Canopies - which do you recommend ? Fit Hilux 05 Dual Cab.

Definately NOT a TJM.

email me dazza0503@hotmail.com

Whichever you decide, make sure you get one of those popup vents in the roof of the canopy to prevent dust entering the cargo area when travelling on unsealed roads.

I've got a Flexiglass unit on mine and happy with it so far. No discernible smell that I've noticed.

Have you done the sums including the roof racks and lift up windows on the flexi glass versus the carry boy??

Also the carry boy has one handle, versus two on the Flexiglass and others. You can shut a carry boy by pushing it shut, it catches automatically, not requiring you to do up the two handles.

I have a flexiglass. When the back window is up and raining, it leaks the rain into the canopy. The Carry boy has nice gutters to stop this. I put a flip up pressure vent on mine, what a pain, its very hard to get open, then at Camerons Corner the stupid catch breaks off trying to open it, so it is now permanently open, thankfully it didn't rain till I fixed it. I pop riverted the catch back on, but for $80 fitted, it is a pretty cheap shoddy vent.

I also had the misfortune of catching the handles on the garage door and breaking them off, and bending the back window. They fixed it for me, but it isn't the same as it was when new.

The Carryboy supports 150kg standard I believe, as it has the internal support built in. Put a roof bar on the carry boy, and the roof of the Hilux, and you have a full length roof rack, which is removable. The flexiglass roof rack isn't removable without removing the bolts and plugging the holes.

Lastly, the Carry boys look much better than the Flexi glass canopies.

If I had my time again, I would have a carryboy, no questions. My vehicle is a 2002 DC Hilux.

Andrew

I put a flelixglass on mine, all is well so far, very clean fit, no smell exept for my rubber floor mat :-)

As for sealing the tail gate, clark rubber have some interesting bits and pieces in regards to rubber door seals, I will visit them this weekend to see what I can find.

I sealed my last Hilux tailgate with some sort of trucking door rubber I picked up from a trailer manufacturer it worked well.

Can't speak for the other brands but my 15 year olf flexiglass canopy is as good as ever.

Having said this; AndrewW's point about the roof bars on the carryboy would make me buy this brand if I were looking for a canopy now.

So far we have had TJM, ARB and Raider. The TJM canopy was absolutely woeful. They replaced the back door three times in a couple of weeks. After about 3 months we still hadn't paid as we said we would pay when it was fixed. So we drove to their workshop and told them they could take it back. We never paid anything so only loss was a lot of time and angst. It also leaked big time when it rained. The Raider is imported from Canada to replace the TJM canopy (Canadian for a F250). Even imported from Canada it was the same price as TJM but it is 4000% better and looks 5000% better. Also with the TJM you could open the tailgate even with the canopy window closed and locked. Hence the new rear doors we had.
A friends TJM canopy on a Hilux almost fell off. Was held on by 1 bolt when he noticed it. Dodgy as hell easy removal system with riveted brackets onto tray and then bolts with wing nuts. His rivets all fell out. Replaced them and they fell out again. ARB has an extremely strong bracketed channel design you will have to look at as I can't explain it.

The ARB I have on my Rodeo. I have had only one problem in 2 years and that was the rear window glass (I have the newer frameless glass) slipped from its hinge clamp (will know what I mean if you look at one). ARB replaced the whole door under warranty. Also the brake light is in an easy to break spot. I broke the bracket when a bag caught on it that I was getting out of the ute. I used velcro to put it back on so if I pulled it off I could just stick it back on. However with the velcro it sits a little higher and I haven't had a problem with hitting it.

Never used a Flexiglass canopy or Carryboy although I looked at them. I didn't get a Flexiglass as I preferred the ARB look and design. I crossed Carryboy off the list as it didn't have a high roof model or lift up sides.

I think the Raider and ARB design which has a canopy with an integrated front panel is better than the TJM and Flexiglass design which has a riveted in extra panel. They told me when I was shopping around for a canopy for my Rodeo that ARB could do the integrated front panel as it is plastic and you can't do it with fibreglass. However the Raider canopy on our F250 is fibreglass yet it also has the integrated front panel. I reckon the IFP looks heaps better than the riveted in one. Also there is no seal to stuff up later on.

One thing ARB reckoned was that their plastic canopy had no smell. I reckon that is BS though. Mine did smell. Not as bad as fibreglass though.
The tradesman's windows are worth every cent when you have the ute fully packed and want something from the front. I have one on the passenger side on my Rodeo. I also put my 80L Waeco behind it so I can access it from the side and not get in the way when accessing the ute through the tailgate.

We don't have roof racks on any of our canopies.

I have the flexiglass and has been on the vehicle for 16 years, can't complain only thing that has broken is the clips 4 the sliding side windows but other wise no problems. Next time I will admit I will get the side doors as well. Payne in the arse trying to get to some things from right up the front of canopy but you learn how to pack as you go and determine what goes where eg first aid kit under the front seat, not shoved in a luggage bag at the front of the canopy. But as said would be alot easier with side doors. Regards Vitara

Thanks all for the replies , I will check the guttering on the new model Flexiglass canopy and all prices with all the added bits such as bars, vents etc. Will also look into the Raider canopy aswell. Cheers Jeff

Well Beddo, plenty of food for thought so far eh?
IMO the ARB and Flexiglass suit what you want and have the features and strength too.

My boss has a Flexiglass on his new 05 DC Hilux

I meticulously inspected the whole get up and I reckon it's really well made.
You'll pay extra for the canopy roof bars and lift up side windows of course but they are sure worth it.
I have them on my Flexiglass canopy on my Rodeo and makes ease of accessing gear from the side without having to climb to the back. The roof bars can take a respectable load too as the weight is transferred to the tub rim and the bars are heavy duty channel.
I have one of those pop up air vents too but it leaked and I broke the little handle trying to open it once so I just siliconed it all up for the time being. I just open the little sliding windows at the front of the canopy a bit to get some positive air pressure but interestingly though, when it rains hardly any water gets in but air does.
Have fun choosing anyway
Cheers
Sudsy

For the cost of a Carry Boy, you could nearly buy 2 ARB canopies... Keep one in the garage for a spare...

I have the ARB low line on a DC Triton. Next time I will definately get the high roof model and the tradies windows. Only drama with the ARB was a faulty brake light which they replaced no probs. Also I smashed the rear window/door and it was only $90 odd to replace... Might be worth checking out replacement costs of the breakables as part of your research. Another thing to consider, I can remove/replace my canopy by myself... Comes in very handy sometimes, check out the weights.

A mate has a "Bluey" on his DC Rodeo and it has been a P.I.T.A since day one... Leaks, windows not sliding, high mount brake light works when it wants to, rear window/door latch broke under normal use and they butchered his ute fitting it.

Well - all posts so far have been very anti TJM!

Here's my spin - I have a DC Hilux with a TJM canopy - lift up side windows. I had it installed just after purchasing the vehicle - was amazed that the only thing holding the canopy on was 8 rivets!!! The other thing that amazed me was the butcher that installed it hacked the crap out of my new ute liner to fit the canopy brackets in - not happy! - I had to return the canopy twice before the finally managed to seal all the leaks that were coming through the side windows with black silicone.

However - I have had it about 5 years now - with no major issues – in-fact I would recommend the product - but install it myself next time. The 8 rivets haven't moved & it has not leaked at all - and I've done alot of trips around OZ in it. The only real design fault I can see is (as mentioned in previous posts) the rear door latch. The latch opens while driving if it is not locked - and is of a very poor construction - allowing anyone to break in easily and the rear tail gate to be lowered while the top door is still closed.

I too considered a carryboy - the price is just such a turn off! It was a toss up between ARB,TJM and Flexiglass - I liked the look of the TJM the best.

-myfourby