Yakima Mega Warrior roof rack

[Summitbeerowl]

I think it's time for figuring out the roof rack.
From my calculations it looks like the perfect size rack might be the Yakima Mega Warrior with the extension.
Has anyone installed one of these on a fiberglass topper? I would like to mount it directly to the topper and then use the rack as the bars to mount the kayak brackets on to carry them on top of the Megawarrior.
I emailed Yakima but the response I received was of no help what so ever. They want me to buy all the crossbars and roof mounts and then put the basket on top of that. I'd like to have the Megawarrior fairly permanently mounted and would like to keep it as low as possible.
Any thoughts?

 

[bob280zx]

Try this

http://forum.expeditionportal.com/t...d-easy-mounting-option-for-roof-rack-on-shell

How I did mine and it's still solid after several years

 

[nastav]

^ that's the way to do it.
There have been other threads on this, and it all winds up being the same way.
FWIW Craigslist (depending on your location) is an excellent source of Yakima product cheap.
MY old megawrrior with extension and net was $200. I sold it a few years later for more money.
eBay often has small Yakima parts at a discounted price, etc.
You may want an extra set or two of the clamp part that connects the basket to the track. The megawarrior gets by with just two, and with an extension, I think three is better.


Nice Toyota by the way.

 

[Summitbeerowl]

Try this

http://forum.expeditionportal.com/t...d-easy-mounting-option-for-roof-rack-on-shell

How I did mine and it's still solid after several years

Perfect! Exactly what I was looking for.

 

[Summitbeerowl]

^ that's the way to do it.
There have been other threads on this, and it all winds up being the same way.
FWIW Craigslist (depending on your location) is an excellent source of Yakima product cheap.
MY old megawrrior with extension and net was $200. I sold it a few years later for more money.
eBay often has small Yakima parts at a discounted price, etc.
You may want an extra set or two of the clamp part that connects the basket to the track. The megawarrior gets by with just two, and with an extension, I think three is better.


Nice Toyota by the way.

Thank you!
It's great to be able to post a question and get the right answers.

 

[p nut]

I'm wondering if getting a local welder to fab up a "ladder rack" that extends to the front of the cab would be even better? This was a few years ago, but $300 got a pretty custom rack. It would be more stable than the Megawarrior rack, I would think. I had one before and they're really nice. But I think the longer ladder rack would be better suited.

 

[Summitbeerowl]

I'm wondering if getting a local welder to fab up a "ladder rack" that extends to the front of the cab would be even better? This was a few years ago, but $300 got a pretty custom rack. It would be more stable than the Megawarrior rack, I would think. I had one before and they're really nice. But I think the longer ladder rack would be better suited.

I can see that working well for the kayaks but I really like the look of a permanently mounted basket up there. Like to throw a jack up there on the side along with some Maxtrax. Would also give me plenty of room for camping gear.

 

[p nut]

I can see that working well for the kayaks but I really like the look of a permanently mounted basket up there. Like to throw a jack up there on the side along with some Maxtrax. Would also give me plenty of room for camping gear.

Some extra crossbars and/or mesh grill would solve that. But the Yak rack will probably be cheaper.

 

[Summitbeerowl]

Does anyone have some pics and info for how the kayaks would look mounted on top of the Megawarrior?

 

[Ducky's Dad]

I have Yak crossbars mounted to Yak tracks on my SnugTop cab-hi shell, with an old school Con-Ferr basket mounted to the bars. The Con-Ferr always has four MaxTrax bolted across the back, plus a 13+ gallon water tank on the right and an EZ Awn Bat 270 awning bolted to the left side. The Con-Ferr still has room for bags of gear, and I plan to mount a 100 watt solar panel in front of the rack, tied to the crossbars. I set this up with 60" tracks and three pairs of towers and bars to distribute the load. Worked fine, except for when I had an 18 gallon water tank on standard bars at high speed on rough terrain. Bent the end of one of the bars from the 250-pound tank bouncing around. Found out later that Yak offers heavy duty bars (about double the wall thickness), but only in 86" length (cut them to the length you need). I switched to the HD bars and downsized the tank to 13 gals, and no problem since.

Another alternative, and what I would probably do if I were starting over, is the ARB aluminum rack, mounted directly to the shell. I originally went with the Yak system because I planned to take the stuff off the truck occasionally, but now realize that's just too much trouble. Everything just stays up all the time, and I can carry a pair of kayaks when I need to.

If your kayaks are long or if you need to carry lumber or pipe on occasion, think about a Yakima Dry Dock hitch rack. Very handy for long items.

 

[nastav]

Dude mounted directly through the shell https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/yakima-mega-warrior-basket-install.128176/

I would think the tracks would be a more Versatile option should you change your mind in the future

 

[Summitbeerowl]

Dude mounted directly through the shell https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/yakima-mega-warrior-basket-install.128176/

I would think the tracks would be a more Versatile option should you change your mind in the future

That looks great. Thanks for the link. I wonder how it's been holding up. After reading the thread I think the tracks still might be the way to go. It least then I could position the basket just a little more forward or backwards so it's perfect. I'd hate to be off 1/4 inch. Lol.

 

[Summitbeerowl]

I have Yak crossbars mounted to Yak tracks on my SnugTop cab-hi shell, with an old school Con-Ferr basket mounted to the bars. The Con-Ferr always has four MaxTrax bolted across the back, plus a 13+ gallon water tank on the right and an EZ Awn Bat 270 awning bolted to the left side. The Con-Ferr still has room for bags of gear, and I plan to mount a 100 watt solar panel in front of the rack, tied to the crossbars. I set this up with 60" tracks and three pairs of towers and bars to distribute the load. Worked fine, except for when I had an 18 gallon water tank on standard bars at high speed on rough terrain. Bent the end of one of the bars from the 250-pound tank bouncing around. Found out later that Yak offers heavy duty bars (about double the wall thickness), but only in 86" length (cut them to the length you need). I switched to the HD bars and downsized the tank to 13 gals, and no problem since.

Another alternative, and what I would probably do if I were starting over, is the ARB aluminum rack, mounted directly to the shell. I originally went with the Yak system because I planned to take the stuff off the truck occasionally, but now realize that's just too much trouble. Everything just stays up all the time, and I can carry a pair of kayaks when I need to.

If your kayaks are long or if you need to carry lumber or pipe on occasion, think about a Yakima Dry Dock hitch rack. Very handy for long items.

Awesome! I think you forgot to post some pics though. Lol.
I emailed ARB about their rack and they said they don't make one to fit on a topper.
I thought it strange that a company like that would even say that. Isn't this all about customizing things to make it work? I really like their system. A bit more money but probably a lot stronger. Especially if I went with the mesh floor and the front plate for wind noise.
On thing I will give the megawarrior is that I could probably pull it off the pickup, take out the extension, and mount it on my Touareg if need be.
Again if you have some pics that would be great!
Thanks again!

 

[SportsmanJake]

I used to have a megawarrior + extension mounted directly to my yakima tracks.

I even built a light bar for it.
DIY Rotating Light Bracket for Yakima Rack

If you end up going with the megawarrior + Yakima tracks, I still have my modified megawarrior hardware that I used to attach it to the track. We could work something out if you wanted.

I could also help you out with any questions about attaching the megawarrior to the yakima tracks.

 

[Summitbeerowl]

I used to have a megawarrior + extension mounted directly to my yakima tracks.

I even built a light bar for it.
DIY Rotating Light Bracket for Yakima Rack

If you end up going with the megawarrior + Yakima tracks, I still have my modified megawarrior hardware that I used to attach it to the track. We could work something out if you wanted.

I could also help you out with any questions about attaching the megawarrior to the yakima tracks.

View attachment 409254

That's awesome. Thanks for the offer. I may be getting in touch with you.