NewHilux.net

Hi,

Looking for some advise, buying Toyota Hilux SR Cab Chassis 4x4 and will be putting the MRT jack off canopy on top fitted out, along with a RTT.

Which is better from factory, steel or alloy for the setup I want?

My 2c, if ya doin any long range offroad touring go with steel. Alloy one will fall to bits!

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Check your GVW first. You might be looking for every kg you can find so you will have no choice but alloy. By the time you add up the canopy, bull bar, towbar, people etc you’ll find you are close to the limit.

TOYZX wrote:My 2c, if ya doin any long range offroad touring go with steel. Alloy one will fall to bits!

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I’m with TOYZX.

Yes steel is heavy but most alloy trays turn into rattle boxes. They are mostly riveted, screwed or bolted together or a combination. Proper quality steel trays are solid and welded.
Only parts that will rattle are the tray sides and the kit your talking about they will be pulled off when your set up.


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Dead set right with steel - if you don’t have the bar work and can afford the weight they are great. The only exceptions I’d make are Norweld and Buffaloequip. They are top notch but bloody pricy. I’ve got a buffalo tray and am very happy with it - no regrets- but not game enough to look at the lighter looking ones...

Have done 360,000klm in 10 years in '08 SR with genuine Toyo HD alluminium tray (3M supplied) & have had no issues. Home made slide-on weighs about 600kg's loaded & have travelled to the Cape, Vic High Country & Tassie to name a few with no issues. Looking into tray for new Extra Cab we have ordered & found that the tie-down track in alloy tray from dealer sticks up & is unable to be removed bar destroying the side of tray. will be getting aftermarket (Dutch probably) so have a flat tray top to suit slide-on & alloy canopy when not using camper. Steel would probably be a lot stronger if abused but is also over 100kg's heavier. (dealer specs)

I'm know I'm a bit late here, but some info for anyone searching this topic.

I spent over 20 years in earthworks/roadworks/rail construction, testing and supervision. In that time I used many alloy and a few steel trays. Yes the alloy trays can become rattly, but that can be fixed with a little foam/rubber. But they are TOUGH. We put them through absolute hell. Throwing sample buckets weighing around 40kg and more onto them day in day out, and loading them with up to 2 tonne of rock sample with a front end loader (yes illegal but was done in quarries so no public road driving). And the tracks and construction sites were that rough they made most of the corrugations I've driven through the NT and Western QLD feel like a nicely graded gravel road!!

So don't rule them out because someone says they're not as strong as steel. They're so close that anything you're likely to damage them with will damage a steel one. Oh, and they don't rust either.

Just giving this a bump up. I'm on the look out for a tray tool and undecided on allow vs steel. Not a tradie but hoping to fix an alu canopy and do some touring / off roading. Reading this article it seems the weight of the steel tray is almost double so that will impact the load carrying capacity. On the other hand I don't want the tray to snap in half either!

https://www.carsguide.com.au/tradies/ad ... each-75163

I had a tip top ultra tray that took off a tree loppers Ute with over 500000km’s on it. Was putrid but I cleaned it up. I added another 100000km usining it as a builders Ute. The thing was still good to go. No rattles and nothing bent out of shape.

I’d pick one over a steel tray as once they get scratched and rusty they look like junk.

Can the alloy tray be ordered in black from Toyota? or can it be painted?

I'd expect varied feedback here and that's what we've got.
I'm a bricklayer and currently laying into my 34th year. I've owned a few utes over the years and have had plenty of experience beating up both products. I've also owned thirty odd profiles, alloy and steel.
Personally I'd go aluminium over steel. Its a tough product, much better weight and no rust. Also, aluminium flexes and springs where as steel dints and the paint chips. I know that might sound strange to some but I'm only giving my opinion from experience.
I've dropped plenty of profiles from scaffolding, the alloy ones always survive straight, the steel ones are always bent and I have to throw them.

I was reading the article liked above and the weight of 308kg for the toyota steel tray seems to be for a single cab. Any idea what the weight for a dual cab is? Probably not much less.

My canopy is 160kg and the under tray draw probably adds another 50kg

Add to that the bullbar, winch, extra batteries, fridge, water tank, long range fuel tank and my fat guts i dont really have a lot of usable carrying capacity.

I would be over weight with the camper on the back due to the ball weight i am sure.

If you're going to mounting a canopy anyway, I'd find it really hard to justify steel. I've had both and a quality steel try weighs so much more than aluminium for very little gain. As soon as you have a canopy of gear and you hook up a trailer or caravan, the ball weight will be pushing you really close, or over your GVM really quickly.

For example, with 4 people, aluminium bullbar, light weight winch, toyota aluminium try, basic aluminium canopy, 75l fridge, 2x lithium batteries, treds, recovery kit, basic tool box, solar panel, and few other bits and pieces and my caravan hooked up (ball weight around 170kg), I'm right on the 3050 GVM limit. Steel would push you over really easily. A GVM upgrade would be almost a must.