D1 Half Rack Ideas

[DiscoveryXD]

I'm planning on building a half rack for my truck. It's going to have the same feet as an SD rack, same light setup, but yet half the size and a bit less cluttered. It will stop just before the up curve in the roof. Trying to get some input on the design I want to go with.

The goal of this rack is to still be able to have the lights, a LITTLE bit of gear up top, hopefully be able to park the truck in my garage, and to loose some weight up top also.

I'm still going to keep the SD rack for long distance trips. This rack is something I can leave up there when I go on more difficult, close by trails, where there is no need for lots of gear. Hopefully this rack will be up there all the time, and then when I have a long distance trip I can put on the larger rack and throw more gear up top.

Here are some pictures of basic ideas. Rack 3 is ugly, but may lead to some better ideas. Share your thoughts!

 

[Hank]

I think I'd sell the lowlander and get a highlander for your fullsize rack. Then, get a backpack rack and install the Rover roof rails. You would limit yourself on light mounting options, though. Mofab made a light bar, FWIW.

But I think it's going to be a PITA no matter how you look at it.

Why you want to ditch the rack, anyway?

 

[DiscoveryXD]

I think I'd sell the lowlander and get a highlander for your fullsize rack. Then, get a backpack rack and install the Rover roof rails. You would limit yourself on light mounting options, though. Mofab made a light bar, FWIW.

But I think it's going to be a PITA no matter how you look at it.

Why you want to ditch the rack, anyway?

I'm still going to keep the full rack, but just switch if I need to. The larger rack never gets used on most of my wheeling trips near where I live, but I still use it during the longer trips in the summer time. I want to lessen the amount of weight up top, and help with wind resistance (if that makes a differnce considering i've got those huge lights up top.)

 

[sinuhexavier]

I have one of the last KVT backpack racks for sale if you want it... Save you some trouble...

 

[DiscoveryXD]

I have one of the last KVT backpack racks for sale if you want it... Save you some trouble...

Thanks, but I'll have to pass. I want to build this for a few reasons... I'm going to be building a few of these for some other people, and I want to learn/practice fabricating with tube so I can start a truggy build in the next year or two.

I work at a Sportsmans Warehouse and I'm getting laid of on wednesday, so hopefully this will help bring in some more $$ while I'm waiting to hear from other possible employers. So far I've got a few showing interest.

I've been gathering pics of Kyle's rack for ideas too.

 

[sinuhexavier]

Rob Davison made some really nice CNC aluminum feet for it... I'll send you a pic if I get a chance.

 

[roverdoc]

pm'd you

 

[DiscoveryXD]

don't think it worked, i didn't get anything, Dan.

 

[Rovertrader]

I disagree- rack #3 keeps the look, and blends in the best, mainly d/t the pickup points. Good luck, nice little project, but it can get expensive. We built a SD look alike rack to fit over the bed of a 110CC, and ended up close to $1k in it, including powdercoating. Although we did TIG it all...

 

[DiscoveryXD]

Yeah, no TIG for me! haha

I drew up #3 cause I wanted to see how it looked if the feet mounted above the pillars just like the SD did. I like the size of the other racks, but not the way the rear foot sits in the middle of the rear window.

I'm going to see how much powder coating cost here in town. I've heard there's a few places that are reasonable.

I don't think this will be too bad. The rack(s) are going to be small, and simple, so the material cost shouldn't be that bad.

 

[Crookthumb]

Another thought to keep it looking like the SD rack is to replicate the front of the rack to the second footing clamp. Then then add a section that is like the rear of your SD.

Or you could do the front like the SD and the rear like the SD. Same like the one above, but with the section from the mount to the basket removed.

 

[Crookthumb]

Here are some quick drawings.

Notice on the second one that the section of tubing above the rear clamp is not there.

This is not my disco I grabbed a picture that I thought would be easy to illustrate my ideas. I think it is from EE. The drawing idea is though.

 

[Crookthumb]

After looking at my drawing it might appear that there is a diagonal brace, what that is supposed to represent is the rear tubing across the back of the basket.

 

[DiscoveryXD]

Cool, thanks Skyler! That was the plan, to keep it like the SD.

there's one problem I see with both racks. The rack I drew works well with the contour of the roof (leading up to the "hump") but the rear foot sits in the middle of the window.

The rack you drew looks great from that angle, but if you look at it from the side, it seems kind of short. It matches the SD by having the rear foot sit directly above the B pillar, but it doesn't go back far enough to fill the front flat portion of the roof.

Make sense? There are pros and cons for both. Thanks for the drawing though, those look great!

 

[Crookthumb]

When you look at your rack are you wanting it to end about where your SD rack curves up for the hump?

So I looked at my SD rack and where it bends up, it is ~3" longer then from the B pillar than where the rear of the basket is located from the D pillar mount. I do have the high rack and not the low rack. It might look a little strange hanging out that much, but I don't know where else to mount the clamps and keep the SD look.