Potential overlanding build

[Desert.ranger]

Right now I'm looking at possible builds for an overlanding setup. I'm based in the Middle East and we do a lot of desert, dune and mountain driving. I found a shop in Dubai that has done this AluCab build on a couple of Ranger Raptors. I think it could be a great solution for keeping the gear build quite light and still giving you most of what you need for extended trips... a little worried that I won't be able to do as much dune bashing though.

I've ordered the J-braces from Australia to strengthen up the bed. The builds done so far have kept all the suspension as stock and apparently haven't had any issues. This is roughly how the dimensions work out:

Height: 2.2 m (86.6")

Total added weight: roughly 139 kgs (306 lbs)
Alu Cab LT-50 tent: 50 kg (110 lbs)
Alu Cab Contour Canopy: 55 kg (121 lbs)
Alu Cab 270 shadow waning: 24 kg (53 lbs)
Brackets, rails etc: probably around another 10 kgs (22 lbs)

I have considered a rack and open bed, but with the amount of dust and sand we have here makes it not very practical. I'm not sure I'm 100% sold on the LT-50 tent, it looks great for keeping it low profile and reducing overall height but the dimensions are a pretty tight squeeze inside. Up until now I have always used a Darche ground (swag) tent.

Has anyone had much experience with these Alu Cab products? We are a little limited to what brands are available here, AluCab, ARB and Ironman are the most accessible and supported for us.

Has anyone installed a canopy on their Ranger Raptor? Any modifications for suspension?

Cheers.

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[SubaruRaptor]

Alucab is considered a pretty premium brand for overlanding stuff. You shouldnt have any issues with it, lots of folks run them on a variety of vehicles. There are lots and lots of youtube videos about them if you want some further research. TFL took an Alucab to the arctic circle on the lightning I believe.

 

[UpInTheAir]

I don't have any of those specific Alu-Cab items, but I have had their expedition rooftop tent for 6+ years now. It weighs a ton but is pretty much bomb proof. It has withstood a number of nights in heavy storms for me with no leaks or concerns. I am no giant by any means, but it sleeps two pretty comfortably in our experience.

 

[Ford Motor Company]

Right now I'm looking at possible builds for an overlanding setup. I'm based in the Middle East and we do a lot of desert, dune and mountain driving. I found a shop in Dubai that has done this AluCab build on a couple of Ranger Raptors. I think it could be a great solution for keeping the gear build quite light and still giving you most of what you need for extended trips... a little worried that I won't be able to do as much dune bashing though.

I've ordered the J-braces from Australia to strengthen up the bed. The builds done so far have kept all the suspension as stock and apparently haven't had any issues. This is roughly how the dimensions work out:

Height: 2.2 m (86.6")

Total added weight: roughly 139 kgs (306 lbs)
Alu Cab LT-50 tent: 50 kg (110 lbs)
Alu Cab Contour Canopy: 55 kg (121 lbs)
Alu Cab 270 shadow waning: 24 kg (53 lbs)
Brackets, rails etc: probably around another 10 kgs (22 lbs)

I have considered a rack and open bed, but with the amount of dust and sand we have here makes it not very practical. I'm not sure I'm 100% sold on the LT-50 tent, it looks great for keeping it low profile and reducing overall height but the dimensions are a pretty tight squeeze inside. Up until now I have always used a Darche ground (swag) tent.

Has anyone had much experience with these Alu Cab products? We are a little limited to what brands are available here, AluCab, ARB and Ironman are the most accessible and supported for us.

Has anyone installed a canopy on their Ranger Raptor? Any modifications for suspension?

Cheers.

We can't wait to see your finished build!

 

[borfoo3]

A few points from our experience:
1- The Alucab canopy is good, but keep in mind the bed area is dust proof. You need to seal up the tailgate and check where else the dust comes inside the bed in to minimize dust.

2- The Ranger Raptor rear coils are very soft and will sag with weight. The stock shocks are still good with the extra weight.

3- Consider your full travel weight, adding your stuff, water, fuel...etc. if you are considering coil swaps or anything similar.

 

[joprato]

Hello everyone !

new to the forum and also based in the Middle East, in Bahrain.

I am about to get my hands on a brand new ranger raptor next gen and I am also looking forward to a potential overland build.
I kind of know where I want to get with the build but not sure on the HOW to get there. Let me elaborate on that

choices are fairly limited here as far as bed racks, accessories and camping gear goes, with the UAE and Saudi importing most of the stuff, and Kuwait having somewhat of a decent choice of a very limited amount of gear. (As far as I can tell at least)

The objective would be to have a daily truck, ready to go at a moments notice for a 2 to 6 days trip in and out of the desert around the gcc, therefor generally hot, humid and dusty, which makes me think that an RTT is almost out of the question.
In terms of rack I would be very happy with the XTR3 from xtrusion overland, and considering what would be best from there, soft top with the XTR3 on top, which would allow for a decked drawer system, or forget the decked, keep the rigid tonneau cover, and put the rack on top.
I have plenty more to ask but I have a long enough post for now, looking forward to what you guys think about this, should you be willing to share your ideas.

 

[Desert.ranger]

OK guys... the first stage of the build is done. I went for an Alu Cab setup, really happy with the quality of the products and the build. Excited to get it out overlanding soon. I ended up installing:

Alu Cab LT-50 tent
Alu Cab Contour Canopy (windows and internal lights)
Alu Cab 270 shadow waning
Alu Cab canopy mounted table
J-Brace kits (Australian Online Car Parts)

Overall it's about 145kg (310lbs) added to the truck, without all my other camping gear that will probably add another 50-60kg. With the new weight the truck looks to be quite level now.

There is a bit of a downside that I need to figure out... I've only driven it on road so far, when I drive over any kind of bump the rear suspension seems to reverberate/bounce after the back wheels have passed the bump. My mechanic took a look at it and thinks it likely needs uprated coil springs, has anyone had any experiences like this? Any solutions?

The canopy has been great so far. I'm on my second set of aftermarket tailgate seals which are struggling with the heat and dust here. The canopy is positively pressured which should help force alot of dust out. Still on the hunt for a reliable seal kit.

Anyway, here is my build.. let me know what you think.

 

[Desert.ranger]

I had my canopy, roof tent and awning installed by UROffroad in Dubai. They have some great gear, their main branch is in Kuwait. I’ve seen some really nice builds come out of there. You could also take a look at Doha, A1Automotive do some good work.

I’ve also had a water tank, ARB compressor and molle panels done by Ramy Automotive in Dubai.

Hello everyone !

new to the forum and also based in the Middle East, in Bahrain.

I am about to get my hands on a brand new ranger raptor next gen and I am also looking forward to a potential overland build.
I kind of know where I want to get with the build but not sure on the HOW to get there. Let me elaborate on that

choices are fairly limited here as far as bed racks, accessories and camping gear goes, with the UAE and Saudi importing most of the stuff, and Kuwait having somewhat of a decent choice of a very limited amount of gear. (As far as I can tell at least)

The objective would be to have a daily truck, ready to go at a moments notice for a 2 to 6 days trip in and out of the desert around the gcc, therefor generally hot, humid and dusty, which makes me think that an RTT is almost out of the question.
In terms of rack I would be very happy with the XTR3 from xtrusion overland, and considering what would be best from there, soft top with the XTR3 on top, which would allow for a decked drawer system, or forget the decked, keep the rigid tonneau cover, and put the rack on top.
I have plenty more to ask but I have a long enough post for now, looking forward to what you guys think about this, should you be willing to share your ideas.

 

[joprato]

@Desert.ranger thanks a lot for the tips ! Coincidentally I had just stumbled upon uroffroad website, they certainly seem to have a decent choice of equipment for the ranger.
I think I’m going to head towards a tonneau cover and the XTR3 bed rack though, as far as the bed configuration is concerned.

love your build by the way, looking sharp !

 

[borfoo3]

OK guys... the first stage of the build is done. I went for an Alu Cab setup, really happy with the quality of the products and the build. Excited to get it out overlanding soon. I ended up installing:

Alu Cab LT-50 tent
Alu Cab Contour Canopy (windows and internal lights)
Alu Cab 270 shadow waning
Alu Cab canopy mounted table
J-Brace kits (Australian Online Car Parts)

Overall it's about 145kg (310lbs) added to the truck, without all my other camping gear that will probably add another 50-60kg. With the new weight the truck looks to be quite level now.

There is a bit of a downside that I need to figure out... I've only driven it on road so far, when I drive over any kind of bump the rear suspension seems to reverberate/bounce after the back wheels have passed the bump. My mechanic took a look at it and thinks it likely needs uprated coil springs, has anyone had any experiences like this? Any solutions?

The canopy has been great so far. I'm on my second set of aftermarket tailgate seals which are struggling with the heat and dust here. The canopy is positively pressured which should help force alot of dust out. Still on the hunt for a reliable seal kit.

Anyway, here is my build.. let me know what you think.

Nice setup

Any pics inside with the canopy tent/ roof opened up? Or the tent is separate from the canopy?

Also, you need rear coils as what you are describing as 'reverberate/bounce after the back wheels have passed the bump' is basically the effects of bottoming out due to the added weight. The R.Raptor has very soft rear coils (stock).

My friend with the rear canopy ordered this one:
CalOffroad Platinum Series Rear Coil Springs, 2 INCH Gen 1 and 20MM Gen 2, Medium Duty - CalOffroad Rear Coils but still waiting to install them.

 

[Desert.ranger]

Nice setup

Any pics inside with the canopy tent/ roof opened up? Or the tent is separate from the canopy?

Also, you need rear coils as what you are describing as 'reverberate/bounce after the back wheels have passed the bump' is basically the effects of bottoming out due to the added weight. The R.Raptor has very soft rear coils (stock).

My friend with the rear canopy ordered this one:
CalOffroad Platinum Series Rear Coil Springs, 2 INCH Gen 1 and 20MM Gen 2, Medium Duty - CalOffroad Rear Coils but still waiting to install them.

The canopy is separate from the roof tent. I went for more of a lightweight setup.

Thanks I'll take a look at those coils. Were they easy to arrange shipment? Did your friend change the front and back coils or just the back? I was suprised to see this kind of effect with only 140kg added weight. I was speaking to a friend of mine who works in the Ranger Raptor team in Europe and he also was suprised that the truck was experiencing that kind of bounce with relatively low weight.

 

[borfoo3]

The canopy is separate from the roof tent. I went for more of a lightweight setup.

Thanks I'll take a look at those coils. Were they easy to arrange shipment? Did your friend change the front and back coils or just the back? I was suprised to see this kind of effect with only 140kg added weight. I was speaking to a friend of mine who works in the Ranger Raptor team in Europe and he also was suprised that the truck was experiencing that kind of bounce with relatively low weight.

About the coils, he was in Australia at the time so he took them back with him in the luggage.

At only 140kg it is too low for you to experience bottom out issues. My truck has 194kg fixed weight in the back (bed slide, tent, crossbars /brackets, and 180 awning), + another 50kg extra for the 50l water at times and I'm on stock coils. I have some rear end sag, but zero bottom out issues... and I drive them hard.

Maybe diagnose your shocks for any problems or let the dealer check them for defects.

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