Hello, all; while I'm relatively new to the 80 section, and don't post much, I do use my Cruiser quite a lot. I have recently returned from a few long trips of note, in which I intended on thrashing appropriately using a few products from MUD vendors, and then leaving reviews for them, respectively.
It all began last fall, when I left my job and wanted something more out of my life (as dramatic as it sounds), I ended up purchasing a 1995 80 Series, locally, and beginning to make some changes to it. There's a long list, but I rebuilt the front axles, changed all the fluids, changed belts, pulleys, idler pulleys, fan, fan clutch, front seats, speakers, head unit, and more. The details of the trip and my repairs can be found on our blog: landcruisnusa.blogspot.com. We travelled about 7000 miles (maybe a little more), and camped out almost every night for a month. We went offroad in Sedona, AZ and various parts of the Southwest, offroad in the CA desert, and spent plenty of time in our tent, which resided on top of this rack, or loading and unloading the water/gas, which was secured with the modular tie-down points from Bowfin Cruisers. The Awning attachment system is awesome, and exceptionally sturdy, as well. As a fellow engineer, I must congratulate Patrick, owner of Bowfin Cruisers on his exceptionally thoughtful designs. I have a few recommendations here for refinement, but that's about it.
When I set out to go on a cross-country journey with my wife in the 80, I knew my options for storage and sleeping well, because I was always looking at 80s enviously, when I had a rust bucket project of a 40 (rest in peace, dear one). We ultimately selected the option of an RTT (and therefore a sturdy roof rack), and the LandShark KISS drawers instead of in-cabin sleeping, because: 1) it eliminated the need to purchase extra storage or some sleek external storage (i.e. BIO, SLEE, or 4x4 LABS bumpers with bike rack storage, etc.) since we were/are on a budget during the build and travel (I will still take money for the adventure over money for bling, any day).
I mention all of these things to illustrate the needs which we were trying to meet from the outset of our trip with our purchase of the Bowfin Cruisers Rack, and the needs which it succeeded in meeting, and ultimately surpassing expectations. Furthermore, Patrick @dogfishlake, is a stand-up guy and did a ton for me: 1) he cut me in on the "first 10 buyers" deal, which I desperately needed at the time of the initial build, 2) he express-fabricated and shipped 2 types of 4 tie downs (of each type), maintaining constant communication with me and was trying to make my post-existential crisis, pre-grad school trip a reality. In return, he only wanted me to post a review of the rack, tie downs, awning mounts, and RTT mounts in return (I also paid for them, obviously). Sorry this is late, Patrick.
First, the assembly of the rack was very simple, and intuitive. Everything was labeled, and looking at the initial forum which Patrick posted regarding the design, I assembled everything and placed it, with my wife, on top of the truck. Unfortunately, when attempting to install the wind fairing (I elected for the non-LED version), I realized that the rails were mismatched (i.e. L was on R, and vice versa). I would like to recommend that these are labeled with a printer label or something, prior to shipping, for dummies like me. The bend/angle differences were noticeable, but i forgot that they could be different. Unscrewing the nylock nuts was an annoying experience, but it was very simple, and gave me a good feel for how modular the system is.
Many people have critically noted how similar the Bowfin Cruisers design is to a PrInSu one. The rails (aluminum extrusions with T-slot channels), being the primary format of the mounting for the rack system, is indeed, similar. However, as many people also noted, the Bowfin rack has a few things that the PrInSu one lacks (although I have no direct experience with them): 1) an exceptionally secure, simple and sleek system by which the rack is mounted and secured to the rain gutters/roof of the truck. 2) Patrick's devotion to a) Land Cruisers and his ability to personally test fit and the effective modularity of accessories because he owns various models (PrInSu is Tacoma-oriented...) b) MUD members; he was unnecessarily kind in offering to support me so much in the lead up to this trip. 3) and perhaps, most importantly and a combination of 1 and 2, Patrick is willing and capable of designing, prototyping, and fabricating various designs which meet the needs of MUDders. While it isn't reasonable for him to do one-off designs, most of our needs are generally the same.
The rack cross bars, 2"x 1" cross-section black anodized extruded aluminum t-slot rails, have two hex nuts securing the bar to either side of the rail, to which it perpendicularly mates (4 total). The major components which are not aluminum, but steel, are coated with Cerakote. This is a hyper-durable ceramic-polymer coating which is used on weapons, helmets, etc. for durability with the military and some other civilian applications. The Cerakote on my fairing and double-spaced oval nuts (for maintaining appropriate spacing between hex bolts when installing the cross bars, and to minimize the effects of normal force and applied strain on between the bar and the rails, stood up exceptionally well, and still has not chipped, like it can do from time-to-time. However, in the tie down points, after many cycles of installing and removing jerry cans and a 8 gallon water jug from the front two cross bars every night, some chips have developed on the eyelets. I will try to take a photo of it and include it here.
I am pretty sure the tie down anchors were not Cerakoted, as it lacks the grittiness of the stuff, and therefore probably molecular surface adhesion. The tie down points are exceptionally secure; despite securing 60 pounds of gas and 40 pounds of water, respectively, and driving a huge distance, I never retightened the mounts on my trip. Excellent designs, simple and robust, made of thick, coated steel. The other design of tie town anchor was also secured with four bolts and two long nuts each (the long nuts made aligning in the t-slot channels a breeze--another recommendation would be to use them in every situation feasible), but with a vertical, perpendicular mount welded to the flat plate that was secured to the crossbars via t-slot nuts. the vertically vs. horizontally oriented anchors serve different purposes, but could hold a larger static load than I'm sure the crossbars could handle.
The tie downs which Patrick made for the rails are each secured with 4 (four!) hex bolts, which mate with a t-slot nut that goes into the crossbar channels. Lining them up can be a PITA, (for the individual t slot nuts) but once you install them, it only takes one revolution of backing off to move the position of the tie downs, so it's not a problem. Furthermore, without some significant change to fasteners, there's no changing it. As previously stated, two different types of tie downs were sent to me: 1) a type which was flat, and 2) another which had a vertical tie down. Both worked exceptionally well, but I'm sure will serve different purposes for different people. I think you should manufacture both of these, Patrick.
The tent mounts were sent, four in number, to be placed at each of the four corners of the tent, allowing it to mate with the rack cross bars. The adapter/mount is attached to the crossbar with the T-slot nut/bolt, and the tent is connected to the mount with one of the bolts sent with the tent, usually connected to roof rack crossbars in a u-bolt configuration. Patrick sent me photos via email, which I have included, as they are the same as what I received, except he sent some adhesive rubber pads, as well, to place on the square parts of the mounts, to prevent rubbing and vibration between the tent and the crossbars. It worked super well, and the only hassle is installing and removing the tent, because the super long bolts which came with it are difficult to install and remove while on the rack. However, 1) this is effectively a theft-deterrence, because it took an hour to remove the tent and 2) you can use shorter bolts and everything will be simpler.
Lastly, the awning mounts were sent, Cerakoted and welded out of 1/4" steel, designed to be attached to the crossbars with the long t-nuts (the convenient ones), and a large enough hole to mount my ARB 1250 awning to. There was only one issue which led me to cursing, when performing a rush install the night before the trip, and that was the configuration of the center hole in the awning mount. I needed to remove the crossbar to feed in the t-nut into the channel of two of them, which would hold the awning mount. Because I had already installed the tent, access to this would prove exceptionally difficult. I ultimately drilled two holes slightly larger than the diameter of my hex wrench (#4 I believe for all bolts), and used them to loosen and tighten the crossbar bolts to the frame rails, when I had installed the awning mount for the final time. Although this issue would have been alleviated by installing the awning/mount combo before the tent and its respective mounts, (or mounts at the same time), I am dumb. I believe two holes, one placed on either side of the center hole (I will try to post photos for reference, but MUD is being difficult) will be necessary to remove and replace the crossbars and components attached to it in the future.
For reference, I was in the desert, two blizzards, rainstorms; regularly stood on the awning mount and crossbars (mounts were super sturdy; crossbars will flex in the middle, so stand next to where it mates to the frame rails) to remove/install the tent rainfly or other things...it is super robust. I never had to adjust anything up there.
Overall, I am very grateful to @dogfishlake and his super customer service, and thoughtful designs. I am a loyal customer, and will gladly buy whatever he's making. Great price, great customer service, simple assembly, and strong design? Get this stuff.
Thanks, guys.
Jamie
It all began last fall, when I left my job and wanted something more out of my life (as dramatic as it sounds), I ended up purchasing a 1995 80 Series, locally, and beginning to make some changes to it. There's a long list, but I rebuilt the front axles, changed all the fluids, changed belts, pulleys, idler pulleys, fan, fan clutch, front seats, speakers, head unit, and more. The details of the trip and my repairs can be found on our blog: landcruisnusa.blogspot.com. We travelled about 7000 miles (maybe a little more), and camped out almost every night for a month. We went offroad in Sedona, AZ and various parts of the Southwest, offroad in the CA desert, and spent plenty of time in our tent, which resided on top of this rack, or loading and unloading the water/gas, which was secured with the modular tie-down points from Bowfin Cruisers. The Awning attachment system is awesome, and exceptionally sturdy, as well. As a fellow engineer, I must congratulate Patrick, owner of Bowfin Cruisers on his exceptionally thoughtful designs. I have a few recommendations here for refinement, but that's about it.
When I set out to go on a cross-country journey with my wife in the 80, I knew my options for storage and sleeping well, because I was always looking at 80s enviously, when I had a rust bucket project of a 40 (rest in peace, dear one). We ultimately selected the option of an RTT (and therefore a sturdy roof rack), and the LandShark KISS drawers instead of in-cabin sleeping, because: 1) it eliminated the need to purchase extra storage or some sleek external storage (i.e. BIO, SLEE, or 4x4 LABS bumpers with bike rack storage, etc.) since we were/are on a budget during the build and travel (I will still take money for the adventure over money for bling, any day).
I mention all of these things to illustrate the needs which we were trying to meet from the outset of our trip with our purchase of the Bowfin Cruisers Rack, and the needs which it succeeded in meeting, and ultimately surpassing expectations. Furthermore, Patrick @dogfishlake, is a stand-up guy and did a ton for me: 1) he cut me in on the "first 10 buyers" deal, which I desperately needed at the time of the initial build, 2) he express-fabricated and shipped 2 types of 4 tie downs (of each type), maintaining constant communication with me and was trying to make my post-existential crisis, pre-grad school trip a reality. In return, he only wanted me to post a review of the rack, tie downs, awning mounts, and RTT mounts in return (I also paid for them, obviously). Sorry this is late, Patrick.
First, the assembly of the rack was very simple, and intuitive. Everything was labeled, and looking at the initial forum which Patrick posted regarding the design, I assembled everything and placed it, with my wife, on top of the truck. Unfortunately, when attempting to install the wind fairing (I elected for the non-LED version), I realized that the rails were mismatched (i.e. L was on R, and vice versa). I would like to recommend that these are labeled with a printer label or something, prior to shipping, for dummies like me. The bend/angle differences were noticeable, but i forgot that they could be different. Unscrewing the nylock nuts was an annoying experience, but it was very simple, and gave me a good feel for how modular the system is.
Many people have critically noted how similar the Bowfin Cruisers design is to a PrInSu one. The rails (aluminum extrusions with T-slot channels), being the primary format of the mounting for the rack system, is indeed, similar. However, as many people also noted, the Bowfin rack has a few things that the PrInSu one lacks (although I have no direct experience with them): 1) an exceptionally secure, simple and sleek system by which the rack is mounted and secured to the rain gutters/roof of the truck. 2) Patrick's devotion to a) Land Cruisers and his ability to personally test fit and the effective modularity of accessories because he owns various models (PrInSu is Tacoma-oriented...) b) MUD members; he was unnecessarily kind in offering to support me so much in the lead up to this trip. 3) and perhaps, most importantly and a combination of 1 and 2, Patrick is willing and capable of designing, prototyping, and fabricating various designs which meet the needs of MUDders. While it isn't reasonable for him to do one-off designs, most of our needs are generally the same.
The rack cross bars, 2"x 1" cross-section black anodized extruded aluminum t-slot rails, have two hex nuts securing the bar to either side of the rail, to which it perpendicularly mates (4 total). The major components which are not aluminum, but steel, are coated with Cerakote. This is a hyper-durable ceramic-polymer coating which is used on weapons, helmets, etc. for durability with the military and some other civilian applications. The Cerakote on my fairing and double-spaced oval nuts (for maintaining appropriate spacing between hex bolts when installing the cross bars, and to minimize the effects of normal force and applied strain on between the bar and the rails, stood up exceptionally well, and still has not chipped, like it can do from time-to-time. However, in the tie down points, after many cycles of installing and removing jerry cans and a 8 gallon water jug from the front two cross bars every night, some chips have developed on the eyelets. I will try to take a photo of it and include it here.
I am pretty sure the tie down anchors were not Cerakoted, as it lacks the grittiness of the stuff, and therefore probably molecular surface adhesion. The tie down points are exceptionally secure; despite securing 60 pounds of gas and 40 pounds of water, respectively, and driving a huge distance, I never retightened the mounts on my trip. Excellent designs, simple and robust, made of thick, coated steel. The other design of tie town anchor was also secured with four bolts and two long nuts each (the long nuts made aligning in the t-slot channels a breeze--another recommendation would be to use them in every situation feasible), but with a vertical, perpendicular mount welded to the flat plate that was secured to the crossbars via t-slot nuts. the vertically vs. horizontally oriented anchors serve different purposes, but could hold a larger static load than I'm sure the crossbars could handle.
The tie downs which Patrick made for the rails are each secured with 4 (four!) hex bolts, which mate with a t-slot nut that goes into the crossbar channels. Lining them up can be a PITA, (for the individual t slot nuts) but once you install them, it only takes one revolution of backing off to move the position of the tie downs, so it's not a problem. Furthermore, without some significant change to fasteners, there's no changing it. As previously stated, two different types of tie downs were sent to me: 1) a type which was flat, and 2) another which had a vertical tie down. Both worked exceptionally well, but I'm sure will serve different purposes for different people. I think you should manufacture both of these, Patrick.
The tent mounts were sent, four in number, to be placed at each of the four corners of the tent, allowing it to mate with the rack cross bars. The adapter/mount is attached to the crossbar with the T-slot nut/bolt, and the tent is connected to the mount with one of the bolts sent with the tent, usually connected to roof rack crossbars in a u-bolt configuration. Patrick sent me photos via email, which I have included, as they are the same as what I received, except he sent some adhesive rubber pads, as well, to place on the square parts of the mounts, to prevent rubbing and vibration between the tent and the crossbars. It worked super well, and the only hassle is installing and removing the tent, because the super long bolts which came with it are difficult to install and remove while on the rack. However, 1) this is effectively a theft-deterrence, because it took an hour to remove the tent and 2) you can use shorter bolts and everything will be simpler.
Lastly, the awning mounts were sent, Cerakoted and welded out of 1/4" steel, designed to be attached to the crossbars with the long t-nuts (the convenient ones), and a large enough hole to mount my ARB 1250 awning to. There was only one issue which led me to cursing, when performing a rush install the night before the trip, and that was the configuration of the center hole in the awning mount. I needed to remove the crossbar to feed in the t-nut into the channel of two of them, which would hold the awning mount. Because I had already installed the tent, access to this would prove exceptionally difficult. I ultimately drilled two holes slightly larger than the diameter of my hex wrench (#4 I believe for all bolts), and used them to loosen and tighten the crossbar bolts to the frame rails, when I had installed the awning mount for the final time. Although this issue would have been alleviated by installing the awning/mount combo before the tent and its respective mounts, (or mounts at the same time), I am dumb. I believe two holes, one placed on either side of the center hole (I will try to post photos for reference, but MUD is being difficult) will be necessary to remove and replace the crossbars and components attached to it in the future.
For reference, I was in the desert, two blizzards, rainstorms; regularly stood on the awning mount and crossbars (mounts were super sturdy; crossbars will flex in the middle, so stand next to where it mates to the frame rails) to remove/install the tent rainfly or other things...it is super robust. I never had to adjust anything up there.
Overall, I am very grateful to @dogfishlake and his super customer service, and thoughtful designs. I am a loyal customer, and will gladly buy whatever he's making. Great price, great customer service, simple assembly, and strong design? Get this stuff.
Thanks, guys.
Jamie
