RTT hard cover idea..???

[RoyB]

What say the board? My understanding of limited aerodynamics is a rounded front section might be better than a slanted wind deflector.

if I went slanted wind deflector I would use solar panels to make it. Kill two birds with one stone.

the PCV water tank would be empty while traveling.

let me know your thoughts.

 

[Dave K]

Questions:
1. What are you trying to accomplish? Improver aerodynamics on the roof?
2. Why are you covering the rtt? I am assuming that it already has a cover. That is a large flat span. It will require a stiffener of some sort is it is aluminum or it will flap and you will hear it.
3. In the current configuration, what does the cover do when you are in camp? Simply flip over on the windshield/hood of the rig? Keep in mind you have a large ridged sail that will have to be addressed in high winds.
4. Any soft cover rtt will have a zipper on three sides. How do you plan to address the zipper between the water tank and the rtt?
5. How will you address the piano hinge attachment to the water tank if you go pvc, which is relatively soft?
6. What vehicle/rack is this going on? Does this take all of the space?

 

[RoyB]

Questions:
1. What are you trying to accomplish? Improver aerodynamics on the roof? Both improve aero dynamics and make covering the RTT much easier. My RTT is on top of a full size pickup truck cap.opening to the rear. It is 8 feet in the air. Getting the fabric cover on and off is a chore
2. Why are you covering the rtt? I am assuming that it already has a cover. That is a large flat span. It will require a stiffener of some sort is it is aluminum or it will flap and you will hear it. This is not an issue. Easily engineered to deal with this
3. In the current configuration, what does the cover do when you are in camp? Simply flip over on the windshield/hood of the rig? Keep in mind you have a large ridged sail that will have to be addressed in high winds. There is plenty of room on the cap for the cover to store. Held down against wind with straps of some sort
4. Any soft cover rtt will have a zipper on three sides. How do you plan to address the zipper between the water tank and the rtt? my RTT does not have zippers. It has Velcro. Could be cut off or simply tucked under. I’m also thinking of the RTT sitting in some type of pan or platform so the cover would have something to seal against.
5. How will you address the piano hinge attachment to the water tank if you go pvc, which is relatively soft? stainless steel screws and 3M 5200 sealant
6. What vehicle/rack is this going on? Does this take all of the space Rino Rack....still plenty of space ahead of the RTT

 

[Dave K]

I think I get what are doing now. I have the same issue with a tall rig ant a flip rtt. I would have the tank and the rtt inside and basically mimic a rooftop cargo carrier. Alternatively, I would look at switching to a hard shell rtt, which is the route I am going.

 

[Charles M]

While rounded should be better I am not sure how much it will actually improve things if the trailing shape of the RTT is straight back. If you can get rid of the ladder bump in the middle and get your hard top to taper all the way to the back it will be much better. Mounting it as close to the roof as possible will improve air flow too. I think it would be interesting to blend the leading edge of the RTT to the roof then taper it down in the back.

In my opinion aerodynamically speaking all the hard top RTT are mounted back wards to what would be a more favorable air flow. If you look at a wing or a teardrop the large end is always forward with the smaller end tapering off to the rear. But, for some reason most if not all the manufacturers tell people to mount them small side forward creating a lot more drag in the back.

I think it would be interesting to see how much MPG would be affected with two modifications.. One turn the RTT large side forward and 2 mount vortex generators to the trailing edge of the RTT...

 

[Anak]

A rounded front is definitely worth doing. If in doubt, talk the guys who build lumber racks for contractor's trucks. Most run square/rectangular bars for most of the crossbars, but not the front crossbar. The front one needs to be round. It makes a huge difference in cab noise.

 

[Lumbjack_MC]

I really like this idea! Maybe I could use this to mount a couple of solar panels on top to charge the batteries while driving, then pull the cover off and prop it up to keep charging. interesting.