ARCHIVE Tired of all the "same", big honking RTT's. So I made a new one. - Terrapod!

[pigeonfarmboy]

New personal dilemma: I planned to buy an Alu-Cab Shadow Awning on Friday and mount that to my Eezi-Awn K9 Rack and Set the Terrapod on top. Alu-Cab just discontinued the mounts sighting mount bracket failures and lack of demand. What 270° Awnings will mount to the side of the Terrapod? (I really dislike the Rhino-Rack design)
I'm not convinced the single t-slot is a good solution for that weight but willing to consider other's opinions.

 

[JJBiggs]

New personal dilemma: I planned to buy an Alu-Cab Shadow Awning on Friday and mount that to my Eezi-Awn K9 Rack and Set the Terrapod on top. Alu-Cab just discontinued the mounts sighting mount bracket failures and lack of demand. What 270° Awnings will mount to the side of the Terrapod? (I really dislike the Rhino-Rack design)
I'm not convinced the single t-slot is a good solution for that weight but willing to consider other's opinions.

Wow... 3-4 different branded products, all with similar but different methods of mounting to various systems in one place. The answer is simple - custom fab will be required when trying fit that many different products together in this manner.

Regarding the 270˚ awning - we prefer the Rhino-Rack / OZ Tent awnings & accessories. The mounting of these is simple and works VERY well with the heavy-duty tracks on the tent's crossbars (5/16" bolts). This is how we mount our awnings and accessories with zero issues over many, many miles. (I'll try to grab a photo in the daylight tomorrow.)

Side note - One of our testers (80 series with gutter mounts) mounted a 270˚ awning, but I am uncertain which brand.

C

 

[pigeonfarmboy]

Wow... 3-4 different branded products, all with similar but different methods of mounting to various systems in one place. The answer is simple - custom fab will be required when trying fit that many different products together in this manner.

Regarding the 270˚ awning - we prefer the Rhino-Rack / OZ Tent awnings & accessories. The mounting of these is simple and works VERY well with the heavy-duty tracks on the tent's crossbars (5/16" bolts). This is how we mount our awnings and accessories with zero issues over many, many miles. (I'll try to grab a photo in the daylight tomorrow.)

Side note - One of our testers (80 series with gutter mounts) mounted a 270˚ awning, but I am uncertain which brand.

C

Those photos should be helpful. Also if the 80-Series owner chimes in.
I'm not against losing the K9 rack as I got a set of gutter mounts in case something like this happened.
Going to be tough to convince me the Batwing design isn't flawed. Instead of addressing droopy outriggers, they've chosen to include extra pivot mounts for WHEN they break.

 

[smittycrusher]

I have the Foxwing on my 80 with trail tailor gutter mounts. It works great for me. I don’t have any photos with it deployed as I rarely actually deploy it. Only in rain or when in desert and need shade. Here are some photos where you can see the awning...just not deployed.

 

[JJBiggs]

Here are the detail photos.

A couple notes:
- The production version of the tent: you will need a 1/8" spacer for the bracket's rear bolt
- Really like the Rhino-Rack/OZ Tent L-brackets. Really thick and beefy (Ignore the notch I cut into mine. Was experimenting.)
- Not only can you mount accessories to the tent, the tent's crossbars allow for the larger heavier items with ease.

Photos:

 

[pigeonfarmboy]

I have the Foxwing on my 80 with trail tailor gutter mounts. It works great for me. I don’t have any photos with it deployed as I rarely actually deploy it. Only in rain or when in desert and need shade. Here are some photos where you can see the awning...just not deployed.

Looks like you're not using the cross bars. You're mounting the gutter mount top directly through the tent floor and mounting the awning directly to the Gutter Mounts?

Here are the detail photos.

A couple notes:
- The production version of the tent: you will need a 1/8" spacer for the bracket's rear bolt
- Really like the Rhino-Rack/OZ Tent L-brackets. Really thick and beefy (Ignore the notch I cut into mine. Was experimenting.)
- Not only can you mount accessories to the tent, the tent's crossbars allow for the larger heavier items with ease.

Photos:

That gives me something to go on. Thanks for taking the time to reply and get photos.

 

[JJBiggs]

Looks like you're not using the cross bars. You're mounting the gutter mount top directly through the tent floor and mounting the awning directly to the Gutter Mounts?

That is prototype #3. Both #2 & #3 were direct mounted. This is before the custom extrusion was created for the production version.

C

 

[Miloslavich]

can the production version be direct mounted to trailtaylor's mounts - as pictured, or no? (no crossbars, lower profile)

 

[JJBiggs]

No sir. The prototypes were built with special internal mounting plates to accommodate the mounts. This was before the bars. Once the bars were added, it opened up the tent to more vehicles and methods of mounting.

C

 

[acarlton]

Both bottom tracks remain untouched and available. The height might be affected, but only minimally. The rack will protrude minimally as the side material matches the hinge itself. That said - the only change from previous posts, this is an integrated rack and must be assembled during production.

C

How much does this add to the height of the tent? With a modest lift, my Prinsu rack is at ~6'5", trying to decide if it's worth trying to stay under 7' for garages, although TIL our current garage in the house we rent is only 6'9", so I don't think I'm fitting in this garage either way. (Also this math doesn't account for a change in ride height w/ the added weight on the roof...) I do like the idea of being able to mount snowboards up top though.

 

[JJBiggs]

can the production version be direct mounted to trailtaylor's mounts - as pictured, or no? (no crossbars, lower profile)

How much does this add to the height of the tent? With a modest lift, my Prinsu rack is at ~6'5", trying to decide if it's worth trying to stay under 7' for garages, although TIL our current garage in the house we rent is only 6'9", so I don't think I'm fitting in this garage either way. (Also this math doesn't account for a change in ride height w/ the added weight on the roof...) I do like the idea of being able to mount snowboards up top though.

The standard / average garage door is 7'.

Utilizing the Rhino-Rack Backbone, the RTTx is at a height of approx 7.5" from the highest point of the roof line (the crown). With my 4Runner running approx a 3" lift and 275 tires I fit in a 7' door. (Picture below. Note - we measured the height of the door).

Every vehicle is a little different. When combined with different lifts, tires, aftermarket parts, etc...results will vary. We recommend to everyone measure carefully.

 

[acarlton]

The standard / average garage door is 7'.

Utilizing the Rhino-Rack Backbone, the RTTx is at a height of approx 7.5" from the highest point of the roof line (the crown). With my 4Runner running approx a 3" lift and 275 tires I fit in a 7' door. (Picture below. Note - we measured the height of the door).

Every vehicle is a little different. When combined with different lifts, tires, aftermarket parts, etc...results will vary. We recommend to everyone measure carefully.

Sorry, not sure I was clear in my question. How much height does the medium-weight rated roof rack that will go on top of the tent add? The one where you mention needs to be added during production.

 

[JJBiggs]

Sorry, not sure I was clear in my question. How much height does the medium-weight rated roof rack that will go on top of the tent add? The one where you mention needs to be added during production.

The lid rack adds about 2" of height. Sorry about that.

C

 

[tincan45]

Is the crossbar rail spacing under the RTTX fixed? Or is that determined at install? Only curious because I'm almost certain I will be going with the rhino-rack backbone and wondering how that install will play out. By the way, I think it's awesome I don't have to get the pioneer rack saving weight/cost and decreasing install height! Very excited about this setup.

 

[JJBiggs]

Is the crossbar rail spacing under the RTTX fixed? Or is that determined at install? Only curious because I'm almost certain I will be going with the rhino-rack backbone and wondering how that install will play out. By the way, I think it's awesome I don't have to get the pioneer rack saving weight/cost and decreasing install height! Very excited about this setup.

Via the Backbones, yes. There are 3 tabs on each upright. The crossbars bolt directly to those. On the tent, they are adjustable forward and aft to accommodate different methods of mounting.

Nice to see everyone understanding the direction. After really looking into the tents. Having the added weight, height, and lack of aero with a rack, made zero sense. The RR Backbones are perfect.

Side note - other similar uprights will also work, as long as there are mounting points for the crossbars.

C

 

[JJBiggs]

Finally - Some progress to report. Final fitment of the production fabric.
Production is now green.

Some Finishing Details:

 

[Exiled]

I am so fired up about these, mine was one of the last ones thru Kickstarter, after months of research and much hemming and hawing (this is a big expense), I decided to go with a Terrapod and I am REALLY looking forward to it! The tents look great so far and your communication has been top notch. I'm not going to lie, using Land Cruisers to develop and test the prototypes helped me make a decision.

 

[JJBiggs]

I am so fired up about these, mine was one of the last ones thru Kickstarter, after months of research and much hemming and hawing (this is a big expense), I decided to go with a Terrapod and I am REALLY looking forward to it! The tents look great so far and your communication has been top notch. I'm not going to lie, using Land Cruisers to develop and test the prototypes helped me make a decision.

Love this. This is exactly why I decided to do this. Thank you for your energy and excitement. I will not let you guys down. I am pouring everything I have into making Terrapod come to life. Thanks for being a part of it.

C

 

[JJBiggs]

Latest update. Rainfly in place.

 

[Miloslavich]

Hey Chad, love the updates, keep them coming!

you've probably thought this one thru already but maybe toss on some nice zipper pulls on those YKK's? would be a nice finishing touch. Like some 3mm glowwire reflective paracord & some generic clasp zipper pull ends would be an easy and functional thing you could toss on those zippers for your early adopters