Surco rack question

[SWbySWesty]

I know I posted on Cherokee Forum, but also wanted the ExPo people's opinion on this:

Is ~$200 a good asking price for a Surco roof rack with all mounting hardware? I see the racks themselves are at least $200-220, but wasn't sure if they come with mounting hardware new or if you need it seperately. I'm working a craigslist deal...

 

[SixLug]

trying to buy or sell one? If youre buying, with all mounting hardware included, thats a good deal to me. Make sure its in good shape though. I will say that I had a Surco, and its very light duty. Itll hold a spare and some other stuff pretty easy, but not a lot of weight. Its bolt together aluminum, and pretty thin. But that means its light weight, which keeps your CG down. Just dont expect it to last forever with a bunch of gear in it.

 

[SWbySWesty]

ok, so bad idea for a roof top tent then, eh?

 

[FlexdXJ]

trying to buy or sell one? If youre buying, with all mounting hardware included, thats a good deal to me. Make sure its in good shape though. I will say that I had a Surco, and its very light duty. Itll hold a spare and some other stuff pretty easy, but not a lot of weight. Its bolt together aluminum, and pretty thin. But that means its light weight, which keeps your CG down. Just dont expect it to last forever with a bunch of gear in it.

Very true! I just bought one from a guy here in town. I got a great deal apparently after reading this. 100 bucks! :sombrero: It is very light weight and probably won't be a good base for an RTT. It is very solid though!

 

[SWbySWesty]

what capacity do you think it's good for? The RTT comes in at 100 lbs which is distributed over the whole rack. Just thinking aloud here...

 

[FlexdXJ]

I'm not real sure! I have only had it since sunday but i will check the site real quick and let you know.


edit: couldn't find anything about it on the site!

 

[SWbySWesty]

just my thought, (couldn't find load capacity), but for this image, if those are all fully loaded...that's pretty darned heavy...

 

[astateofmike]

just my thought, (couldn't find load capacity), but for this image, if those are all fully loaded...that's pretty darned heavy...

It will hold the tent, I'd be more worried about the weight in the tent exceeding the load. I had one originally on my truck and a 265/75 size AT tire would bow the cross bars.....

Have you thought of just using crossbars from Thule/Yakima etc for the base of the tent.

 

[SWbySWesty]

I did think of that...that was option 1, but for pricing around the same I saw this opportunity to get a basket too.

I don't know, I might scrap the whole thing and just get a really nice tent....or exhaust for my motorcycle.

 

[SixLug]

yeah, I wouldnt waste the money on the rack if you want a tent. It might hold the tent, but the top of the rack will be about 6" or so above your roofline, then add the height of the tent to that. Not a good idea....thats a lot of weight way up high. Plus, I just dont think it would be strong enough. The square tubing making up the frame is pretty thin and unless you had like 4 cross bars, its just going to bend and twist. Also, that pic posted above...negative on that idea for sure...Like I said, its a good rack for a little bit of stuff and it looks cool, but for long term heavy duty use, you might as well build it out of toothpicks and glue....not gonna happen. This is just from experience and JUST an opinion...so do what you like. Good luck with it though! It is a good price!

 

[SWbySWesty]

Thanks, I got a deal on my motorcycle exhaust but I've decided to go the Springbar canvas tent route. Half the price and I can take a canvas tent in another person's car with air mattress...

 

[dbroudy]

I got an extra set of cross bars for mine and it's a good bit more stable. But I also put the 50x72 on my XJ, which isn't the one their "product selector" tells you will fit.

 

[SixLug]

Yeah adding crossbars would certainly help the base strength of it. I still wouldnt mount anything too heavy like a RTT to the top of the sides though, since they are kind of flimsy. Plus, again, that would add like 12" or more to the height of your vehicle, and since XJs are pretty light weight, a lot of roof weight would be bad. I hear of a lot of guys on NAXJA that dont even like mounting a spare on their roof b/c they can tell a big difference in off camber situations.

 

[FlexdXJ]

Yeah adding crossbars would certainly help the base strength of it. I still wouldnt mount anything too heavy like a RTT to the top of the sides though, since they are kind of flimsy. Plus, again, that would add like 12" or more to the height of your vehicle, and since XJs are pretty light weight, a lot of roof weight would be bad. I hear of a lot of guys on NAXJA that dont even like mounting a spare on their roof b/c they can tell a big difference in off camber situations.

I'm one of those NAXJA guys!

 

[SixLug]

ha....so am I. (XJ_Otto)