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Roof Top Tent on a Suburban - Help!

Looking impressive with a lot of cool stuff you can do to that! That ramp on the back is strong enough that you could drive a quad up on it right?
 
Brooks said:
Seriously digging that set up. Any idea what that weighs?
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The trailer was about 1200 lbs. With all of my add-ons and the tent, I'd estimate 1550-1600 lbs. The axle is good to 3500 lbs.
Travis said:
Looking impressive with a lot of cool stuff you can do to that! That ramp on the back is strong enough that you could drive a quad up on it right?
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Thanks! I'm not sure what the ramp's capacity is. Probably 1000-1200 lbs or so. Definitely heavy duty enough for a quad, motorcycle, etc...
 
Kyle Martin said:
Any updates?
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So far so good! Camped along Lake Superior in the middle of nowhere on the north edge of the U.P. of Michigan last weekend. Nighttime temps got down to 42* one night. I stayed warm in the tent and slept like a baby. No problems hauling all of out gear and 3 kayaks in the trailer. We did 10 miles of the Two hearted River and it was beautiful. I'm seriously considering buying a new 4runner TRD next month and having the option of putting the tent on that. This will get me get down some trails that the trailer can't travel down.

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That is so cool with how much you are able to carry in that rig of yours. Thanks for sharing the shots!
 
Frank Vos said:
That is so cool with how much you are able to carry in that rig of yours. Thanks for sharing the shots!
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Thanks! I probably should have mentioned more about the trailer contents. On this trip, it hauled 3 kayaks, a Blackstone tailgater grille, a propane tank, cornhole set, enough firewood for 2 nights, a 50L tote with camp gear, two 50L coolers, a 10x10 canopy, and a bunch of smaller things. next up is to fabricate a better way to haul the kayaks.

I'm also picking up a newer 4runner next month, so this tent will bounce between it and the trailer. It'll be nice to have it on the trips that the trailer cannot traverse.
 
Bacon Boy said:
Smart, good plan. How often are you getting out?
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Not as often as I'd like. I run a fabrication business and stay stupid-busy throughout the summer. Hoping to get out again in August and September. Having the 4runner will hopefully help encourage me to make more time for camping trips.
 
Mike Clark said:
Did you pick up a new truck? I thought you had a Suburban?
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Yup! Well, I will in 2 days. I'm keeping both Suburbans and adding a 4runner TRD ORP to the fleet. I've quickly learned that some of the best places to camp are places my Suburbans can't go.
 
SuedePflow said:
Well, I got the trailer set up this weekend. I fabbed up this apparatus that bolts to the trailer and holds the tent. Zero blockage of the rearview mirror and plenty of storage under the tent. Using the trailer for the tent is nice because I can disconnect the vehicle and leave camp set-up. And the trailer will house everything else I bring (gear, grill, firewood, fuel, generator, etc...) I also welded on corner jacks to stabilize the trailer. Looking forward to it's maiden voyage in a couple weeks!

I'm still waiting for my Rhino Rack to come in. But it will be nice to have the option to use the tend on the trailer or the Suburban.

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Damn, that’s one heck of a trailer bro!
 
SuedePflow said:
I called a couple manufacturers and here's what I learned. Roof racks have two ratings, but only 1 is ever advertised. There is a dynamic load racing and a static load rating. The dynamic rating, which is what we see advertised, is the amount of weight that the roof rack can support while the vehicle is in motion. The static load rating is the amount of weight a roof system can handle while the vehicle is parked. This static rating is rarely shared because the limitation is often the vehicle's roof rather than the manufacturer's rack system. I don't know why manufacturers of roof rack systems don't share this info about how the ratings work...

I also have no clue how to discover the actual rating of the roof of a vehicle. One manufacturer stated a good rule of thumb is ~800 lbs. At this point, I'm confident that I can max out my tent's capacity at 910 lbs total roof weight. I'll be going with a Rhino Vortex roof rack system.
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I missed this post. Thank you. A buddy of mine has a Suburban and was in the same boat as you last year. He dropped the mods on this truck and continued with his Jeep build. That roof rack situation was a brick wall for him. How has this Rhino Vortex worked out for you?
 
Dirt Dude said:
I missed this post. Thank you. A buddy of mine has a Suburban and was in the same boat as you last year. He dropped the mods on this truck and continued with his Jeep build. That roof rack situation was a brick wall for him. How has this Rhino Vortex worked out for you?
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The Rhino bars are leaps and bounds nicer and stronger than the OEM ones. I honestly haven't used them much, but they have worked well. Especially nicer to haul kayaks on the roof. Zero issues with holding a RTT though.
 
Since I'm updating this thread; The RTT has been awesome on the 4runner too. I swapped in a 2nd battery, portable fridge, solar panels, etc... I can now camp comfortable with zero amenities (sewer, water, electricity, etc) for at least 4-5 days.

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