I realized that the weight of any tent given the height of the 4Runner wouldn’t matter. This is especially pronounced since my shoulder strength isn’t all that AND the type of tent I was thinking about is bulky, to say the least. (I am edging toward a Naturnest Rooftop Tent (RTT) that is the wedge shape with overhangs on doors/windows.) It dawned on me that I would need a way to “hoist” the RTT onto any vehicle given that I would be doing this myself. Plus I would like something to assist with the removal of the tent in the off months of the year, think winter or other nasty times that I didn’t want to take the tent out. So, I researched and researching….looked at quite a LOT of different ways to get them onto a vehicle.
One involves using an auto engine lift with a specially crafted arm from welding, see link. The problem I have with this was that I do not have a welder and come to find out that the amperage needed on the welder to make an arm would greatly outpace what I have at home. Therefore, I would need an electrician to help out with a new circuit or two. The main drawback to the engine lift/hoist is that I would need a place to store the tent after I removed it from the 4Runner. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UstTjsluC2w
I found another method to do this solo, see link. I saw this as cumbersome and would also require that I have a place to keep it on the ground. While not terrible, I didn’t want to sacrifice any floor space for storage since it is at a premium. Plus if I were to remove/add the RTT regularly, this would be a painful process. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-CKVwv-9QKQ
GarageSmart Universal XL HD – Lift that Roof Top Tent! is another method or product that I found, see link. HOWEVER, it is way more than what I wanted to pay…as I am “thrifty”, nice way of saying cheap. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MSIXpZ0VwVQ
The last method is the one I chose since it checked all the boxes. Allowed me to remove/add it by myself, allows for storage of the tent off the ground, makes it easy for me to maneuver the RTT within the garage, and is a really cool idea to show family and friends. I opted to install an electric hoist with trolly wheels in a superstrut. This would allow me to do all of the above.
The hardware I chose was as follows:
- 10 ft. 12-Gauge Half Slotted Metal Framing Strut Channel in Gold Galvanized https://www.homedepot.com/p/Superstrut-10-ft-12-Gauge-Half-Slotted-Metal-Framing-Strut-Channel-in-Gold-Galvanized-ZA1200HS-10/100125003
- SKTREX Channel Trolley Track Hanger Bracket for UNISTRUT Strut Channel, 1-5/8 Intermediate Support Hange Bracket for All 1-5/8″ Channel Trolley Track,2 Set https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0B3SXFN9J/
- SKTREX Trolley Roller Wheels Limit Trolley Assembly Positioning for Unistrut Strut Channel with 1-5/8″ Wide and All 1-5/8″ or Taller Strut Channel Pack of 2 https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0B9XMBV4V
- AYEKILI Hoist Trolley for PA200-1000 Electric Hoist 6 Wheel Trolley Assembly for use with Unistrut 1-5/8″ Wide and All 1-5/8″ or Taller Strut Channel,Suitable for Garage Hoist Systems https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0CBWWLPSK/
- PITTSBURGH AUTOMOTIVE 440 lb. Electric Hoist with Remote Control https://www.harborfreight.com/440-lb-electric-hoist-with-remote-control-60346.html
Since I was using a span of 10′ for the strut and the rafters were 2′ apart, I needed 5 of the hanger brackets but order 3 pairs. While I could have gotten away with the use of four of them, I wanted to make sure that everything had more than enough anchorage in the rafters. The mounting of these proved to be hard but not difficult in that I had to use a drill at a strange angle five times. I ended up using 5/8″ with a length of 2.75″ lag screws to secure the hangers…I actually predrilled the holes as I had watched enough videos to realize that splitting wood was not good when putting screws in.
The reason I chose the trolley wheel assemblies with six wheels was to spread the load across the wheels and fault tolerance. Its not that I expected a wheel bearing to go out in one of the wheels. However, I would rather have the additional wheel or two on each side than be without.
Some would argue that wheel limiters are not needed…..you just stop pulling or moving the item being moved around the garage. However, I needed it the first night because the tent was hard to move and subsquently I used a tad too much force. If the stoppers had not been on the ends, I would have a dead tent or an injury, by far worse thing out there imo.