*THE RTT Owners Thread (With BS)*

I haven't either but I want to, next time I have the tent on the truck I will

 

Those fiberglass bedsides will hold up well with that weight on top?

 

The weight is being distributed onto the rack and then onto the bed itself, we looked it over a couple times but yea it should be fine

 

That's awesome! You got a sick looking setup there dude! Your truck is awesome!

 

Thanks brutha! Likewise!

 

i made another video of it going up, this time in the daylight.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dVpq62c9FEU

I didnt take a single picture of the fabrication process. It's probably the most complicated thing i've made, and I spent a lot of time on the lathe.

 

Nice!

 

We seriously need some kind of write up. That thing is sick!!

 

That's awesome!!

 

Well in principle its fairly easy. The biggest hurdle are the lifting cylinders. Most the cylinders on the market have a small rod (about 1/2") that does the lifting. This wont handle the lateral forces of the tent and 2 people inside of it. By the time you get to a cylinder with a rod capable of handling the lateral forces the body of the cylinder is 6" in diameter, and a price tag around $600 dollars each. This leaves us needing to make our own.

Starting at the bottom, the base is just a simple bed rack. All the tubes are placed to give as much support to the uprights as possible. Now you attach 4 uprights. These need to handle the weight of the tent, it's platform, and it's occupant's weight both vertically and laterally. I used 1 1/2 .188 wall dom tubing for this. These need to be as parallel as possible, i managed to get mine within 0.01 of eachother. On top of these we put a piston. These have 2 o-ring grooves, and a catch for a spring pin to hold the tent at the top. The outer walls of the cylinders is 1 3/4 .090 chromoly with a cap welded on the end. Connect the 4 corners together with a platform, and bolt the tent to the platform. Pump air into the 4 cylinders, and up you go.

All that said there are a few downsides to this setup. The 1st is the cylinders make it more difficult to unzip and rezip the cover. The second is the big one. You will almost never park perfectly level, and the weight is not 100% equally distributed in the tent. This means that the tent will almost always bind using gravity to lower it down. I solved this using cables, pulleys, and a lever. This is not ideal, but it more than works. Eventually I will make another rack with a lift mechanism I have in mind which should address both these issues, but for now it works and I need to move on to my other projects (awning, chuck box, roof rack, etc)

 

Thanks for sharing 2008taco / Chris...

I went a different route to raise/lower my tent, and used gas-charged struts to assist with the process. And rather than going straight up and down, mine goes up and back...

What were your inspirations to taking this approach?

I sure wouldn't mind brainstorming with you - or at least getting an opportunity to see yours in person. I just live in Oceanside...

Rick

 

Nice job! Question, is there a locking mechanism when raised? Or, are you relying on air?
Not knowing, you may consider drilling holes and adding safety pins to slide in while up.
Just a thought .

 

He says theres a catch pin 2 posts up

 

Picked up a used tepui gran sabana today. Can't wait for the rack and spring to get here

 

Congrats!

 

This thread has evolved into something beautiful..

 

Ah, I should of read more closely.

 

+1 Hahaha ...I wanna be on the elite RTT list.

 

I am ready now. Truck seems to be complete and Winter is on the downswing so, I along with my rabid ocd have meticulously studied pie charts, graphs, and statistical information that my team has prepared and have finally made a calculated decision between CVT and Tepui.