PrInSu Design Studio Roof Racks BS Thread

This should give you an idea of the space. This is a 5-1/2 by 2-7/16” piece of wood. It’s a tight fit under the bar. Roof curves down further back so you might get something larger to fit if you hang it behind the bar.

 

For the Prinsu side handles, has anyone found an alternative to the Baja Designs rock light to bolt in?

I like the idea of the BD, but they’re not cheap.

 

Does anyone store or mount anything other than the typical case/recovery boards? Does anyone have any photos? I usually carry those when I go camping but take them off when back home as it’s my daily.

Just wondering if anyone loads anything else up on the rack when not camping/over landing.

 

For a time I had two 3.5 gallon Rotopax on mine. I keep that on my swingout now though. I took my RTT off and don't plan on using it much going forward since I bought a Gazelle. The Gazelle goes up there now on trips.

 

I've used it for kayaks, steel, plywood, christmas trees... it works great as a regular roof rack.

 

I’ve seen the usual kayaks as well. Never thought about using it for a Christmas tree lol.

A thought crossed my mind this past weekend because I did go camping with some extended family and they didn’t have room for their chairs and a table. I was thinking of strapping it down to the rack but I ended up just making room in my bed.

 

Awesome! I’ve been thinking of getting some Rotopax for a while now. Is the 3.5 gallon enough water for what you need it for?

How are you liking the gazelle?

 

My Rotopax are for gas. For water I've started using a sceptor can that I'm able to pressurize with my on board air. Carries 5L and this system is much better than the 7L blue cube I used to carry.

So far I am loving the Gazelle. Switched to it from a RTT after having two kids. Being on the ground has it's own issues, but the RTT just won't work with two adults plus a toddler and baby. Gazelle seems to offer a good middle ground.

 

8 months of ownership and I’m greeted to this.

The quality of the hardware has gone down to shit with CBI taking ownership. It’s rusted on all my bolts.

 

Not surprised. My CBI swingout rear bumper started showing rust about 2 weeks after install (plates, welds, and hardware). The prinsu/CBI awning mounts I have are rusting. The Prinsu rack hardware is rusting. In contrast, the Saints Off-road steel front bumper I've had for almost two years (and beat the heck out of) is showing zero rust issues.

 

I got my rack from Zach in 2016, and those bolts weren't stainless back then, either; I haven't pulled any of mine out lately but I wouldn't be surprised to see rust on them. I also ended up having to swap in Grade 8 hardware for some of the mounting bolts after one of the bolts in the kit had its head shear off when I tried to torque it down.

I can't speak to CBI's quality since I've never bought any gear from them; I'll likely be in the market for a rack for my T4R sometime in the next year or so, and haven't really though too much about whether to get a prinsu or get one of the knockoffs (I've got a rear bumper/swing-out and several rigid molle panels from Victory which have held up pretty well). If there has been a drop-off on Prinsu stuff though, it doesn't look like the hardware in the kits has changed.

 

Replaced mine with 18-8 stainless with black oxide finish from McMaster Carr about 4 years ago.
Took this picture today to compare to GumShoe. Screws look good but did see white flakes while unscrewing which I’m guessing is aluminum oxide corrosion off the aluminum. Going to have to do some research on best anti seize to use for stainless in aluminum. PS: Black when installed, color on heads faded to brown after about 6 months in the sun.

 

Aluminum will corrode at some point if it's got any kind of conductive path to the body of the vehicle; boats use aluminum for galvanic anodes when they're operating in environments where zinc or magnesium are considered to be insufficient. Good news is that in many conditions, the roof rack will provide some degree of galvanic protection to the frame and body panels.

 

No photos, but Ive hauled my wheelbarrow on it. flipped it upside down and ratchet strapped it. Did well on two hour round trip on the highway.
It looked cool.

 

2 x 12 foot kayaks.. awning...recovery boards no issues

 

Got me a solar panel today. Any suggestions on how to mount to the prinsu for easy removal?

 

Oddball question about wire/cable management that you folks may be able to answer. Has anyone ever run their wires through the inside of the crossbars? It seems like a super clean way to get everything installed, but I haven't actually measured anything to determine the size of the cuts needed (allowing the wires to exit at each end).

*Edited to add*

Welp, I went for it. Looks decently clean in my opinion, or at least it will once installed.

 

This is actually interesting! Did you use a drill press to open the ends up so the cables could bed fed in/out?

 

I used a grinding bit on my dremel to make the semicircular cutouts pictured, then smoothed the metal with a sanding drum bit.

 

Got my roof rack put together and mounted. It took a fair amount of prep work to get it buttoned up and tidy like this, but it was well worth it. Details in this link:

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/a-non-enthusiasts-tacoma-build.667560/page-10#post-28784828