GFC (Go Fast Campers) today released the all-new Platform Topper and to test this new product they decided to do something Mythbusters radical, they lowered an old Ford F250 onto it! My jaw dropped when they opened the rear door of the topper, how is that even possible? The company had to reinforce the bed of a Toyota Tacoma with 500 pounds of steel in order to match the strength of the Topper, and enable it to carry the 4,500 Ford F-250. By comparison a fibreglass topper was given the same treatment and, while performing better than we expected, ultimately failed dramatically. Point proven, this GFC topper is tough. You can watch the video here if you don’t believe us.
You might ask yourself why on earth you might ever need to install a topper capable of carrying an F250 on your truck? That’s not really the point, the topper is not designed to carry such heavy loads but proving that it can goes a long way to proving the engineering principles behind the design and convincing a buyer that this topper, which costs a fraction more than most top of the range toppers, will last as long as their next two trucks. It’s also the only truck topper that instantly converts into a portable “cabana”.
“The Platform Topper enables truck owners to carry anything, securely, and access it easily. Our obsessive attention to detail, billet parts, and space frame chassis deliver a level of strength and longevity never before seen in this space.”
says GFC founder and CEO Wiley Davis.
The Platform Topper is designed for hard work over tough terrain and the Topper can support up to 800 pounds of dynamic load on its roof. This lightweight strength is achieved by employing a tubular aluminum space frame reinforced with billet aluminum parts. All connections in that space frame are bolted rather than welded, eliminating the potential for stress fractures. The space frame effectively spreads loads evenly across the entire perimeter of a pickup truck’s bed. In architecture and structural engineering, a space frame is a rigid, lightweight, truss-like structure constructed from interlocking struts in a geometric pattern (triangles within rectangles in the case of the GFC topper). Incidentally, the space frame was independently developed by Alexander Graham Bell. Now you know.
The roof section of the Platform Topper is constructed of a pressure-formed aluminum load halo supporting a one-inch thick honeycomb thermoplastic roof panel. The panel is translucent, allowing light to enter the topper, while reflecting solar radiation and providing insulation. The load halo includes T-track accessory mounting rails on all four sides for the mounting of lights, awnings, tools, or other accessories. The T-track also supports up to four of GFC Beef Rack crossbars, which each offer 200 pounds of dynamic load. The panels are made from 500-Series aluminum, and offer a balance of weight and strength. The panels are powder coated for aesthetic appearance and color.
The GFC Platform Topper will be custom sized for each specific make and model of pickup, currently supported trucks include the current generation Toyota Tacoma, Ford Ranger, and Jeep Gladiator. Those will be followed shortly by the Ford F-150 (including Lightning) and most other popular truck configurations will follow, as customer demand dictates.
$3,995
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