roof racks

1999amethyst · Member Joined: 12 Aug 2008

Is there a link or something to where i can get some ideas on how to build my own. There just so expensive and i don't feel like buying one. also how much weight can the stock racks hold?
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99-XJ

1999amethyst · Member Joined: 12 Aug 2008

Ok well i was thinking of building my own. What kind of materials would i make something like that out of? Im thinking of some kind of square tubing, any ideas?
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99-XJ

Tim Hallam · Posted: Sat Feb 28, 2009 6:32 pm Post subject:

Just do some google searches man... There's lots of DIY builds out there.
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eric · Member Joined: 23 Mar 2009 Location: Belfair, WA

I made mine out of conduit pipe. Its relatively light. The conduit is cheap. You can get a hand bender for the tubes cheap too. Iv'e been running with mine for about 2 years. I got Surco gutter mounts for under $40 from JCWhitney. All told about $150 in materials including hardware and paint. You can build exactly what you need. I've loaded it up to about 200 lbs total. My canoe takes two people to lift it up there.
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Orangeamc13 · Posted: Mon Apr 13, 2009 7:28 am Post subject:

TJ Apex · Posted: Mon Apr 13, 2009 10:15 pm Post subject:

Conduit pipe? That's some pretty thin wall stuff, yeah it's easy to bend, but get some weight shifting around and that's what it will do...bend, I'd at least use .062 wall round tube.
Alum. would'nt be bad to keep the weight down, and still be stronger than conduit tube.
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eric · Member Joined: 23 Mar 2009 Location: Belfair, WA

Use whatever you want. I'm cheap .062 round tube is expensive let alone aluminum. I used 3/4" for the peremiter pieces that got bent and 1/2" for the cross pieces. How much weight do you want up there? I have had my canoe, coolers, fuel cans, lumber, and recently a dresser up there. Maybe overdoing it a bit to put a Buick up there though. Seriously I made it about a year and a half ago and have had to freshen up the paint once. If I can lift it up there it will carry it.

I'm not saying that you couldn't use better materials, just a low buck alternative.

My first time posting pictures. The first one is only 3 days old. The rest are within a month of building it.

Edit by Orangeamc13: Fixed the IMG tags. You had two pairs per pic, you only need one pair. I fixed to post below also! Wink

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E24

Orangeamc13 · Posted: Sat Apr 18, 2009 6:44 pm Post subject:

It looks good! How did you attach it to the roof brackets?
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eric · Member Joined: 23 Mar 2009 Location: Belfair, WA

Thanks.

Typical view of the gutter mount that I got from JCWhitney (set of 4) bolted right up to a couple of the cross bars.
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bendixgomez · Banned Joined: 22 May 2009

I think using an aluminum tube could be fine, it is lighter that the iron steel or stainless steel, just the difference is the weight and the strength of those tubes... but for me i should used aluminum tube because it is light...
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