8 foot Awning on Tacoma

Posted this in the build thread with no responses, trying my luck here:

I have a 2017 DCSB with a leer cap that has crossbars. Cab has a Prinsu rack on it. I have an 8' awning that I am looking to mount to it and wondering if anyone has also done this. I know that the cab and cap will move independently of each other and this is most likely not advised, but here we are. Plan was to use two brackets on the cap, and one of them on the Prinsu (awning came with 3).

To deal with the cab/cap not moving in unison I thought to space the awning off the brackets with some 1" rubber bushings to allow for the flex. looking to see if others have found a solution that works for them.

 

I have the 8' ARB awning with the aluminum hard case that I mount onto my Prinsu rack for longer trips. I have the Prinsu cab rack and the top rack on the topper. I used one mount on the cab just in front of the passenger door and the other two on the topper. I bolted the brackets directly to the rack with no bushings or spacers. Went to Big Bend NP in Texas last spring with this setup (I'm from Indiana) and did some light off-roading knowing that there may be some flex. Never had any issues. Only two pics I have.

 

I`d try to keep all mounting brackets on the same rack. I`m sure it's fine, but over time, I'm not sure what will happen to the awning, could bend or warp if the bed and the cab are twisting in different directions. Maybe put it on the bed rack and put spacers on the mounts to make it sit a little taller above cab rack to prevent it from rubbing on it if that is an issue too.

 

If you mount it over the bed, you should have more than 2 feet of overhang in either direction, which should be fine. If it was something heavier, like a 270-degree, I'd be worried, but for a traditional awning, I think you'll be fine.

 

Has anyone installed an awning to a roof rack by just using the L Brackets that come with the awning? I'm sure it'll hold up fine and it looks like most brackets / mounts for my prinsu are $70-$90+

Is this just to get a low profile look or for added stability? I might ebd up buying some expensive brackets but not sure if they're needed or not. Thanks!

 

See if my post #401 here will help you out
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/the-prinsu-how-to-thread.412679/page-21#post-21162572