Let's see those Alu-cab setups

Nice job. The AluCab load bars are pretty much just 1x3 T slot bars. How much do you think you have into your load bar setup?

 

That setup came in right around the same price as the larger Alucab bars. Think I got it all setup (hardware included) for under $400 cad.

 

Kofa Wilderness area, camped in Big Dick Canyon.

_MG_4720-Enhanced-NR by Brent Prater, on Flickr

 

I didn’t, but my arrival time did get pushed back to September.

 

Just got my contour canopy. I love it. My only gripe is that the hex bolts were nearly impossible to get into the slotted channels. I ended up tapping them in with a screw driver and hammer to get them to slide into the channel. Was sweating the whole time thinking I was going to mess up a brand new cap. I believe this was due to overspray from the powdercoating gumming up the channels. The powdercoat itself is top notch.

Also the instructions included were clearly not made for the contour. They show pictures of hardware that is totally different than what they gave me. I was able to figure it out, but it turned what should have been no more than an hour install into over two hours.
I was also able to put it into position by myself. Wasn't easy, I got under it, squat walked it up onto a chair, and then up to my tailgate and shuffled it into place. Sketchy for sure, but doable.
All in all though, I'm very impressed with the quality. Still need to run the wiring.


Edit: Also the guys and gals at OK4WD are seriously awesome people. Super helpful and just as stoked as I was about the cap. They helped me load the giant box that it comes in into the bed, and it made the two hour drive back no problems. We even did a t-shirt swap between my company and theirs! Can't recommend them enough.

Edit 2: also if anyone is curious if a prinsu cap rack will work with the canopy...it absolutely won't. The prinsu rack would be way too narrow for the feet to mount to the alu cab.

 

I had the same issue with the M8 bolts. I took a Dremel to one side till they just slide in. I agree it is the over spray. Your rig looks really good!

 

Nice man! I am supposed to pick mine up on Tuesday. I prepped the top of my bedrails this week to help mitigate water and dust intrusion. I went with no windows on the sides. Is that the version you went with?

Also, What bed stiffeners are you running and do they interfere with the canopy at all?

 

I’m running Total Chaos Bed Stiffeners without issue.

 

Has anyone had experience with a Leer 180 or 100 with windoors vs an Alucab on a long bed? Overall experience/thoughts? My main point of interest is the head room height... it almost looks like the alucab is right between a leer 180 and leer 100? I couldn't figure it out with all these measurements online... I was leaning toward a 180 to use it as a camper to sleep in... The more I look at the alucab.. the more I keep looking at it lol. Thanks, cheers

 

I appreciate it! I'm already loving the enclosed bed space.

Yeah, this is the no window version. And I didn't know this going in, but the bottom of the cap has heavy duty rubber tubing attached to it to help it seal. Think like a door seal but thicker. I doubt there will be any water getting through it.
These are cali raised bed stiffeners and nope, no interference.
First impressions are a 10/10. You're gonna love the cap!

 

Adding some reference pictures to answer questions that I had when initially buying the Contour. It sits right in line with the angles of the cab. It does stick up about 3in above the roof line. The no window version still has the cool indented sides where the window would be.
Also I don't believe it's any hotter without the windows. If anything it may be cooler since you get less sun shining in.

 

What brand roof rack are you running on your cab?

 

Prinsu

 

Great pics! That's some boxy sexiness right there. I dig it a lot. Looking forward to getting mine next week even more now. I am glad I went with the no side window option.

 

Following up (finally): To put the Prinsu top rack on the Alu-Cab Canopy Contour, you will need at least two pairs of Leer mounting feet, assuming you're not going to fabricate something yourself. A couple of quick pictures just from the garage, if anyone needs a better/closer look let me know.

 

I was going to attempt the same thing and then thought the better of it. I don't love how the feet aren't in a direct line with the load bars to the channel in order to support the mass, and the feet are bolted at an angle to the channel. I feel like with enough weight that the torque on the channels could eventually shear the bolts right through them. Obviously it also depends on how much weight you have up there too. Couple of fishing rods, no problem. RTT, awning, and some people, and I think this could fail.

I'm no structural engineer though, so correct me if I'm wrong.

 

I completely agree. I don't love that these are positioned offset from the tracks. I think what I'm going to do is pick up another pair of the Leer mounting feet on the next 20% off sale and then place those in the center between the two existing pairs - mainly just to further distribute the load and relieve some strain. If I plan on putting a RTT or something heavy up there, I will likely just take the rack off and mount it right to the tracks when possible. In doing so, I'd also benefit by it being lower profile. Now that the brackets are all lined up, it's actually going to be pretty easy to add or remove the cap rack. So for the relatively light stuff, I think this will hold up just fine.

Either way, I wanted to share the results because I know when I initially called Prinsu AND Alu-Cab, nobody was able to tell me with confidence whether I would need the Leer mounting feet to get this installed properly. So hopefully I can spare someone else from having to do the extra homework.

By the way, did you get your cap yet? I saw in a different post that you were expecting it in April.

 

Gotcha, yeah that makes sense.
Yes I did! Just picked it up last week. I sold the prinsu cap rack that I had and just went with their load bars. Super stoked on the setup.
The black against the tan on your rig looks great btw.

 

Hell yeah dawg, what do you think of their load bars? I was also on the fence about going that route. Looking forward to seeing some pics if you decide to post em on here

And thanks! I appreciate that!

 

Honestly with a RTT I'll get the same functionality as I would have with the prinsu. The load bars have slotted channels to bolt things down to them. They're super heavy duty. I'll share some pictures of the setup when I get a chance.