Rhino Rack

ekapel

Member
I know there have been prior discussions about good
roof rack options, so here is my solution. It is a Rhino Rack
Pioneer Platform (84x56) with RL150 legs. It was fitted by
a local company here in Bend, OR (Cascade Rack). They used
spacers on the legs to clear the steep sides of the roof above
the rain gutter. I used the maximum number of legs that
the platform would allow, although as you can see in the photos,
the spacing was dictated by the platform design. There is only
about 1/8th of an inch clearance between the legs and the edge
of the roof but it is so rigid it should not be a problem.
 

ekapel

Member
photos
 

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SnoViking

Adventurer
Looks good! You should have some decent carrying capacity with 5 sets of legs.

What fairing did you end up using/building?

Are you planning on mounting your RTT to it?
 

DUTCH

Curmudgeon
Why so many legs? I had a total of six under my RTT which easily supported 550-600 lbs when my wife and I were in it; and that's about the limit for the G's gutters anyway.

G500RTT.jpg
 

ekapel

Member
My idea was to spread the load as widely as possible along the gutters. I also fitted a Rhino Rack plastic
fairing to reduce the pronounced wind noise. My Maggiolina Adventure RTT fits on the platform once the
side rails are removed but I have not been able to figure out how to properly anchor it as the mounting system
on the bottom of the tent is incompatible with the platform mounting system.

Evan
 

SnoViking

Adventurer
..... but I have not been able to figure out how to properly anchor it as the mounting system
on the bottom of the tent is incompatible with the platform mounting system.

I'm using a bunch of the Yakima Anchor Plates "A" which fit right into the Rhino Rack's channel. From there I'm using 6mm bolts down through the frame of my tent base into the platform channels. I used 3 bolts/fender washers/anchors across the front, and 3 down each side. The back of my tent over hangs the end of my platform (as of now). But with the 9 bolts/fender washers/anchors it isn't going anywhere.
 

swb

Observer
Nice. I would probably run without any rails for lower profile. 4 legs should do it.
Little space under the rack is a pain for doing up bolts though.
 

ekapel

Member
Thanks Patrick, bolting through the base of the tent and into the tray's channels using Yakima plates (or Rhino R channel nuts) will be secure. The challenge will be drilling
the holes in the tent floor in exactly the right spots as there will be no adjustment possible in the bolt/plate interface, and the fastening will be blind due to the tent
covering all of the channels.

Evan
 

SnoViking

Adventurer
Thanks Patrick, bolting through the base of the tent and into the tray's channels using Yakima plates (or Rhino R channel nuts) will be secure. The challenge will be drilling
the holes in the tent floor in exactly the right spots as there will be no adjustment possible in the bolt/plate interface, and the fastening will be blind due to the tent
covering all of the channels.

Evan

I took a large piece of paper and traced the channels using a pencil. I basically made a template which I then applied to the bottom of the tent and squared it up. I actually switched up my hardware this past week. I went from the Yakima A nuts and moved over to these 1/4" channel nuts I picked up at home depot (here). They fit the channel perfectly and make bolt selection a breeze. I just cut the blue plastic cone thing off with some dikes. Plus they're dirt cheap ($3 for a 5-pack) and readily available. My HD had about 100 bags in stock.

To address the "blind access" problem I fastened each bolt to a channel nut loosely and then slipped each channel nut into the wide section of the platform groove and then slid the tent back. Then I dropped the back group of channel nuts into the grooves and slide the whole tent into position. Then I just tightened down the bolts (which had lock washers and blue lock-tight)

44975dfc-fa11-49ee-8dee-2b60f08088cf_1000.jpg
 

MetalDog

Observer
Just installed 4 legs, evenly distributed 24 inches apart. Now just waiting for my Alu Cab Gen 3 to arrive.
 

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otiswesty

Regular guy
I like to have a leg directly over the B and C pillars as I think it is a better place to transfer the weight to the body.
 

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