I recently realized that hauling my family and camping gear for more than a few days would be pushing the limits of my cargo capacity. I decided that I needed to get some kind of real safari-style roof rack to replace the beloved factory rack.
Enter the J-Moose by Johnny Lange, aka Wildyoats.
The J-Moose is an all-aluminum roof rack made from a bi-fold ATV ramp, some aluminum strips and angles, and commercial roof rack clamps.
J-Moose: "Moose" brand ATV ramp and Johnny's personal touch. The result is a functional, lightweight aluminum roof rack for a fraction of the price of the average aluminum rack.
The J-Moose concept was perfect for my needs and budget.
Introducing: The H-Moose:
My version of Johnny's rack is only slightly different.
I used a bifold aluminum ATV ramp, #48697 from www.discountramps.com, which has dimensions of 48" by 69" unfolded. The dimensions are perfect for a 1/2 or 3/4 rack. The rails and rungs are simple square section (more or less) extrisions.
I paid $130 for the ramp, shipped.
1. Cut off the hinges.
2. I wanted a rack that stopped at the sunroof (is this 1/2 or 3/4?), so I cut off one section (the section with the "fingers"):
3. Bolt the halves together:
Although the ramp is rated to 1200 pounds, when it is used as a ramp, the none of the load is transferred to the hinge.
When used as a rack, the hinge is unsupported, so it will ultimately be the weak point. I used 7 5/16" (grade 8) bolts to connect the halves:
4. To get the "rounded look" I cut off the corners of the ramp:
5. I then followed Johnny's lead by riveting (5 mm aluminum rivets) a few strips of 1/8" by 2" aluminum to the ramp to provide more surface. The aluminum was purchased from Metal Supermarkets:
6. To make the rounded corners, Johnny bent 4 strips of 1/8" by 2" aluminum and attached them to the corners. I pretty much followed his example, but I used two longer strips that would run completely around the perimeter of the rack.
The 6061 T6 aluminum is easy to bend. I created a jig to bed the aluminum around. The strips were far too elastic to actually keep the radius of the bend, but the bend did give me something to work with when I actually attached the strips to the rack:
One half of the perimeter attached:
The "perimeter strips" are attached with 1/4" buttonhead bolts. I positioned the seam between the two strips on the sides of the rack so that the bolted connection of the two halves (formerly attached by a hinge) would benefit from the vertical width of the strip:
COMPLETE!
Finally, I painted the rack with Plastidip. I used 5 aerosol cans, and the finished appearance is very nice. I'll keep you posted on the long term durability of the Plastidip.
I attached the rack to my 80 with six Con-Ferr Bulldog clamps. I ordered the clamps from Off Road Unlimited, who is filling all the orders for the now-dissolved Con-Ferr. I paid $150 shipped for the clamps. I'm sure that less expensive clamps could be found.
The Con-Ferr clamps are certainly burly. I think the six clamps weigh as much as the rack! I did have to drill new holes in each of the clamps to get it lined up with ramp rails. The ramp is bolted onto the camps with 3/8" grade 8 bolts:
The total cost of the rack was around $400.
The final product is very sturdy and looks great. I'll be using it this weekend to take the family to Canyonlands for 5 days. I'll be sure to report back on the rack's performance.
Hayes
Enter the J-Moose by Johnny Lange, aka Wildyoats.
The J-Moose is an all-aluminum roof rack made from a bi-fold ATV ramp, some aluminum strips and angles, and commercial roof rack clamps.
J-Moose: "Moose" brand ATV ramp and Johnny's personal touch. The result is a functional, lightweight aluminum roof rack for a fraction of the price of the average aluminum rack.
The J-Moose concept was perfect for my needs and budget.
Introducing: The H-Moose:
My version of Johnny's rack is only slightly different.
I used a bifold aluminum ATV ramp, #48697 from www.discountramps.com, which has dimensions of 48" by 69" unfolded. The dimensions are perfect for a 1/2 or 3/4 rack. The rails and rungs are simple square section (more or less) extrisions.
I paid $130 for the ramp, shipped.
1. Cut off the hinges.
2. I wanted a rack that stopped at the sunroof (is this 1/2 or 3/4?), so I cut off one section (the section with the "fingers"):
3. Bolt the halves together:
Although the ramp is rated to 1200 pounds, when it is used as a ramp, the none of the load is transferred to the hinge.
When used as a rack, the hinge is unsupported, so it will ultimately be the weak point. I used 7 5/16" (grade 8) bolts to connect the halves:
4. To get the "rounded look" I cut off the corners of the ramp:
5. I then followed Johnny's lead by riveting (5 mm aluminum rivets) a few strips of 1/8" by 2" aluminum to the ramp to provide more surface. The aluminum was purchased from Metal Supermarkets:
6. To make the rounded corners, Johnny bent 4 strips of 1/8" by 2" aluminum and attached them to the corners. I pretty much followed his example, but I used two longer strips that would run completely around the perimeter of the rack.
The 6061 T6 aluminum is easy to bend. I created a jig to bed the aluminum around. The strips were far too elastic to actually keep the radius of the bend, but the bend did give me something to work with when I actually attached the strips to the rack:
One half of the perimeter attached:
The "perimeter strips" are attached with 1/4" buttonhead bolts. I positioned the seam between the two strips on the sides of the rack so that the bolted connection of the two halves (formerly attached by a hinge) would benefit from the vertical width of the strip:
COMPLETE!
Finally, I painted the rack with Plastidip. I used 5 aerosol cans, and the finished appearance is very nice. I'll keep you posted on the long term durability of the Plastidip.
I attached the rack to my 80 with six Con-Ferr Bulldog clamps. I ordered the clamps from Off Road Unlimited, who is filling all the orders for the now-dissolved Con-Ferr. I paid $150 shipped for the clamps. I'm sure that less expensive clamps could be found.
The Con-Ferr clamps are certainly burly. I think the six clamps weigh as much as the rack! I did have to drill new holes in each of the clamps to get it lined up with ramp rails. The ramp is bolted onto the camps with 3/8" grade 8 bolts:
The total cost of the rack was around $400.
The final product is very sturdy and looks great. I'll be using it this weekend to take the family to Canyonlands for 5 days. I'll be sure to report back on the rack's performance.
Hayes
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