Why plano cases on roof?

to me if its not a public safety hazard, then to each their own. Personally I agree with the OP that these boxes do more harm to my needs than good, but that is just to me.

 

1. I have renters insurance among other things. It’s like $15.

2. the truck has a too sensitive alarm

3. it has thick locks

4. it is hard to reach, and kinda obvious to surrounding crowd if theft

5. this assumes random people have a grinder

6. the math ain’t mathing. $200 grinder to get my $20 collapsible plastic dish sink and $50 aftermarket axle that won’t fit his shopping cart or acquired e-scooter

7. depends what part of CA

8. Roof boxes ain’t exactly uncommon

9. it’s tinted. They don’t know if I’m inside. Could be. Have been. I’ve lived in it before.

10. location. Went to Oreilly auto parts to pick up a socket. Took 5 minutes. Is that really the window they’re looking for.

11. there is easier targets out there.

etc
Not really worried about it.
Windows could be smashed to steal a $1 bic pen too. Part of life.

truck gets compliments. Never from girls it seems. Hopefully nefarious person likes the truck to not be motivated to bash it.

another way is right size hex
Don’t strip
Loosen bars, lift like a stretcher carrying weight awkward. I can’t even do that and it’s my truck working on it. So I’ll count that one out.

 

I'm more worried about someone smashing my truck topper glass because they red and black bag I keep my ratchet straps in looks like a Milwaukee tool bag. but I agree, have fun with an old 20ft tow strap, a tree saver and some weird recovery gear, and a couple soft shackles.

 

If you have a roof box it kinda hides it at least contents inside
With drawbacks like wind drag

Shell you can lock the window. Add tailgate lock. Install metal mesh inside the side windows for anti theft and added gear mounting.

and remora off road makes side external window mounts for gear. That also blocks window access.

more ways too. Even a cheap plywood bed hides things underneath it hard to access especially if locked tailgate. Can’t really see under or easily lift the bed if tailgate is closed. That’s what I have (plywood) with sterilite underneath.

 

I agree. I’d rather not have them. I’d rather not mess up aerodynamics.

however, had a legit reason to live in the truck for a period of time. May do it again. It’s good to have the option and capability.

Was created out of necessity. Literally ran out of room without them. It’s a small truck. If it was a bigger truck wouldn’t have that problem.

two of them and 80 of your hollow points
Good thing they went home

 

I'm a firm believer that locks only keep honest people out. but I do lock my glass, and know if they really want whatever in the topper they will get in. worst break in i ever had was they smashed a side window out of my car, got my gym bag full of dirty gym clothes from before work, and stole my beat up old Carhartt coat, other then that the adidas they got nothing really. but was pissed about the jacket.

 

lol

The only people who ever approach me regarding my modified vehicles and LCs are dudes.

And this guy was probably trying to steal my cheap shit Thule grocery organizer for his bun fort.

 

re: mounting
Got Sherpa nutserts
Bolts, rubber backed metal washer

4 per box. 1 each corner spread out. Was a pain to move bars and line up. In hindsight maybe not the best method.

the holes are already drilled and don’t know if they can be patched.

water intrusion has not been an issue.
Just concerned about the strength of the mounting.
Heard reports of people go through this end up having the boxes sliding around off roading, which the truck does sometimes.

most straightforward thing I can think to do right now
-get flat bar (I have some spare aluminum)
-cut to length
-add it as a holder clamp brace

that way the bolts going into the rack slot nutserts (however strong that is…) have more of a grabbing footprint holding down the box.

and measure to determine what length bolts needed to handle the change in thickness from adding the flat bar in there.


Not saying it’s easy to rip a 1” hole into a storage case, given it is metal flat washers (rubber backed)
But washers are still less a footprint and more concentrated stress, than spreading it out and securing with flat bar added.

 

Messing up the aerodynamics of a brick?!

 

yeah exactly it’s already messed up with or without the boxes.

seems I may have overgeared it too even better.

truck just barely fits into general 7’ parking garages I think.
Might not if I put traction boards on the box lids. Eyeing that eventually. Get them off the center, on the lids, so center can be used for axe and shovel. Have room in the bed.
And side rails free for water and awning.



probably line up maxtrax bracket, mark, drill, bolt, water seal

just have two, and bracket, so maybe staggered one side only for now.
Not sure how needed 4 boards is over 2. 2 is for sure better than 0.

 

^^^ You might be onto something

 

has its moments

 

Ooooh, such a mister angypants! Show us on your body where the west touched you.

 

dirty needle on the ground almost did

 

Crime is legal here. There’s a homeless guy in my neighborhood sleeping on people’s porch furniture and trying to get into vehicles at night. He passed out on the street a few weeks ago. Probably the same guy tried to get into my truck a few nights ago. I just wonder how people with overland stuff don’t get it stolen. I can’t even leave my 1up rack on without someone trying to steal it.

 

Huh, that's odd. It isn't here.

 

because putting stuff in bags just doesn't cut it...

 

Yep.

I’m not even in SF. I’m East Bay.

It’s really bad.

 

Because that’s SF where every window gets broken whether or not anything inside.

It’s already there. The rights are next door in Utah. Some.

 

Flat Bar all the way across would spread load a little more than large washers, but a 1" or bigger OD fender washer (put some red or black RTV under them for sealing if you're worried) will make the "box" side of each bolted joint more than strong enough to pull out the nut-sert on the other side, and more strength past that point won't benefit you in any way. Even with a length of flat bar, the actual tension load transfer will be 95-99% within an inch of the bolt locations.

The strength of the nutsert end will depend largely on what kind of material it's installed into. I tried using some of those inserts to put some bolt-down locations into my bed for keeping my storage/sleeping box in place, and two of the three pulled out when I got T-boned in a parking lot; I'm still trying to figure out a better fix there since part of the issue might be that the bed is so thick that if the hole has any slack the nutserts won't install properly.

If you have access to the back side of the crossbars, then setting a nutsert into a 1.5-2" length of flat bar and riveting that to the back side of the crossbar (basically making a home-made plate-nut) would probably be a stronger option. Fabricating some "hat" brackets out of that flat bar with a nut-sert at either end and strapping those around/under the cross-bars would be stronger than that, as long as there's no slack when everything is bolted together, but it would require 2 bolts through the base of the box at each attach location.

As far as plugging existing holes in the box, this stuff ought to do the job. Just make up a small cylindrical plug that's 2-3 times as long as the box is thick and mash it down on either side kind of like bucking a rivet so that the resulting shape has a "head" around the hole on both sides of the box panel and wait for it to dry.

$7 J-B Weld 8277 WaterWeld Epoxy Putty Stick - 2 oz., Off White

www.amazon.com/J-B-Weld-8277-White-Pack/dp/B000BRQ0TW