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Home built cargo cross bars idea

Discussion in '2nd Gen. Tacomas (2005-2015)' started by codybuehler, Jun 7, 2011.

  1. Jun 7, 2011 at 7:47 AM
    #1
    codybuehler

    codybuehler [OP] Member

    Joined:
    Jun 2, 2011
    Member:
    #57613
    Messages:
    17
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    Cody
    Bloomsburg, PA
    Vehicle:
    11 Tacoma TRD Off-Road
    I thought i would feed the wolves with this. I want any and all feedback on this idea. Just to clarify, I am trying to design these and haven't tried anything yet. I have been looking for cargo cross bars to no avail. This idea seems better at the moment.

    First, my initial thought was to use yakima cross bars. According to Toyota, the width of the bed is just shy of 57". I haven't measured yet, but I trust toyota's measurements. Yakima makes tubes that are very close to the length. Now, there are 2 reasons I chose Yakima cross bars.
    1. They are easy to get and it's convienient to get accessories for.
    2. They are already made to take abuse from weather. They are thick walled, rubber/plastic coated and are higher on the strong/weight ratio.

    I'm sure that i could go to a metal supply shop and buy tube aluminum and rubber coat it myself. That's not out of the question yet. I want to price both and see how much the difference is.

    For the deck mounts, I wanted to incorporate the deck rail tiedown cleats. They are direct fit, and from the pictures i see, are close to the OEM style of how the cargo bars were designed. Plus, they are removable you you need to take the rails out.

    Finally, to attach the bars and cleats, the simplest way would be a direct bolt on to a 1/4" plate of aluminum. The aluminum plate would be bolted to the cleat. To beef it up, the bar could be welded by someone who can weld aluminum. This would also tie back into why buying tube aluminum would be better.

    Has anyone built anything similiar to this? It sounds like it could be very easy, provided that the materials are easily accessible. If it sounds confusing, it is just my description capabilities. Sorry! :D

    Cheers!:playball:
     

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