Roof Rack on Cab and Shell ?

I have a 2011 Tacoma doublecab with a shell on it, and I wand to get a rack for both the cab and the shell.
But I want them to be the same height, or very close, so if I have something very long, like lumber, I can laid it across both racks.
I really like the Toyota racks for the Tacoma, they sit nice and low, but all the racks I have seen for the shells are alot higher than the stock rack.

Anyone running racks on both?
Thanks
~John

 

The only time I've seen racks on both the shell and truck (and at the same height) is when they're the same rack system. Usually Thule or Yakima. If you know you'll be hauling lumber, you could block up the base rack system so it'd be the same height as the shell rack but I think you'd be better off upgrading to an aftermarket rack for the shell. They're rated for more weight and would be better suited to heavy hauling. You could sell off your OEM rack to offset the costs also since you could probably get away with a single cross member for the cab.

 

Mine works well on my '07 DCSB with a leer shell. I have the Thule Aero bars on the shell and OEM on the cab. I just dont put up the front bar on the shell and it works great.

 

This is a Rack-it lumber rack, the be-all end-all discussion for heavy racks, it's bullet proof, i have loaded close to 800-900 pounds on this bad boy. If you don't think you need all of this rack then don't buy it, it's heavy and with my lift, i'm too tall for most parking garages.

 

Here is mine. I just got the shell, so haven't had a chance to utilize both racks yet, but they are very similar in height and seem like they'd work well together.

 

The Rack-It lumber rack seems very nice, but it way too much overkill for my needs.
I dont need to haul a ton of lumber, just just need a nice solution for the times I need to haul long items. I guess its more a concern of size and length rather than weight.

Aggiesdm, that looks pretty nice, what rack do you have on the shell?
My shell is made by a local company, I need to look into what rack they offer, and see what height it is. but I may end up just getting an aftermarket one and installing it myself.

 

There is going to be a weight limit to what you can safely put on a rack mounted to a shell, keep that in mind

 

Its a Yakima rack that was installed by ARE. I was told there was a 300lb weight limit, but can't confirm that. I know that the OEM roof rack has a 100lb limit. The bars on the Yakima can be moved forward and backward to accommodate different needs. As I mentioned, I haven't had to use it yet but I'm glad to have it for the future. Lumber, canoes, etc. Good luck. Now I need a lift!!