100-series new roof rack

[benc]

So as soon as I get all my bumpers finished and shipped out I will be working on a roof rack for myself. I wanted to see if there would be any interest because I could pump out several of these when I build mine. The plan as of now would be side plates laser cut from 1/4" aluminum, bolt on front faring and heavy duty t-slot aluminum extrusions for the load supports. Target weight will be 75-85lbs. I'm hopping to keep the price point around $1000-1200 with powder coat. Also I would be offering different brackets for several different accessories. Here are some pics of a mocked up side rail to give an idea of the look I'm going for

Let me know what you guys think.
Thanks

 

[benc]

Sorry for the crapy pics. The light was working against me. Also, this should not stick up any higher than the factory roof rack!

 

[brices123]

You have my curiosity for sure.
Subscribed.

 

[kelly saad]

That is a great looking design idea. It flows with the vehicle and looks more like its hugging the roof rather than a flat rack just sitting on top like others. I might commit to one. I will be in Bakersfield in April, I might be able to drive up and get my bumper in person, if they are ready. Perhaps you could have a rack ready too? Just an idea. I was going to build my own but I like what you are doing with that.

 

[benc]

That is a great looking design idea. It flows with the vehicle and looks more like its hugging the roof rather than a flat rack just sitting on top like others. I might commit to one. I will be in Bakersfield in April, I might be able to drive up and get my bumper in person, if they are ready. Perhaps you could have a rack ready too? Just an idea. I was going to build my own but I like what you are doing with that.

Thanks, there are so many awesome functional roof racks out there but IMHO they are lacking in the looks and style. My goal is to bring something just a function able but also looks good. I'm not sure if the will be ready in time but I'll have to wait and see how the bumpers go.

 

[Keowee]

Any thoughts on anodizing the aluminum roof rack in colors to go with the different paint colors. I've read that DIY is done with RIT fabric dye and a battery charger. That's as far as I've read so far. Interesting even if black goes with everything.

 

[benc]

Yeah, I have looked into both anodizing and powder coating, from what iv found the powder coat would hold up better on a roof rack

 

[yotasavg]

Very cool design, keep up the great work, Ben.

 

[toyotalexus420]

i havent begun searching for a roof rack yet, but i may be interested and i do like the one piece design with the accessories options for lights in the front. just wondering about the load rating and what not since i have no idea.

 

[benc]

Honestly, this is in the very beginning stage of possible production. I have a bunch of front bumpers to finish first. Then I can start on the prototype and do some testing
One of my goals it to make it as quite as possible! Any one that has owned a roof rack with aluminum t-extrusions knows what I mean. They can be extremely noisy! I'm going to put a lot of focus on wind drag and noise. Stay tuned

 

[benc]

Honestly, this is in the very beginning stage of possible production. I have a bunch of front bumpers to finish first. Then I can start on the prototype and do some testing
One of my goals it to make it as quite as possible! Any one that has owned a roof rack with aluminum t-extrusions knows what I mean. They can be extremely noisy! I'm going to put a lot of focus on wind drag and noise. Stay tuned

But to answer your question, it will be just as strong as any other rack on the market

 

[tims landcruiser69]

i like it would like to see the frount bumpers that you build?

 

[benc]

i like it would like to see the frount bumpers that you build?

Thanks Tim,
I have a thread on here for the front bumpers also

 

[yeti in ga]

looks good ! I love seeing new design in the making..

 

[blatant]

i'll be watching this rack thread closely, really like the prelim!

 

[toyotalexus420]

Honestly, this is in the very beginning stage of possible production. I have a bunch of front bumpers to finish first. Then I can start on the prototype and do some testing
One of my goals it to make it as quite as possible! Any one that has owned a roof rack with aluminum t-extrusions knows what I mean. They can be extremely noisy! I'm going to put a lot of focus on wind drag and noise. Stay tuned

yes quieter is a great feature and something worth innovating as well as less wind drag. im hoping for a majority of handmade accessory custom products so i will watch also.

 

[benc]

Thanks guys. I think this is going to be a very clean design for the 100 series. I can't take all the credit though. I had seen one similar on a tacoma a couple years back but I'm not sure who made it. I'm still trying to find the best prices on the extrusions. So far they are going to cost me about $45 each load bar. I'm also looking into a roof rail that would bolt and seal to the roof and the rack would mount to that. Then the rack would be easy to remove if needed and you wouldn't have to mess with the seal.

 

[ylexot]

Very cool to see the first mock-up. Looks like your drawing. Low drag, low noise, stylish, and still stout. What's not to like?

It looks like you have a lot of room to continue your trend for modularity. The aluminum extrusions for the cross bars are a cool but I think overkill for what I'd use the rack for: 4x8 sheets of building materials, Yakima gear, and accessories like high-lift, shovel, and ax.

How are you planning to mount it to the roof? Through the factory roof rack mounting points, I assume, but how do you get to them without mucking with the weather seal?

 

[benc]

Very cool to see the first mock-up. Looks like your drawing. Low drag, low noise, stylish, and still stout. What's not to like?

It looks like you have a lot of room to continue your trend for modularity. The aluminum extrusions for the cross bars are a cool but I think overkill for what I'd use the rack for: 4x8 sheets of building materials, Yakima gear, and accessories like high-lift, shovel, and ax.

How are you planning to mount it to the roof? Through the factory roof rack mounting points, I assume, but how do you get to them without mucking with the weather seal?

Thanks.
One of the things I'm going for is versatility, this rack will be great for the guy that just uses it for the weekend ski trip or the guy that want to load it up for an overland trip across the country. Like I said, you can get as many or as few cross bars as you want. If someone wants to mix in a couple round cross bars in with the extrusions I can do that also.

As far as the mounting goes, I'm not 100% sure yet. I ordered some sample rails that I would like to use rather than bolt the rack right to the roof. The new rails would bolt to the factory holes and the rack would bolt to that. It will require a gasket and some sealant but that it common.
Another thing I will be experimenting with is the wind deflector. Most racks have a small gap between the roof and deflector, I have found that that can sometimes cause noise in and of its self from the wind going up the windshield and bouncing off the rack. What I would like to do is have the deflector tight to the roof with a rubber seal.

 

[ylexot]

Low wind noise will be awesome. Anywhere there is a lot of turbulence will result in wind noise. Sealing the leading edge of the wind screen against the roof will cut out that source of turbulence, but you will still have the sound of the air ripping over the top part of the wind screen and any crossbars along the way. The ovular cross section of the factory bars help cut down on this and allow for more laminar flow. I've day dreamed occasionally about putting dimples, like a golf ball, on a windscreen. This adds a small amount of turbulence right at the surface of the screen, but that turbulence basically makes a pad of air that the fast moving laminar air can travel over. The trailing edge of the screen would still be a dramatic change in shape, but the effect of the "pad of turbulence" might also help make the transition to the open area behind the screen. I'd love to have a small wind tunnel to play with this idea.

Looking at the slots in your prototype piece, it looks like you could put threaded inserts into the cross bars and bolt them on in many different positions. I was always moving the Yakima crossbar rack on my 60: one location for skis, another for the skybox, another for canoe, etc. I haven't seen that kind of flexibility in any other system.