*THE RTT Owners Thread (With BS)*

Mine is on a Leer-installed Thule Tracker II System...Thule 430's on TK1 bases.

Interesting note - I just took delivery on this topper 3 months ago and I went out today to see about adding a third load bar to further distribute the RTT weight. It turns out that the Thule Tracker II has long ago been discontinued by Thule. REI says they clearanced it back in 2011.

So Leer is pawning off old stock on new customers. The problem is that I now have to replace all of my brand new 430's if I want to add another bar at the same height as the original two. Price? Over $200!

Thanks Leer!

 

Yes. A Burton 12v up top and a battery operated one in the annex.

 

They probably bought a huge order and are still using up that stock.
I'm up in air wether to go with bars or a flat rack. I guess bars would be lighter and cheaper as long as I can find some that are low profile.

 

Haha. Yeah, that's terrific.

Like I said tho, if you f up your topper, so what? How about f-ing up your roof? Not sure that would be too funny.

 

Just get a rack and forget about it like meh

 

That's part of the dilemma; none of the racks are really low profile. The bottom of my RTT sits 6" off the top of my topper. I am hoping that the cab top roof rack I'm waiting for will deflect some of the air up and over that mpg-robbing wall of vinyl up there!

The biggest issue in the equation, to me at least, is the enormous amount of lateral thrashing that is transferred to the fiberglass shell when off roading, even if you're just rolling over baby heads at a moderate speed. That's going to add up over time. I'm no engineer, thank goodness, but I know my topper is taking a beating with that RTT up there.

 

prinsu makes racks pretty close to the roof of the cab or the topper. you don't want it too too close, you won't be able to fasten the bolts down

 

Although you are correct that it's been replaced by a new model, the 430 and 460 probably sit at the same height.

Doesn't really matter though because if you do a quick google search like I just did, you'll find that there are still places online selling the 430's. Cheapest one I found was $175 for a 4 pack.

Additionally I happen to have 4 myself from my old rack, which are in like new condition. So if you do decide you want to add more cross bars to distribute the weight, you can get the foot packs. Not sure about the fit kits though, probably can figure something out if they aren't available anymore. Maybe the 460 uses the same fit kits.

How is the burton? I saw it on Amazon. Does it blow enough air to actually cool you down on a hot night or does it just add a slight breeze?

I get the same gas mileage whether my tent is on my roof or in my garage.

I understand what you're saying but the mounting points for a Thule rack over the cab is the strongest part of the body.

 

I have the same cap with the same rtt and mines not "taking a beating".

 

Homer, can you post some pictures of your setup? The RTT on Topper setup isn't too common compared to the bed racks. I think setup would be the best as you have dry secure storage and a tent on top for hanging out and sleeping.

 

i disagree! i just had mr pelfrey make me a rack that was half the height of normal! i dont have my RTT yet, but the idea was to have the tent mostly within the profile of the truck.

i also asked him to make it longer to support my long bed, so instead of 4' long its 5' long. really great work too. so, the option is there for a lower profile rack!

 

dammit, that first one is still upside down. either way, flip your monitor and check it out.. it makes the rear view mirror kind of useless, but with the side mirrors and backup cam its not all that necessary.

i paid a little more than average because it was a one off build... but if hes got it done once he can do it again, and probably cheaper for all you long bed guys.

 

my mpg is pretty much the same whether i keep the rtt above my roofline or my lazy ass removes it, i've decided to just leave it up there for now, it looks cool, if i get drunk i can just open it and sleep(done it about 3 times already, got to open it before the drinking comes) and it's always ready.

 

I recently got back from about a 2500 mile trip to Texas and Florida to visit family. I had just installed my BAMF bed rack, and my Cascadia Mt. Shasta the week before. Since the BAMF bed rack is made from 1.75" steel tubing I went and bought four 1.75" muffler clamps, identical to these.



I discarded the curved threaded bolt section and nuts, and just used the lower arced pieces Then I went to the hardware store and bought some bolts that were 3.5 inches long (future information on why so long in a moment) and I installed these bolts into the RTT sliding brackets.



Once I had them all installed I placed the RTT on the bedrack and set it into position. I placed it close to the cab to force the majority of the airflow over the top. If you place it too far back, some airflow will go under it, and can cause a slight "lift" which can cause handling issues. (Not guaranteed, but it is possible) At the least it will cause air disruption in the bed, blowing things around and causing wind drag. We already get low enough mileage as it is! Ha ha.

Once I got it into place I tightened the nuts down. So why are the bolts so long? I plan to drill a small hole into one of each of the bolts at each bracket location and install a small padlock through the hole. It won't deter a serious thief, but will keep the honest thieves honest.



So now the tent is installed, and I opened it up to get a feel for ladder length and such. With it set as it is, the ladder when extended and locked will stick out past the annex room, so I plan to drill 2 small holes in the slide so that I can shorten the extended length of the ladder, but still get it to lock into the pins. I took this trip without bringing the annex, since I wasn't going to be full-on camping, but instead staying in the yard of family members.

So Sunday night/Monday morning of the 29th/30th of June we were off! My average MPG when I departed was 20.6 so I wanted to see how badly I suffered. Most of the trip was on interstate highways (I-10, I-45, I-20, and I-49) and I was averaging speeds of 75 MPH (posted speed limit) When the entire trip was done, the MPG had only dropped to 19.7 so I was pretty happy with that part.

Staying in Abilene, Texas was not bad at all. Even though I had a fan for possible hot nights, it wasn't really needed as the temps got down into the 60s both nights I was there. This was the first time setting it up, and even then it only took me 20 minutes total time to set up, and that included adding an air mattress under the bed mat, inflating it, and running the extension cord for the fan. I am now down to about 15 minutes total time, from the point of pulling the zipper on the cover, to having all the rods installed and ready to sleep.



Now that I have had a trip I plan to take some of my LED strip lights and install a strip of white on the far end of the tent, along the length of the first cross bar, and a strip of red (for night vision) along the length of the center cross bar. Then a simple switch at the base of the front hinge to select "off-red-white" for the lights. I will eventually have this tent installed on my expedition trailer, where it will have a power cord from an inverter, allowing me to have a nice sized fan if I want, as well as a 12V fan for extended periods.

Overall I really do love the RTT and can't wait until I can use it again.

 

Yeah, it does appear that way at first glance. I spent an hour yesterday doing a quick search and found zero that actually have the item.

Example: RealTruck.com...item page shows 430, description is for 430 half pack with two tk1's. Exactly what I'm searching for. Placed order online. Turns out they, like many other online retailers, drop ship from mfr.

Well, Thule has zero 430 half packs, or any other 430's or tk's any longer. Called RealTruck and canceled order five minutes after placing. Got a tracking number this morning.

 

I was referring to commercially available racks.

You know, the kind that are internationally marketed and are available at brick and mortar retail locations throughout the country and beyond. Not referring to one off, custom-spec builds, but that should be obvious.

 

Yep, Mine is about as low as you can go and still put the bolts on. Any lower and I wouldn't be able to do it.

 

It's pretty impressive, actually. It has two or three speed settings and a directional vent setup kind of like on a car dash. Plenty powerful.

One odd thing that should be noted, however, is that the power switch for the fan is part of the 12v plug itself. This makes it necessary to have an extension up to the tent and then the ten foot wire on the fan remains bundled up.

 

This.

The 430's are discontinued. Your best chance at getting them is going to be somewhere local or maybe by calling either Rack Attack or Rack & Road directly. Why not go with the 460? It's more or less the same height.

 

I have a full set of brand new 430's on the Leer. Adding another 430 will make them all exactly the same height, according to my measurements, and that's fairly essential in this case.

Called Rack Attack yesterday. They said they "may be able to rig up something that would work". Hmmm.

Anyway, problem solved. Leer and their dealer network appear to be the only source that has them available and in stock. One 430 half pack with tk1's and a 50" bar for $165.

Thanks for all the input!