Tradesman Truck Tops commercial style topper/shell

Yep, the vent does protrude in the interior a bit more in order to be so low-profile on the outside. I've asked them to mount it on the roof as far forward as possible, just behind the front bulkhead. I think this will reduce the number of times I'll bang my head on the vent handle.

I sent Access Mfg a mockup of the location (in blue) using a photo you posted from @moweryaviation earlier in this thread.

 

No, the angled to cab is a slope to make it aerodynamic. Mine is flat across the top

 

IMO the second skin, insulation and carpet are a big plus. Even when it’s been snowing outside I’ve slept warm and cozy. I always keep a side window and vent open or at least cracked. That and with the carpet I’ve never had condensation drip.

 

My mistake.. saw @tacomarin post and now I see what you’re asking. Yes it follows the angle of the rear of the cab

 

Were you at Pismo beach last month?

 

Haha yeah. I'll be honest and say it was definitely a bit taller than we expected.

 

Confirmed with Access Mfg that angled-to-cab is the default, except if you order a topper over 30" tall in which case the standard is 90-degree angle. However, the customer can choose either of these options in all cases at no extra cost.

 

df

Yes I was


I was there doing a photo shoot for a friend (Off-road Safety Academy) who is writing a book on how to recover stuck vehicles.

 

Used to go out to those dunes all the time in college. As I recall step one for when you get a truck stuck is to take a beer bong. Is that still the recommended technique?

 

Has anyone done anything to seal beneath the bedrail caps (front and both sides) before installing their topper? Or sealing the small toolboxes built into the bed?

 

You mean the toolboxes on the shell? I don't think you'd have to seal them since there's a gasket on the door.

 

I think he's talking about the cubbies on the bed sides. I ordered some of these to support the TW community: https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/bed-cubby-caps.491909/page-32#post-18936336

If I were not in the charitable spirit though I probably would have just gotten some thin plastic, cut out small covers and glued them in from the underside, then use some RTV to seal them off. Haven't actually installed those yet but everyone else seems to like them.

I did not do anything to seal underneath the bed rail caps but haven't noticed any leaking there.

 

Ah yes the little side dust vents. With the bedrug they are even harder to seal up. I put tape on the drain holes and have a power source on the drivers side. I'm hoping to do a six-gang switch/outlet there.

Those covers are pretty slick.

 

Did the same by putting some gorilla tape over the drain holes

 

The sleeping platforms in this thread look really top notch. What are you guys doing to anchor all this wood in the bed so it doesn't jump around over bumps? Are you doing anything to cushion the wood stanchions on the plastic bed? I'm thinking I might cut up a truck innertube or maybe felt pads.

 

My platform is three compartments. The two sides are anchored to the bed rails and the center is two sections of 3/4 plywood that can be moved from bottom to the top. The 3/4 plywood has some weight to it I usually have 2” of memory foam and my double sleeping bag “holding it down”

 

I bolted mine down using the bed bolts and some angle brackets. I thought I had some pictures of it but can't seem to find them. Basically I used

$13 4 PCS 90 Degree Angle L Shaped Shelf Bracket with 24 Pcs Screws and 8 Pcs Anchors, Corner Brace Joint Bracket Fastener, 5 x 3" Floating Shelves Bracket Support Wall Hanging, Black, Metal

brackets like these and modified them to put the bed bolts through a hole at the front and back of the bed then torqued the shit out of them. I bolted them to the platform using a couple of carriage bolts from the inside-out. I'll get some pics of it later this week. I wrapped the carpet underneath the bottom of the platform. No bouncing around but it also helps that the platform weighs a couple hundred pounds.

 

Finally took some pics!

 

Here are some pics of my Tradesman that I had installed about two weeks ago. One key difference with mine is that I went with the 24” height. I did this because of a 7’ parking garage that I have to use. My first trip into the garage was a bit of a pucker fest with all of the exposed lights and pipes that seemed lower than 7’. But I’ve got about 4” to work with.

 

Looks killer and love that bike!