Roof Rack On My Camper Shell

I want to install a roof rack (tracks and bars) so I can haul a 75 lb. kayak. Couple questions for those in the know. Does it matter what brand I get? I’m looking at Thule and Yakima. They look similar. I know there are other brands out there too.
Any difficulties with installing them? Should I have a pro install it? I pretty handy so it doesn’t look to be difficult but I sure don’t look forward to drilling holes in my camper shell.
Any information is appreciated.

 

I went Rhinorack on my Leer. Cheaper option than Thule and Yakima. Solid product.

I diy’d mine and was able to install it in an evening. Just measure measure measure before drilling.

 

Thule and Yakima are in fact the exact same tracks. If you want a bit more stout look at the front runner. Much thicker.

 

OEM will hold such things as 40ga of gas, or 12 2"x12"x16' boards and my fat ass (200lbs) standing on top, or about anything else if that helps

 

And folds up neat and looks OEM draw back is price.

 

Oem? U mean the cab rack? That he. 100lb capacity.

 

I know you are asking about the cross bars, but Amazon has J racks that got for $60 that have been great for holding my kayaks. They also come with a lifetime warranty.

 

Not sure what you mean by 'cab rack'??? But, OEM roof rack will absof'n lootly do everything stated. Been there, done that, issued T-Shirt, and Honor Coin.

 

I'm, not going to load up the truck, but I'm on the front porch and pretty easy to walk on to roof rack.... Wanna see some ugly feet on the roof rack of a Tacoma, lol! Way more than 100lbs

 

Another tip for hauling really long and really heavy stuff. $59.99 (without 20 percent off coupon) truck bed extender. If you install it with the short end into your draw Tite/trailer hitch and the long end facing up, the 'T' at the top is the exact same height as the OEM roof rack. Now, you have 3 minimum support points over a distance of about 14' that can hold more weight than your Tacoma can haul


Your welcome


A Kayak??? Put it on the roof

 

I went with the Rhinorack made specifically for Leer. I figured since I have a Leer, it should fit perfectly

https://www.rackoutfitters.com/leer-fiberglass-camper-shell-topper-cap-rhino-rack-tracks-set-of-2/

 

I’ve got a set of Thule bars on my shell, only reason Thule is I’ve had them since the early 90s, and they are still fully functional, so they’ve done some hard duty in 30 years!!!

 

Your truck is only 10 years old?

 

Yup, the bars outlasted 5 vehicles

 

I installed a Thule rack and tracks on my shell. Not difficult, just need to take your time measuring before you drill the holes. You also need to make sure you drill the holes in the right part of the shell.

It would help if he was looking for a rack for the cab.

Again, it is on the cab and not the shell.

Static load is not the same as dynamic load.

 

Yakima

The round bars are probably 25 years old and have been on 3-4 vehicles.

 

I have a Front Runner rack on my leer. Quite a bit more expensive than the Thule/Yakima options but much stronger (I load the hell out of it with other stuff all the time and walk on it A lot) and has many more accessories. I drove my kayaks on the shell for 5200 miles over two weeks recently including several mild 4x4 roads with the kayaks on the rack. I used Yakima Jay Hooks on my rack to hold the kayaks. Thule and Yakima are fine. Front Runner, Rhino, and Prinsu are much better.



PS the installation on any of them is pretty easy. Drilling into the camper shell is fine with the template or thru the tracks themselves.

*** make sure to use some silicon when you bolt it down to keep it leak free. I’ve had my rack on my cab (I had to drill holes in the cab to mount it) and the shell for more than a year with lots of use. No issues

 

Great pics! Question - how easy is it for one guy to get the kayak up there and off? I’m 6’ tall and pretty strong but I do have some back issues.

 

My truck is lifted 2.5” and on 295/75r16 tires. The top of the rack sits at 6’8”+. So it’s a bit of work to get the kayak up. I loaded them on my own the whole trip. Get the kayak up to shoulder level. Then sort of pop it up into the Jay Hook.

I do know several companies sell the sort of kayak lift mounts... like these.

$1,267 Thule 898000 Hullavator Pro Kayak/Canoe Carrier

https://www.amazon.com/Thule-898000...a-481121747034&psc=1&ref=&adgrpid=70998872358

They are expensive though. A 45lb kayak over your head just takes a little practice. I dropped one of them once. It’s doable.

 

you can always go to your local junkyard and get a set of rails from a SUV of the correct length for your cap, its the same track.

Last track I used was from an old Jeep Cherokee and I put Yakima Railders towers with round bars, had them on my last GM truck for 14 years with no problems