New Roof Rack for Tacomas and FJCs

[Box Rocket]

Adam, how do those mount to your roof?

My rack (I sold it about a year ago) used the Front Runner rails for a Hilux. There are "clips" that attach to the weatherstipping lip inside the doorframe to hold it to the roof. The Hilux ones would not fit on the Tacoma so I had to fabricate my own clips to hold the rails down.

I actually had a guy that wanted round cross bars in order to attach some of his older yakima parts. His will have 3 cross bars that are rectangular and the rest will be round bars. This should cut down on the weight a little. I have wanted to make the jump to a lighter gauge steel for the cross members but am worried about the deflection under loads due to the proximity to the roof. What gauge steel have you used on the roof rack you had? And what were your thoughts with it?

On the rack I built I used two pieces of 1x3" tubing and the rest was 1" sq tube. All of it was 1/16" wall thickness. So it was pretty lightweight material. But it was incredibly solid and I could stand on the rack and bounce up and down with essentially no deflection. I weigh about 160*.

Something I have thought about, I originally had a solid piece of flat bar that connected the rear and middle spacers but wasn't satisfied with it. I also wanted the smallest amount of rack touching the roof as possible to prevent damage. If I had the means to manufacture some type of molded plastic or rubber that would encase the spacers and fill the track, that would be ideal. Unfortunately my current shop (Garage/driveway) doesn't have that type of machinery.

The extruded rubber foot on the Front Runner rack was the reason they discontinued the version of the rack that I was using. It was just too expensive to produce. I think that even some kind of high density nylon between the rack feet and the paint would offer some protection.

 

[Box Rocket]

zscott - I'm assuming from the comments that you are the one designing/building the racks? Nice work. Like I said earlier, I think it's a really nice clean design.

One other comment on deflection. You can't control what people will carry on the racks, but generally speaking heavy items don't belong on a roofrack. I know people think it looks cool to carry fuel cans and stuff up on the roof, but if possible it should really be avoided. Roofracks should be limited to lighter weight items, to help with COG and vehicle behavior. I know that one of the intended uses for this rack would be a RTT. The nice thing about that is the mounting for the tent would be near the outside of the rack near the rails. That will be the strongest area of the rack and there would be very little deflection of the rack with the weight supported out on the edges of the rack.

For sake of comparison, the Front Runner slimline racks are extruded aluminum and they are pretty strong. The do have a small amount of deflection and honestly I think the Front Runner aluminum spreaders flex more than square tubing would whether it is steel or aluminum as long as the wall thickness of the tubing isn't too thin. Below is a photo of a Front Runner rack on the roof of a 1stGen Tacoma (using the same rails that I used for my rack).


kinda hard to see in this photo but this is from the same trip as the above photo. That's Kurt from Cruiser Outfitters and his co-driver on the trip. Kurt is standing on the Front Runner rack and his co-driver is sitting. So that's at least 350* up on the rack and supported well.


I think the design of the rack in question could easily handle the same kind of weight, although in reality it probably would never need to.

 

[zscott]

Adam,

I am the one producing the racks. Comments mean a lot coming from someone that fabricates items as functional and awesome as you.

I completely agree that roof racks aren't the place for heavy items, however like you said, you can't control what people do. I have had people wanting to put RTT's, jerry cans, hang gliders, and all sorts of items on these which led me to choose a heavier steel. I have been using 1/8" wall steel which is probably overkill if you were able to jump up and down on yours with minimal deflection and it is all 1/16" wall. The weight savings would be considerable changing materials, as well as I imagine the cost could come down for those purchasing them. I may have to do some experimenting to see. Maybe a combination of the two thicknesses is the best option.

 

[zscott]

Adam, Not to derail this thread, but speaking of your fabrication skills, when are you going to use my truck as a proctor to develop a 2nd gen Tacoma bumper?

 

[Box Rocket]

Adam,

I am the one producing the racks. Comments mean a lot coming from someone that fabricates items as functional and awesome as you.

I completely agree that roof racks aren't the place for heavy items, however like you said, you can't control what people do. I have had people wanting to put RTT's, jerry cans, hang gliders, and all sorts of items on these which led me to choose a heavier steel. I have been using 1/8" wall steel which is probably overkill if you were able to jump up and down on yours with minimal deflection and it is all 1/16" wall. The weight savings would be considerable changing materials, as well as I imagine the cost could come down for those purchasing them. I may have to do some experimenting to see. Maybe a combination of the two thicknesses is the best option.

It's a balancing act. The additional weight of the 1/8" material is probably negligible and the extra strength (while possibly overkill) is not a bad thing and will probably save you from some customer headaches in the long run. Better to overbuild, because like has been said, you can't control what people will put up there and chances are they'll push the limits.

Adam, Not to derail this thread, but speaking of your fabrication skills, when are you going to use my truck as a proctor to develop a 2nd gen Tacoma bumper?

I've taken a break from the fab work lately. Life has just been in the way. It's truly more of just a hobby for me. I like it that way, but I will occasionally take on some projects for others.

 

[deadbeat son]

I am the one producing the racks.

Excellent work. If I were in the market for a roof rack, I would definitely be in touch.

 

[java]

ZScott, Any interest in doing a design for the 4th gen 4Runner?

 

[lqdchkn]

Not a fan of flat racks but I love the design and simplicity. Would be awesome to see if/how that could be adapted to be a full length drop-in basket for the OEM FJ rack.

 

[zscott]

ZScott, Any interest in doing a design for the 4th gen 4Runner?

I love designing these and building them so of course I would be interested. Getting a 4runner that I can measure and mock-up a design on though may be a different story. I am sure there are some around me that would be more than willing, its just a matter of finding someone patient enough to do it.

 

[zscott]

Not a fan of flat racks but I love the design and simplicity. Would be awesome to see if/how that could be adapted to be a full length drop-in basket for the OEM FJ rack.

Interesting idea. Once I finish building the FJ rack I am currently working on, I will have to see if there is interest enough to pursue other options.

 

[lqdchkn]

Interesting idea. Once I finish building the FJ rack I am currently working on, I will have to see if there is interest enough to pursue other options.

There is interest on fjcruiserforums in a full length drop-in rack like the WAAG XS and the Garvin Wilderness Rack (only full length drop-ins ones I know of) that are $600 + shipping. Heck at that price youre only about $100 off a full rack

Personally (ideally) I'd like to see a nice full length drop-in for the OEM rack (so no additional water proofing is needed) about 4-5 inches in depth as the stock rack in the $400-$500 + shipping range. Currently the only thing near that cost is a half length Baja Rack drop in


***EDIT***
Cross posted for you
http://www.fjcruiserforums.com/foru...73-possible-new-fj-rack-kits.html#post3828521

 

[zscott]

There is interest on fjcruiserforums in a full length drop-in rack like the WAAG XS and the Garvin Wilderness Rack (only full length drop-ins ones I know of) that are $600 + shipping. Heck at that price youre only about $100 off a full rack

Personally (ideally) I'd like to see a nice full length drop-in for the OEM rack (so no additional water proofing is needed) about 4-5 inches in depth as the stock rack in the $400-$500 + shipping range. Currently the only thing near that cost is a half length Baja Rack drop in


***EDIT***
Cross posted for you
http://www.fjcruiserforums.com/foru...73-possible-new-fj-rack-kits.html#post3828521

The full length rack I am building for a local FJ guy is priced at about $450 and that is completely assembled. For a drop in rack it would probably be significantly less expensive because the attachment to the factory rack would eliminate the need for the side rails that I am using in my current design. I definitely will have follow the threads on the FJ forum to see what people are wanting and hopefully I can turn it into a reality and help some people out.

 

[java]

I love designing these and building them so of course I would be interested. Getting a 4runner that I can measure and mock-up a design on though may be a different story. I am sure there are some around me that would be more than willing, its just a matter of finding someone patient enough to do it.

Sounds like a road trip might be in order! If you do get around to it id be interested. As long and flat as possible and TIGHT to the roof. My current rack is 1/4" off the roof at the center of the cross bars....

 

[lqdchkn]

 

[robert]

Might as well ask about access cabs too- yep, I know it requires drilling the roof for threaded insert but I'm not worried about it.