RTT Weight on kzj78 Prado

[Fkutsu78]

Hello, I recently bought a 1995 Toyota land cruiser Prado KZJ78 in the Phoenix area. I’m super pumped about it and found a really good deal on an ALU cab GEN 3.1 rooftop tent and attached shadow awning. I have been searching for a roof rack and I am thinking a gamiviti flat rack, total would be about 270 lbs, but after doing more research, it seems the rain gutter limit is supposed to be under 220 lbs, and the KZJ78 Prado is very susceptible to body roll. I already feel the body roll a little bit without anything on the roof. I am on 33 inch BF Goodrich tires and a 2 inch dobbinsins lift. Is the Alu cab RTT and awning too much for the Prado? I don’t want the body roll and cumbersome feeling to drive me insane. Should I switch to a much lighter rooftop tent or has anyone else had a heavy set up like this?

 

[DrRock]

I run a James Baroud RTT on my 60 with roughly the same lift. I would say the gutters should support that load as long as you run 3+ cross members. Talk to @nakman at Gamiviti as he makes a great product and can offer good guidance, based on your load.As far as the top heavy/handling aspect is concerned, I run Dobinsons MRR shocks and bump up the low speed compression. This really helps control the body roll on the street while cornering. @crikeymike might have other suggestions in the shock department too if the MRR’s don’t fit your budget.

Cheers, James

 

[crikeymike]

I run a James Baroud RTT on my 60 with roughly the same lift. I would say the gutters should support that load as long as you run 3 cross members. As far as the top heavy/handling aspect is concerned, I run Dobinsons MRR shocks and bump up the low speed compression. This really helps control the body roll on the street while cornering. @crikeymike might have other suggestions in the shock department too if the MRR’s don’t fit your budget.

Cheers, James

Good call on the cross bars. More can only help!!

 

[FJBen]

Not sure how up to date you are on the Prado cooling issues or what’s been done to it, but I would make sure it’s All up to snuff before adding more drag to it.

Heat is the enemy of these Prado IDI engines and you are in Phoenix.

 

[Fkutsu78]

Not sure how up to date you are on the Prado cooling issues or what’s been done to it, but I would make sure it’s All up to snuff before adding more drag to it.

Heat is the enemy of these Prado IDI engines and you are in Phoenix.

It’s got custom intercooler, 3 in exhaust, EGR D, adjustable boost, all the works under the hood

 

[Fkutsu78]

I run a James Baroud RTT on my 60 with roughly the same lift. I would say the gutters should support that load as long as you run 3+ cross members. Talk to @nakman at Gamiviti as he makes a great product and can offer good guidance, based on your load.As far as the top heavy/handling aspect is concerned, I run Dobinsons MRR shocks and bump up the low speed compression. This really helps control the body roll on the street while cornering. @crikeymike might have other suggestions in the shock department too if the MRR’s don’t fit your budget.

Cheers, James

Yeah I was thinking the Gamiviti flat rack, pretty bare for weight. So it will have 8 rain gutter legs and cross bars to distribute weight.

 

[Rigster]

Yeah I was thinking the Gamiviti flat rack, pretty bare for weight. So it will have 8 rain gutter legs and cross bars to distribute weight.

You will be fine.

300lbs/8 legs = 37.5lbs per leg on the sill

I appreciate and agree with keeping weight down up top to try to maintain a reasonable center of gravity. Are the sway bars still in place? What are the condition of the bushings?

 

[nakman]

this is a good discussion, also thanks for the kind props! keep the weight down, keep the weight distributed across multiple points, all good stuff. quoting my own website for weight capacity... all the same stuff.

Best answer is “more than you should put on your roof.” You should always keep your weight as low as possible, and also as low on the vehicle as possible, as too much weight on your roof can be dangerous. That said, these are not light duty racks. And they are certainly up to whatever combination of roof tent, tire, fuel, awning, traction board, gear case, firewood, jack, shovel, and solar panel combination you have in mind. But our recommendation will always be to keep the weight as low as possible, and how you load your rack is your resposibility. That said, we guarantee & warranty the structural integrity of the racks and towers forever.

My only new suggestion is really make sure you like RTT living before plunking down the coin on a really heavy and expensive setup- maybe borrow a cheap one, toss in on a couple Yakima bars just to see if you like it first. I can't name more than a couple people who after 10+ years of doing this still like RTT's... most everyone has moved on to sleeping inside the truck, or a trailer, or a simple ground tent. But you should definitely try out a few times!

pretty picture of a KZJ78... thanks again for this one Matt!