Lets talk shells, caps or toppers.....

[Grover]

Hello all,
Its final, my 2011 Taco Dbl cab LB is on its way, should be to the dealer on 01/14/2011. So I need the forums expertise on upgrades. I am interested in putting shell on it, to secure gear and sleep under. I have read ALOT about the merits of the various brands but still had one question.

Should I order it with the roof top Thule tracks or with the Thule Artificial Rain gutters. Both support a Thule rack, the tracks load the feet to the top of the roof while it appears the rain gutters are mounted on the side. Is one perferred and which will allow the rack to have the lowest profile?

Thanks for the advice.

 

[Tacovendor]

I have the Thule tracks and a Bajarack one an ARE shell. The other option is to have windoors they are really nice.

 

[rynosurf]

First of all get a shell with a front window not a boot. I bought my Snugtop with a boot because the dealer said the new style boots are better than the old ones and it wont ruin your paint job...he was wrong, plus it squeaks like crazy when it gets wet.

Check out the Snugtop pro series http://www.snugtop.com/products/snugpro.php

It is not really low profile but you can carry a heavier load. You can also order them with regular windows.

 

[Flagster]

Are you set on Thule?...I have Yakima side loaders that allow use of the 1a raingutter towers...very solid setup that has worked well for years...if you do drill your topper, I recommend a marine grade silicone caulk/sealant. I haven't had a leak yet.

 

[robert]

I really, really, really wish I had ordered the Windoors and the drop down front slider window. The windoors would make it so much easier to get stuff in and out of the bed and the drop down window would make for easier cleaning. I need to pull mine and redo the gasket under it so I'll clean it then, but it would be nice to be able to do it whenever I wanted to.

I also wish I had gone with the top that's slightly above the truck's roof level. They just give a bit more headroom.

I put Yakima tracks on myself; just make sure you don't drill through the honeycomb reinforcing part in the center (you can't miss it when you look as it's thicker). So far no leaks and I like being able to move the bars; it's come in handy a few times when I've moved odd sized loads.

Definitely get the screened windows of some sort for better ventilation.

 

[Tim A]

I purchased an ARE V series with the Yakima tracks, windoor (only on the driver's side), and front sliding window. If I had to do it all over again I'd just add a windoor on the passenger side. Also, user "tomesd" has a cool Front Runner rack that attaches using it's own tracks that may tickle your fancy. It'd be great to put an RTT up there on the Front Runner if sleeping in the shell gets tight. (which is does for me and the wife (and dog))

 

[tomesd]

I chose the frontrunner rack due to it's low profile and how modular it is...

 

[fourfa]

I put Yakima tracks on myself; just make sure you don't drill through the honeycomb reinforcing part in the center (you can't miss it when you look as it's thicker). So far no leaks and I like being able to move the bars; it's come in handy a few times when I've moved odd sized loads.

Curious about this as I'm doing the same soon. I want to keep my Megawarrior as low profile as possible, and mounting the tracks directly under the megawarrior rails would be simple as heck. But I would have to drill through the thicker honeycombed part. What happens if you do?

 

[Tacovendor]

I have had a leer shell and drilled the approx. 30 holes for the tracks and its a lot of work. Now i have the ARE and they installed the tracks at the factory. I asked about putting the tracks closer together and they (ARE) said that you want to stay out of the honeycombed area due to its part of the roofs structural design to keep it from sagging, also if it leaks it can cause problems between the interior and exterior panels.

 

[oxi]

I am going to rig this DCC Wedge cap:

http://www.leerfleet.com/Commercial-Caps

and install a Slimline roof basket on top of the cab with foilage wires as part of my Phase II build this spring...

 

[Grover]

Thanks for the replies, both options are available factory installed and available from all the big three manufacturers. I am looking to get a midrise shell (the one that sits about 6 inches above the cap) so I really want to mount the roof rack as low as possible. The dealer didn't have any details of which is stronger or would allow the rack to be mounted closest to the shell. Unfortunetly, I think I know more about shells than most dealers now since I have been doing so much reading and I am a little OCD. So here are the two rack mounting options.

Artificial Rain Gutters

Thule roof mounted rails
http://www.carrackadvice.com/yakima...ent/2006-dodge-ram-are-camper-shell-rack-414/

Opinions?

Oh yeah, thank you Bajataco for the photo I swiped from the internet :drool:

 

[4x4x4doors]

On the issue of cleaning the windows, they make a long skinny mit/brush that will work if you don't have the drop down windows.
Here's one There are others

 

[robert]

Curious about this as I'm doing the same soon. I want to keep my Megawarrior as low profile as possible, and mounting the tracks directly under the megawarrior rails would be simple as heck. But I would have to drill through the thicker honeycombed part. What happens if you do?

From what I gathered while researching it, it's harder to tighten the fasteners tight without crushing the honeycomb part. I don't know how true that is or if you could use some sort of fender washer, but it looks better mounted out further in my opinion and it lowered the rack slightly due to the curved surface. I figured it's probably stronger out towards the edge too since the force is directed down the sides instead of onto the top. I could be completely wrong, but I've loaded over 200#s* on mine and so far no apparent issues.

* Had a couple of boats up top and a bike. I've also put a load of 2x4s up there. Never offroaded it with anything other than a bike and/or a single boat.

 

[Dave Bennett]

If I were buying a shell I'd look at the SnugPro.

 

[musicmaan]

Niiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiice Rig dude!!!