The Alu-Cab Khaya thread, share and ask

From day one this bothered me, It's a class IV drawbar and a bunch of shackles (not pictured) It's heavy and I can't use the hitch. I've seen several pics of Khaya mounted on trucks without this anchor point, trucks with a five foot bed as well. I have also seen the four brackets bolted to the the bed, they are quite beefy. Each of the turnbuckles are mounted to an aluminum track with three M10 bolts, the shackles are rated at 500 lbs.1.jpg
 
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Here is the solution. I don't recall having a pick up with this sturdy of a step bumper, there is a plate on top of the hitch the step rests on. There are also, conveniently, four tabs with holes in them. The tabs are the same gauge material as the safety chain hook mounts and are welded directly to the hitch. The eye bolts are rated at 1200 lbs each and I eliminated all but two of the shackles. I'm no engineer, but I feel pretty good about it, maybe 80%. Then again I really am a belt and suspenders kind of guy.

Guess I can get a boat now.2.jpg
 
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Boltripper

Member
Here are some shots of mine.

This is on a 2020 TRD Off-road Access Cab with 6' Bed. The truck was specifically purchased and modified for the Khaya

IMG_20200613_123706.jpg

IMG_20200613_205039.jpg


I added an interior fan to help with the summer heat and also circulate the heat in the winter

IMG_20200530_133327.jpg




I built a trash carrier for the rear of the camper that mounts to the accessory plate.


IMG_20200525_095144.jpg




1000W Inverter for the 1st World Problem like a grinder and frother.

IMG_20200516_172217.jpg

IMG_20200516_172602.jpg


Cheers,

John~
 

ChasingOurTrunks

Well-known member
Nice rigs!! I really like the look of these campers.

We looked at these as compared to the Alucab Canopy Camper -- the main advantage of the Khaya appears to be that it's a sealed unit (more dustproof) and easily removable. But, what put us off was the weight as they take up a good bit of payload for a typical midsized truck. We've also heard the Canopy campers have been pretty dust proof. Both are phenomenal products with pros and cons to each, I think.

Do folks feel that the ability to take the camper in and out is worth the extra cash and weight? I suppose put another way, if you were doing your build over again, would you go with the Khaya or the Canopy Camper?
 
Nice rigs!! I really like the look of these campers.

We looked at these as compared to the Alucab Canopy Camper -- the main advantage of the Khaya appears to be that it's a sealed unit (more dustproof) and easily removable. But, what put us off was the weight as they take up a good bit of payload for a typical midsized truck. We've also heard the Canopy campers have been pretty dust proof. Both are phenomenal products with pros and cons to each, I think.

Do folks feel that the ability to take the camper in and out is worth the extra cash and weight? I suppose put another way, if you were doing your build over again, would you go with the Khaya or the Canopy Camper?
I don’t really have any intention of taking it off. Fortunately the wife and I commute together and we don’t really need a second vehicle. Not that we don’t use it run an errand or something every once and a while. It’s not so large that it’s unwieldy for those tasks.

We went with the Khaya because we have a teen aged daughter and needed room for a bunk downstairs. We ordered ours with no upfits, just a shell, so we could more easily reconfigure. I’ll post an inside pic when I get home... Also dust was a major concern, we have had pick-ups with shells and it was a constant struggle. May not be so for others, not in desert environments.

Weight is another reason we went with the basic package. With no options your looking at 900 lbs. With some mid size trucks on the market you’d be overweight with nothing but the shell, two Americans and a ham sandwich. The entire reason I went with the Ranger was the 1600 lb payload capacity. I have since really grown to like it, the 10 speed trans. is amazing. I did end up adding airbags to cut down on the sway but I am not sure I really needed them. I am very weight conscious, I don’t want to break stuff and don’t want it to be unruly on the trail.

Anything else you want to know, feel free to ask.
 
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ChasingOurTrunks

Well-known member
I don’t really have any intention of taking it off. Fortunately the wife and I commute together and we don’t really need a second vehicle. Not that we don’t use it run an errand or something every once and a while. It’s not so large that it’s unwieldy for those tasks.

We went with the Khaya because we have a teen aged daughter and needed room for a bunk downstairs. We ordered ours with no upfits, just a shell, so we could more easily reconfigure. I’ll post an inside pic when I get home... Also dust was a major concern, we have had pick-ups with shells and it was a constant struggle. May not be so for others, not in desert environments.

Weight is another reason we went with the basic package. With no options your looking at 900 lbs. With some mid size trucks on the market you’d be overweight with nothing but the shell, two Americans and a ham sandwich. The entire reason I went with the Ranger was the 1600 lb payload capacity. I have since really grown to like it, the 10 speed trans. is amazing. I did end up adding airbags to cut down on the sway but I am not sure I really needed them. I am very weight conscious, I don’t want to break stuff and don’t want it to be unruly on the trail.

Anything else you want to know, feel free to ask.


Thanks very much! That's very informative! I'd love to see a pic of the inside when you can. I also didn't realize they could be had for 900 lbs -- I have 1500 lbs on my current truck, and when I first looked at these, it seemed they took up most of that at the quoted weight, but that was fully kitted out. I think if I didn't do any other major mods, the Khaya would be fine; as it sits now, there's very little in the way of aluminum gear for my rig, and things like a winch bumper way north of 200 lbs (ARB, why must you be so good but so heavy?!?). Skids, recovery gear, and people/pets & their sundries would outpace my payload quickly, but we're considering making our current rig more of a "soft roader" and augmenting it with a higher payload wagon for our growing family someday in the future, in which case a Khaya at 900 lbs might work out well.

Thanks so much for the response!
 
Thanks very much! That's very informative! I'd love to see a pic of the inside when you can. I also didn't realize they could be had for 900 lbs -- I have 1500 lbs on my current truck, and when I first looked at these, it seemed they took up most of that at the quoted weight, but that was fully kitted out. I think if I didn't do any other major mods, the Khaya would be fine; as it sits now, there's very little in the way of aluminum gear for my rig, and things like a winch bumper way north of 200 lbs (ARB, why must you be so good but so heavy?!?). Skids, recovery gear, and people/pets & their sundries would outpace my payload quickly, but we're considering making our current rig more of a "soft roader" and augmenting it with a higher payload wagon for our growing family someday in the future, in which case a Khaya at 900 lbs might work out well.

Thanks so much for the response!
Link to the spec sheet, sorry they don’t use freedom units I. South Africa.

 

ChasingOurTrunks

Well-known member
Link to the spec sheet, sorry they don’t use freedom units I. South Africa.



Thanks for that link!

When you say you got yours with no upfitting, did it still have everything on the “includes” list or did you order it totally stripped out and customized it? For 900 lbs it’s actually a really extensive list for the weight, if I’m reading this right.

INCLUDES:

Interior pack for 2 sleeper
270º Shadow Awning
Alu-Cab Gutter kit
Storm Tie Down Kit
Alu-Cab Shower Cube
Duck Board
Side Prep Table
Alu-Table
Uni Gas Bottle Holder (Cupboard)
Load Bars
Air Heater
Water Heater
Dometic Unit


If 900lbs includes all that, just my napkin math figures that there’s probably 200-300 lbs of kit (fridge, table, awning, heater, etc.) included. Plus the Khaya replaces a 150lbs RTT and a bed rack or topper, so in terms of payload, a Khaya equipped rig versus a more typical rig is a much smaller “net” weight difference than it initially appears when you hear “900 lbs camper”. Am I on track in my understanding, based on your experience?
 
Here are some shots of mine.

This is on a 2020 TRD Off-road Access Cab with 6' Bed. The truck was specifically purchased and modified for the Khaya

View attachment 609926

View attachment 609928


I added an interior fan to help with the summer heat and also circulate the heat in the winter

View attachment 609929




I built a trash carrier for the rear of the camper that mounts to the accessory plate.


View attachment 609930




1000W Inverter for the 1st World Problem like a grinder and frother.

View attachment 609931

View attachment 609932


Cheers,

John~
Hey John, Where did you get that "trash bag"? I've been using a vintage SealLine bag, I just clip it to the top bar, but yours fits nice. I was thinking the Trasharoo would be too big.
 
Thanks for that link!

When you say you got yours with no upfitting, did it still have everything on the “includes” list or did you order it totally stripped out and customized it? For 900 lbs it’s actually a really extensive list for the weight, if I’m reading this right.

INCLUDES:

Interior pack for 2 sleeper
270º Shadow Awning
Alu-Cab Gutter kit
Storm Tie Down Kit
Alu-Cab Shower Cube
Duck Board
Side Prep Table
Alu-Table
Uni Gas Bottle Holder (Cupboard)
Load Bars
Air Heater
Water Heater
Dometic Unit


If 900lbs includes all that, just my napkin math figures that there’s probably 200-300 lbs of kit (fridge, table, awning, heater, etc.) included. Plus the Khaya replaces a 150lbs RTT and a bed rack or topper, so in terms of payload, a Khaya equipped rig versus a more typical rig is a much smaller “net” weight difference than it initially appears when you hear “900 lbs camper”. Am I on track in my understanding, based on your experience?
I got the "weekender" pack, I think it was called. Just the awning, table and shower. The duck board goes with the shower. Took us a while to figure that out. I ordered before there was one available to look at. Apparently we walked past one at OEX one year, but didn't know I needed one at the time.

Hard to get a decent photo of the inside. The bench on the left opens up for another bed, we just put a sleeping pad on top. Works good for the kid, but I can fit on it if I need too. This is one of the reasons we went with the Khaya because we have six foot of length at that height. One person could sleep in it with the top down, if you needed to. There is also room for one 29er with both wheels on.

9.jpg
 

ChasingOurTrunks

Well-known member
I got the "weekender" pack, I think it was called. Just the awning, table and shower. The duck board goes with the shower. Took us a while to figure that out. I ordered before there was one available to look at. Apparently we walked past one at OEX one year, but didn't know I needed one at the time.

Hard to get a decent photo of the inside. The bench on the left opens up for another bed, we just put a sleeping pad on top. Works good for the kid, but I can fit on it if I need too. This is one of the reasons we went with the Khaya because we have six foot of length at that height. One person could sleep in it with the top down, if you needed to. There is also room for one 29er with both wheels on.

View attachment 610015

Your rig looks great. These look like a really neat solution. Thanks for answering all my questions!
 

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