Urander Installation

[the43k]

This is the first step. We have a bunch of really cool things being added to this and it's also going to help with aerodynamics when we attach our Hyper Camper.

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[the43k]

What does everybody think of the look of this thing?

 

[the43k]

Why we bought it.

 

[BrickBungalow]

I'm close to ordering this or something similar. Is there data on range impact for driving with a roof top tent?

 

[Urander]

I'm close to ordering this or something similar. Is there data on range impact for driving with a roof top tent?

 

[Cybergirl]

I received my Urander bed rack today and excited about installing it tomorrow. I've examined the contents of the four banded cardboard boxes it arrived in. The interior cutout foam packaging kept everything very secure and protected., I'm pleased with the quality of the components, as well. I plan to put a roof top tent on top of the rack for overland adventures. I'll use a tire hoist to lift my spare underneath a couple of rack cross members at the rear above the tonneau leaving the vault free for other cargo.

 

[65SoYoLO]

Why we bought it.

you could probably transport a lion in that cage!

 

[Cybergirl]

I installed my new Urander bed rack yesterday. I had fun assembling it , and everything worked out well. I got some complements from neighbors on the look.

It took the whole day from morning to evening to install it. I only needed help when it came to lifting the crossbar assembly onto the pillar/molle sides. I strongly recommend laying out all the parts on the floor (on rugs or matts) before starting assembly to avoid confusion and mistakes. There was one time I had to make a small modification to a component. I had to enlarge four holes with a rat-tail file to bolt together the upper side rails. If I was doing it again, I'd buy Allen wrench sockets instead of using plain Allen wrenches in order to speed up the assembly process. There are a lot of bolts used to join the various parts and most have Allen heads. There's a YouTube video that explains the assembly process which is essential to watch since no assembly instructions come with the product.

I'm driving to City of Industry, CA next week to pick up my Inspired Overland Carbonlite roof top tent which I'll mount on top of the bed rack. I'll measure my CT's efficiency on the trip without the RTT, and again on the way back with the RTT in place. My CT driving efficiency after 10K miles is currently 431 Wh/mi, mostly interstate highway miles.

This bed rack is, for all intents and purposes, a permanent modification. It can be removed by removing eight bolts that attach it to mount points on the truck, but at 140 lbs, removing it wouldn't be easy. The Carbonlite RTT is only 80 lbs. It can be removed and stored pretty easily freeing up the rack for other purposes, making the rack a very useful addition to the truck. I can also carry a spare tire without taking up valuable vault space by mounting it underneath the rack using a Lippert spare tire lift.

I plan to do a lot of overland off roading here in the Southwest and take a long awaited trip to Alaska this summer. The Urander bed rack allows me to maximize the truck's cargo capacity and enhance its overall utility.

 

[65SoYoLO]

I installed my new Urander bed rack yesterday. I had fun assembling it , and everything worked out well. I got some complements from neighbors on the look.

It took the whole day from morning to evening to install it. I only needed help when it came to lifting the crossbar assembly onto the pillar/molle sides. I strongly recommend laying out all the parts on the floor (on rugs or matts) before starting assembly to avoid confusion and mistakes. There was one time I had to make a small modification to a component. I had to enlarge four holes with a rat-tail file to bolt together the upper side rails. If I was doing it again, I'd buy Allen wrench sockets instead of using plain Allen wrenches in order to speed up the assembly process. There are a lot of bolts used to join the various parts and most have Allen heads. There's a YouTube video that explains the assembly process which is essential to watch since no assembly instructions come with the product.

I'm driving to City of Industry, CA next week to pick up my Inspired Overland Carbonlite roof top tent which I'll mount on top of the bed rack. I'll measure my CT's efficiency on the trip without the RTT, and again on the way back with the RTT in place. My CT driving efficiency after 10K miles is currently 431 Wh/mi, mostly interstate highway miles.

This bed rack is, for all intents and purposes, a permanent modification. It can be removed by removing eight bolts that attach it to mount points on the truck, but at 140 lbs, removing it wouldn't be easy. The Carbonlite RTT is only 80 lbs. It can be removed and stored pretty easily freeing up the rack for other purposes, making the rack a very useful addition to the truck. I can also carry a spare tire without taking up valuable vault space by mounting it underneath the rack using a Lippert spare tire lift.

I plan to do a lot of overland off roading here in the Southwest and take a long awaited trip to Alaska this summer. The Urander bed rack allows me to maximize the truck's cargo capacity and enhance its overall utility.

Very cool! Keep us posted

 

[Cybergirl]

Here's the Inspired Overland Carbonlite roof top tent installed on top of the Urander bed rack. The 80 lb tent is attached with four brackets making it relatively easy to remove. No problem passing through the 7' garage door.

I also installed Inspired's carbon fiber crossbar kit to which I plan to attach a solar panel. Here you can see the glossy carbon fiber top of the tent with the crossbars overlayed and bolted to the T-slots on the sides of the tent frame.

Here's what the tent looks like deployed. It provides enough room for 2 average size people to sleep on the 48" wide by 82" long inflatable air mattress.

I have to replace the gas struts with a stronger version to compensate for the 47 lb weight of the solar panel. Note my BougeRV air conditioner which will pump cool air into a 4" round opening in the tent.

The next step is to install the 420W solar panel and 24V 100Ah LFP battery used to power the Bouge A/C unit, 55 qt refrigerator, Starlink Mini antenna/router, and lights. I'll also have a 1000W inverter to power an electric blanket, coffee maker, and should I drain the CT's battey and run out of fuel for the generator, I'll still have a way to Level 1 charge the CT at a very, very slow rate of 2 kWh/day. Yeah, LOL, but it's better than nothing.

Running out of battery energy is a real possibility in the back country. My CT modifications add weight and drag, reducing driving range significantly.

With my new Urander bed rack installed, I drove to City of Industry, CA, to pick up my Inspired Overland rooftop tent yesterday, a round trip of 577 miles. At the warehouse, we unpacked and mounted the 80 lb tent on the rack in the parking lot before heading home.

The trip took a total 302 kWh. Supercharging fees totaled $104.43 ($0.18/mi). I achieved an overall efficiency of 523 Wh/mi. That compares to 432 Wh/mi over the previous couple thousand miles. The 17% decrease in efficiency is not as bad it sounds. I got poor efficiency on the trip to City of Industry, but much better efficiency driving back.

On the trip to the warehouse, I took the I-10 route through Indio, CA without the tent on top of the bed rack, a distance of 286 miles and suffered an efficiency of 580 Wh/mi. On the trip back, I took the I-40 route through Barstow, CA, a distance of 291 miles, with the tent mounted on top of the bed rack, and got 467 Wh/mi. The difference is due to improved driving conditions on the way back.

The trip started out in the early morning at 37 deg F, barely rising above 40 F during the first half of the trip. There was a 3 mph headwind as well.

On the way back temperatures warmed into the 50s, and I was blessed with a similar tailwind.

Neither the presence of the Urander bed rack alone, nor the bed rack plus tent produced any noticeable noise.

I found, however, that if the Urander bed rack air deflector isn't sealed tightly against the glass roof, it can vibrate an make a clicking sound. They include a roll of double-sided 3M tape which I assume it used to seal the deflector to the glass.

This set up is attracting lots of comments and questions, all positive.

 

[RM Rilke]

Nice work. It looks great.

 

[Cybergirl]

I've added a 420W REC solar panel (41" x 73") to the roof of my Inspired Overland Carbonlite rooftop tent. With the tent open and the truck facing into the sun with clear skies, I was generating 400W of electrical energy stored in a 2.5 kWh capacity battery.

The solar electronics (two series-wired 12V 100Ah EcoWorthy LFP batteries, Renogy 20A Rover charge controller, 1000W inverter, and a thermostatically controlled ventilation fan) are contained in a 12" x 24" x 10" water resistant steel enclosure mounted under the Urander bed rack shown here with access panel removed. The white box attached to the enclosure provides three 24V cigarette light sockets and three USB-A and one USB C ports for charging phones, cameras, and my FlexTail Pro 3 air mattress inflater/deflator.

The solar power station also supplies power for my Bodega 53 qt. refrigerator, BougeRV A/C, Starlink Mini, electric blanket, coffee pot, and camp lights rather than drawing power from the CT's battery. Any excess solar energy generated goes into charging the CT using a Tesla mobile connector at 1 kW.

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