Where does all this junk go? Bumper/Rack/Inside??

[Chaplain]

This question grew from a discussion on 3gen 4Runner bumpers.

Is a guy better off mounting his junk (spare, fuel ect) on a solid roof rack then on the rear bumper? For those of us that actually use or should I say abuse our rigs, weight in the wrong places can have catastrophic results. My rig is use for light crawling but mainly as a support prerunner for desert racing.

Ever since my autocross/timetrial racing days I've always been a big fan of having a LCG so I’m not a big fan of putting a bunch of weight on my lid. On the flip side (pun) I don’t like having all that weight sticking out my backside working as a lever against a factor weak frame. Even assuming your frame has been braced, all that weight is still way out destroying your ride through the bumps and doubles as a land anchor when crawling.

What's the answer, where are you guys putting all this necessary stuff? In the back of my 4runner I have a pit box (tools, parts, recovery & fluids) and various gear that I don't want out in the elements. Its all strapped down no higher then the top of seats and the cooler is on floor behind driver seat, easy access for co-dog to get to.

Extras that need a home are:
• My spare - currently in oem location underneath
• Race truck spare - on top, on a bumper, inside??
• Fuel - I hate how small the runners tank is plus I need to carry extra fuel for the race truck. I've carried it inside, but I usually end up sleepy with a smelling cab at best or a mess at worse.
• Camping gear - inside or ontop
Any suggestions?

[4runnerchevy]

I am assuming you have a 3rd Gen. so I can't really help you. What I did for a little space on my 86 is remove the rear seats. Then I proceded to put the fuel tank into floor, where my seats were. I built a cover, the I filled the space with a 36" tire. I then crowded my rear bed with a giant tool box, filled with tools and recovery gear. Oh yeah before all this I decided to bob my runner 11", so I could try and cram more crap into a smaller space.

What I did with the other space:

I removed rear paneling and put air hoses, spare tube and radiator hoses, rags, and anything that can take a dent. I put a crate behind the passeger seat with oil, coolant, stuff. A tool box was put behind driver with specialty tools. I filled the passenger seat with a slightly overweight, and hungry spotter. So I then strapped 2 Ice chests to the top of my spare tire and tool box, which made sure I could not see out of my rear view mirror. The duffel bag of clothing, 2 sleep bags, dry food (alot cause my spotter is hungry) and camp gear was stuffed somewhere.

Get a smaller spotter :flipoff:

[4x4mike]

I'd say a 4runner is a poor choice for a chase vehicle. You really need a pick up. That being said. I put all my heavy stuff behind the front seats and in front of the rear axle. If it works out better I put the rear seats down but this takes up the room on the floor in front of the rear seats. Some heavy stuff is big, others are small but awkwardly shaped. This is one of the reasons I had my last fullsize truck. I could pack anything in that thing.

[Erich_870]

While I don't have nearly the expedition/over loaded camping trip experience as some, I have to say that in my opinion carrying extra weight on the bumper is better. Spending the money and time upfront to strengthen the frame so you can carry more weight out back will keep your COG lower, allow for easier access and just looks cooler! :laugh:

For vehicles that see on-road and off-road travel where extreme departure angles are not needed 99.9% of the time, it doesn't make any sense to sacrifice wind resistance and CG for a hang up that may never come.

Those who routinely travel on trails that require those departure angles are already advanced enough that they can figure out thier best option on thier own :bowdown:

Erich

[Chaplain]

I'd say a 4runner is a poor choice for a chase vehicle. Copy that! :) A 4Runner does have its benefits through. I spend a lot of nights on the roads and wanted something I could sleep in, it makes a great tent. It also carts the longboards around great and gives me the option to take a extra board to the beach and lock up the one I don't ride while I surf a session. Also, when I am in Mexico its offers more piece of mind having stuff locked up (if they want it they'll find a way but..). I try to keep one of the rear seats open for potential passengers (injured or broke down racers) and the other I fill with soft gear that wont kill you in a roll over such as coats and small duffel's. I hear ya though, behind the front seats is prime location for heavy gear (as long as its tied down. I tie everything down, in a SUV when you roll all the stuff hits the roof then it hits the occupants in the head.).

Thanks for your input, but it made me miss my ol truck. :)

[4x4mike]

I totally know what you mean by missing an old truck. I like my 4runner because stuff can be locked inside where it is safe and dry. That wasn't always the case with my truck. The truck had space everywhere but didn't fir all my needs. It was paid for and cheap to insure. I sold it to buy a 4runner.

[slosurfer]

Get a van. :thumbup: :laugh:

[Good Times]

Since you want to do a lot of varying stuff I would say strengthen your frame to add a rear bumper. Pick a great bumper that'll give you the option of adding a tire on the back. This means that you'll want to significantly strengthen your frame to support the dead weight added to the back half of the frame.

Add a tire carrier to store the race truck tire. Your spare should reside inside the truck. Add a secondary gas tank where your spare goes. A 18gal ford tank fits where your spare is (and the height is relatively the same - no loss in departure angle!!). That'll give you A LOT of miles in conjunction with your factory tank which is around 18ish right? 35+gals would definitely make ya cry at the pump though.

Put tools and recovery gear right behind one of the front seats and strap it down using the rear seats and front seat mounts. This will keep these items from becoming projectiles. Plus that'll be the easiest place to access stuff anyway. I keep my gear right behind me so all I have to do is open the rear door and it's there. Food and other heavy items can sit behind the rear seats next to your spare tire. I keep a large plastic bin that carries all of my fluids and spare parts which is strapped to the cabin behind the rear seats. These items can be accessible when you open the hatch door as they're not items you get 24x7. If you do need spare parts you know you'll be down for a bit anyway so the rear hatch door will be open. O yeah camping gear goes here too. Don't forget to strap everything down. I use one of those yakima megawarrior mesh net to hold gear down. Surprisingly works well.

As for clothing, get a space box up top (yakima/thule). Yeah it might look kinda lame but it'll be a great place for storing clothing/sleeping bags etc. Anything light will do. It won't kill your mpg much if any. I have a yakima box up top and I don't recall my mpg dropping at all (I was surprised). If any it might go down 1/2 mpg? It's very minimal. They're super aerodynamic so you're in good hands. They're lockable so you can't go wrong there too. Also can store your boards! The box and clothing won't weigh you down at all so you won't notice the cog factor at all. Worst case you don't want to do this, just stuff your clothes in a duffel and toss it in the back and call it a day.

Hope this helps.

[Chaplain]

Fixed it! I gave BajaRack a call and got one of their racks to sort out all the stuff flopping around the cab. Check them out http://www.bajarack.com/

http://c3.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/37/l_8ed5d8383b4b46b5a1824dc8826f0bbe.jpg
http://c3.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/23/l_d2902b29a1c64709bfe4a8547d738026.jpg
http://c2.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/19/l_c73d63ef55fc4e9f9479f883e2795979.jpg
http://c4.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/10/l_29ffddb2f3e94173bf970cf53daa295f.jpg

[Scooter25]

Which model of Baja Rack is that. Their site only shows the Mule to fit the 4runner, but that looks alot longer. It looks awesome

[slosurfer]

Nice rack!

( . Y . )

[Chaplain]

Which model of Baja Rack is that. Their site only shows the Mule to fit the 4runner, but that looks alot longer. It looks awesome
I'm not sure what model they call this, its basically the fj model. I don't think it is on their website, but its 82ish" long.

[SOAZ]

Ah! Thats the FJ one? Good choice. Looks great! Love bajaracks.
I am in a similar position. Sure my old tacoma was a great chase vehicle, but even it was really too small for many things. When chasing/pitting with my 4runner I take a trailer. To be any sort of good pit you need gas, air tools, at least 2 tires etc which I could barely fit in the old tacoma so with the 4runner its a small box trailer being towed behind.

Back on track; I was wondering what to do with the gas at least. (extra gas for me not race gas. I can't find anyplace to put dump cans on a little 4runner. ;)
I was looking to build a rear bumper with a hold for three gas cans. Scepters. That way its not a ton of weight on the rear bumper since that always seems to work out badly. The spare still goes underneath with some trimming. The scepters just get filled when needed so the weight is not always there.
?

[Chaplain]

Ah! Thats the FJ one? Good choice. Looks great! Love bajaracks.
Your right it is the FJ one. In the future they are talking about a narrower version that would fit the 4runner a little better. Stay tuned, these guys are great to work with.


I am in a similar position. Sure my old tacoma was a great chase vehicle, but even it was really too small for many things. When chasing/pitting with my 4runner I take a trailer. To be any sort of good pit you need gas, air tools, at least 2 tires etc which I could barely fit in the old tacoma so with the 4runner its a small box trailer being towed behind. You right, a real chase truck needs much much more room than what a 4runner has. A small trailer or a fullsize diesel is what is needed to service as a true pit. I've thought about doing the trailer thing too. One of those adventure trailers would be the hot ticket, then you would have a sweet place to sleep too.


Back on track; I was wondering what to do with the gas at least. (extra gas for me not race gas. I can't find anyplace to put dump cans on a little 4runner. ;)
I was looking to build a rear bumper with a hold for three gas cans. Scepters. That way its not a ton of weight on the rear bumper since that always seems to work out badly. The spare still goes underneath with some trimming. The scepters just get filled when needed so the weight is not always there. ?
During the baja 1000 in 2007(the one that went all the way to Cabo) I had a Quickfill jug (11gal) of fuel with me in the back of the runner inside. With the rear hatch window cracked it let the fuems out, but dust in. Window in no dust but lots of fumes. It stunk (pun) and needless to say there was some spillage.

I've been talking to Steve at CBI in doing a light-weight but reinforced bumper that could hold a 11gal Quickfill jug for pit to pit transpertaion. Then for prerunning you could just have a 3.5Gal quickfill jug in the same location. Prerunning with a bunch of weight back there is just asking for trouble, but you could get away with the weight if your just transporting some out to a pit. I like the idea of a Quickfill holder since that is what most teams use for fuel dumps (when not using a tower). What size tires are you running on your 4Runner that allows you to mount the spare in factory location? I've tried everything to get my small 33 underthere w/o any luck.

[Vermejo]

Very nice rack. Any way you could get some close-ups of the hardware that attaches to the factory rails? How's the noise?

[SOAZ]

Ah! Thats the FJ one? Good choice. Looks great! Love bajaracks.
Your right it is the FJ one. In the future they are talking about a narrower version that would fit the 4runner a little better. Stay tuned, these guys are great to work with.


I am in a similar position. Sure my old tacoma was a great chase vehicle, but even it was really too small for many things. When chasing/pitting with my 4runner I take a trailer. To be any sort of good pit you need gas, air tools, at least 2 tires etc which I could barely fit in the old tacoma so with the 4runner its a small box trailer being towed behind. You right, a real chase truck needs much much more room than what a 4runner has. A small trailer or a fullsize diesel is what is needed to service as a true pit. I've thought about doing the trailer thing too. One of those adventure trailers would be the hot ticket, then you would have a sweet place to sleep too.


Back on track; I was wondering what to do with the gas at least. (extra gas for me not race gas. I can't find anyplace to put dump cans on a little 4runner. ;)
I was looking to build a rear bumper with a hold for three gas cans. Scepters. That way its not a ton of weight on the rear bumper since that always seems to work out badly. The spare still goes underneath with some trimming. The scepters just get filled when needed so the weight is not always there. ?
During the baja 1000 in 2007(the one that went all the way to Cabo) I had a Quickfill jug (11gal) of fuel with me in the back of the runner inside. With the rear hatch window cracked it let the fuems out, but dust in. Window in no dust but lots of fumes. It stunk (pun) and needless to say there was some spillage.

I've been talking to Steve at CBI in doing a light-weight but reinforced bumper that could hold a 11gal Quickfill jug for pit to pit transpertaion. Then for prerunning you could just have a 3.5Gal quickfill jug in the same location. Prerunning with a bunch of weight back there is just asking for trouble, but you could get away with the weight if your just transporting some out to a pit. I like the idea of a Quickfill holder since that is what most teams use for fuel dumps (when not using a tower). What size tires are you running on your 4Runner that allows you to mount the spare in factory location? I've tried everything to get my small 33 underthere w/o any luck.




Its a bit of a work in progress. I'm building the rear bumper to "fit" my 33 by 10 in tires. We'll see. I think I can fix it so it works. I just hope that the bumper won't stick out too far.
It seems to fit between the frame rails. I just need to get it to stop rubbing on the trac bar so for now it sits inside.

On the other stuff: A custom "pit" trailer would be cool. Not that any high speeds are safe with a trailer for prerunning, but for during race pitting it would be cool. I just used a box trailer for the 07 1000. It worked well. We had to carry a 55 gallon drum of fuel for a friends team and one dump can for us. The 39 inch Projects are so damn big and heavy they would have taken up most of the bed of my tacoma so the trailer worked out well for us to keep all of that crap in. I'm more versed in 1600 racing. I could fit half of our car in parts in the bed of my Tacoma. I ran this pit at that 1000 for T-Force Trophy Truck so everything was super sized. I was wishing for a full size for that week.

Let me know if you have any concerns with that baja rack. I might end up getting one of them. I like how the fj one seems to be full length.

[Bajabwk]

I too have a 3rd gen and have done some lengthy expedition type trips and the packing has always been a problem. I am running 285 which basically are 33's and i have never been able to fit it underneath where the factory spare went. I have seen it done but for some reason my truck wont take it. I think it has something to do with the year your truck was built. The early 3rd gens (mine is a 96) might be shorter from the rear axle back. Anyway back on topic. I finally gave and and had a rear bumper with swing out tire carrier built for me. Getting that spare out of the cab or down from the top has been great. Definitely freed up a lot of room for other gear. The other thing i have done a few times is removed the bottom part of the rear seats. A few quick bolts and you free up space behind your front seats even with the rear seats folded down. Anyway im very pleased with the rear bumper, something that might be worth it for you to look into.

[Chaplain]

.....Anyway back on topic. I finally gave and and had a rear bumper with swing out tire carrier built for me. Getting that spare out of the cab or down from the top has been great. Definitely freed up a lot of room for other gear. The other thing i have done a few times is removed the bottom part of the rear seats. A few quick bolts and you free up space behind your front seats even with the rear seats folded down. Anyway im very pleased with the rear bumper, something that might be worth it for you to look into.


I'm building a rear bumper right now with Steve from C.B.I. Fabrication. Check out the build here http://www.ultimateyota.com/index.php?option=com_smf&Itemid=26&topic=8211.new#new

[fj4julian]

Chaplain, just got on this board today. your pics of the rack are great, I work w/ BajaRack and sure that Sergio would love to see those pictures. If you'd like you can forward them to crcornette@bajarack.com Thanks for your purchase. Cris

[Chaplain]

I’m headed off to chase the SCORE Baja 1000 and have the same old problem. WHERE DOES ALL THIS STUFF GO? For those of you on here that use your 4runners to go exploring you’ll understand the problem of organizing and securing all the ‘just-in-case’ things you need on a big trip like running down the Baja peninsula. Securing items becomes even more important when your offroading at speed because there is nothing worse than having things flying throughout the cab when your bombing down a whooped out road. Finding a pit box that handle this has been a hard find.

Gear I always carry:
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs1121.snc4/148326_461459019753_714089753_5229536_7769092_n.jp g
• SAFTY: backboard, neck brace, Hostyle trauma kit & first-aid
• RECOVERY: jack, ARB tree-saver and tow strap, tire plug kit, road flares, lug wrench/breaker-bar and of course a large spare.
• SPARE PARTS: axle, air filter, specific nuts/bolts, u-joints ect.
• FLUIDS: water, Lucas Oil ATF, motor-oil, gear-oil, lubricant spray, brake-cleaner, radiator stop-leak, shock oil, and fixa flat
• OTHER: hand-tools, BFH, duc-tape and bailing twine (just cuz).
• CREATURE COMFORT: jacket, blanket, cooler, tent, sleeping bags and trip luggage.

After searching the internet I finally found a box http://www.tuffyproducts.com/p-127-058-rear-cargo-security-drawer.aspx that fits the FUNrunner and allows me to store all the essentials needed for long excursions. I’ve had Tuffy Security products www.tuffyproducts.com (http://www.tuffyproducts.com) before in my ol’ rockcrawler and know they are build to take offroad abuse. The beauty of this Tuffy drawer box is it allows me to get to tools/recovery-gear fast without having to unpack all the creature comfort things such as luggage.
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs559.ash2/148141_461452959753_714089753_5229442_7944650_n.jp g
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs1166.snc4/150877_461459249753_714089753_5229545_3414764_n.jp g

The BFGoodrich spare, aluminum jack, and breaker-bar all find a home on the CBI Fabrication bumper www.cbioffroadfab.com (http://www.cbioffroadfab.com). Soft luggage such as a tent and sleeping bags go up top with the backboard on the Baja Rack roofrack www.bajarack.com (http://www.bajarack.com).
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs564.ash2/148675_461459444753_714089753_5229553_7422325_n.jp g
Tuffy Security, CBI Fabrication and Baja Rack produce high quality products that can really take the punishment of Baja while making our Runners more usable.

[DHC6twinotter]

I love your 4Runner. Looks great!