Question for people with Racks on Shell/Topper

I've been scouring craigslist for used rack setups (can't afford ~$400-$600 for retail) but there are so many different models of feet/towers, tracks, options, and configurations that its hard to tell which ones are functional on a topper or can be modified to fit.

I'm looking for some ideas about specific setups that people have used to install their own racks on a topper.

What's your current setup (towers, feet, tracks or landing pads etc)? How has it served you? Any issues (stress cracks, leakage etc)? Are there any things you have learned that you wished you knew before you installed that you know now?

Links to build threads, pictures of the installation, and general advice is all welcome. I've researched the various ways to do it but there's nothing like the wisdom of experience.


I just want something strong enough to carry lumber, a kayak or canoe, as well as the occasional RTT excursion for me and my kids. Would also be nice to have the flexibility to add attachments (I already own a few thule bike and ski/snowboard rack attachments from an old vehicle).

thanks in advance!!

 

This thread has lots of good info: https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/diy-prinsu-style-shell-rack.521186/

 

The previous owner of my truck had the channels for yakima control towers and round bars on both the cab and the are shell. It works, great, I can move the racks around depending on what i am carrying. You might be able to see how there are extra pad mounts on both the cab and shell. No leaks, no worries.

No cracks, etc. I have carried many surfboards, canoes, kayaks without issue. The heaviest load I have ever had on it was probably either 6 or 8 PT 2x10 x 10's that were dripping water. I have never tried a tent or anything like that.

I would like to trade the shell for a retrax with the yakima overlander HD, but that would be a pricey setup.

 

Yakima tracks with round bars on my ARE shell since 2006. Installed them myself, carried plenty of junk like bikes, boats, etc., no problems so far.

 

If you have a fiberglass topper, look into artificial rain gutters. They are very easy to install, and rain gutter mounts are common

 

I thought about these because a lot of the used rack setups I find online have the feet for mounting to raingutters. Any idea what the load capacity is on these? Do they work on the more aerodynamic shells that have rounded lines/angles?

 

I'm not sure the load rating, I never carried more than a bike or skies on mine. I don't believe it matters what shape the topper is, as long as its not aluminum. I had them on my previous topper, and just braced the backside with an aluminum plate.

 

The artificial rain gutters are getting outdated at this point; there are plenty of them showing up used on-line but why not go with the more modern track system? I say that as someone who's used rain gutter mounts on various vehicles since the '80s. The track system allows greater flexibility in mounts, they're adjustable for various length loads, they're more aerodynamic, etc. The tracks also help distribute the weight across the length of the tracks.

 

I was a Yakima/Thule certified installer at REI for a few years...and chose my rack system based upon that experience...and seeing some really good, as well as really baaaad set ups.

Yakima LP1 landing pads. These are the pieces that slide into the "tracks" mounted on top of the LEER shell we purchased.

Yakima Skyline foot pack, with "T" slot upgrade vs. the traditional "loop interface" around the load bars. This $40 kit gives you more real estate on your load bars, allowing the compatible components to mount into a slot on the top of the bar, rather than the grip/loop interface that prohibits mounting directly above the foot pack.

Yakima CoreBar aero steel bars, size small, or 50"

2 Yakima HighSpeed fork mount products.

No issues with cracking, limited wind noise in the cab. Been very happy with this set up.

Dynamic (moving) load capacity is 160lbs...I believe

Static (non moving) load capacity is 450lbs...I believe.

I'll snap and post some photos later today of the system.

 

The ARE cap on my '03 Tacoma came with full length tracks that were designed to accept rain gutter racks. I would guess that they might still be available but I have no idea where.

 

You want the rear rack to be mounted as far back as possible so loads on the rack clear the top corner of the shell when loading or unloading. This is what you want to avoid:

 

Rhino Rack Vortex Bars Leer 100XL. Rack Attack here in Denver installed new feet with locking cores & the rhino vortex bars.

 

Over the last 38 years I’ve had many toppers with racks. For the last twenty I’ve installed Yakima rails the full length of the topper. On those I’ve mounted Yakima control towers with round bars. They’re on there today. Ive carried all sorts of stuff from lumber, bikes, to all kinds of boats. Never any problems. One area of concern is my last two toppers and mounts. I elected to get mid rise toppers to increase aerodynamics when towing my travel trailer. The creates a short flat section of roof. This makes it a little less stable when carrying long items.

 

Whenever I was installing roof racks I was on a tight budget as well. I was able to get into mine for about $50 total. I ended up snagging the racks off a wrecked 2004 Ford Explorer (same vintage as the one in the photo below for reference). I chose this particular roof rack for a few reasons. Mainly because the Explorer has a fairly flat roofline, much like our tacoma canopies. Secondly I liked these racks for their ease of customizing. It’s easy to take the feet off of them and whack an inch of strut off to better match the size of your canopy, same can be said for the crossbars. Another advantage is that the crossbars have a pretty decent form for decreasing the whistling issues that some people report. Lastly, I chose these because I live in western oregon and fir needles/tree debris comes with the territory. It’s difficult to get needles out of tracks that lay flat against the canopies. If you go with an elevated foot, it diminishes the irritation of crossbars jamming in tracks significantly.

All of this is just simply my $.02, if you have any questions, I’m happy to answer them. Here are a couple pictures to give you an idea of what they look like.

 

I started with Rhino crossbars that I got on a pro deal, but ended up needing more mounting points at different lengths for rotopax, shovel, traction boards, etc. so I built my own following that thread. Total cost was $236 and a couple days of work (mostly for paint to dry).

Many people have thrown RTT’s on top of their DIY racks too, weight limitation seems to be more on the shell itself and the strength of the tracks from what I can tell. I used angle cut square aluminum tubing as my mounting feet and they are rock solid, paired with alu bar cut to fit inside the tracks and a filed down carriage bolt. The square nut that came with my Rhino bars for inside the track were actually smaller.

I didn’t like how high the original crossbars sat and how much they poked outwards for those tight off camber trails where you’re rocking side to side close to trees. Something else to consider. They also whistled a lot while my DIY rack has been silent.

You can see how much lower to the shell it sits vs the crossbars - a lot of people with higher crossbars have asked about it:

 

Oh and the extruded alu bars give you plenty of options to do cheaper DIY mounts or attach most of what’s out in the market. The rotopax and rhino mounts shown clamp around the bars just fine, and the traction board mounts I made go into the t slot channels. Lots of flexibility.

 

Do you already have a shell/topper?

I went with a Leer shell and more of a budget Thule rack setup- tracks and square bars. Have hauled everything you said plus others, except for a RTT. No leaks, wind noise, cracks or complaints, but I think I would like the rack mounted lower to the shell- similar to @FashTaco and @Lil Puke. Leer shell is the extended height so my roof rack basket sits at 84" and the rack itself at about 79" Still works great but I like the aesthetics of the lower racks. I also like when the cab also has a roof rack at the same height as the bed roof rack.

Installed some Total Chaos bed stiffeners. Entire threads on that subject but basically they can help keep the bed sides from flexing with the added weight of a shell/rack setup. There are other brands too but I forget.

For leak prevention, I've been using this black Play-doh substance that I got with the shell install 4 years ago. Still works.

 

Your cap/shell capacity will most likely be the limiting factor as far as max carrying capacity.

 

As @TacomaUSA mentioned, bed stiffeners are very friendly in this situation, especially if you’re on rough ground with heavy stuff atop your racks. I recently saw that @Tttacodan is offering some Black Friday/Cyber Monday sales. He has a couple of different variations of stiffeners. I’m in no way advertising for him, but I do think they look badass!

 

I think gutter plates are pretty slick; they let you get the rack set low, and they may be less likely to leak than tracks, since the holes are on the side of the cap. But I'm getting outdated.