Lowering a full size truck with RTT for garage height clearance...

Oman4x4

Laurie Bridger
Do you already own the rtt? Is there another option that might work better? Why not mount the rtt on the brute, and just use the raptor for dd and day trips?

Yep - had bought the RTT for the Brute. Then the Brute was taking too long to build and I have all this nice expedition gear sitting here waiting so sold the daily driver and picked up a Raptor to have something to enjoy off road this season, plus the Raptor is way more practical and is something I've wanted for a while.


Actually - funny history...

Bought the FJ-45 Toyota Pickup thinking that's about as close as I'll get to having an AEV Brute.
Then did the AEV Brute thinking I can build up a hell of a nice Jeep for what the Raptor would cost.
Now have the Raptor.

The new plan is that the Raptor and the Brute (and maybe the FJ45) will all have the same mounting points on the top of the base rack so the "basket" which has the RTT, Lightbar and Awnings can be moved between them. I'll build a frame with an electric winch on it to make it easy to lift off of one vehicle and transfer to the other. Last night I designed some mounting plates that will press braked to 45 degrees around the outside so that they self-centre the bolt holes when dropping it down off the hoist. Removing / Re-attaching should be nice and easy.


Still, in future might look at making the Raptor air-sprung in the rear so it can squat down.
 

Buliwyf

Viking with a Hammer
Just take the rack off the day before as needed. We do it all the time at work if we get a lame city job in a garage.

Curious what kind of work do you do in garages? Why use a Raptor as a work truck? Why not get a beater van or F150?
 

Oman4x4

Laurie Bridger
Just take the rack off the day before as needed. We do it all the time at work if we get a lame city job in a garage.

Curious what kind of work do you do in garages? Why use a Raptor as a work truck? Why not get a beater van or F150?

Why a Raptor - well primarily bought it for it's off road capabilities - and daily driver practicality of having 5 seats, workable leg-room, a truck bed etc. over the Toyota 86's impracticality.

It's way overkill for the drive to / from work for sure, but there's not really a need to have a Raptor for the weekend and a different truck for the week... have already got enough other cars to play with. The Raptor's just the most comfortable daily driver of my toys with enough seats and cargo capacity.
 

Binksman

Observer
What about making an adjustable rack, rather than folding (assuming you are building the rack). Sleeve the vertical posts of the rack so you can raise and lower it as needed and use hitch pins or something similar to hold things in place. You could lift it manually or use a trailer jack to raise and lower it. I've seen a couple ladder racks on other trucks that use a similar setup to load motorcycles or tall items while keeping the load rack usable.

I appreciate the idea of lowering the tent for clearance (in my case fuel mileage) but having it high enough for awnings :)
 

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