Pros and Cons of a Hard Topper?

For me, it is because there are a few weeks every year where I can take off the topper, throw in a tarp and do all those 'truck' things around the place my wife needs me to do like hauling mulch, etc.

 

More dry cargo area. Increased fuel mileage. Possibility of additional rack space on top. With the right tint, no one can see you from the rear. Also good tint hides gear in the bed. Less visibility. More surface area to wash and polish. More glass to clean.
Mine weighs around 350 lbs. I have the 6.2 bed. It squatted the truck 5/8" measured from the receiver to the ground in the and 3/8 at the rear fender well.

 

And some of them add a special touch

 

https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/dmv/?...ntent_en/dmv/vr/checklists/commercial_to_auto

 

That is a sick ass shell!

Make/model of shell plz and cost?


PS: Bed is 6.141667 not 6.2
(just for fun)

 

Interesting that no one mentioned the negative of impaired rear vision.

I had a shell way back in the 80's on a Ford Ranger. Tons of plusses. The reduced rear vision was the only negative I had.

 

Not all campers are created equal there are a lot of lightweight off road campers out there that you don't have to worry about cracking. Heck my inner fenders wells will crack long before my camper will. Also the crappy plastic bed caps don't help either as they are super soft just ditched mine on noise alone and they were eating the paint away. I do like the soft shells as well just don't like the lack of security or not being able to support weight on top but they are a great alternative. The funny thing is Tacoma's probably have the best selection of bed mount campers on the market so we are super lucky in that aspect.

Pic of my Alu cab on my project truck below. I have since swapped out the crappy plastic bed rails out for some aluminum ones with 1/8" butyl rubber strips between the rails and box...

img upload

 

I read it, what's wrong with what I wrote?


Worried about salt and snow and gravel roads with a shell? No. One of my daily work areas in my 1st Gen for about 4-years, also lived at 7000' with it in the San Bernardino Mountains for 10 years. No issues whatsoever with the OEM suspension nor the shell, and I drove it for work offroad a lot in the mountains on forest roads for doing contract wildlife work for Forest Service, in Death Valley for the Park Service, and in the Mojave for BLM.

I hope my 3rd gen does as well! I plan on making it my Avatar on its 200K birthday!






Now if I was really an idiot, I’d drive my Tacoma around for many eastern winters without ever looking at or maintaining it’s undersides until this happened, and then I would blame the extra weight of the shell for it!

 

Because the back of a 4Runner is way smaller than the bed of a Tacoma. A DCLB Taco is almost the exact same length as a Suburban.
You can’t hose out the back of a 4Runner.
You can’t take the top off a 4Runner if you need it to be a open truck bed again.
You still have a tailgate when you need a work surface.

I agree on the vision impact. I still like driving my truck better without a shell but it’s just so damn useful. I used to just use one in the winter but I find myself leaving it on later in the spring and putting on sooner in the fall.

And it really doesn’t block that much of your functional vision. It just feels a little more claustrophobic sometimes.

 

Hard toppers are great when traveling. Had one on my Gen 2. Stored it away much of the time and put it on when I needed to carry a lot of stuff traveling. My Gen 3 will get one when I get around to it.

 

My truck has the 6 foot bed and double cab; my shell is the A.R.E. MX Series. This combination is great for camping and sleeping in. The 4Runner's seats don't fold down flat, so sleeping in it is practically impossible, and quite uncomfortable. The double cab lets me stow my camping cooler (soon to be replaced with a fridge) so I'm not losing room in the bed area.

 

It all comes down to security and whether or not you regularly keep valuables in the bed. If that's most important, hard top is prob the route. Otherwise, a soft top is a lot more versatile and let's you maintain maximum function of the bed space.

 

It’s the ultimate set-up. It’s like owning a 4Runner that isn’t stupid.

 

To elaborate on topper vs SUV.

1 - you stuff is dry and relatively safe and secure (yeah I know)
2 - when your stuff gets wet and dirty you have a place to put it that isnt inside your cab.
3 - you do not have to listen to everything rattling on the trails (this I love more than anything.....sweet silence).
4- you can put a Jerry can and a propane take back there without huffing gas fumes or needing a swing-out or roof rack. If the gas spills......oh well.....hose it out.
5- you don’t suffer like the Runner guys with a load of crap on the roof making your rig top-heavy and prone to rollover and tree-branch decapitation.
6- you have more room under your topper than the back of a mid-size suv and don’t need to tow limiting trailer.
7 - if you need to move a fridge, you can take the topper off in a pinch. It’s still a pickup truck underneath.
8- you can hose out the back if you transport a body.
9- you can sleep in the back in a pinch with a shortbed, or comfortably with a long bed.
10- you can mount a tent on your topper and a rack on your cab, or vice versa if you truly need those things. It’s about 1/3 more roofspace.
11 - with everything in the back under the topper, and not on the roof, you can save MPGs if you pack smart, and do not require the standard broverlander type mods to look cool.
12 - stinky shit goes in the back. Garbage, laundry, etc.

Cons: none I can’t thing of for my uses.

 

Pesticides, fertilizers, large quantities of paint and chemicals both old and new, dirty shrubs and branches, nasty old toilets, extra long lumber, ladders and long molding passed through the slider are all things that I wouldn’t or couldn’t put in a nice new SUV, and I’ve had a few, including a 4Runner.

Every time I owned an SUV, I wished I had a truck.

With a canopy you have an isolated 6 foot storage area and still have a back seat with more room for more stuff.

With the backup camera and large screen along with the rear cross traffic alert for parking lots, the canopy presents no challenges for backing up.

A utility trailer is the best way to safely move heavy appliances and make it easier for an old or injured back.

I no longer ride motorcycles, so no need for an open bed.

Pictures!
Trailer loaded with tools and fixtures, truck cab and bed loaded to the headliners.

 

Toppers are incredibly practical. In spite of that, I couldn't get used to the looks and I sold mine. I guess I'm more vain than I thought...

 

All good points.

 

Everyone forgot one of the most important things for 4R vs. Taco... You can't get a 4Runner with the 6MT! But also, yes, what everyone else said are all good points to have a topper vs. getting an SUV.

I have 2 kids so I don't really have space to put anything in the back seat area other than them on trips. I have the tonneau, but it gets hard to stack stuff in there, especially if it is tall. So I think I'm going to be switching over to a topper as well.

 

Alot of pros which far outweigh the cons. Been running various toppers for about 30yrs.

 

I can vouch that the worry about them cracking is overblown.

My 87 has had a shell (snugtop) on it since new.
The guy I bought if from (2nd owner, had it for 15 years) wheeled the shit out of it.
When I got it there was a 35" spare on the roof rack. PO said he had that, a hi-lift, shovel and a ton of other crap up there pretty much full time.
I used it quite a bit offroad too.
It has several scratches and gouges in it but no cracks.

If it held up to 32 years and almost 300,000 miles of use and abuse, I don't think 99% of people here will have an issue.

I have had 6 trucks with shells on them over the years. Other then lift struts wearing out (and the power lock on the back of my X-runner), no issues to report.

As far as not being able to haul tall things, my other 87 is an open bed truck. Other then hauling the trash up to the street every week, I think there has been 2 times that I have taken it because I needed an open bed truck. Once was to pick up a freezer, the other was to pick up an engine (second one I could have done with a shell on but was easier with open bed).

To me, having the dry, lockable, out of sight storage far outweighs the very, very seldom need to be able to load something tall that cannot be laid down.

Edit: If you are getting a shell, get the windoors (side windows that open). It is a must have. New truck (white one) doesn't have them and with the swingout on there, I can't get in the bed of the truck unless I have 4-5' clear behind me to open it.