6 OEM Crossbars for low profile cheap rack

[pwag]

Found two bars shipped for $159. Before I pull the trigger, does anyone have any experience mounting a heavy flat object like a 160lb RTT to all four (or more)? I’m still concerned with the curve of the roofline and the potential for the roofnest not to lie flat on all four bars.
I see the picture of the wood 2x4 above, and it’s helpful, but thinking the weight of the RTT will settle them all down so it rests on all four. Am I mistaken? Thanks

You probably will want just two rails for mating with RTT, one in very front and other in very rear for ease of install. ie access front rail through sunroof and rear from open access near satellite antenna. If you do 4 oem rails and mount to the outer two, you may find it difficult to ratchet down the mounts given inside two rails will be slightly higher (arc as mentioned earlier in thread). Two is sufficient, hardshell RTT floor/rail system is where all their strength is. FWIW, I have iKamper Skycamp 2.0 mated with Front Runner Slimline II for myself, wife & two young girls. Sleeps like concrete layer on the roof so if you do find OEM bars too wobbly @ camp and end up considering aftermarket, the Slimline II for the larger RTT's would be one good option. Condor XL (great tent!) off memory is similar dimensions so I'm sure it would sit nicely in the Slimline tray.

OT: You will really appreciate the extra size of Condor XL. If you ever get an itch to mod the tent, over time we removed the stock RTT mattresses and replaced with Expend Mega Mats. So much nicer, esp for side sleepers, and better insulation from below. In their deflated state, found it easier to keep all the down blankets/sleeping bags/sheets in RTT. Installed adhesive carpet tiles to deal with floor condensation on desert trips (often issue in RTT's). Used same tiles from Lowes as this youtube guy, work and look perfect. RTT Carpet Tile Install

I also like to take my tent on and off relatively frequently. For now, I installed the Racor Hoist system (Amazon). Solo, got the process down to about 7-10 mins. If you decide aftermarket rack is needed, the other benefit of the Slimline II is they make quick release RTT brackets that work with a good # of RTT models, almost positive including Roofnests. I don't use them as iKamper has very quick mounts and I like to keep tent flush on the Slimline tray, but they make mount/dismount especially fast & easy. Quick Release Tent Mount Kit - by Front Runner

Spent a great deal of time (wasted) figuring all this out, only reason I'm sharing the OT experience.

 

[greynolds]

I found it just too sketchy. I sincerely hope they're the real deal as I hate scammers. I'd like to hear how you make out. Good luck.

After making an offer for 2 pair with a note stating "I only want these if they're genuine Toyota parts", having the offer accepted, and then a little bit of back and forth (they wanted to confirm that I really wanted 2 pair), I received the following response from the seller for the eBay crossbars located in Taiwan:

Hi, this crossbar is our own production, not Toyota brand. But it is suitable for Toyota Land Cruiser. If you mind, we can cancel the order for you. Thanks.

So I have asked them to cancel my order and suggested they remove the image that shows the genuine Toyota box with part number (that they clearly "borrowed" from the other listing).

I'm definitely not surprised that these are knock-offs and it's certainly possible that the quality is perfectly fine, but I don't want knock-off parts. If I'm going to go aftermarket, I'll go with a full rack replacement or the T strut extrusion route that @tincan45 came up with.

 

[spooltime]

@pwag great info. If you don’t mind, I may reach out to you in a week or so for some close up photos and other tips.
@greynolds i got the same email! I asked to cancel too, and now I need a refund
I always fall for this stuff.

 

[FrazzledHunter]

After making an offer for 2 pair with a note stating "I only want these if they're genuine Toyota parts", having the offer accepted, and then a little bit of back and forth (they wanted to confirm that I really wanted 2 pair), I received the following response from the seller for the eBay crossbars located in Taiwan:


So I have asked them to cancel my order and suggested they remove the image that shows the genuine Toyota box with part number (that they clearly "borrowed" from the other listing).

I'm definitely not surprised that these are knock-offs and it's certainly possible that the quality is perfectly fine, but I don't want knock-off parts. If I'm going to go aftermarket, I'll go with a full rack replacement or the T strut extrusion route that @tincan45 came up with.

ebay takes an extremely dim view of stuff like this. As I said, I hate scammers and they sound like scammers to me. I'd report them myself but I really have no horse in this race. I just checked and they removed the picture now that they've been caught.

 

[spooltime]

I’m going to wait until I get a refund before I report them. I also fell for a scam $99 Arc’Terex jacket earlier this year too! :/

 

[greynolds]

ebay takes an extremely dim view of stuff like this. As I said, I hate scammers and they sound like scammers to me. I'd report them myself but I really have no horse in this race. I just checked and they removed the picture now that they've been caught.

In fairness to them, they have been pretty responsive with communication and removed that extra photo after I pointed out the obvious issue with it. If they follow through with refunding my money, I’m not sure there’s really anything to report. They aren’t claiming genuine Toyota for the brand and aren’t including a part number in the tag fields eBay makes available. When I asked about the brand, they gave me a straight answer. Of course, the obvious issue here is the blatant copy of genuine parts, appearance wise.

 

[eatSleepWoof]

For those intending to run RTTs, consider ease (or difficulty) of reaching underneath the tent to get to the mounting hardware. The stock side rails make this quite difficult.
I recently installed 3 RhinoRack vortex bars on RCH feet and LC200-specific mounts. Very happy with the setup (photos in build thread) and there is tons of access to get underneath the RTT.

 

[greynolds]

I’m going to wait until I get a refund before I report them. I also fell for a scam $99 Arc’Terex jacket earlier this year too! :/

I received my refund overnight without any hassle. Did yours get handled promptly as well?

 

[spooltime]

Refund is being processed now, @greynolds

I’ll re-evaluate rack options soon. Lots of good information in this thread!

 

[jefo13]

Just finished it up with a Yakima wind fairing (40”). I tried the Thule 43” which would be an exact width but the mount wasn’t compatible with the OEM rack. Also next Yakima size was 46” which I don’t think would have fit...

 

[spooltime]

Looks good! Special mount, or does the one that comes with the yak easily mount to the OEM cross bar?

 

[jefo13]

Looks good! Special mount, or does the one that comes with the yak easily mount to the OEM cross bar?

Comes with it

 

[Markuson]

I'd like to get 2 additional OEM crossbars as well and I came across the two a couple of days ago and it made me suspicious. The one for $390 looks legit but is more than I want to pay.

I have two brand new crossbars that @Eric Sarjeant I kindly gave to me for FREE just because he’s a good guy. ...Also have two of my used ones.

If someone is willing to cover shipping, you can have them. Or...come pick them up in San Diego.

 

[Markuson]

I have two brand new crossbars that @Eric Sarjeant I kindly gave to me for FREE just because he’s a good guy. ...Also have two of my used ones.

If someone is willing to cover shipping, you can have them. Or...come pick them up in San Diego.

PS. That nice thing was over a year ago.
So why do I not need them any more? Because when I screwed things up in a hurry right before LCDC... Eric also managed to get ahold of a Prinsu and got it to me literally overnight ...despite Prinsu being backed up at least 4 weeks. Solved my problem just in time for my 4600 mile trip. So anyway...I saved the OEM crossbars to pass on if anyone wants them.

Anyone?

 

[MikeVpdx503]

PS. That nice act was over a year ago.
So why do I not need them any more? Because when I screwed things up in a hurry right before LCDC... @Eric Sarjeant also managed to get ahold of a Prinsu and got it to me literally overnight ...despite Prinsu being backed up at least 4 weeks. Solved my problem just in time for my 4600 mile trip. So anyway...I saved the OEM crossbars to pass on if anyone wants them.

Anyone?

I’ll take them. Sending you a PM

 

[FrazzledHunter]

PS. That nice thing was over a year ago.
So why do I not need them any more? Because when I screwed things up in a hurry right before LCDC... Eric also managed to get ahold of a Prinsu and got it to me literally overnight ...despite Prinsu being backed up at least 4 weeks. Solved my problem just in time for my 4600 mile trip. So anyway...I saved the OEM crossbars to pass on if anyone wants them.

Anyone?

Well if you snooze you lose LOL. If for some reason you can't come to an agreement with MikeVpdx503 I'm interested.

 

[reddog90]

On the topic of RTTs with the factory crossbars, do I need to find additional used crossbars for that to work safely?

I'm borrowing a Tepui Kukenam 3 for a trip next month and was planning on mounting it to my factory rack (with only two crossbars). Should I be concerned about too much flex? This isn't a serious wheeling trip, just lots of dirt road driving mainly. Tent specs say 159 lb.

 

[spooltime]

I used the factory crossbars for one season and was OK with adding extra rubber supports between the stock rail and metal bottom of the tent.
I never did like the flex, even when driving.

 

[spooltime]

See the rubber reinforcements I added at all four corners. Bought it at Bass Pro Shops, it’s for a boat trailer.

 

[bentonrover]

Definitely a simple mod without the big bulky basket