Roof Racks

dhawke · Post by **dhawke** » Mon Mar 15, 2004 6:34 am

Okay, so I go to the local hardware store to pick up some materials for a little project at home...and I'm looking at these 8' sticks of aluminum angle. They don't weigh anything at all, but I'll be danged if I could figure out how to get them home. So, then I'm thinkin'..."I need a roof rack on the cab for just such occasions." I get to surfing looking for a decent roofrack to add to my truck and they all appear a bit...well...dainty. Granted, you add a safari rack to any of them and you got all kinds of rugged(insert your favorite grunting noise here). But, there does not seem to be anything on the market along the lines of the Xterra type roof rack. Anyone know of a really manly-man kinda' aftermarket roof rack?

adrenalnjunky · Post by **adrenalnjunky** » Mon Mar 15, 2004 7:22 am

If you can't carry something on a Yakima or Thule rack, then whatever it is is too much for your truck to carry anyway.

Seriously, either one of those brands have umteen years of R&D in designing a serious rack for just about any purpose on the planet.

check roofrack maufacturer's websites, what you commonly see are cycling and snowski racks but some of them make heavier-duty setups too.

dhawke · Post by **dhawke** » Mon Mar 15, 2004 7:31 am

Yeah, I know all about the Thule and Yakima racks. A Thule bike rack would be my next purchase after the roof rack. My bike doesn't fit in the bed either!

I did find one roof rack that was rated for 200 lbs. That's pretty for me. But, I was looking for somthing a lot less dainty (aka WIMPY) as they all look. I was hoping to find something that looked a lot like the XTerra rack on the Nissan crew cab. You know, something more tubular looking. More manly!

adrenalnjunky · Post by **adrenalnjunky** » Mon Mar 15, 2004 7:37 am

sorry to go off topic, but do you have a pic of your truck with the BFG 30x9.5's on it? I htink I'm going to go with a 30 on my blazer instead of a 31 since I have the 3.42 gears.

Thanks!

adrenalnjunky · Post by **adrenalnjunky** » Mon Mar 15, 2004 7:38 am

Oh--and what about the stock ZR5 roofrack? It might not be exactly what you're looking for , but it is a guaranteed fit.

dhawke · Post by **dhawke** » Mon Mar 15, 2004 7:50 am

That's pretty much what all the aftermarket racks look like. Plus, I'm assuming they're a heck of a lot cheaper than going to the dealer for one. Looks like you can get a really nice, yet still wimpy looking, roof rack for around $150. That surprised me. I thought they would be a lot more expensive. I'll probably end up going with this one...http://www.a1-autoracks.com/Winmaster-c ... racks.html

And then add whatever accessories I will need.

As I mentioned before, I think I could put a safari rack on top of my wife's Vue and it would look a lot more rugged.

Opus · Post by **Opus** » Mon Mar 15, 2004 8:38 am

I have a Yakima rack that was on my Exploder and is now on top of my Crew Cab. I have a Leer cap on my CC. The rack is on the cap. I have carried all sorts of stuff on my Yakima rack (Canoes, Gas/Water cans, ice chest, lumber, miscellaneaous junk, etc.). The limitation is typically what the roof will support rather than what the rack will hold. Most mfg say the roof limit is 100 - 150 lbs.

My CC does not have the factory rack, yet. I bought one off eBay for $40. I'll be installing it in the next couple of weeks. The rack I bought is off of a 4 door Blazer. It is the same thing exept for the length. The side rails on the CC are 30", the Blazers are about 45". They can be cut easily. I asked my dealer how much it would be to buy and install the factory rack. It was about $400. I'll have one for $40 when I'm done.

2bunik · Post by **2bunik** » Mon Mar 15, 2004 4:54 pm

you should honestly consider making one yourself if you got a welder and a grinder.. A friend of my got square pipes then went home and welded them together, grinded the welds and painted it.. it looks really nice (manly in your eyes) on his jeep cherokee I think before I left he was going to add a spare tire mount for it.. . I will try and take pictures of it today..

2bunik · Post by **2bunik** » Mon Mar 15, 2004 4:56 pm

I just looked at the one you want to get. honestly make it yourself dude.. just had to add this in there..

Brad · Post by **Brad** » Tue Mar 16, 2004 6:58 pm

I got one off of a 1st gen. s10 blazer 2 door for 15 bucks at the auto recycler. Blind fasteners cost me 2 bucks. Drilling holes in the cab of my truck? Priceless!!!

Brad

dhawke · Post by **dhawke** » Tue Mar 30, 2004 6:08 pm

So, the roof rack installation went flawlessly. I was afraid that the wax dipped screws included with the kit wouldn't seal very well. But apparently they know what they're doing. Torrential downpours all days today and not a hint of a leak from the holes in the roof.

How do I post pics in this forum?

adrenalnjunky · Post by **adrenalnjunky** » Tue Mar 30, 2004 6:32 pm

if you have your pics hosted on a server somewhere, you just link to their url location using the IMG button on a post.

If you just have the digital pic then go to the s10crewcab main page and create yourself a gallery to upload them to.

If that doesn't work, just email it to me and I'll post it for you...

send to chrisnospam@adrenalnjunky.com

(take nospam out of the email address)

dhawke · Post by **dhawke** » Tue Mar 30, 2004 6:49 pm

Thanks. I'm uploading a couple of them to a gallery in the Owners Page right now.

Conman · Post by **Conman** » Tue Mar 30, 2004 7:13 pm

http://www.perrycraft.com

Check them out.

I saw this rack from them and thought it was cool:
http://www.perrycraft.com/truck_rails/SportQuest.htm

It appears they will mount to just about anything including the ZR5 bedrails. Since the bed rails are suppose to be for looks, you can probably only mount skis or maybe a bike. Also it appears the same rails will mount to the factory GM style Racks so if you have both the roof rack and rails you can move them around.

I have seen aftermarket Xterra style racks but don't seem to recall where I've seen them. Try JCW as I think I saw them there.

Good Luck,
Con

dhawke · Post by **dhawke** » Tue Mar 30, 2004 7:21 pm

I got the Winmaster roof rack shown on the roof rack page. The next purchase will be a bike rack since my bike won't fit in the bed. Or maybe a safari rack.(Insert Homer Simpson drool sound here)

n0m4d · Post by **n0m4d** » Wed Mar 31, 2004 1:24 pm

I have been carrying bikes in the bed of my crew cab for years. Performance Bike (www.performancebike.com) caries a nice rail mount setup that I have used to carry 3 bikes over the bed no problem. The best part is that it leaves the bed available for gear and when not being used it is low enough to clear my bed cover. I have a Yakima roof rack with 2 bike mounts also.

(product pic, not my truck)

dhawke · Post by **dhawke** » Wed Mar 31, 2004 1:33 pm

Mine is not your average bike. It's a recumbent lowracer. The dang thing is over 80" OAL! I'll put a pick in my gallery. I still need to figure out exactly what bike carrier will work with it. The front mono-fork and disc brake make things really interresting. I think I can modify one of the carriers that holds the bike with both wheels on to work with my bike.