200 series extracab

Now why would you need to follow the build jacko? he he . would work better than mine but, i'm guessing

You never know Warren , I suppose you know I broke another CV in my Dmax
We are heading West in a couple of weeks , Dmax might have to go after this trip
A 200 extra Cab seems like a good idea to me .

I'm rapt with the power and handling of mine ( ome lift kit ) it also has a better turning circle than my dmax had. And the crawl control ( decent control ) is amazing. I'm going to follow his build also not that I can afford to do it now, ( current circumstance ) but I reckon it would be a better system than a standard GX. I knew about the cv that's what I was stirring about.

Shall we say he mentioned he's fitting a canopy on the sparse tray and that intern I expect this will stop items sliding into the cab lol.

It looks good, Peter! It's great what these conversion people can do now, and if money's not a problem, then they can build the "ultimate" vehicle.

If your GVM is only 2500kg(are you sure it's this low?) then you'll need to be ultra conservative with canopy building materials. Even a empty aluminium shell canopy to suit your tray will probably be 200kg or more. This is my latest one, and while I don't know what it weighs exactly, I'm able to slide it back & forwards, and just lift one end.



At 1800 x 2300, it will be a little larger than yours, so that's a bonus, weight-wise. A friend showed me the canopy he built for his dual cab D-Max, with light steel frame and alloy exterior, and he mentioned it was 200kgs. The other, probably less desirable option, for some, is an alloy roof with canvas sides. :-(

Not trying to be negative, Peter, but alerting you to the pitfalls. We have another, heavier alloy camper, that loaded on our old 79 series ute tipped the scales at 3700kg, and that was without the Cook! Hence the newer V8 with GVM upgrade.

Bob

Nice work Bob, I come in around 230 Kg on my canopy.

I took the floor of the normal tray out to help weight.

Cheers
Baz

"...........took the floor........out....." Crafty devil, Baz! :-). There's a lot of weight in the chequer plate they use, so that would be big help.

Thought this new canopy of ours would be around 250kg or a bit more. Just removing the side boards off the tray reduces weight by about 40-50kg. After getting caught in a heavy storm at Diamantina Lakes, on return from our October 2015 Simpson trip, I swore I'd get something that was both weatherproof and lockable. Our other canopy is just too heavy for likes of Simpson, Madigan or CSR trips.

We leave in a week tomorrow for Birdsville, Mt Dare & return over the Madigan. Sorry to rub that in, Baz! :-)

Bob

Ya would've saved another couple kgs by not pairing it Bob LOL.

Nice looking canopy with good high access through those doors.

Cheers

Anthony

From memory I got rid of 70kg by remove the floor.

Crikey, enjoy yourself!

Cheers, Baz

Do mind saying how much the conversion cost.

Kevin

Nice canopy Bob
How have you fitted it out? Assume that you sleep in it with the window setup?

Cheers

Still working on the fit out Alby. Knowing me it won't be finished when we head off next week! :-)

Have slept in it a couple of times, just rolled my swag out, and kept the side door open. The plan is to have all our gear in it, and purchased an Oztent, with stretchers, for sleeping duties. I made up a frame last year for our Simpson trip, that bolts into the tray and holds 1-2 batteries, 2nd spare, 2 fridges and 5 jerrycans(fuel or water). Will fit this inside the canopy.

Have a 200w solar panel on the roof, a Jaycar MPPT reg, to go with the 2 x 120amphr batteries. Canopy has an extrusion up each side that has both sail track and a "key way" to suit 8mm bolts, moulded into it. Instead of a roof rack or basket, have 4 lengths of 50mm RHS that bolt on, and can be used to tie down whatever you have on the roof.

Will take a few photos in the morning, Alby, that might give you a better idea than my ramblings,

Bob

Sounds good Bob
I used Unistrut on my roof as a universal tie down system

Just checked out the Unistrut, Alby. Looks the goods and plenty of scope for fitting literally anything.

Bob

Couple of photos I took today, Alby.







Just put some of the stuff in, to give you an idea of what goes where. That frame weighs 24kg, so it might get modified later in the year. Everything that gets added seems to weigh 25kg plus. Not good when we're trying to save weight. :-(

Bob

Nice canopy Bob, you better get a move on with your fit out if you are leaving soon lol
Yes weight is a killer and adds up quickly
I fitted out my kitchen side with Oates plastic drawers from bunnings
They are good quality, lightweight and work well for storage

Neat set up Alby!

Yeah, bought some of those Oates drawers, looks like I'd better get some more. Had an idea for a bench like yours, but as you noticed that'll have to be for 'ron.

Thanks,
Bob