Product R&D Time - 6th Gen Cargo Platform

[AmericanAdventureLab]

If I order one that's per-scratched is there a discount ? LOL

Haha! We may have the early prototype for sale on out garage sale once we release this product!

Sponsored

 

[Mad Ghost]

Love the doors for the in-floor storage. not to cannibalize your own sales but.... if you made a sister product that was a template or kit that allowed one to cut the "storage door" into the standard carpeted floor that would be awesome.

 

[AmericanAdventureLab]

Love the doors for the in-floor storage. not to cannibalize your own sales but.... if you made a sister product that was a template or kit that allowed one to cut the "storage door" into the standard carpeted floor that would be awesome.

That sounds like an awesome idea, and shouldn't be too hard to pull off! I'll look into that for sure!

 

[AmericanAdventureLab]

I've made some good progress over the last week working toward the release of this product and accessories that will pair with it.

I wanted to make sure tolerances were good enough for the Mil-Spec coating that we'll offer it in, so I got this one coated. It turned out great!

I also built the first working prototypes of the accessory trays. I only ran into one hitch in the process. The batteries I chose (EcoWorthy 30ah) are just a touch too tall and don't clear the access door latches. We have some new ones coming in that are supposedly shorter, so this may be a non issue. In the meantime, I built a, "block off plate" that will bolt in to cover the hole. Since there isn't really any regular maintenance to do on the battery components, and everything coming from it will be wired remotely, there's not really a reason that I see for this needing to be "quick access". If there is a problem, or a fuse blows, it's just a few 3mm allen-headed bolts to get to it. This panel also allows the floor to be completely flat.

I will likely offer the accessory trays in two options.

- A power tray, that will have mounting provisions for the two batteries, a RedArc BCDC1225d charger, MIDI fuse holder, and (2) 2post buss bars.
- An OBA tray, or onboard air tray, that will have mounting provisions for the brushed AND brushless ARB dual compressor, as well as the components for their Pressure Control System. This option will also include the switch/coupler bracket that will live in factory jack compartment, as well as the braided hoses and fittings to hook it all up, the "connection kit" we'll likely call it. I haven't finished this bracket yet, so there aren't any photos of it yet, but I'm trying to make it as clean as possible.

I can't wait to get this all wired and plumbed to go out and do some testing! I'd love to hear what everyone thinks about it!

 

[quadna71]

I love the ingenuity here. Some of the mounts and how you have secured both the latches and the overall panel really lead me to believe you have aviation background! Anyways, I was hoping you could answer a few questions. By no means do they all deserve solid yes/no answers, but maybe they can start up more ideas on how it can be utilized.


- Do you see these two trays being used as a paired system? Meaning, the battery is topped off by the 4R or rooftop solar and then the battery is used to run the compressor?
- Would the panel over the compressor need to be popped open/off in order to allow ventilation and cooling when using filling your tires?
- Do you think the compressor would be best plumbed and then having a QD somewhere externally with a switch for firing it up? If the back of the 4R is filled up with gear then accessing the compressor could be a challenge.
- Do you see the battery being used for other purposes? 12v cooler?
- I wonder if the compartment below the compressor could benefit from that same bed coating prior to placing the tray inside? It might help keep rattles and vibrations from resonating out as the compressor is running.
- What is the overall height increase once you factor in the frame and top panel?

 

[AmericanAdventureLab]

I love the ingenuity here. Some of the mounts and how you have secured both the latches and the overall panel really lead me to believe you have aviation background! Anyways, I was hoping you could answer a few questions. By no means do they all deserve solid yes/no answers, but maybe they can start up more ideas on how it can be utilized.


- Do you see these two trays being used as a paired system? Meaning, the battery is topped off by the 4R or rooftop solar and then the battery is used to run the compressor?
- Would the panel over the compressor need to be popped open/off in order to allow ventilation and cooling when using filling your tires?
- Do you think the compressor would be best plumbed and then having a QD somewhere externally with a switch for firing it up? If the back of the 4R is filled up with gear then accessing the compressor could be a challenge.
- Do you see the battery being used for other purposes? 12v cooler?
- I wonder if the compartment below the compressor could benefit from that same bed coating prior to placing the tray inside? It might help keep rattles and vibrations from resonating out as the compressor is running.
- What is the overall height increase once you factor in the frame and top panel?

Great questions Chris. Here goes...

1: The should be completely stand alone. The idea would be, if you want an air compressor but no AUX power system, you'd get the OBA tray only, or OBA tray and a blank tray for general storage and visa versa.

The compressor should always be wired to the main cranking battery, as it would rapidly discharge the AUX system. We typically use the AUX system for mainly a fridge, equipment charging, and lighting. The RedArc component allows charging from the vehicle's alternator and solar if the BCDC has the "D" designation.

2: The panel shouldn't need to be popped open. The cavity under there has a pretty good amount of volume, and the panel is by no means sealed around the edges and has a pretty decent sized gap along the front edge. I don't foresee any issues regarding airflow. I will likely shoot it with a temp gun when I start taking this thing out for testing so I can have some detailed info on the subject.

3: There are two main reasons why I decided to put the compressor "connection kit" in the factory jack compartment. One, I didn't want to have customers cut exposed holes in their plastics for a panel or air chuck. Two, this compartment is up pretty high and off to the side, so I think it should still be pretty available even when you're all loaded during a trip. Here is a link to another post I made on here that shows where the switch and coupler will be.

4: Yes, fridge/freezers, aux area lighting, charging (phones, cameras, drones).

5: This will be a big part of field testing this setup. We all hate rattles. I've personally unpacked an entire vehicle on the trail because I had had enough of a rattle! Tolerancing is the biggest reason we don't typically mil-spec components like this. The coating is just too think, and inconsistent. On this one, I applied some 1/4" thick foam tape on the bottom of the tray before installation, and so far I haven't heard any rattles. I may just include some foam with the product.

6: I can't remember what the original floor height was, but the panel surface is flush with the plastic around the back of the cargo area. This ensures that drawers will clear opening and closing.

I hope I got all of your questions answered sufficiently. Let me know if you have any others!

 

[Brian Day]

How is the floor attached to the vehicle ?
I have an Edgestar fridge/freezer that will go on the passenger side so that access door will not be used .
Looks great ! Please take my money .

 

[AmericanAdventureLab]

How is the floor attached to the vehicle ?
I have an Edgestar fridge/freezer that will go on the passenger side so that access door will not be used .
Looks great ! Please take my money .

Haha, I should have this all live on AmericanAdventureLab.com this week or early next.

The platforms mount to a steel framework that bolts to OEM holes in the body. In the photos above of the power tray, you can see the framework.

As for the fridge. We have a fridge slider that will bolt into this platform, and when its slid out, you can get to the access door. In that case, you'd still be able to use the storage. If you don't plan on a fridge slide, I'll likely offer the "block-off" plates, but I'd hate to miss out on all of that storage underneath!

 

[Brian Day]

Already have a slide It has a 16" opening in the bottom , could be expanded to 18" if need be . How wide are the openings?I'm coming from a FJCruiser so I'm trying to use the things I had in there .
Even though the 4Runner is bigger , there actually is less mounting areas for some items .
Accessories for the 2025 are slow in coming .

 

[AmericanAdventureLab]

Already have a slide It has a 16" opening in the bottom , could be expanded to 18" if need be . How wide are the openings?I'm coming from a FJCruiser so I'm trying to use the things I had in there .
Even though the 4Runner is bigger , there actually is less mounting areas for some items .
Accessories for the 2025 are slow in coming .

They're about 14.75" wide, so you may not have an issue at all. Our pattern is on 3" spacing left/right, and 8" spacing front/rear. This may help you determine what it'd be like mounting your slide to our platform.

 

[RedRaiderATX]

Haha, I should have this all live on AmericanAdventureLab.com this week or early next.

The platforms mount to a steel framework that bolts to OEM holes in the body. In the photos above of the power tray, you can see the framework.

As for the fridge. We have a fridge slider that will bolt into this platform, and when its slid out, you can get to the access door. In that case, you'd still be able to use the storage. If you don't plan on a fridge slide, I'll likely offer the "block-off" plates, but I'd hate to miss out on all of that storage underneath!

Any update on the launch date? This is exactly what I've been looking for. Thanks!

 

[AmericanAdventureLab]

Any update on the launch date? This is exactly what I've been looking for. Thanks!

Yup! Hoping to have the platform live this week! Keep an eye on AmericanAdventureLab.com or tune in to our social media accounts.

 

[Brian Day]

exclusive 4Runner6G coupon code???

 

[AmericanAdventureLab]

exclusive 4Runner6G coupon code???

Haha, this will be provided upon the official launch on 4Runner6G.com. We're still ironing out the product page configurations and shipping. I should be able to make that thread this week.

 

[Brian Day]

I guess I can wait a little longer . Thanks

Sponsored