SHOW US WHAT'S ON YOUR ROOF RACK

so, i'm convinced that 99% of us do not carry anything on our roof rack (other than an empty 5 gallon can). i'm considering ordering a bajarack (after seeing it on here and only because it looks cool.)

those of you legit haulers, help us out and show us the real utility of these!!

 

You are 100% correct in that most people never put anything on their rack. I don't know why people waste their money on something they never use. I have yet to see anyone on this site load up a roof rack. Those Thule/Yakima are like toys compared to real racks (ARB and Front Runner).

 

I carry lumber (12' 2x4's) on my OEM rack, occasionally a single kayak on the OEM, and two kayaks with the Yakima bars on the OEM. It's not like the Baja Rack is rated for that much more (200 vs. 100 lbs) than OEM or Thule/Yakima, and once it's up there, taking off would be a PITA. If you want to carry really heavy loads safely, you would need a bed rack. Personally, I hate pulling a trailer, and having long items hanging out the bed make me nervous, so quick mount racks work pretty well as long as you are careful.

 

the few pics i've seen (in my 5 minutes of research) look like advertisements from a dealer. they look cool, but now after reading diesel's post, i'm not sure how they would hold up with all that crap (weight) on there.

diesel, looks like you have profi status!

 

I use mine for bikes when we go camping, or when I go out by myself for my 29'er, because my bike doesn't fit in my lidless trunk.

 

check out Overland Journal. it's a top notch publication. acouple months ago, they had a fantasticarticle on roof racks. the started off by talking about the purpose of a roof rack and why different staff membersloved or hated roofracks. they then did a full on comparison between a few of the major brands, where they loaded them up with identicle cargo, measured diflection, and considdered other aspects of each rack and it's functionality.

in the end, the general consensus among the staff was that a roof rack is a great tool to have on an off road vehicle, but should be empty whenever possible to keep thecenter of gravity down. it should be used for emergency, and overflow cases, like if you hav ea vehicle break down on the trail and need to get two vehicles worth of geat onto one, to get back to a safe camp/road/etc.

used to have a thule rack that was all loaded up with stuff (hi-lift, shovel, bike racks....) great load bearing, but not as sturdy side to side and front to back as i would have liked. you don't see it a lot in the truck community, but it is a well known "trick" among the lan rover and land cruiser wheelers. they build racks that essentially act as a rock slider (tree slider really) for the roof. allows you to tip the vehicle over into a tree and slide across the roof rack without roof damage. i sold my thule speciffically so i could build a roof rack capable of that.

I gues i am really trying to make two points. first one being, roof racks don't have to be constantly loaded up to serve a purpose. like many truck beds, they are there just in case, with the "better to have it and not need it, than need it and not have it" mentality.

second point being, they serve more purposes than just carying things (ex: roof protection & they guard my lights)

 

i use mine for lumber.

i would love a torpedo pod thing for some extra storage room..but i would NOT drive around like that full time. come sept..i hope to drive back with elk antlers on mine ..covered neatly with a tarp to not offend californians animal love sensitivities.

 

MY OLD THULE:



used it to move steel





moving inventory for a bike shop





not as many working pictures of the new roof rack since i haven't had it as long, but here's one for refference with a surf board on top.

 

nice truck, brother. i dig your set up. ...i also dig no-fear-esther!

what was the toughest part of hooking up your lights from the rack?

 

it's actually very easy. if you're using a yakima/thule that doesn't utilize the factory holes in the roof, you just run your wires into the cab through there, then down the a-pillar, and through the firewall/to the switches. just squirt some silicone where the wires go into the roof and you're all set.

 

i got a semi custom rack coming from baja racks - mainly purpose built to hold my RTT - I will post pics once its installed. It will mount into the factory holes on the roof and be a slim/low-profile flat design with no outer cage.

very similar to the FJ Utility rack they sell:

 

nice! which tent did you go with?

 

the tepui autana. they have a good price point - get great reviews on the overland sites and LR guys that run them. and they are semi-local over in Santa Cruz so pick up was nice

http://www.tepuitents.com/models/autana.html

 

very nice

 

bump.

 

more roof rack uses........

loaded up the #2 full size spare for a wheeling trip this weekend. didn't want to pull the trailer to this wheeling trip, so in order to fit all of my gear/tools/spare parts/food in the bed and cab, the roof rack was the only good option.

for the actual wheeling, the bed will be unloaded and the spare will lay in there to help with the center of gravity.




__________________

 

I use mine for boats. (regular cab so I have 1, quick install, up front and a goal post in hitch).

 

nice setup! ^^^

 

First TW post....

Hurricane Phoenix 13 and Hurricane Phoenix 12 on a Tracrac G2

 

Pipe.