80/20 roof rack build (1 Viewer)

[ylexot]

I did this roof rack mod over the summer. Im a little late posting the thread, but now after several uses, i can attest to it being solid.

I had 3 general uses in mind:
* be able to carry home 4x8 plywood and other bulky lumber with out hauling a trailer.
* carry Yakima skybox and ski rack at the same time.
* carry kayaks, canoe, SUPs

I fooled around with a few designs using 80/20's extruded aluminum parts. They have a wide variety of cross sections to choose from and some decent calculators to do some sanity checks for loading. I went with the 40mm square lite crossection.

My outside dimensions are 88x54 with cross bars for each set of Gamiviti roof towers. For the front and rear, i used the rounded cross section 4030.

The hardest part was hardware. I initially tried to get cute and use square shoulder carriage bolts to save a little money. In the end the slotted nuts are so easy to work with, i would just skip straight to the engineered solution next time. That is to say, slotted nuts are worth the money.

Ive had the rack on for a few months put the yakima skybox on for a 3 state trip through WV and VA. Ive also brought home an IKEA bunk bed, approx 80x48 in, strapped to the rack. Rack worked great.

Wind noise is real. The skybox cut it down quite a bit. I'll be adding a custom fairing very soon.

A couple pix and closing thoughts. I probably could have used 1in (25mm) extrusions, but I am very pleased with how sturdy the rack feels. I havent tried all the combinations of gear up top, yet. I have more hardware to add a 1-1/4" crossbar to mount various Yakima holders, like ski rack. I'm optimistic I'll have all the flexibility i was looking for.

 

[ylexot]

A few more snaps.

 

[ylexot]

The third of a few

 

[vman07]

Looks good, what towers are those? What do you think it weighs?

 

[ylexot]

I used Gamiviti towers.

I dont have an actual weight, but it isnt bad. Id guess 80ish with the towers. That seems low cuz the hardware felt like 20lb and the towers weren't "light" either.

My wife was able to help me guide it into place and she doesnt have much for upper body strength. And i never strained to pick it up when it was on the ground, except when leveraging it at awkward angles. Thats about all i got on weight.

It is hella strong though. An RTT was in my plans when i first started daydreaming about a rack. Wouldnt hesitate to throw one up there.

 

[vman07]

It's all aluminum? It has to be less than 80 lbs. all in...

 

[ylexot]

Yep, big bits are aluminum. I even opted for the "lite" cross sections that have less aluminum. Steel hardware 60+ m8 bolts, washers, and slotted nuts add up a bit.

 

[gungriffin]

Ha ha there is A LOT of aluminum in 80/20 too. It is expensive stuff for a reason. I could believe ~80 lbs

 

[gndm93]

I'm very glad you posted this. I've been planning and 80/20 rack build for a while now. Definitely going to move forward with my build now.

 

[CanadianRockyCruiser]

I used 80/20 for some rack components...It's expensive, but very solid, and well designed.

 

[ylexot]

There are cheaper materials than ext aluminum. However, in the end i was able to put this rack together for about $700, if i pretend like i didnt buy hardware twice. Maybe a little spendy for DIY, but not bad considering it is 1 banana project requiring no fab skills.

I haven't fully tested this yet, but the ability to bolt just about anything to the rack, just about anywhere with infinite adjustment and no drilling should be useful.

 

[vman07]

Trying to figure out what the advantages of 80/20 are over steel tubing, or square tubing. It seems more expensive and the final product is heavier than a steel roof rack. Is it because you can put an 80/20 rack together without needing to weld anything?

 

[TXLX100]

Looks like it's pretty useful and sturdy. I didn't realize that 80/20 weighs that much. I build simple racks out of angle steel and I think it would weigh 60-70lbs for a full size rack for a LX.

 

[ylexot]

There may not be a weight benefit with 80/20. Using specs online, the frame members for my rack should weigh in at a little less than 40 lb. I suspect this is a lighter than steel would be for the same size though i suspect welds are lighter than the hardware.

Strengthwise, this is pretty heavy duty. I can stand in the middle of any cross member and it is solid. For my needs, the 25mm would have probably sufficed, but I'm not complaining.

I had planned on welding together a rack, but logistics and timing lead me to go with an easier option. I figured i could always repurpose the aluminum later. However, I'm pretty happy with this configuration.

 

[Cargo1234]

@ylexlot Material Choice Question, looking to do a similar, albeit more simplified rack. Using the Gamviti Roof Mounts, I was planning on using the 80/20 10 series 1"x2" at 48" length. The plan is for three cross beams to mount my Yakima Mega Basket. As it sits now with the Yakima mounts on the Factory Rack Side Rails and cross beams the basket sits entirely to high off the roof line.

My concern is the 1"x2" 80/20 can take up to an M6 bolt or 1/4" which seems a bit light weight.

Just curious if you went with the 40 series because of this concern or are my concerns unwarranted?

 

[Cargo1234]

Also how has wind noise been with the T Slot Bars?

 

[REZARF]

I want a real weight on this thing... It looks uber light weight. Is the 80/20 stuff that heavy? I would have guessed 35 pounds on that thing, but I have never handled the 80/20 extrusions.

 

[ylexot]

Real weight: if I ever take it off, I'll try to get a weight. 35-40lb for the aluminum should be in the ball park. Add a few lb for hardware and the mounts. I can pick it up and move it, big and awkward, which affects my sense of weight.

Wind noise is BAD. They sell rolls of plastic made to fill the open channels. It is on my to do list. I'm nervous that they will blow out at highway speeds, but will find out soonish.

My rack is about the same height off the roof as the factory rack. Maybe a smidgen shorter. I'll measure this am.

Hardware is important. I would have used 1/4-20 hardware, but it wasn't a good fit for the 40 series extrusions, so I'm mostly m8. How many bolts you use and the kinds and directions of load is important when figuring out the hardware. That said, Yakima uses 1/4-20 hardware for their accessories.

 

[REZARF]

Well it looks killer and it goes without saying that it is HIGHLY modular and with a roof rack that is key.

 

[cruzerDave]

Real weight: if I ever take it off, I'll try to get a weight. 35-40lb for the aluminum should be in the ball park. Add a few lb for hardware and the mounts. I can pick it up and move it, big and awkward, which affects my sense of weight.

Wind noise is BAD. They sell rolls of plastic made to fill the open channels. It is on my to do list. I'm nervous that they will blow out at highway speeds, but will find out soonish.

My rack is about the same height off the roof as the factory rack. Maybe a smidgen shorter. I'll measure this am.

Hardware is important. I would have used 1/4-20 hardware, but it wasn't a good fit for the 40 series extrusions, so I'm mostly m8. How many bolts you use and the kinds and directions of load is important when figuring out the hardware. That said, Yakima uses 1/4-20 hardware for their accessories.

Before you do anything complicated for the wind noise, try taking a thick rope (3/8"ish) and spiraling it from one side to the other, maybe 4-6" space between loops - like this:

This did WONDERS for my wind noise.

And then I bolted a light bar on