TFL chops wood… Can Rivian R1T Survive a Hard Days Work & Hauling?

[DuckTruck]

I have to give @TFLtommy Props for this video. Well done! One of your best videos/editing/content. Now if you can only convince your dad to come around to Rivian. Come on Roman, the future is here.

As good as the video is, it still leaves me thinking I'll never loan a vehicle of mine for testing, other than to Jay Leno (just in case he's following this thread).

To your last point, I wonder if Roman is still a little upset about being shutout from the near-by Breck event last year. I think he, @TFLtommy, and their entire crew do a great job with their real world approach to testing, and I like their style, in general. Hopefully, Roman comes around.

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[SeaGeo]

As with what basically everyone else has said nice job @TFLtommy. These are the types of videos I've enjoyed from you all. The towing test should be fun!

 

[Babbuino]

Ah! Thanks all for watching and for the kind words! This one was a ton of fun to make!

Did you weight the truck with and without the full load?

 

[Sgt Beavis]

Those pockets not being open at the bottom is a huge concern and I am really surprised not much has been said about them before. Corrosive chemical spill, salt, debris. I’m not going to carry a vacuum cleaner with me just to fix a design flaw. A real Issue for someone looking for a truck not an adventure vehicle.

This is one of the reasons I like TFL. They notice these things. But honestly, how often is any major debris going to get in there. I’ve owned a half a dozen trucks and I’ve never even spilled gas in the bed.

like I said, it’s something to be aware of. To me, the more I think on it, the less of a concern it is.

 

[DaveA]

My thought too but I’m not so sure the air compressor can be used as an air gun?

Just need the attachment. Every air compressor I’ve purchased come with a small one. Now I’ve found a use for it. ?

 

[SeaGeo]

Just some fun things rewatching the video:

"why would you need anymore than 15 inches?"
@TFLtommy :
"i don't know... 'Murrrica?" (smiles)

Got a good chuckle out of that.

It's very unfortunate that Tommy is on Toyota's payroll with that jacket. Can't trust anything he says now. /s

In that section at the cliff edge, Tommy was worried about slipping off of it. That's tangentially related to something I'm somewhat concerned about with heavy EV trucks. Getting that added weight near the edge of a road on a slope just increases the risk of causing surficial slope failures.

 

[Harvest]

I have farmed half my life and worked in agriculture research another 20 years hauling all kinds of stuff in a variety of pickups, including all kinds of mulch, branches, lumber, compost, topsoil, gravel, etc. I'm not concerned about those hinges in the slightest. By contrast, I think the Rivian tailgate design will be less of an issue for clogging, because a normal tailgate allows items smaller than an inch to wedge into the gap between the tailgate and bed. The Rivian "flap" that covers the hinges will cover nearly all of that typical gap. It will also make it considerably easier to sweep out the bed, again avoiding stuff going down in the normally large crevice between a tailgate and bed when the tailgate is open.

The only thing that concerns me slightly about the tailgate is that the longer design of the tailgate means it will be a longer reach to get to things sitting in the bed, but generally they can be slid out without issue. It would mainly be a pain for reaching in for something heavy that's not easy to slide, like 80 pound bags of concrete mix or the like.

 

[MountainBikeDude]

Nice Video... hope someone on the site figures out a way to disable the 'washing machine' sounds though... imagine wanting to take this out to a remote hunting site, or just wanting to hear nature. That's an advantage for an electric truck. Should be a software method to turn off for 'outdoorsy stuff' - maybe as part of the 'rock crawl' setting or something...

When I was watching the video and they commented on the noise, I was thinking the same thing, that they should disable the noise or have an option on screen that cimes up to do so when in any of the "Off-Road" settings.

Great minds think alike ?

 

[SeaGeo]

When I was watching the video and they commented on the noise, I was thinking the same thing, that they should disable the noise or have an option on screen that cimes up to do so when in any of the "Off-Road" settings.

Great minds think alike ?

Unfortunately legally they can't right now.

 

[moosehead]

Nicely done TFL, yet again.

I’m significantly less concerned about the shorter 53” bed after seeing that slick gooseneck tailgate in action.

 

[thrill]

Unfortunately legally they can't right now.

I'd think it'd be a reasonable legal argument that selecting an off-road mode on a vehicle would mean street-mode functionality could be disabled. It's just the reverse of off-road only lightbars, etc., that drivers are responsible for using appropriately.

 

[SeaGeo]

I'd think it'd be a reasonable legal argument that selecting an off-road mode on a vehicle would mean street-mode functionality could be disabled. It's just the reverse of off-road only lightbars, etc., that drivers are responsible for using appropriately.

Reasonable doesn't mean legal though. The legal requirement is to produce the ped warning sound when going slower than 18.6 mph for passenger vehicles that weigh less than 4,536 kg. There is no exception in the federal rule that I can find associated with geography or drive mode. Interestingly I think the hummer EV would be exempt from the warning because it's chonky... So it doesn't need to be evaluated by the EPA or meet at least one safety standard because it weighs so much that policy makers didn't consider a passenger vehicle would weigh so much. I guess Rivian should have bulked the R1T GVWR up another ton!
https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/49/571.141

 

[opnwide]

I'd think it'd be a reasonable legal argument that selecting an off-road mode on a vehicle would mean street-mode functionality could be disabled. It's just the reverse of off-road only lightbars, etc., that drivers are responsible for using appropriately.

I’m confident the engineers on this forum will find a workaround! ?
Have we seen the speaker holes like on the bottom of the M3. Not that I’m advocating any mods. Ha!

 

[GaryL]

I have farmed half my life and worked in agriculture research another 20 years hauling all kinds of stuff in a variety of pickups, including all kinds of mulch, branches, lumber, compost, topsoil, gravel, etc. I'm not concerned about those hinges in the slightest. By contrast, I think the Rivian tailgate design will be less of an issue for clogging, because a normal tailgate allows items smaller than an inch to wedge into the gap between the tailgate and bed. The Rivian "flap" that covers the hinges will cover nearly all of that typical gap. It will also make it considerably easier to sweep out the bed, again avoiding stuff going down in the normally large crevice between a tailgate and bed when the tailgate is open.

The only thing that concerns me slightly about the tailgate is that the longer design of the tailgate means it will be a longer reach to get to things sitting in the bed, but generally they can be slid out without issue. It would mainly be a pain for reaching in for something heavy that's not easy to slide, like 80 pound bags of concrete mix or the like.

Assuming you use a 48"-52" pallet, loading with a fork lift is going to be problematic because of the 30" of tailgate you need to clear. Its not going to leave much of a standard fork under the pallet

 

[SeaGeo]

Assuming you use a 48"-52" pallet, loading with a fork lift is going to be problematic because of the 30" of tailgate you need to clear. Its not going to leave much of a standard fork under the pallet

any idea what load the tailgate is rated for when in the down position?

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