The Getaway...Crom's build and adventures

Inno Ridge Rooftop Cargo Box - 8 cu ft - Gloss Black, 2018

The ubiquitous roof top cargo box adds instant value to any vehicle in form of additional cargo space.

I bought mine last year and I choose the smallest model of Inno brand box. Made in Japan, very good quality. And complements the truck perfectly.

It was for the same use case as you described, essentially bedding, pillows, etc. Bottom line is that it saves me time. It's very aerodynamic.

Only one issue, and to be fair this probably goes for all boxes.

In my opinion, they all need some reinforcement to hold up to the punishment of off-road travel.

I got the box and quickly adapted some aluminum angle and u-bolts to make some custom-bomb-proof mounts that are rock solid and are precision fit to the Yakima bars.

I also drilled the alum angle for tie down points that run the length of the box.



Custom u-bolt / alum angle installed inside box


Custom mounts for cargo box, inside view


I am extremely pleased with it.

@DVexile answered so I'll just add that I've only been stuck once, high-centered in snow during first year of ownership. No desire for winch. I carry a hi-lift and well versed with using it.

And like post #1 says...

Truck is a means to an end. I like to explore deep into public lands, and enjoy off-road, back-country adventures. Family camping, and nature enjoyment is a priority.

Most of the mods I've done were to increase owner-value, and utility of the truck...

 

Tomorrow my truck will be 10-years old and will mark 10 years of ownership.

I'll have to get the ODO reading, but I think truck is at ~78,000 miles.

Still going strong...

 

A tow strap and another vehicle are golden. Carry one and your chains especially if your 2wd! 4wd on the other hand gets used a lot even if just to make it easier and exercise it.

 

you guys are awesome! thanks for all the insightful replies

now that i think of it, i have a similar bag stashed up in the rafters we used to throw on top of our rav4! i'm gonna pull it down and give it a go on the trip to big sur next week. Only concern is it's not aerodynamic. Eventually I'll go w/ a hardshell

wow i had never seen this unit. makes total sense to have a portable winch instead. I might start saving my quarters for this bad boy.

i should be good then. always have snatch straps, shovel, treds, air compressor, and a jack. i haven't had issues yet in anza borrego, Joshua Tree backroads, and trails up in big bear. i just like being prepared. hoping to get out to death valley this fall to do some real exploring. was there last year but covered WAY too much ground in 2 days. I couldn't really enjoy it.

nice! good thing you reinforced it. I'm looking on offerUp right now for cargo boxes. Really want something that's not massive or heavy. I might end up hanging it from the garage rafters with the sleeping gear still in there in between trips.

yeah i've been rescued once and thankfully had my own strap. i was stuck in sand because I completely stopped in it (didn't realize it was super soft). before i had a chance to start digging, someone pulled up and offered to yank me out because he saw my strap on the floor. gotta love an adventure!

 

Weighing in on whether a winch is needed or not. I do not like to ride trails with my truck to simply beat on it, but instead, it is to explore alone. The biggest thing to consider is where your truck will be driven. When I lived in northern California, I never felt the need for a winch, and I rarely felt the need for four-wheel-drive. Now that I live in North Carolina, four-wheel-drive is very important to me, and I even carry a winch. The soil here gets extremely slippery when wet, and we get thunderstorms regularly. I have only needed it a few times, but just knowing I have a winch has given me the confidence to check out places that I normally wouldn’t take the risk on. Especially since I travel alone almost every time.

 

If I lived in NC, I'd have winch too.

I reviewed my fading TW memory, and I can recall two self rescues with winch, both involved roll-over type incidents, but cool heads, and smart thinking prevailed.

Both worth the read for anyone that has time.

@Mach375
@Nate87

 

good points. i'll mostly be traveling in the southwest and maybe up in the sierras during the summer. so hardly any mud. you guys saved me some money and weight on my truck!

back to my question about Crom's rooftop carrier for sleeping gear... i picked this up for my trip this week. it's soft sided, but also framed and collapse-able. The price isn't bad either. Not very secure, but mainly just using it for sleeping bags anyway. best part is it's easy to store in the garage. it may be a shit purchase, and if so i'll just return it. the reviews are decent and it's the size i want - on the smaller side so i still have room for our doggy cot



https://amzn.to/2MmDD9v

 

Not bad, worth a shot!!!

 

Tacoma Auxiliary power system 3.0 (rebuilt and remounted)

I rehabilitated my aux battery, and while I had it out of the truck, I hard mounted the CTEK D250S Dual charger and upgraded from a 6-circuit fuse block to at 12-circuit fuse block. Also mounted a DC-DC converter on the side. I sealed around the wiring harnesses / bed holes of which there are three (3). I'm still winning the war on dust intrusion.

Wiring diagram essentially stayed the same.

The advantage of having things hard mounted made for faster maintenance, less mess, and can visually see the state of the charger from the back of the truck or from a side windoor if loaded.

Previously the fuse 6-fuse block and charger were in a box









Shelf & water tank reinstalled

 

Moving on to the next thing that needs attention is the noise I heard on my front end. No idea what it is, but I don't like it, and I will stop at nothing to find it.

A visual inspection of my front end showed that something is wrong with the IFS skid on the driver side.

The pass side has about 1/2" clearance.

The skid has a rock impact near here, it's possible that was it... Will inspect with a level...

 

I just added a CTEK D250S and a 2nd battery to my truck. (Write up pending...)

I have been running it for about a month, and am happy with it.

How long have you had yours, and have you ever had any issues with it?

 

Hi Scott! Great purchase. Mine has been in continuous service for six (6) years using Alt power and solar. Zero issues.

When alt is on, it will take about 20A of power. For my 75W solar, about 4.5 amps if full sun. Couldn't be happier with it.

 

Nick,

That is great to hear. I don't have solar yet, but probably will in the future.

Is your 2nd battery an AGM? Mine is, and I like that the charger can charge at a higher voltage for the AGM.

 

No. Wet cell marine / deep cycle. They are cheap, work well, and don't seem to leak like starting batteries do. Yes the CTEK is capable of doing the 14.4v, 14.2v and 13.5v to fully charge a 12v battery. I have inline volt / ammeter I use to test and the product works as described. It will even pulse / float charge the starter if aux is full. Amazing product.

 

Thank you for sharing this. I've heard the CTEK is great and am pretty complacent in regards to mine but am glad to know it is doing what it is advertised as doing.

 

@Crom , curious on your reinforcement of the roof box. So you basically took alum angle and reinforced along the mounting points on the inside the full length of the box? Then just used u bolts to secure vs whatever quick clip mount came with the box?

I had my roof box experience some serious cracking and ended up buying a whole bunch of stainless mesh and plastic welding rods, and plastic welding all the cracks, then laying the stainless mesh over all the cracked areas and melting the mesh into the box(on the outside)/ gooping plastic weld over the mesh. That held for a few years without issue until I smoked the box on a low concrete floor joist dropping the wife off at the airport .

This looks a lot cleaner and good to prevent cracking in the first place. Keep us updated how it holds up. I've not picked up a new roof box yet but need on since the FJ doesn't have all that much cargo space despite the exterior dimensions.

 

Hi Seth! Yes. The u-bolts and alum angle is all that i used. It's precision fit for my set up.

Edit:. I added a bead of silicone under the aluminum angle. the purpose of this was to seal out dust from the factory holes on the cargo box. Works.

My only lingering concern is the latching mechanism. I trust it for now, but yeah if it has issues from off-road vibes, I'll say somthing.

And I understand your repairs. The boxes are not cheap, so it it makes sense to repair.

RIP box @ airport.

 

I have diagnosed the sound I was hearing in the front end. It was harsh creaking / popping sound coming from skid plate bolt. The bolt is over-stressed due to frame cross member being bent by skid impact. The bending of the cross member is the fault of the skid plate design which acts like a punch when a bad-luck impact occurs. Instead of deflecting impact, all of the energy was directly transferred through the skid plate mounting stud into the frame. The skid plate mounting stud has a narrow surface area less than 2-3 sq.in. I will illustrate with photos. Right now I'm quite disappointed with my front Pelfrey skid plate.

In my opinion, this is a symptom of a design failure.

A much smarter design would have been to have some sort of stand off integrated into the skid that rests on the front jack point of the truck which is large with a lot of surface area. It's also centered on the cross member, and most importantly is specifically designed to support the entire front end of the truck if needed. Alternatively anything to increase the surface area would probably work...

In the photo, it looks like an optical illusion, lens distortion or something. But in fact the skid appears warped as viewed in person







In next post I'll show the frame dent.

 

Extremely minor, but precise impact direct to mount point which caused 1/4" frame dent










My bad luck should serve as a warning to others with this skid plate design.

I don't have a lot of options to remedy this and it appears that reinstalling may be quite difficult without modification.

 

so a direct hit on the cylindrical mount hole 'tube'. i suppose just as much chance of damage had it been the steel version. i know there are those that warn against anything aluminum in skids. i chose this one for 'lightweight'. bamf make a heavy duty steel skid