need photos of roof cages, baskets please

[Charlie's_93EB]

well as some of you know i now can weld some i have tested to hold over 300lbs

and i want to make a roof basket,

material: 1"X1" square tubing 14 gauge

Purpose: 100lbs 18' long 37" wide canoe, mounting place for lights, and stuff that is too nasty/dirty to be put in the EX.

Size: I am thinking something like 41" wide 57" long and 6" deep.

lighting: with 2 or 4, 100/watt lights facing forward, one each left and right 55 watt alley lights, and two more twin 55watt back up/anti-tailgating lights

Mounting: unknown thinking 6 flat head bolts the fit in the stock track, then though the lower rail of the rack?

need pics, tips, and tricks

 

[jimbo74]

not sure what the assembled weight of the rack will weigh... but the stock rack says not to exceed 100 pounds..... i have walked on my roof before though and it did flex down, but popped back when i got off....

 

[Charlie's_93EB]

yes the the stock can hold 100 lbs,

1) but i just do not trust it when i hit bumps and such,
2) plus the rack is bow shaped so the canoe can slip off while puting it on from the rear.
3) i want a better place to mount lights,
4) i really really want a welding project.







thanks charlie

 

[Savage Wolf]

best idea i can think of is to find a premade rack to look at and get ideas from, try calling around to stores that may have one so you can take a look at one in person while you are thinking of "buying" one

 

[jasonb]

14gauge is too thick for that in my opinion.

i'd do like savage said... look around for ones that exist and combine what you like.

 

[Charlie's_93EB]

best idea i can think of is to find a premade rack to look at and get ideas from, try calling around to stores that may have one so you can take a look at one in person while you are thinking of "buying" one

there are 3 places around here that have truck stuff, none have racks, i know there inventory better then the guys that work there

i am better off walking around in the wal mart parking lot to see them

14gauge is too thick for that in my opinion.

i'd do like savage said... look around for ones that exist and combine what you like.

and 14 gauge too thick, i was thinking it may be too thin, i was looking at some 1/8"th too, hummmm
what do you belive to be a good thinkness?

is $1 per foot a good price?

 

[jasonb]

1/8" is way too thick for a roof rack IMO. that's what people roll cages out of. i'd say get something like 16gauge thickness.
haven't looked at prices lately... so i'm not sure if that's a good deal.

 

[Broccoli1]

http://www.4x4wire.com/toyota/4Runner/tech/rack_mounts/
Although this for making a bracket there is a partial picture of a roof rack.

 

[Broccoli1]

$1 a foot is about right- I buy 10' sections for just over 10 each.

 

[Broccoli1]

here are some more styles:
http://www.ok4wd.com/product.asp?id=641

 

[Charlie's_93EB]

thanks broc

 

[Broccoli1]

I think you could us 3/4 since you'll be using steel. I think the 1" will be overkill and will add unwanted weight.

 

[Charlie's_93EB]

I think you could us 3/4 since you'll be using steel. I think the 1" will be overkill and will add unwanted weight.

well i guess i am going to have to go back, and lay some samples on top of the EX and see what looks right.

 

[jasonb]

i also agree that 3/4" is plenty for a roof rack.

 

[Broccoli1]

Here is a pretty good pic to design by:
from their site:
http://www.garvin-industries.com/

 

[Savage Wolf]

there are 3 places around here that have truck stuff, none have racks, i know there inventory better then the guys that work there

i am better off walking around in the wal mart parking lot to see them

forget the truck places, check bike shops and specialised outdoor shops have better luck finding a roof rack there then in a truck stuff shop, you could also check the sites of the companys that make the racks, sometimes they even have the product specs on-line (metal size and type) like
http://www.roofrack.com.au/viewproduct.asp?prodID=99&subcat=46
or
http://www.roofrack.com.au/viewproduct.asp?prodID=105&subcat=45
both of those are made from 20mm tube (=3/4 inch +/-1.05mm)

 

[Charlie's_93EB]

thanks for the links,
well its looking like 3/4 is the way to fly, and i am going to make "L" drop brackets to hold the front lights, to give it a lower profile

thanks
charlie

 

[Castees]

Wilderness Sport Rack Mounted

Charlie's 98EB,
Here's some pics for you of Garvin's Wilderness Sport Rack mounted to a 99 XLT and the bracket they use to mount it to the factory racks. The bracket uses 1/4" aluminum billet to slide inside the roof rails. ARB builds a stronger mounting system, but I couldn't find one that would specifically fit my Explorer, so I went with the next best, IMO. Hope this helps.

 

[IZwack]

i built my rack not to hold a canoe or anything so my design deviates from most rack designs... with the round tubing as a free-bee from the home depot shopping cart, all i had to pay for was the stock aluminum (for the machined struts) and about 20 feet of square 1x1 tubing (cross members)... no mounts for lights or anything cauz i never wheel during the night (or if i do, its usually not so legal so i turn off all the lights anyway and just run by the moon/ambient light)... but here's the thread:
http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=106767&highlight=roof+rack+home+depot

IMHO, i think u should build ur rack instead of buying so you can design it to fit you're needs and have the proper mounts for whatever it is you want to carry on top. it would probably be best if u made it out of aluminum just for oxidation issues .. and it'd be lighter than steel. i went with steel cauz it's what was available to me at the time (except for the struts which are, again, aluminum - hate machining steel with a passion). i weigh just a bit under 200 lbs and i've jumped up about 6" on the middle of my rack w/o any issues.

 

[Charlie's_93EB]

thanks for all the photos and links,
"and iIZwack i can not weld aluminum"

Well, I stopped by the shop and looked at everything and the only 3/4 tubing was in 1/8 thick so i got 60' the 1X1 tubing.

still working on my mounting system

and on a side note i saw a LanRover with a latter, hummm an Ex with a latter

Oh and what type of paint should I use? And should I prime it?

thanks Charlie