Hey there guys and gals! Hope everyone is having a great start to 2021! I currently own a 2016 short bed Nissan Frontier. Several years ago I purchased second hand a Leer topper, I'm pretty sure it's their base model and my research shows that it can support around 120 LBS dynamic weight. I'm curious to see what others are doing to reinforce their topper to safely support a RTT and 2 adults? I've been doing a lot of research on this and have found several options online, but not much information on how they actually perform long term. I'm also surprised that this is not a more popular discussion in the overland community (or at least I cannot find posts discussing it). Before looking at custom options, I wanted to see what you guys recommend? I already have a Rhino roof rack with Vortex bars installed and I am hoping to find something that will tie into that system. Any ideas or options would be greatly appreciated!
Truck Topper Reinforcement for RTT
- Thread starter FrontierExplorer
- Start date
Theres another thread on this around here somewhere...I think.. unless it's in a truck forum.
My take on it is these old Leer caps (I have one for my 14 GMC Sierra) wont take the weight. I think your best bet is to get one of those tubular industrial racks that have flat "feet". The whole things fits around your Leer cap and the flat feet slide under. They are meant to hold ladder and other contractor equipment. Then put a deck on top and an RTT on the deck.
That's a thought
My take on it is these old Leer caps (I have one for my 14 GMC Sierra) wont take the weight. I think your best bet is to get one of those tubular industrial racks that have flat "feet". The whole things fits around your Leer cap and the flat feet slide under. They are meant to hold ladder and other contractor equipment. Then put a deck on top and an RTT on the deck.
That's a thought
i just bought an ARE shell for my tundra. its a regular shell that i put yakima tracks on and rated for 150#.
they had a contractor shell that cost more and had an internal tube frame built in to it...those are the ones that will support an RTT. if you have one already that isnt the contractor one, i'm pretty sure you can get the external supports like @ThundahBeagle just mentioned.
i've seen a lot of things for overlanding, but i actually have never seen a RTT on top of a shell. not saying its not done, but i havent seen it. most folk go with an open tube frame rack with the RTT on it and the bottom is open. i have the shell on my truck because that is where I sleep
here a link
www.overlandbound.com
they had a contractor shell that cost more and had an internal tube frame built in to it...those are the ones that will support an RTT. if you have one already that isnt the contractor one, i'm pretty sure you can get the external supports like @ThundahBeagle just mentioned.
i've seen a lot of things for overlanding, but i actually have never seen a RTT on top of a shell. not saying its not done, but i havent seen it. most folk go with an open tube frame rack with the RTT on it and the bottom is open. i have the shell on my truck because that is where I sleep
here a link
Topper Shell or Bed Rack
I am very new to overlanding but I am currently working on outfitting my rig! I have heard mixed things about topper shells and personally I like them! However, in your experiences what do you thing is best for overlanding?
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Right. On top of my Leer 180, I put Trac Rac (tm) Cap Rac roof rack. Incidentally Trac Rac was a Massachusetts company, just bought out by Thule a few years ago. Anyway, while the Trac Rac roof rack system could hold 500 or even 800 pounds, the unreinforced fiberglass Leer model 180 wont hold up but a couple hundred pounds.
There IS a thread on this already, isnt there?
Aha! Here it is
www.overlandbound.com
Truck topper question
Hello!! I’m currently looking at truck caps for my 14 GMC Sierra. The end goal is to run our RTT on top, wondering if anybody knows if this Leer cap can handle the weight.
Full-size Tracrac on rack
Here is a link to answer to this question
Camper shell with rack above camper shell and above cab supported with legs thru camper shell to bed floor
Here is a link to answer to this question
Camper shell with rack above camper shell and above cab supported with legs thru camper shell to bed floor
Thanks for the responses and link guys! I really appreciate it. I really thought this was a more common set-up for overland trucks. Looks like I have some research to do! Thanks again!
