Canopy rack options

[Kach]

Hello all! - long time without posting, but I still lurk. I recently got a Porta-bote, which I would like to carry on top of my truck when pulling the travel trailer. Truck is a Dodge Ram 2500 with a basic fiberglass Leer canopy. I'm aware of the Thule/Yakima options, but I don't necessarily love the look or the price.

I've been debating getting a rack at the junkyard off of a Chevy Tahoe or similar and bolting it to the canopy. I've seen some canopies around with this type of rack before. I got the idea because when I had a Jeep, several guys did the same on Jeep hardtops. It seemed to work out OK for them with moderate weight and my Leer is definitely more stout than my jeep hardtop was. Having the track system/adjustability might be nice and I could still use the tracks for a Thule or Yakima system in the future.

Has anyone tried this?

Thanks!

 

[Timgco]

I like the idea of the Yakima setup because it's removable. Their track system + landing pads work great. When you don;t need it, you pull unlock the feet and the tracks stay in place.

ARE caps use the same setup. Do you have an overall height restriction at all? The width would require a full size truck for sure. You could also have someone make you a low profile rack for it.

I guess the main/ first thing to address would be the mounting points and what leer has done (if they have) for rigid mounting locations. If not supported properly, you could crack your cap too. The key to mounting is to spread the mounting location(s) out over a lager area.

 

[Raul B]

prob not what your looking for but im building my own to mount to my shell http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/119901-F150-overland-build?p=1542435#post1542435

 

[Kach]

It looks like I'm getting the Thule track type of system. I found a good deal on Craigslist. I found one source that states if you direct mount the feet to the canopy (without tracks) the rack is much more stable. I don't have a need for the adjustability of the tracks. Has anyone mounted them direct or have any other input as to which way is better. It looks like the longest tracks are 60" so that would be about my minimum spread anyways.