crazywhips Posted January 7, 2010 Share Posted January 7, 2010 Hello there, I currently drive a Toyota Kluger and it's a great car. But as I'm doin a LOT of km I decided to change it into a Diesel. So after a lot of discussions with OH we decided on a Hilux. It would be my first car where I haben't got my dogs right with me. Now I'm thinking, should I buy a canope and have them in there or will that be too hot? Maybe I just can secure them with their seatbells on the tray but I'm terrified that it breaks and they fall off. Should I mount a cage? Or will they get wind-/sunburn?Any ideas??? We had a lovely ss ute and had a ARB canopy put on. This way i still had my lovely leather seats and comforts and my dogs were also in comfort with single mattresses as beds. We had the windows up both sides with security mesh and were open at all times. We found it great during the winter months but found it still very hot travelling during summer months. Granted we didn't have the whirlybirds on top. These would have helped. The dogs were very secure and could sleep in there at night and i could still fit all my show stuff in. I have since sold the ute but would consider it again with the whirly birds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cry123 Posted January 7, 2010 Share Posted January 7, 2010 (edited) We have a Hilux, which we have set up fpr our dogs. It is a little diferent to what you want, but we have a lot of dogs and do a lot of travelling. My husband and i do three sheep dog trialling, so we travelling with lots of dogs We have a crate on the back which is set up with seven cages, two at either sides and three across the back. The cages are all mesh and with have a top roof section which use for storage (it will carry dog food, water, feed bowls, pooper scooper etc etc) It is light enough that my OH and I can get it on and off very easily. It is bolted to the tray. The cage is then covered with canvas. The panels on the sides can zip up and roll up, our they can stay down. We also have vents at the front which are always open. The canvas does stay really quite cool. I live in a very hot area, and 90% of the time we travel with the back rolled up and the front vents open. This allows the breeze to flow through and it keeps them cool with constant fresh air. We also have those half pot plant holder things fron bunnings (half circle things, flat one one side!) tied in each cage so that they always have water. We really like or set up and so far it works well. I could take some photos later if you would like. I am not sure if i have explaned myself very well!!! Our cage cost us $500 (but was done by a friend) and the canvas was $650. Edited January 7, 2010 by cry123 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucy's mama Posted January 7, 2010 Share Posted January 7, 2010 Canvass canopy's are so much cooler than fibre glass. Dogs are shaded and sheltered and different side can be rolled up or down for ventilation. And it doubles as a camper. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roundhill Posted January 7, 2010 Share Posted January 7, 2010 Oceanaussi We have also just recently upgraded from a diesel holden rodeo twin cab with canopy to a twin cab hilux with a tray back. We are going to have dog boxes made for the tray. I found the canopy and tub liner on the rodeo to be very good when travelling to shows with my dogs as they could be comfortable and secure. We use to place a false floor over the wheel arches to sit crates on (you could get 2 in this way) and all other camping stuff fitted neatly under this between the wheel arches. If we didn't have the false floor then i could only fit 1 crate in. I experienced problems with this set up as I am a little vertical challenged (approx 160cm tall). I found reaching over the tailgate to open and close doors of crates and lifting pups that could not jump into the crates to be a problem. The canopy limited what the ute coud be used for around the farm due to the height limitations with the canopy. When the canopy was not on the ute I found that reaching into the front of the tub to get things out was also a problem. I could never have a tub back on the hilux as it was even higher than the rodeo. We have chosen the tray back this time as it allows easier access, no problems with the wheel arches getting in the way, I can easily reach onto the tray, the dog box can be bolted onto the tray for easy removal, I can easily acess the dogs and get things in and out of the boxes, the vehicle is still able to be used on farm as a back portion of tray is still available to put a motorbike on, cart horse feed, fencing gear etc. I too have a kluger, we purchased it 7 months ago and have already covered 45000kms in it and find it extremely comfortable and roomy. I would not recommend the prado, we found that it did not have the same amount of room as the kluger. The ute will give you more room for your dogs than the kluger...they might just miss the air conditioner and the tunes . Good luch with your search Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucy's mama Posted January 7, 2010 Share Posted January 7, 2010 Heres an example of what I am talking about: CANVASS CANOPY You could have a secured crate inside it if necesary Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cry123 Posted January 7, 2010 Share Posted January 7, 2010 Ok I just got a few pictures of ours. It is similar to what Lucy's mama is talking about. There are a few things we would change, but this is the first one we have built ourselves and thier are a few teething problems, but overall it is good. The dogs love it and they stay cool and happy. (i hope these photos work!!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mystiqview Posted January 7, 2010 Share Posted January 7, 2010 I have read the topic all the way through properly: Make sure you buy a factory turbo diesel. Without and they do not pull the skin off custard! I bought a 2001 3L Diesel. If I knew then what I know now, I would have bought a factory turbo. I ended up putting an aftermarket turbo on it which is worth nearly $5K with 2" exhaust. I am about to change the diff centres from the standard Hilux to the diff centres off the factory turbo, that will drop the revs while cruising on the hiway. Sorry getting technical here. You pay more for a turbo diesel, but you really do need one. Even just going up those hills around Brisbane, let alone getting up and down the range at Oceanview. If you buy second hand, be careful about where and who owned it previously. 4WD by nature can be abused by those who go 4WD. With a hilux, you should be reasonably ok, unless it has been lifted or contains diff lockers etc. But if it has heaps of accessories on it already, then go with caution as it will more than likely been offroad or on the beach and subject to more wear and tear than one that hasn't. If you also buy second hand, watch things like when the timing belt was last changed. If that goes, you say goodbye to your motor. The book on some hilux's say to change at 150,000 kms, others at 120,000 kms. I change mine at 100,000 to make sure as mine also gets offroad. I have a canopy on mine. very handy. If you go camping, you can put your stuff in the back and it will stay dry. If you go for a cage, then if you need to transport stuff when its raining, your're stuffed. I have a back cage I had made so I can open the back and the dogs stay inside safe and sound when we are out somewhere. I had it made at EDS Fabrications at Brendale. I originally had it made for AU Falcon, and with a few changes (couple of new holes) to the brackets, it now fits the Hilux. This is not the best photo of it, but all I have here at work: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cry123 Posted January 7, 2010 Share Posted January 7, 2010 I have read the topic all the way through properly:Make sure you buy a factory turbo diesel. Without and they do not pull the skin off custard! We brought our Hilux new in November 2007. It is the BEST car. It tows our caravan and horse float like a dream!!!! It isnt a turbo either. It is a fantastic car. We havent had an ounce of trouble with it and is super comfy. It is also our "family" car so we go everywhere in. I love it. One of my good friends brought the same one as mine a couple of months earlier then i did and hers is just as great. I cant comment on the older ones though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WoofnHoof Posted January 7, 2010 Share Posted January 7, 2010 @WoofnHoof: Can you leave the windows open while you drive? Can you open the sides as well? I'm planning to put a big toolbox in there with all my gear, so that needs to be accessible easily. Yep the carryboy canopy I had you could open and lock the windows both ways so the mesh was in one side and you could open the other side and acess the inside without the mesh as well, I had an ARB one prior to the carryboy and the carryboy was far far better IMO it had much better quality finish and fittings, I can't speak highly enough of them. I changed my car to a trayback and I couldn't transfer to carryboy onto it and couldn't afford a new one I was devastated about that Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weibritty Posted January 7, 2010 Share Posted January 7, 2010 (edited) Hey OA Just giving you an idea of how I travel with my Weis. I have a Mitsubishi Triton Dual Cab (although mine is about 7 years old now) which we set up for the dogs. It came with a Flexiglass canopy on it, so we changed all the windows on the canopy to sliders and also the back of the cab, so cool cabin air can enter the rear during summer when we open them. I also have crate fans for use, if it's a bit warm and grills over the side slide windows for more ventilation, so the windows can be open whilst driving. Didn't bother with a whirly on top. I also had a false floor for storage, dog ramp and the crate doors installed by Colin from Puppy Bars here in Vic. (I think that's his company name?). My 3 dogs (the 2 Weis and the Brittany) all travel in it very comfortably and have plenty of room. riesenhaft - I love your new Triton... Here's an old pic. eta - for spelling Edited January 7, 2010 by Weibritty Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mystiqview Posted January 7, 2010 Share Posted January 7, 2010 (edited) I have read the topic all the way through properly:Make sure you buy a factory turbo diesel. Without and they do not pull the skin off custard! We brought our Hilux new in November 2007. It is the BEST car. It tows our caravan and horse float like a dream!!!! It isnt a turbo either. It is a fantastic car. We havent had an ounce of trouble with it and is super comfy. It is also our "family" car so we go everywhere in. I love it. One of my good friends brought the same one as mine a couple of months earlier then i did and hers is just as great. I cant comment on the older ones though. If you have the D4D model (from 2005 onwards), they are already factory turbo as standard. They are also common rail technology which is different to the older model diesels. Whereas the models before the D4D were either standard diesel or optional factory turbo. ETA: Corrected hilux models. Edited January 7, 2010 by Mystiqview Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikelli Posted January 7, 2010 Share Posted January 7, 2010 (edited) This is our set up. Toyota Hilux, its a V6, auto, tows our caravan with ease, so the dogs are comfortable and so are we. The canopy is fibreglass (WOW brand) so is cool, they usually come with windows in the sides but we got it made with all fibreglass as we thought the sun shining in would be too hot for the dogs, we have a fan set up in the back for really hot days. We have 4 crates and room on the back for all the show gear, or you can put crates or gazebo on top if you need to. We have had lots of people comment on what a great set up it is. Edited January 7, 2010 by mikelli Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cry123 Posted January 7, 2010 Share Posted January 7, 2010 This is our set up. Toyota Hilux, its a V6, auto, tows our caravan with ease, so the dogs are comfortable and so are we. The canopy is fibreglass (WOW brand) so is cool, they usually come with windows in the sides but we got it made with all fibreglass as we thought the sun shining in would be too hot for the dogs, we have a fan set up in the back for really hot days. We have 4 crates and room on the back for all the show gear, or you can put crates or gazebo on top if you need to. We have had lots of people comment on what a great set up it is. That is a great setup mikelli! My OH would like that Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikelli Posted January 7, 2010 Share Posted January 7, 2010 This is our set up. Toyota Hilux, its a V6, auto, tows our caravan with ease, so the dogs are comfortable and so are we. The canopy is fibreglass (WOW brand) so is cool, they usually come with windows in the sides but we got it made with all fibreglass as we thought the sun shining in would be too hot for the dogs, we have a fan set up in the back for really hot days. We have 4 crates and room on the back for all the show gear, or you can put crates or gazebo on top if you need to. We have had lots of people comment on what a great set up it is. That is a great setup mikelli! My OH would like that The best part is if we want to upgrade the ute at any stage we can just take the tray off and put it on a new cab We love it, helps when our son is a builder and made the crates inside for us, took a couple of days and a carton of stubbies... The crates can come out quite easily, however we have never taken them out as we usually just put ports or shopping etc. into the crates if we need to.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WildatHeart Posted January 7, 2010 Share Posted January 7, 2010 I have a toyota hilux. I got ute rubber matting put in so my dog's feet dont burn on the steel tray. I dont have any flash setup unfortunately, just a lead tied to the middle - she loves it. When its too windy she just lies down. If its raining she gets to ride with me inside but she still prefers outside. She sleeps in the tray most days or under it if its hot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WoofnHoof Posted January 7, 2010 Share Posted January 7, 2010 Here's a pic of the one I had: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roundhill Posted January 7, 2010 Share Posted January 7, 2010 Sorry to go on a tangent Oceanaussi but I would just like to ask Mikelli a few questions about the setup they have posted. Mikelli - I like your setup on the tray. I have seen a few variations that would be similar to this. It would be good in all weather conditions. The dogs and equipment would be secure when travelling and it would also be easily accesible for the vertically challenged like myself. For the hot days / nights when you are camped and have the sides up, do you have any locks on cage doors to prevent people from opening the cages easily. How does your setup cope on dirt roads with the dust? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roundhill Posted January 7, 2010 Share Posted January 7, 2010 This is the only photo I could find of the rodeo ute and ARB canopy I use to have. The higher canopy was useful as it allowed extra room for the dogs. The back was set up like Weibritty's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikelli Posted January 7, 2010 Share Posted January 7, 2010 Sorry to go on a tangent Oceanaussi but I would just like to ask Mikelli a few questions about the setup they have posted.Mikelli - I like your setup on the tray. I have seen a few variations that would be similar to this. It would be good in all weather conditions. The dogs and equipment would be secure when travelling and it would also be easily accesible for the vertically challenged like myself. For the hot days / nights when you are camped and have the sides up, do you have any locks on cage doors to prevent people from opening the cages easily. How does your setup cope on dirt roads with the dust? The doors slide open and we put a chain around the door/door post (hard to explain) to prevent it from opening and padlock it when we need to, works well and very quick and easy. Dust wise its pretty good as most times we have the fan going inside and this does not let too much dust get sucked in. We also have a ramp for the dogs to go up and down..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roundhill Posted January 7, 2010 Share Posted January 7, 2010 Mikelli. That is a good simple idea. You could even use the keyed Whitco Sliding Aluminium Window Locks with the push buttons. They could all be keyed the same for extra security. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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