Gen 3 roof racks

[pajombre03]

Hello, I've got a 2003 XLS with the factory roof rail things, and I was wondering how people have mounted roof racks. I'm mainly looking for a way other than the yakima rail grab mounts. If thats what I have to work with, then so be it. I would like a rack that sits really low in the roof, almost touching. I like the way the gen 1 & 2's look with racks, but they have the gutters to attach to. Would like to see pictures if you guys have any. Fixing to commence build thread within the next 3 months, if all goes according to plan!

 

[Inyo_man]

When I was doing research on roof racks, I was unable to find an after-market product that would mount in the factory rail attachment points.
I too am looking for a low-profile attachment system. I finally broke down a purchased the rack I liked: Bajarack- "Megamule"
Now the attachment system is on my list of fabrication mods. In the meantime, I'm running the Yakima cross bars attached to the factory rails. It's not ideal, but it carries all the gear very well. The rack has been loaded on many a back country trip with no problems so far.
Good Luck

 

[Bdiddy11]

One option is getting JCR gutter mounts that are utilized for an XJ and using them on the rain gutters of the Gen 3... I would imagine it would work.

http://www.jcroffroad.com/mm5/merch...ROD&Category_Code=XJMISC&Product_Code=RCKMNTS

$41 for 4... welding would be needed to make it work for whatever rack you get, but I think using gutter mounts would be the most effective way for a low-pro rack. Factory rails are going to add another 1-2" + however tall your rack is.

You could always get someone to fab you some low-pro mounts... There should be a few DIY mounting options out there.

 

[Imnosaint]

The Gen III has no gutter, just a trough hidden under molding. And though the factory rack is high profile, I use a Thule rack system for everything.

I have a bunch of left-over kayak rack mount hardware, some of which I adapted to mount the awning. Inside the housing is an identical bracket, inverted, taking the torque to keep this firmly attached while being easy to remove.



Still wanting to to tote a kayak along...



The RTT is mounted with a pair of u-bolts at each junction.



Obviously the drag from the RTT is a moot point when porting the kayak, but without the boat it's not as bad as I thought it might be. As for the space between the roof and the bottom of the RTT, I'm looking for a basket that will fit therein for more root-top storage.

 

[Lambretta]

Look at Surco Roof Racks. They have channel adapters for factory racks.



http://www.surcoinc.com/R-Mountingacc.html

 

[off-roader]

One option is getting JCR gutter mounts that are utilized for an XJ and using them on the rain gutters of the Gen 3... I would imagine it would work.

Only thing I dont like about the JCR units are the narrow width of the surface that meets the gutters. I guess you could always modify that part to make it wider. Alternatively at $40, I could just buy more feet.

BTW, just read their write-up on painting. Very good piece IMHO.

 

[Sabre]

I use the clamp-on Yakima load bars for hauling all sorts of stuff, and have always been very pleased with it. However, I'm getting ready to mount a rack (big aluminum basket-type) for a trip to Utah and just don't want the load to be so high up. I've been putting the parts together to mount the basket directly to the OEM roof rails. I'm using some HDPE stock to shim between the slight curve of the Mitsu's roof rails and the flat beam of the rack's underside. U-bolts will clamp it down.

Will have pics up before long; stay tuned...I'm still assembling parts.

 

[pajombre03]

Sabre, from the sounds of it, I was just envisioning that exact thing last night! If you do it, I will surely be following shortly after! We'll see how it goes!

 

[off-roader]

Remember the Yakima/Thule rack systems can only carry a certain max load (75 lbs? 150lbs?). Check what it is in comparison to the load you expect to carry up there. Also the load's COG will affect how stable it stays on the rack.

Last and most important, if you get a gutter mount system, be sure the feet are securely fastened to the gutter. I had a friend loose a bike when his roof rack fell off. Dummy didn't do a good job ensuring it was securely fastened to the gutters.:Wow1:

HTH

 

[Inyo_man]

Remember the Yakima/Thule rack systems can only carry a certain max load (75 lbs? 150lbs?).

Very true...although I'm guilty of exceeding that limit many times. What is the max load for the roof? Anyone know that spec? I'm sure I've exceeded that one as well. The Montero just keeps taking the abuse.

 

[off-roader]

Very true...although I'm guilty of exceeding that limit many times. What is the max load for the roof? Anyone know that spec? I'm sure I've exceeded that one as well. The Montero just keeps taking the abuse.

No idea what the max load on the roof is. Don't think I've ever seen a spec for that... however I have carted a full rear end off a trail (lots of dynamic forces) when I had to replace the housing after it broke. This was on my Garvin Wilderness Trails Rack. Rack and roof had not issues with it whatsoever.

On the cheaper BVG rack on my 96SR I also mounted 2 dual can holders for 4 Jerry cans. I did not feel comfortable with that setup at all and the only reason I did that was we were doing the very easy Mojave Trail and Death Valley (with a central camp site) trails. Afterwards, I moved one of the mounts into the rig where they're now secured on my sleeping platform. Much more stable and lowers the COG.