted three cross bars made out of 1" Unistrut across to support the RTT.

Unfortunately, there isn't any off-the-shelf quality racks available for the Tundra that I've seen, but there are plenty of shops that will make one for you. My advice is to have on fabricated that mounts directly to the factory mounting points under the rubber strips on the roof. This is where the Toyota engineers designed these trucks to support stuff on the roof, and they can be installed/removed without permanent damage to your truck.

If you decide to mount the RTT on the shell, just make sure that the shell is capable of supporting the dynamic weight of the RTT. (the folded up tent while driving) You shouldn't have to worry about the static weight, as most RTT's flip out and half of the weight is distributed onto the ladder support. I've seen a couple of people who have had a custom aluminum frame built on the inside of the shell to support additional weight, which is less expensive than a custom steel roof rack.

Also, hit up the guys over at Tundras.com, I'm sure more than their fair share have run into this same issue.
 
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Jeff Wright

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yourestupidforasking said:
I have the Yakima racks on my shell. The cross bars are only rated for 135lbs, which makes sense because the mounting point of the crossbar to the rail is just plastic.

Now, while I don't have a Tundra, what I did was I made a custom roof rack out of 2" Unistrut and bolted that down to the Yakima mounting rails, then mounted three cross bars made out of 1" Unistrut across to support the RTT.

Unfortunately, there isn't any off-the-shelf quality racks available for the Tundra that I've seen, but there are plenty of shops that will make one for you. My advice is to have on fabricated that mounts directly to the factory mounting points under the rubber strips on the roof. This is where the Toyota engineers designed these trucks to support stuff on the roof, and they can be installed/removed without permanent damage to your truck.

If you decide to mount the RTT on the shell, just make sure that the shell is capable of supporting the dynamic weight of the RTT. (the folded up tent while driving) You shouldn't have to worry about the static weight, as most RTT's flip out and half of the weight is distributed onto the ladder support. I've seen a couple of people who have had a custom aluminum frame built on the inside of the shell to support additional weight, which is less expensive than a custom steel roof rack.

Also, hit up the guys over at Tundras.com, I'm sure more than their fair share have run into this same issue.
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Thanks! I really appreciate the insight! I'll check out the site you mentioned too.
 
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Hello. I don't know if it's too late, but rhino rack sells a system for tundras. I have a rack on my shell and I'll be doing one for the cab soon for a rtt
 
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Jeff Wright

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jesse178 said:
Hello. I don't know if it's too late, but rhino rack sells a system for tundras. I have a rack on my shell and I'll be doing one for the cab soon for a rtt
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Thanks! I ended up getting a Front Runner rack on the cab and it's been great. I'm curious about how you did the rack on your shell. I have an ARE shell and was thinking about putting a rack on there as well, but wasn't too sure about putting any kind of weight up there. Is your shell reinforced at all? Did you drill rails into it or did it already have anchors for a rack? Thanks in advance!
 
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CFTAdventures

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I got the CX HD Series which has a built in cage , not sure what model you got but they may sell it separate to install after the fact. Bumps the load rating to a 800lb driving limit.
 
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Jeff Wright said:
Thanks! I ended up getting a Front Runner rack on the cab and it's been great. I'm curious about how you did the rack on your shell. I have an ARE shell and was thinking about putting a rack on there as well, but wasn't too sure about putting any kind of weight up there. Is your shell reinforced at all? Did you drill rails into it or did it already have anchors for a rack? Thanks in advance!
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Which roof rack did you get? I looked on the Front Runner site and see no listing for a Tundra, specifically. Did you go by the measurements? How sturdy is it? How high of the roof dies it set?
 
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Scout said:
Which roof rack did you get? I looked on the Front Runner site and see no listing for a Tundra, specifically. Did you go by the measurements? How sturdy is it? How high of the roof dies it set?
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I got the Slimline II rack (52"x61") with roof tracks from them. I found that getting a rack for the '14+ Tundras is tricky because there's no easy way to put a rack on them that can match the true roof weight capacity without drilling into the steel. It's true that Rhino, Yakima and Thule make racks that work for Tundras by using traditional towers that clamp to door jams, but I was concerned that they can't really handle the weight of a RTT when you're doing 90 mph on the highway. With Frontrunner, I called them up and they had a solution that they'd used on several Tundras (including their shop truck) which is cobbled together with two different sets of feet and a pair of 55" tracks. Their US location is in Agoura Hills, California and I live close to them so I went to the shop and they installed the rack in about 6 hours. It's an involved install because they have to take out the full headliner and drill into the roof (which is not something I did lightly), but their installer had personally done a dozen Tundras prior to mine, and walked me through how he was going to do it to make sure I was comfortable. In the end, the rack looks great and holds our RTT, an awning and some tools without a problem. I've taken it on a couple long trips since I got it installed in July and it performed well. It can hold about 800lbs and is super sturdy. I can grab the edges and rock the truck back and forth without the rack feeling like its bending or straining. I've walked on it more than once and the slats don't flex much at all. I haven't measured it, but it's probably about 3" off the roof in the tallest places. Hope this helps and happy to answer more questions.
 
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That's all awesome info. But seeing how I live in NYS that's not going to help me any time soon. I really like it though and something that involved for an install is something I "could" do but if I want to???!! Especially seeing how it's as few different parts pieces.
 
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Jeff Wright

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Scout said:
That's all awesome info. But seeing how I live in NYS that's not going to help me any time soon. I really like it though and something that involved for an install is something I "could" do but if I want to???!! Especially seeing how it's as few different parts pieces.
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I think it all depends on your comfort level with drilling into the roof of your rig and how confident you are in your mechanical skills. I preferred that they do it simply because they're close to me and it's their liability if they F'ed something up during the install. As far as complexity, I think the only hard part (aside from removing the headliner and drilling the roof) is working the roof tracks into the right contour shape so they match the roof profile of your truck, and then getting the holes in the right place to maintain structural rigidity of the roof and rack. Other than that, it's pretty easy!
 
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Scout said:
Which roof rack did you get? I looked on the Front Runner site and see no listing for a Tundra, specifically. Did you go by the measurements? How sturdy is it? How high of the roof dies it set?
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Let me know if you have any questions regarding the Front Runner rack installation. We've helped quite a few remotely and can walk you or a local shop thru the process.

Cheers,
Bryan
 
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I'm a little late to this but I I have a 16' Tundra Crewmax and put the front runner load Bed load bars on and then the tepui kukemam on top. I went this route because it kept the tent a little lower behind the cab. Less drag. It's was a great set up. And reasonably priced.
 
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I was hoping to see {and possibly purchase} the new roof rack from Ekstrom Design LLC. Coachbuilder Company.. David was going to show his new design at SEMA last year.. I talked with him on the phone about pre ordering.. 2 weeks before the show its like he fell off the face of the earth.. I'm hoping nothing drastic happened to him. I've tried calling many and messaging many times with no reply. I also haven't seen him post or update his FB account... Not sure if he made SEMA or not.. I've searched for pics and haven't had any luck..
 
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