The General Enthusiasts' 2017 Tundra TRD Pro

[Bonjurns]

Hi everybody! This thread will be a photo diary of the overland build of our 2017 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro (CrewMax). We'll be using it for adventuring all over the American West. Currently it is a stock-ish TRD Pro, which means upgraded shocks and springs, skid plates, and ss dual exhaust, among other things. I've added a TRD air filter and rhino lined the bed. The racks I'm using are by Leitner designs. Made in the USA, all aluminum. Light weight, burly, and modular. Highly recommended.

We are a family of 4, soon to be 5 (plus a dog). This build will be focused around solid off-road capability, comfort, and being able to carry all the gear that goes along with our lifestyle. I doubt we will be hitting up the Rubicon Trail, but something like the White Rim is definitely going to be happening. Mountain biking is a major part of our non-winter lifestyle, so being able to carry all the bikes+gear, plus all the other basics is the main challenge.

Not pictured (yet):
-CVT Denali summit series tent
-Decked drawer system
-swing away hitch/racks
-recovery goodies (hi-lift, shovels, etc.)
-awning

Over time I'll also be adding:
-rock sliders
-pioneer rack system
-vehicle lighting and area lighting
-compressor
-bed outlets
-second battery
-radio
-upgrading mapping+GPS

I do a fair amount of riding/hunting/fly fishing/ski mountaineering in addition to the family weekending, so if that stuff interests you, you can follow me on here and Insta at The_General_Ethusiast. Likewise if you are into that sort of thing, PM me- I want to follow and check out what other like-minded folks are up to.

Cheers!

Jonathan.

 

[Daniel Etter]

Nice build so far! I don't think I have seen a Tundra in the cement color yet!

 

[Bonjurns]

Just got this bike rack from 1up USA- came as a 2 bike setup, expandable to 4. Solid, all CNC aluminum, anodized construction. Made in the USA. Can't emphasize enough how well made it looks. I'll put up some pics of it loaded down. Lo-pro while it is up, and it has a rise while down for better clearance off-road. Low enough so that the tailgate opens while it is down, no issues.

 

[Bonjurns]

Here's a shot of the racks down, you can see how each tray steps up.

 

[Bonjurns]

EARLY SUMMER UPDATE
We took a 10 day trip down to SLC/Moab in late April, as a test run of sorts to see what worked and what didn't; also what we forgot and what is not needed. The overall takeaway was that the the whole system worked really well. Below is a pic of the fully-laden Warpig about 1/2 way through Gemini Bridges road. As you can see, the rear end was squatting quite a bit, due to the amount of weight we were carrying. I'll post a full breakdown of the packing list below, but I'd estimate we were carrying 1,200-1350 lbs of gear- not including fuel in the oversized 38gal tank. The wheels would scrape a bit on the wheel wells going over bigger obstacles.




Here's a mostly-complete list of what was loading us down:
-CVT Denali Summit Extended tent and awning (350#)
-Leitner racks and pods (250#, loaded)
-1up rack, 3 bikes (130#)
-camp kitchen, 4 chairs
-plano box, dry food
-plano box, sundries
-plano box, bike gear
-plano box, camp kitchen
-Yeti 105 cooler
-4 people (2 adults, 2 kids)
-1 pup (lab/pyr)
-clothes, pillows, water, firewood, shoes, misc

Packed:


Post trip, there wasn't much that we brought and didn't use. However, I did have an extensive list of items that I wanted to add to our next big trip:
-the biggest concern was the squat in the rear, which I fixed and will address in a later post.
-water storage was a pain in the ass, so I immediately bought two more RotoPax 2 gallon containers, which mean we can now carry 6 gallons up and off the bed, plus another few in the Nemo shower (which works really well BTW).
-I was a dummy and forgot the Trasheroo. Never again.
-after wrestling with dirty laundry and shoes, the solution is to get everyone big duffles (90-120L), with their own laundry and shoe bags.

We'll be going on a 4 week, ID-OR-WA-Canada mountain bike/overlanding trip for the whole month of August (this time with the added bonus of a newborn!), which will be a great chance to test out the changes and upgrades to the 'pig.

Here are a few more pics of the setup, camping around the Moab area:

 

[Bonjurns]

A Warpig with a Junk in the Trunk

Literally.

While researching the options for reducing the squat while loaded, a couple options presented themselves over and over, between forums and local 4x4 shops:
-airbags
-new leaf springs
-shackles

Airbags seemed initially like the way to go, as I was not wanting to mess with the TRD suspension tuning by going with a new set of leafs- as far as I understand, the TRD Pro has specific leaf springs in addition to the shocks. Additionally, I wasn't interested in a rougher unladen ride, as for many months of the year, the truck isn't fully loaded. The main negative to airbags, besides the cost, is the fact that they pretty much suck offroad, and will pinch. There is a company out of AZ that makes a floating mount for the airbags, and allows the axle to articulate without pinching. Where stronger leafs allow more distance between frame and axle, and airbags physically push the frame up off the axle, allowing the shocks to work, shackles simply increase the distance between the rear leaf and the frame, effectively solving the issue.

After a bit of research, I settled on the 3" shackle from Coachbuilder (really nice dude BTW). Below is a pic of the factory shackle, and below that, the upgraded coach builder version. You'll note how burly the Coachbuilder shackle is; additionally, they come with really beefy stainless hardware, and much-improved bushings.


Pre-shackle, the truck was sagging about -1.25" with tent, awning and bike racks, but otherwise unloaded. Post shackles, it has a positive rake of about +1-1.25". For comparison's sake, a stock TRD Pro should have about +.75" from the factory, although Toyota nerds have told me that the engineers didn't account for the bigger fuel tank in the 16-17 Pro (38 vs 26 gal), so it tends to look about level from the showroom. I've yet to put the tent on there, but I've loaded it up with about 1100 pounds of sand, and it sits about -.25-.5" from level at that point, so the clearance issues should be solved at this point.

If for some reason it still gets squashed when I load it up, I'll think about adding an airbag system.

Here's a post- shackle pic, you can compare it to the initial pic at the start of this thread and see the difference in ride height.

 

[Bonjurns]

Organization: it makes me happy.

One of the things that the Tundra engineers should be throat-punched for is the general lack of cubbies and organizers in the cab of the Tundra, especially compared to the competition. On the other hand, it looks way cooler, and generally will still be running when the Browns win a championship.

I bought a roll of velcro tape, and velcro'd a bunch of crap I use all the time below the rear seats:
-axe
-sven saw
-tool wrap
-mini ratchet set, 1/4"
-small craftsman ratchet set, 1/2"
-tire repair kit
-blanket
-emergency jump battery
-broom handle and screw-on spear head, because why not?



I also keep reusable grocery bags under there, because I have guilt for driving a 14mpg Warpig. Just not that much.

 

[trikebubble]

Excellent read. I just bought a 2014 TRD and have been looking all over for information on upgrades. If your August travels takr you through the Okanagan Valley here in BC let me know. We can offer cold beers to weary travellers.

Sent from my SM-G930W8 using Tapatalk

 

[Bonjurns]

Excellent read. I just bought a 2014 TRD and have been looking all over for information on upgrades. If your August travels takr you through the Okanagan Valley here in BC let me know. We can offer cold beers to weary travellers.

Sent from my SM-G930W8 using Tapatalk

Thanks! If we cross through there, I'll msg you. Beautiful country, for sure.

 

[Bonjurns]

I blacked out part of the hood, because I wanted to.


I know, the hoodblack is supposed to be there to cut down on the glare from roof lights. Maybe someday I'll spend too much money on some- but until then, I'll just dig the look.

 

[dj_mccomas]

Awesome build, looking forward to hear about the August adventure!

 

[FrankRoams]

Awesome build thread and truck!

 

[Bonjurns]

A Better Place to Put the Hi-Lift

Leitner, the rack people, have a Hi-Lift mount for their racks. I initially had the lift up high on the racks, but it got in the way when I was opening/closing the tent.

I went ahead and made it fit the factory tie-down slider, now it fits much better:

here are a couple of alternate views:


The Leitner mounts are burly, lockable, and easily adjustable. Good stuff.

 

[XkenhillX]

Awesome read! Excited to see pictures of your ID-OR-WA trip.


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[Bonjurns]

Here's a few pics of the tail end of the trip; I'll post a full recap here when I feel like staring at a computer (I usually don't).

 

[Tundraoverland1]

Great looking build and thread so far. I have a '15 TRD crewmax that is being built for Overlanding and camping adventures with my family as well and our shepard.
This was the day i got our CVT Mt Rainier Extended with Annex. getting ready to load the rig and head to Big Bear

 

[itsdchz]

WOW! Beautiful Tundra! Great work so far!

 

[Brandon Harvey]

Someday I will be cool and own a Tundra TRD, so says my son! Love these pics and build. Serious question though. Have any of you owners found the size of the rig and inside with getting down trails? I ask because I live in the Northwest and a lot of the trails I frequent are even close on the sides to my Ford Ranger.


Sent from my iPhone using OB Talk

 

[Bonjurns]

Great looking build and thread so far. I have a '15 TRD crewmax that is being built for Overlanding and camping adventures with my family as well and our shepard.
This was the day i got our CVT Mt Rainier Extended with Annex. getting ready to load the rig and head to Big Bear

That's sweet. The Denali is too long to keep in the bed like that- must be nice to keep your center of gravity lower, eh?

 

[Bonjurns]

Someday I will be cool and own a Tundra TRD, so says my son! Love these pics and build. Serious question though. Have any of you owners found the size of the rig and inside with getting down trails? I ask because I live in the Northwest and a lot of the trails I frequent are even close on the sides to my Ford Ranger.


Sent from my iPhone using OB Talk

I live in the NW too.

It is certainly wider than most; I've pushed through a fair amount of brush with it. I suppose most of it would buff out though, if I ever wanted to sell it. My buddies' Raptor has a front end camera, which is rad. Definitely on the short list of upgrades- for now, when it gets tight, I use a spotter, or just go reeeeeeaaal slow.

If it's just you tooling around the backcountry, the full size is definitely overkill. For what I need, it is perfect. It fits a family of 5 poor packers well, and realistically, I don't want to get into super tight, gnarly stuff with an infant on board anyhow. Otherwise, it is the perfect buddy-mobile for long weekend adventure basecamps- we can easily fit 3-4 dudes + gear (bikes/skis/rods/hunting), and save on gas by taking 1 rig to wherever.

If it is just me, I plan on getting a KLR or something, and just exploring on 2 wheels.