Round Yakima bars with rhino pioneer platform

[Doug E]

I'm assuming that I can easily custom mount a rhino platform to the round yakima bars that are more or less permanently attached to the roof of my van. But before I spend a boatload of money on the rhino pioneer platform, I wanted to confirm this. Anyone?? And if this should be posted in another subforum, plz let me know.

Thanks.

Doug

 

[SnoViking]

Rhino Rack makes quick detachable (and lockable) towers for their bar system also. It was fairly similar in price IIRC.

http://www.rhinorack.com/en-us/prod...nents/roof-rack-parts/legs/2500-leg-x4-_rlkhd

You wouldn't need cross-bars with the Platform Rack. The towers would bolt directly to the rack. It would sit lower also.

 

[rickc]

Doug E: If your intent is to keep the Yakima bars on all the time, then the following is an option:
http://www.rhinorack.com/en-us/prod...ioneer-platform-acc/pioneer-bracket-kit_43214

How are your Yakima bars attached to the Astro Van, how many are there and what do you intend to put up top? If it's just a simple two bar, clamp fit set-up then this will limit the size of your platform and what you can do with it. Putting a really long platform across two widely spaced bars is not a great option. Most simple clamp style bars are only rated for around 70 to 80lb dynamic load; this is more a function of the tower mounts than anything else and the clamp-style mounts have the lowest load rating. If you have slides running the length of each side, bolted directly to the roof then your load capability increases significantly but I'd check with Yakima.

My 76" x 49" Pioneer Platform weighs 55lbs and my RTT another 154lbs totaling 209lbs dynamic load. My set-up is good for 550lb dynamic but this is extreme; most trucks with two bars on rain gutter clamps are only good for about 160lb dynamic. From what I've seen on the Internet and in person, most people just don't know these limits and don't do the homework. Also my experience with the Yakima round bars is that they are very flexible; on an older truck, I moved to the rectangular Thule bars because the weight of my sea kayaks flexed the round bars too much for my liking (bigger boats).

 

[rickc]

Me again: I forgot to stress that the dynamic load for clamp on style bars is for pavement; off-road, most manufacturers state that the dynamic load should be halved. I found this out very recently; I bought a pair of Rhino Rack HD 2500 bars and clamp towers for my cab roof with the intent of putting a Rhino Rack Pioneer platform on them only to find out that according to Rhino Rack, after accounting for the weight of the platform, it was only good for supporting 34lbs off road; useless.