Clyde gets organized with A.R.E. topper and Decked system

With the A.R.E. topper and Decked system I was finally able to organize Clyde the way I do all my Jeeps and trucks. I like having a load plan not unlike that of a military vehicle.

My comms are installed. I'm running a mobile dual band 2m/70m with a handheld Baofeng as backup and a Midland 25 watt mobile GMRS with two Midland 5 watt handheld as backups. I even have a handheld CB for the dinosaurs I might encounter. I'm licensed for ham and GMRS. Bonnie, my wife's JL Sahara, also has mounted and handheld GMRS radios.

There a thread on here loving on the Walmart tailgate seat and I got me one. It even solved a dilemma I hadn't started working on yet. With the 5' bed and my 5'8" ass, I can fit diagonally with the tailgate and lift gate closed, but had planned to make a wood and memory foam insert to fit into the open Decked drawers to allow me to fully stretch out, albeit with the tailgate open, when camping in the boonies. The Walmart tailgate seat fits on the open Decked drawers perfectly and allows a full 90" from head to toe. Problem solved with no effort on my part.

The Renogy 50 amp DC to DC charger syncs the two 100 watt Renogy panels I have mounted on top of the A.R.E. Rack, thru it's built-in MPPT charge controller and my alternator takes care of the rest, keeping the 100 amp AGM auxiliary battery topped off nicely. A nice feature is that it also flows excess solar to the primary (chassis) battery. The battery has a Renogy monitor that gives me State of Charge. I'm also monitoring it thru the Renogy Bluetooth appointment my phone. The Alpicool 12V refrigerator also has Bluetooth.

I installed a camera that records front and rear, added the GPS feature to that., and it seems to be working ok.

I'll show the exterior enhancements tomorrow. Too dark right now.





































Updated with exterior photos:

Some pics of the topper and roof rack. Also added some lights to the rear of the rack. Both antennas are mounted to the light pillars.

Really nice setup. Question, what did you use to mount the first aid box over the back seat in the cab?

How much does the whole thing weight full and you in it? Nice job! Looking good.

RedDevil17 said:

Really nice setup. Question, what did you use to mount the first aid box over the back seat in the cab?

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Heavy duty velcro. The box is just like the one I saw all over our Army vehicles and is filled with just minor first aid items, but I thought it added a nostalgic touch. My first Jeep was the M151 I was issued as a Cavalry Scout in 1980 in the Army.

The Tourniquet and Advanced First Aid Kit behind the driver seat are for immediate bleeding and airway needs and then inside the Decked system is a full blown 18D trauma kit.

TroutFishingInAmerica said:

How much does the whole thing weight full and you in it? Nice job! Looking good.

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That's the question I need to know soon enough. I have set up the JT for towing with Maximus 3 tow loops and the Ready Brute Elite Towbar and Braking system, but have no plans to tow Clyde behind my current gas powered motorhome, we tow Bonnie, our JLU Sahara, with that. Next summer in buying a diesel Super C for our multi-year RV trip when I retire in 2023 and we'll be towing Clyde. It'll be able to tow 20,000lbs.

I'll take Clyde to a truckstop and pay the $12 to have him weighed. My guess is 5800lbs, with a full tank, me, and my skinny wife.

Donkey Fluffer said:

That's the question I need to know soon enough. I have set up the JT for towing with Maximus 3 tow loops and the Ready Brute Elite Towbar and Braking system, but have no plans to tow Clyde behind my current gas powered motorhome, we tow Bonnie, our JLU Sahara, with that. Next summer in buying a diesel Super C for our multi-year RV trip when I retire in 2023 and we'll be towing Clyde. It'll be able to tow 20,000lbs.

I'll take Clyde to a truckstop and pay the $12 to have him weighed. My guess is 5800lbs, with a full tank, me, and my skinny wife.

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Does Clyde have the stock steel front bumper? I see you are using the Ready Brute and Maximus 3 tow loops and that is my plans as well, but nobody can tell me rather it will work or not. Happy that you are making it work. Can you please tell me what connection you have for the end of the Ready Brute bars to hook to the tow loops?

Thank You

UTRZRDOG said:

Does Clyde have the stock steel front bumper? I see you are using the Ready Brute and Maximus 3 tow loops and that is my plans as well, but nobody can tell me rather it will work or not. Happy that you are making it work. Can you please tell me what connection you have for the end of the Ready Brute bars to hook to the tow loops?

Thank You

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I do have the steel bumper. The hardest part of the install is the contortions of crawling into the drivers floorboard and installing the brake cables.

I called Ready Brute, told them I have the Ready Brute Elite II and Maximus 3 tow loops and they made a set of shackles for about $ $110 or so. Took about a week

Donkey Fluffer said:

I do have the steel bumper. The hardest part of the install is the contortions of crawling into the drivers floorboard and installing the brake cables.

I called Ready Brute, told them I have the Ready Brute Elite II and Maximus 3 tow loops and they made a set of shackles for about $ $110 or so. Took about a week

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Thank you for your quick reply!

Some pics of the topper and roof rack. Also added some lights to the rear of the rack. Both antennas are mounted to the light pillars.

Donkey Fluffer said:

Heavy duty velcro. The box is just like the one I saw all over our Army vehicles and is filled with just minor first aid items, but I thought it added a nostalgic touch. My first Jeep was the M151 I was issued as a Cavalry Scout in 1980 in the Army.

The Tourniquet and Advanced First Aid Kit behind the driver seat are for immediate bleeding and airway needs and then inside the Decked system is a full blown 18D trauma kit.

Click to expand...

Appreciate the info. I have one of those first aid boxes in my desk. Now I know what I can do with it.

Guess we both got acquainted with the Jeep about the same time. I had an M151 as an Air Defender in Germany in 1980. Loved that vehicle.

You've sold me on the ARE top. Your setup is sharp and appeals to my twisted sense of order. Plenty of room inside too.

the jeep is cool...but i would rather get the chopper running!

RedDevil17 said:

Appreciate the info. I have one of those first aid boxes in my desk. Now I know what I can do with it.

Guess we both got acquainted with the Jeep about the same time. I had an M151 as an Air Defender in Germany in 1980. Loved that vehicle.

You've sold me on the ARE top. Your setup is sharp and appeals to my twisted sense of order. Plenty of room inside too.

Click to expand...

If you have the black fenders, I found the matte black finish for the A.R.E. topper to be a much closer match than the OTR (Linex like) offered by A.R E. and about $450 cheaper.

Could you do me a favor and get a measurement on the inside of your ARE topper? Ive been trying to find one forever to measure and haven't been able to.

Im looking for the inside length of the topper at the top part of it, from the front edge (above the slider) to the back edge (by the 3rd brake light) . Im trying to see if a Cap Pack will fit or if I should look elsewhere.

Thanks!

I see that you are in VA as am I. I would really like to see your rig in person if possible please pm me if you’re up for a visit. I am struggling about where and how to mount my future charge controller, battery etc.
I'm near Roanoke but travel quite a bit and could work to your schedule.

BTW, my older son is a Calvary Scout now...

Thanks.

Nice! I like it...I had been thinking about a chase roll bar but that ARE topper has my attention