Roof Rack with Tacoma and Bobcat?

[brp]

I have a 2011 Tacoma and am the a soon-to-be owner of a Bobcat. I have noticed in pictures that there is a good amount of space between the roof of the Tacoma and the underside of the bobcat bed. I thought it would be cool to make some type of roof rack out of PVC cylinders. One could hold fishing rods, another fuel, another camping chairs, and maybe a fourth would be some recovery rope. I am wondering:

- does anyone have a roof rack under their bobcat/2nd gen Tacoma combo?
- how much clearance is there?
- do you like my idea?

Thanks a lot guys.

 

[brp]

I have been looking into this and it looks like the 120mm mortar box would work nicely for something like what I was thinking. They are long and only 6.5 inches tall. Probably three or four of them would work well for my needs. I will keep you guys updated as things progress. Thanks

 

[Argonaut20]

Congratulations on the Bobcat. You will love it. I think it makes a good combo with the Tacoma.

My $.02 worth: wait to get the Bobcat mounted, then plan the containers. I built a solar panel mount between the cab and the overhang. It hangs down about 2.5". I don't have the camper mounted now, but I THINK there may be another 2.5" or 3"clearance left, MAYBE more. Better to work with it when you can see what you've got.

 

[brp]

How does your solar mount work? That sounds cool. I agree with the idea of waiting, I'm just anxious. I was going to get a roof top box for some extra storage, but I thought if I could be creative I can probably get the storage I want without adding wind resistance and weight on the roof that a roof top box would create.

 

[Argonaut20]

It is a 40 watt Kyocera panel so it is small(ish), small enough that I could use drawer mounting hardware to mount the solar panel to aluminum angle. I had to space down 3/4 inch to the angle so I used aluminum square section to go between the camper floor and the angle. My idea was to have the panel mounted out of the way, then I could remove it and place it in the sun when I wanted to park in the shade. A 20' cord to the plug in the camper gives me room to move. I secure it when traveling. It is not as convenient as having the panel on the roof but it works for me. I can take some pictures if you are interested.

 

[brp]

I did not order a in-camper battery so a solar panel might not help me out much. I am planning on getting LED light bulbs for the camper. I also bought a Black & Decker jump starter/ air compressor combo. I can use to to jump and charge the main vehicle battery if I drain it. I have the tow package on my Taco, which gives it a heavy duty battery.
If I have LED lighting, and a rechargeable Ipod dock, my only real draw on the battery will be the furnace blower. What is your battery set-up?

 

[Argonaut20]

You may not need the auxiliary battery but I thought it was a good idea as the furnace can draw a lot of power and being stuck 30 miles from anywhere with a dead truck battery didn't appeal to me. I use LED lights (converted the stock lights to LED) and Fantastic Fan. The fan is a 'must have'. When there is no furnace usage the lights and fan are pretty easy on the battery.

 

[brp]

I did get the powered fan, forgot to mention that. I agree, a dead battery would be trouble. Any details regarding your LED bulbs would be great to have ( model, watts, where you got them, etc.). Thanks

 

[Argonaut20]

Call me cheap, but I bought rectangular 36 and 48 LED lights off ebay, bought some bulb bases from Superbright LED (I think), soldered the leads from the LEDs to the bulb bases (then filled the bases with silicone) and used two faced sponge tape to stick the LEDs to the light fixture that came with the Bobcat. I had to mess with it a bit to get the LEDs to stay glued so they didn't fall down onto the lens cover. I am not bothered by having a bluish caste to the light and these give as much illumination as I need - about as much as the original bulbs. I also bought a clip on LED book light at Barnes and Noble that serves as a reading light and as an easy on night light for those night time potty trips.