I am curious what everyone thinks about roof racks. I like the Baja Rack, but am not sure which one fits the 60 and they are pretty pricey. Anyone else have any suggestions with pictures?
Best fj60 roof rack? (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter NorthIdahoLNDCruiser
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I have a 6 foot by 4 foot Con-ferr roof rack. I like it and will probably buy another one in the future
What's the purpose?
Roof racks come in lots of flavors. think about how you'll use and what you'll be carrying. if it's for a RTT, then look for more of a platform rather than full-sided rack. if you want to carry a bunch of stuff around, look for ones with 4"-6" sides.
Also think about the mounts...and enough of them to carry the load.
Here are some ones to look into in addition to the Baja.
Pricey, but GREAT:
Gobi
ARB
Less pricey and still great:
wilderness
con-fer if you can find them
frontrunner
I have a Gamiviti rack built and purchased here in CO. But they do ship and have nice brackets available to go with. I love mine:
Roof racks come in lots of flavors. think about how you'll use and what you'll be carrying. if it's for a RTT, then look for more of a platform rather than full-sided rack. if you want to carry a bunch of stuff around, look for ones with 4"-6" sides.
Also think about the mounts...and enough of them to carry the load.
Here are some ones to look into in addition to the Baja.
Pricey, but GREAT:
Gobi
ARB
Less pricey and still great:
wilderness
con-fer if you can find them
frontrunner
I have a Gamiviti rack built and purchased here in CO. But they do ship and have nice brackets available to go with. I love mine:
made by Defender now. I have an old school one and will prob get a new one eventually.
Diamond rax look pretty good
yep that's what ive done but I used plywood with the bright yellow parking lot paint to waterproof it. after that ive put a bunch of brackets on for my 12 foot aluminum boat to the roof and other stuff
Roof racks
Here's my .2 cents. I have had the pleasure of owning two roof racks. The first one I owned was a 6 foot CON-FERR rack. That I bought used. The rack rattle going down wash board dirt roads. The fix to the rattle was to have the rack welded up where the rack come apart for shipping. After that it was solid. However that was my first rack. The rack met its end with a low level tree branch. When the tree ripped off the rack there was a lot of damage to the roof to the tune of about $2500 bucks. Think god for insurance. So if, you want a roof rack you have to learn how tall is your Cruiser. My second roof rack is a custom fabricated tube rack. I learned from my first mistake and had the rack made up with round corners to prevent trees from grabbing the rack. I have the second one made up to be pretty stout. My son and I have slept up on the rook rack a couple of times. I have also hualed out aircraft wrecks on the rack. Having a roof rack is great but be careful of the low bridges/trees. Also on the mounting of the rack make sure that you DO NOT drill through the roof for mounting. Works great until the first rain. Then you will regret it. Here some picture of my rack.
Here's my .2 cents. I have had the pleasure of owning two roof racks. The first one I owned was a 6 foot CON-FERR rack. That I bought used. The rack rattle going down wash board dirt roads. The fix to the rattle was to have the rack welded up where the rack come apart for shipping. After that it was solid. However that was my first rack. The rack met its end with a low level tree branch. When the tree ripped off the rack there was a lot of damage to the roof to the tune of about $2500 bucks. Think god for insurance. So if, you want a roof rack you have to learn how tall is your Cruiser. My second roof rack is a custom fabricated tube rack. I learned from my first mistake and had the rack made up with round corners to prevent trees from grabbing the rack. I have the second one made up to be pretty stout. My son and I have slept up on the rook rack a couple of times. I have also hualed out aircraft wrecks on the rack. Having a roof rack is great but be careful of the low bridges/trees. Also on the mounting of the rack make sure that you DO NOT drill through the roof for mounting. Works great until the first rain. Then you will regret it. Here some picture of my rack.
More pictures
That there's a lot of mounts.
I have owned a few roof racks over the years, some store bought and a few I made. I think you need to determine how you will use it and what it will carry. Bigger is usually better, as you will likely wish it was (or so I've been told!).
I also think a good wind deflector is must for noise and drag. Have lots of solid anchor points all over the platform area to tie off to. Diamond mesh is good, but hard to seal water out of, and powder coat will not do seal it.
I made my current rack and it works great for us. It made from 1" round tube and has an .065" aluminum deck cover with 3" dia. holes over the support tubes to tie down loads. I made a high lift and shovel mount with the jack tucked under the deflector for weather protection, an aluminum diamond plate deck and wind deflector, I welded captured nuts to mount a couple of aluminum tool boxes for weather and secure storage. I also made a nice fly rod box that attaches also. It's painted with Imron.
An added bonus to the aluminum deck is how much cooler the interior stays on hot days as the aluminum reflects the sun!
Good planning = Good results.
Doug
I also think a good wind deflector is must for noise and drag. Have lots of solid anchor points all over the platform area to tie off to. Diamond mesh is good, but hard to seal water out of, and powder coat will not do seal it.
I made my current rack and it works great for us. It made from 1" round tube and has an .065" aluminum deck cover with 3" dia. holes over the support tubes to tie down loads. I made a high lift and shovel mount with the jack tucked under the deflector for weather protection, an aluminum diamond plate deck and wind deflector, I welded captured nuts to mount a couple of aluminum tool boxes for weather and secure storage. I also made a nice fly rod box that attaches also. It's painted with Imron.
An added bonus to the aluminum deck is how much cooler the interior stays on hot days as the aluminum reflects the sun!
Good planning = Good results.
Doug
got any pics of your fly rod holder? ill be a licensed and bonded guide next year and am looking into solutions. currently I got a rod holder on the inside of the truck
I just installed an ARB Touring for my RTT and Awning. I am very pleased.
FRBlake
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This is LostWorldExpedition's FJ60 with an old style Front Runner Wind Cheetah(Slimline 1)... The new Slimline 2 a much better rack with more accessory mounting options and is fully modular.
Thought I'd add my 2 cents....
Thought I'd add my 2 cents....
I third the ARB. Make sure you get it with the welded in mesh floor.
I got an old tradesman roof rack that I cut and bent to fit my needs....
They come up for sale on the classifieds from time to time.. for around $200
Best part about this here rack is that the rack sits all the way along the rain gutter and clamps from under it.
Dont know if you want a basket or flat style roof rack.
They come up for sale on the classifieds from time to time.. for around $200
Best part about this here rack is that the rack sits all the way along the rain gutter and clamps from under it.
Dont know if you want a basket or flat style roof rack.
ARB fan
I put an ARB on mine without the mesh floor - which I think adds about 15 lbs or so (?). I really like it because it seems well engineered and I also dig the dark gray powder coating vs black... matched up with my front/rear bumpers nicely.
I know the PVC wrapped gutter track that comes with the ARB distributes the weight, but I didn't put that on mine. I fashioned some little feet for the mounts out of rubberized cork. I felt like the track would eventually start scratching paint where I couldn't see it and expose raw metal... and we all know what happens there!
Here is a pic of mine with one of the 62's biggest fans!
I put an ARB on mine without the mesh floor - which I think adds about 15 lbs or so (?). I really like it because it seems well engineered and I also dig the dark gray powder coating vs black... matched up with my front/rear bumpers nicely.
I know the PVC wrapped gutter track that comes with the ARB distributes the weight, but I didn't put that on mine. I fashioned some little feet for the mounts out of rubberized cork. I felt like the track would eventually start scratching paint where I couldn't see it and expose raw metal... and we all know what happens there!
Here is a pic of mine with one of the 62's biggest fans!
I went with the Gamiviti rack attachments and made the rack I wanted. I used aluminum but steep would work just the same. I found cast 90's for the corners I just like how they look better than sharp angles. I carry a lot of toys so I may have over built it but it's been great and it was fun to make.
