I'm not sure whether something like this has been posted before (nothing came up on my search) or if anyone has this happened to their racks, but if you have a prinsu style roofrack, I would make it a habit of inspecting it, specially if heavily loaded. These aren't my pictures.
Cracked roofrack
- Thread starter NYC570
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It looks like it is happening in two different places.
Can you describe a little bit more what "heavy loaded" means in this case?
Can you describe a little bit more what "heavy loaded" means in this case?
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- #4
In the first picture, the vehicle is a 4runner with a roofnest falcon pro.
In the second picture I'm not sure what the vehicle is but it was carrying a 170lbs rooftop tent.
First, I was tempted to say that the long slot is causing the failure, but the failure is starting from the bottom not the top. It looks more like a stress failure between the fixed section of the rack (bolted to the roof) and the free span that caries the load.
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- #6
Yes, I didn't know there were these types of failures with these types of racks, but there are a lot of documented cases. I don't think that I've seen anyone here report this type of issue with the 200 series, but I'd just make it a habit of inspecting the roofrack from time to time.
Honestly, this is why I could never go with Prinsu. Bending aluminum definitely weakens that local area, so I’m not surprised it cracked there. I just hope their warranty is solid enough to cover this kind of damage.
The only low-profile rack that’s truly designed to support weight correctly is the Sherpa. Its rack is bolted to the 8020, which is then bolted to rubber feet and mounted directly to the roof. This means the load is supported from the 8020 straight to the roof—not through the side rails and mounting hardware. The downside is that the Sherpa is pricey compared to the competition.
I ended up going with a Victory 4x4 rack as the next-best option. The weight-bearing design is better (in my opinion) than Prinsu, and Sherpa was $500 more than I wanted to spend. On the Victory rack, the weight is supported by the side rails, but instead of transferring that force into a 90-degree bend like the Prinsu, it’s transferred into steel bolts and steel feet, which is much more robust. The weakest link is still the aluminum sides
The only low-profile rack that’s truly designed to support weight correctly is the Sherpa. Its rack is bolted to the 8020, which is then bolted to rubber feet and mounted directly to the roof. This means the load is supported from the 8020 straight to the roof—not through the side rails and mounting hardware. The downside is that the Sherpa is pricey compared to the competition.
I ended up going with a Victory 4x4 rack as the next-best option. The weight-bearing design is better (in my opinion) than Prinsu, and Sherpa was $500 more than I wanted to spend. On the Victory rack, the weight is supported by the side rails, but instead of transferring that force into a 90-degree bend like the Prinsu, it’s transferred into steel bolts and steel feet, which is much more robust. The weakest link is still the aluminum sides
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Long term prinsu owner but I agree. Mine is fine but these things are not heavy duty, especially for something like a heavy hard shell tent.
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- #9
The prinsu pro is a better design than the regular one, but I don't belive it's available for the 200 series. The sherpa it's fairly strong but it still allows a lot of deflection side to side because of its flat side rails, same problem with the Victory one and any rack with flat side rails. In my opinion the strongest racks are the ones with angled side rails and beefy brackets.
Or the mack daddy of racks. Front runner
Prinsu is certainly not an HD rack but moving the crossbars over the roof supports could certainly help..... and fasten to at least 3 crossbars.
For RTT,'s the problem with most "modern" racks that use the backbone or side rails.... there's no access to the center bars. The old style roof tracks are great for heavy RTT's because you can space the crossbars out evenly and utilize 3-4 crossbars to fasten to the RTT. With the backbone system, you can fasten to the forward and rearmost crossbars. The center ones just float... and rattle. With only two supports, my RTT has slid forward, over the windshield a couple times. Tightening more would really dig into or damage the rack components.
Eezi-Awn stills sells the old track style and there are a couple others.....
For RTT,'s the problem with most "modern" racks that use the backbone or side rails.... there's no access to the center bars. The old style roof tracks are great for heavy RTT's because you can space the crossbars out evenly and utilize 3-4 crossbars to fasten to the RTT. With the backbone system, you can fasten to the forward and rearmost crossbars. The center ones just float... and rattle. With only two supports, my RTT has slid forward, over the windshield a couple times. Tightening more would really dig into or damage the rack components.
Eezi-Awn stills sells the old track style and there are a couple others.....