De-basket an ARB basket rack?

[ikeedikeed]

I kind of want to chop the basket off of my steel ARB basket rack with mesh floor (which came with truck) for a number of reasons:

- my truck won't fit in my garage with the basket rack and my current lift/tires
- the RTT I want doesn't require a basket
- the awning I want doesn't require a basket
- my canoe doesn't require a basket
- my fuel cans and mount don't require a basket
- dry bags full of gear don't require a basket
- wind resistance is lesser without a basket

The only reason I don't already have an RTT and awning is that I don't have a rack that'll fit in my garage.

Is there any reason* I shouldn't slice off the basket rail and the supports, grind down all sharp edges and touch up the paint for a nice low profile flat rack? I can't think of one. Do tell.

* other than the fact Enigma's in the market for a basket.

 

[REZARF]

I would figure out what you could sell it at as is... find a buyer and see if that price sticks.

If it does, then figure out how much the rack you want would cost.

If you are cool with the difference, I say buy the one you want.

If the rate of return on the ARB isn't where you want it, chop that sucka'

Truth be told, I would make sure you factor in how much it would cost you to mod the existing rack and subtract that from what you'd get for it too.

Those ARB's are sharp, I bet it'd sell quick.

 

[Tennessee Jed]

Don't chop that nice rack up - sell it and buy what you want. I know shipping is an insane hassle for these things but I guarantee you someone in driving distance wants that rack. There are several "flat floor" style racks out there to accomodate RTT/awning use.

 

[e9999]

yup, need to price it all.
But then again, I would hope that just having a lil' rail isn't adding more than $100 to the price of a new flat rack, in which case I would ask myself whether less than $100 used is worth the trouble of selling, shipping perhaps, buying again. And it'd be fun to chop one of those things up.
Personally, what I would do if I were to have to chop a rack would be to see if I can do it in a way that would make it possible to remount the rail later on with some brackets, clamps etc, or even better, hinge it down per side. More versatility.
What I do like about the railing is the extra safety as far as not projectiling heavy stuff in case of an accident, or losing stuff on the freeway.

(for extra stylin' you could also go full hydraulic / air on the suspension, a la low-rider and lower it before getting in the garage . Best not to forget though... )

 

[MANUCHAO]

I try selling it for the price yah want. If you can't sell it.. Chop it!!!!! N enjoy with a nice cold beer...

 

[ikeedikeed]

I definitely wouldn't break even on the sale of my used one and the purchase of a new flat rack. There's no question about that because the ARB has a minor bang or two from the PO.

I'm guessing the switch to a new flat rack would cost me at least $250. Plus I'd have to deal with selling my current one, likely have to wait for my new one to come into the shop and drive 3-4 hrs round trip to pick it up. I'd rather save all that hassle and put the $250 towards some new power tools to reduce the elbow grease for this and future projects. Plus it would be fun to see the sparks fly.

I was more asking if anybody had done it before, had any tips, or could foresee any problems and that sort of thing. I was half expecting some of you to tell me that the the steel ARB is the holy grail of racks and that I should dig out my driveway or move before I resort to chopping it off.

Neat ideas e9999, but way over my head. This surgery will be all about hacking and grinding. Not measuring or tinkering.

 

[TexasJack]

My first reaction was to also suggest you sell it and buy what you want but considering the insignificant amount of money you can get for used equipment, I say hack away! Remember to post pictures after you hack it.

 

[Offroads4x4]

If you cut it off I would think someone by you would buy the top half to build a flat rack themselfs. Just an idea to make some $.

 

[skidplate]

Old Con-ferr rack cut down to 2" to fit in my garage. Still plenty deep to hold stuff. Your ARB rack I'm sure is much nicer than mine so.......do what makes you happy.

 

[laro]

How did the de-basking worked out? I might be interested in the left overs if they are usable.
Are you planning to come to cruiser day july 23 or I can make a trip up to squamish.

Ronald ( coastal cruiser member)

 

[ikeedikeed]

When I started this thread asking for advice and/or tips I was in the bush for work. I just got back yesterday and picked up the rack from my parents' today and brought it back to my place still in its original form.

I know for a fact it won't fit in my garage in its present state, but I'm now starting to doubt whether it'll fit even after being chopped. Here are some pics of the truck backed right up to the garage. In that position, the rear tires haven't yet reached their pinnacle of height (the driveway is a little sloped upward). That's the bad news. The good news is that, in that position, the front tires are pretty low so, because the rear of the rack is closer to the rear of the vehicle than is the rear axle, the closeness of the lower portion of the rack to the top of the garage door is a little exaggerated. I'm going to take some better measurements tomorrow and if it looks promising I'll chop on Monday and hope for the best. Will post any news.

Also, I think there's one more lower notch into which the rack itself can be positioned, which should shave about 1/4" off the overall height. Plus, if I drive in forward the rear height exaggeration won't happen.

Fingers crossed.

 

[ikeedikeed]

My truck's got a bit of a stinkbug effect going on so I was able to keep the front of the basket and still (barely) make it into the garage. What I have now is pretty much equivalent to ARB's RTT-specific rack.

I used a cutting disc on my angle grinder to chop the majority of the basket off and I left about 4 cm (that's right! metric, bitches) of rail behind the front-most of the side supports. Next up for tomorrow: Use a grinding disc to clean up the hack job, sand a bit and touch up the paint and then put some cane tips on the ends of the rails at the front.

I'll likely end up taking the front off in a similar fashion because it just barely squeaks in and I might throw in some front coil spacers at some point, but for right now it'll stay on.

laro, not sure if I'll make it to Cruiser Days. Depends on the .

 

[ikeedikeed]

I ground down all the sharp edges, touched up the paint and threw some rubber table leg ends on the sliced rails. All done and fits in the garage like butter!

 

[ikeedikeed]

I picked up an ARB Pilbara RTT today. I have yet to mount it but I realized that the ARB Touring Rack (designed specifically for their RTTs) has no mesh, just the cross bars. Not sure if the mesh will sully its mountability; could be more grinding, buffing and painting on the horizon. Will find out tomorrow.

 

[ikeedikeed]

Update: Mesh makes it a bit more of a pain to secure the tent. It's a bit harder to get everything into position but there's no compromise of tent security. Pic of it in action:

 

[bernardbarbour]

Update: Mesh makes it a bit more of a pain to secure the tent. It's a bit harder to get everything into position but there's no compromise of tent security. Pic of it in action:

This is a great thread about this project as I to am in the same position with the ARB basket. To tear or not to tear off! Thanks