Toyota 79 Series
Considerations when fitting roof top tents to the The Toyota 79 SEries
79 series Dual Cabs accept Roof racks via Gutter Mount
These are suitable for Heavy duty loads over the cabin, They have 1250 mm of rack space available over the cab and 1650mm Available over the Tub/Tray.
The 79 Series Dual Cab Utes can suffer from handling and Chassis Twist issues when running with too much weight over the tray. Increasing rear suspension strength does nothing to prevent the problem (uneven weight distribution ) Excessive 'Up High' weight behind the rear wheels also increases body roll, affecting handling and braking.
If your going to carry heavy loads on Racks (or roof top tents) We have found that Installing gear over the cabin (rather than the canopy) is a better Set up for this truck - maintaining the best possible handling characteristics of this vehicle ..
More on this here
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Benefits of fitting rooftop tents over the cab on the 79 Series discussed here
As Discussed above - Over-cab mounting of Roof top Loads reduces vehicle body roll - but it also creates space on the rear canopy to carry gear or Have WALK UP ENTRY PLATFORM into the tent... (See more on this here on Canopy Tray vehicles link here ) To achieve the best results for this truck, Tough Touring began manufacturing Roof top tent mounting rack to improve the 79 series Roof top tent touring comfort.
Options for the Fitting Roof top tents and Awnings together or Seperatly is discussed on this page here ' Independent awning and tent to rack fitting'
DUAL BATTERY SYSTEMS in UTE CANOPIES
Built in or Slide in Dual Battery Systems -Pros and Cons
We've found that its often a better option to install Portable Renewable Power Stations into Tub and Tray /Canopies - as there are signifigant cost and space savings, especially when starting from scratch.
Shown Below - Forever powered Renewable Power Stations (powered by Victron components) are super high spec, easy to install, and cost around half what you'll spend building the same stuff into a truck canopy 'one off'.
More on the Discussion on Renewable Power Stations on the links below -
https://www.toughtouring.com.au/copy-of-dual-battery-systems
Customers with 79 that are wanting to run pole less wing awnings
Tough Touring manufactures Awning to canopy brackets, as well as a flexing front bracket to carry even the largest of awnings securely - 2 Brackets are fitted to the rear canopy and 1 Flexing front bracket is mounted to a rack over the front(on the cab) More on the Front Flexing front Awning to vehicle bracket is here
More on the REAR Awning to Canopy Brackets here
Alu Innovations Camper Conversion for the 79 Series...
Tough Touring in conjunction with Isolated Industries have been involved in many,many Pop top Conversions to Troop carriers using the ALu Innovations Pop top kits. While of course the 79 is a completely different vehicle, we have found Alu-Innovations to build excellent conversion kits - they have just released a Camper Conversion kit for the 79 Series, and were a bit excited ! - See it here - https://www.alu-innovations.co.za/
Contact us for Pricing and a chat - were keen as to do one.
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BEST POLE LESS AWNINGS and FITTING THEM TO 79:
We'd reccommend the Ostrich wing awning for the ultimate touring awning for 79 Series for touring the windier Southern States of Australia - It has the right mix of attributes for our weather with wind break and tie down options.
See more on it here - A Big plus being the ability to use the awning also as secondary shelter for 2 persons at ground level at night... (Add walls and a swag or 2 bunkers). For the easiest install, These and other Pole Less awnings can be mounted directly to some tents using our 'Awning to Tent brackets' - while 79 owners wishing to run full size pole less awnings 'Independently' to a roof top tent need to 'bridge' the cab/chassis twist - requiring an over cab roof rack and a flexing front bracket to be installed over the cab (FLEXING Bracket system) .
Combined with a 'Awning to canopy' bracket system at the rear.
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More information on installing Awnings to canopies 'Independently to a roof top tent is discussed here. It is a particularly complex install, and it relies on the canopy doors being hinged on the canopy face - - 'Gull wing' doors on canopies prevent this type of installation as the doors are hinged on the roof - preventing anything being mounted ontop.
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Forward mounting Roof top tents on the 79 Using our Tough Touring Over cab racks leaves up to 1300mm (of the standard 1650mm) canopy free for easy access in and out of roof tents.
It also doubles as an excellent space for carrying firewood, extra swags, chairs, etc.
The Awning in this case is fitted to the canopy directly using Tough Touring Awning to canopy brackets.
Adding Solar panels to your roof top tent or Tough Touring Over cab roof racks are discussed here - "Mounting Solar panels"
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