rchrds
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So, I drove all the way to Manhattan, MT to pick up my GFC topper. More to that story in a bit. I haven't had a whole lot of time to fiddle with the topper, but I do have 3000 miles of cross country notes.
The beginning: I ordered from them with full intent to pick the topper up in Denver. My paperwork said Denver. As I am a little anal, I called about a month out from install date to just get an address for the installer, as it had never been provided, to find that someone at GFC had dropped the ball and my topper was not in Denver. There had been confusion on their end about where the topper was going, and if I had been charged for the transport fee to Denver. (I had not, despite my original invoice saying Denver.) I was not impressed, as this made an uncomfortable time crunch for me, and required a 16 hour drive day for me to get to an install date in Montana, and get back to work in time. Add to this- a normal winter in Montana/Wyoming.
The middle: Fortunately, I had months ago, saw fit to purchase some studded snow tires (illegal at home in Tennessee) as I have had to cross Kansas/Nebraska in the winter before, and knew they might be necessary. If I never installed them, I could return them to Walmart for a full refund. So I packed the tires in the back and started the long drive from the deep south.
The End: We made it to Manhattan with no issues aside from some sketchy after dark highway driving on unplowed highways, but with studded snows. We pulled up 15 minutes prior to our install time, and the crew was obviously surprised to see we made it. The install was without drama, and less than an hour- that part of the crew is definitely well rehearsed.
Notes:
1. The GFC clamping arrangement does not work well with the Trailhunter bed light bed rails. When clamped down, it causes the plastic bed rail to flex above the bed lights, and leave a large gap above the light. I don't see this as a GFC failure, as much as the bed rails are really soft plastic garbage from Toyota. The gap is about 1/8 of an inch wide, directly above each light, and will probably have to get some silicone to prevent it packing with dirt or water/ice.
2. The weird bump on the top of the tailgate on the trailhunter also does not play well with the GFC sealing strip on the rear door. You have to close the upper door after closing the tailgate to keep the seal from being bent up, and the shape of the GFC door seals tightly enough that the electric opening will not open the tailgate with the upper door down, you have to help it with your hand.
3. The tilt of the side panels matches the shape of the cab well, and does not add additional wind load behind the back doors.
4. The front of the GFC has about 3/4 inch between the duck bill on the cab and the front of the topper- meaning I will still be able to get the fin off to move the rear facing cameras without having to move the topper.
5. The new latch covers on the GFC worked well in single digit (F) degrees, and kept all the road grime out of the lock and latch mechanisms, highly recommend. (I'm new to GFC, but I think they come standard on all the new tops/campers.) Time will tell if they retain their grip in the southern heat.
6. The top rails I added to the GFC on my order are within 1/4 inch of the top of the Prinsu cross rails- so I will be able to get a cargo carrier up top and have it bridge from the GFC to the Prinsu rack.
7. The topper looks good, and finally I have a cover for all my stuff. More to report as we use it more.
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