Weight Limit on Topper????

That is pretty damn sweet.

I'm in the same boat, ARE topper and looking for an RTT.

I think I'm just going to shoot the works and get one. If it trashes out the topper, I'll bareback it from then on.

 

Hey man!!! Sweeeet setup. Is that a custom made storage/bed platform in the back? Looking to make one myself.

 

Why yes it is. Mine is the most simple platform you could build. 2 4x8 sheets of 3/4”MDF board,2-2x6 & 1-2x8. Can’t forget the cheap carpet. But it works very well for what it is.

 

Working out so far

 

@OZ-T

Do you use bed stiffeners? Any cracks or deformation of the metal c channels near the tailgate?

 

Love it! Going to replicate this soon! Thanks for the reply and happy camping!

 

No and no

 

Love how your side windows open on your ARE top. Do you think that can be done to a top after its been purchased? Or should I plan on just buying a whole new top if I want that feature?

 

I do think you can have the windoors installed later. Not % sure. I’d call a local topper company and ask.

 

Nice

 

I would add bed stiffners for sure, and not wait until something starts failing. There was a member on here who mounted his RTT on a Leer iirc and his 2nd gen bed failed. He wound up ditching the bed and installed a flat bed.

 

Leer xl and no issues with mine supporting the RTT. I do have a set of bed stiffiners installed and using the Prinsu topper rack with the Thule rails on the roof of the canopy.

 

Leer told me 500lb on the 100RCC. The main reason I went with them is because they were willing to give me an actual number. The other vendors near me were very vague and wouldn't give me a #. I had a 150lb RTT on my old sun baked Leer 100RC on my old taco. It did just fine for two seasons. Also hauled around downhill bikes and a coffin loaded with 50-75lbs of gear it's whole life. My understanding is that manufacturers and vendors are not willing to give a hard weight limit, not because the topper can't handle it, but because it alters the center of gravity so much.

 

I have the HD version (internal support structure rests on bed rails) ARE shell.

Per ARE website, note the word "carry":
"The A.R.E. HD Series has been designed to carry 550 lbs evenly distributed on the HD Series roof rack and 200 lbs evenly distributed in each toolbox."

Some of the claimed shell weight ratings stated in this thread are just plain nonsensical. Doesnt matter if you have $600 Thule racks or not. It's not just downward force that should be considered in this application, it's movement from side to side that's part of driving around. I would feel very uneasy driving around every day with a 200lb box on top of just fiberglass and a few bed clamps. At minimum, some extra clamps, bed bars and bed stiffeners would probably be a good idea.

 

Here's the simple reality guys. I seriously doubt most of you with the newer trucks are wheeling hard enough to justify the additional "support" products such as bed stiffeners and the nicer shells. That isn't to say that these products don't provide a benefit, which they surely do. What I am trying to say, is that I daily drive and wheel my truck to its limits. I have been using a fiber glass SnugTop Hi-liner for the past 5 years I got off CL for 200 bucks. I load the top of it up with a road shower and a roof top tent. Probably at least 300lbs up there, and that is the dynamic load. Never once has the weight or movement of the weight on top of the shell lead me to believe that my shell is just going to crack or be strained. You guys gotta remember that fiberglass is tensile. It has the capability of handling these dynamic loads.

 

I added bed stiffeners because I use the racks to carry construction materials which could weigh more than 300 lbs and I wanted whatever additional support the stiffeners could add. $50 was a no brainer. Granted lumber racks could hold more but I’m past the time where swapping between cap and rack is feasible and wanted moveable/removable bars and covered storage anyway. Improving the track-to-cap connection was also considered mandatory since the original install used only 1/2 the track holes. Now I have a sturdy, flexible rack system when I need it that’s easily removable, fits on either roof, and stows in the cap when I don’t need it and nets me a few more mpgs that way.

I’m mostly concerned with not having something tear loose when I have to swerve or brake for some dickwack.

I’d like to add linear actuators too. The front is made rigid by the fully framed wall but the rear isn’t so there I think it would be a good idea to fit a hoop inside that transfers the load to the lid rather than the unframed bottom.

Yes, fiberglass is strong but there’s nothing wrong with a bit of strain relief.

 

Absolutely. Lol dickwack. I have a metal contractors/lumber rack that I want to modify in order to better fit around my camper shell. Removing weight from the shell itself and having the bed support the weight is the ideal situation. Waiting for it to get a bit warmer before I start fabbing as I do not own my own garage... yet...

 

Any photos of the stability and supports you added to the cap?

 

For the ARE (not sure about other vendors) the windoors with no sliders are $325 to 350 each, depending on which vendor you talk to. If you want sliders in the windoor its $75 to $100 more. So it will pay dividends to just find one with windoors already in it or buy new.

As to weight for ARE:

Here is a quote from the email I received:

"1.A.R.E. does not have a published weight rating or warranty any weight rating except on the HD Series (550lbs). NON-HD units we do not recommend over 200lbs evenly distributed.

2.All A.R.E. fiberglass caps can withhold the weight that the rack and/or truck is rated for. “How much can your product hold?” “Please consult your truck manufacturer’s center of gravity as well as the weight rating of the rack you will be using in conjunction with our cap.”

a.Essentially, our caps can hold what any rack supplier will rate

3.All A.R.E. aluminum caps have a 200lb weight rating."

I clarified further on the HD question and weight rating and they basically said all their toppers have a recommended 200 lb limit. (It is NOT posted as a weight rating) and weight must be evenly distributed. Unless you have any ARE cap that are HD. Which means it will have an aluminum inner frame. Here is the picture of the frame they sent me.


For the record, I did go out to 80/20 and try to match up the parts to just build one myself... as it turns out the frame cost to build would likely be in the $450 + depending on which extruded Aluminium you decided to use.

 

Sorry but no. Mine were locally made but got shut down as being too similar to the Total Chaos version. There are tons of examples though of the various brands of bed supports. At the very least they add extra tie down points right at the tailgate besides the D-rings. I routinely carry enough on the Thule bars to bow them so any support I can add to the bed walls that also stiffens the cap is a good thing. Remember, every bump multiplies the force exerted by the load. It’s something I no longer have to worry about.

edit- here’s a link to a decent pic showing how well Bentrodder made them fit. https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...d-08-reg-cab-4x4.448825/page-26#post-17617029