Get more from your factory roof rack with t-slotted aluminum (8020) (1 Viewer)

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IIRC, the rails are closer together in the front than in the back. Did you have to order different lengths for each crossbar?

Both of my OEM rails are the same length
 
IIRC, the rails are closer together in the front than in the back. Did you have to order different lengths for each crossbar?

No, 1116 mm (~1mm short of 44") on all crossbars. Might could do a mm longer but didn't want to risk being too big. 1mm shorter gives plenty of wiggle room with very little slop. Along with the brackets used, they are seriously strong and super rigid.


********NOTE: This is the size for a 100 series. The 200 is shorter and measurements have been mentioned in this thread.
 
Thanks TBisaacs and WoodyCreature, good news. I've looked into using 8020 for something similar but replacing the rails too. The rails/'gutters' taper by about 1/2" total (further apart in front, closer in back, not sure how I got that backwards earlier) but it sounds like the factory rails account for that. That simplifies things A LOT!

Part of my interest in revisiting the factory rack is squeezing out a little bit of overall height - since a lot of parking garages in town are 6'8" of less. So even getting rid of the 1/2" (?) of OEM rail bow might be enough. Cheap enough to experiment with at any rate!
 
Hey gang,

In the summer I keep an XL Thule box on top, plus maxtrax, shovel, and a pop-up shelter that I hope to replace with a fixed awning.

Someday I want to get a Gobi or FrontRunner rack for my 570. But today ain’t that day.

One common improvement is extra crossbars. But rather than do that, I decided to instead get some T-slotted extruded aluminum bars from 8020.net.

RvZ0mJx.jpg


I like this set up a lot because it’s super rigid and will allow me to use aftermarket accessories (such as front runner tie downs and “Stratchets”.

Note that I left my front OEM bar in place - because I did this there is no extra noise. This weekend I may try and take it off just to see what it’s like.

I chose black anodized because I didn’t want it to look too DIY. I also paid a few extra bucks for milled access holes to slide accessories into:

MdvIhbh.jpg


Here is a finished bar w/maxtrax mount:

lSXTwo1.jpg


The whole setup was $130. I will add a third and maybe 4th bar. Very happy!

ZgKHLyR.jpg
Is your order for all the hardware, as well? I am going to go this route thanks to you and wanted to make sure I get everything for the install? I measured mine and even though is an LC the measurement is the same or close to it. Thank you
 
Is your order for all the hardware, as well? I am going to go this route thanks to you and wanted to make sure I get everything for the install? I measured mine and even though is an LC the measurement is the same or close to it. Thank you

Yep it’s for everything. Remember that the TLC and LX are mechanically 95% the same :cool:
 
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I finished installing mine this morning. Went with six rails. Very solid and actually quieter than the original bars because they were a little loose and were rattling sometimes. I found the measurement on a ‘13 200 to be 43 7/16. If you have to choose, better to be a little short than long unless you can cut them yourself. I can now.
 
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View attachment 1984538I finished installing mine this morning. Went with six rails. Very solid and actually quieter than the original bars because they were a little loose and were rattling sometimes. I found the measurement on a ‘13 200 to be 43 7/16. If you have to choose, better to be a little short than long unless you can cut them yourself. I can now.
Looks great! I was thinking the rhino rack is 5 or 6 bars. So I am ordering 6 also. Was your measurement on the loose or snug side when you were installing them? The only issue will be GPS antenna if you want to put kayaks up there. I suppose it could be covered up.
 
View attachment 1984538I finished installing mine this morning. Went with six rails. Very solid and actually quieter than the original bars because they were a little loose and were rattling sometimes. I found the measurement on a ‘13 200 to be 43 7/16. If you have to choose, better to be a little short than long unless you can cut them yourself. I can now.
Also, to check again your measurement came up to be 43.4375? Thank you
 
Also, to check again your measurement came up to be 43.4375? Thank you
Two schools of thought:
1) Better to be longer and you can cut it perfectly for each bar with a miter or chop saw
2) Better to be slightly short because the brackets will allow you to center as needed.

Depends on your OCD.

My measurements come out to a very tight fit of 43.65625 (43 & 21/32)
 
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Truth be told I made a mistake and ordered mine somehow at 47”. I ended up buying a miter saw and grinder (should have bought them long ago) and cutting it down to the 43 7/16. If they are a little short, the bracket allows for that as the attached photo should say. I also think that with the extra lengths that I have, I could figure out how to stack it on the rack if I needed to for more height above the roof if needed for attaching something.

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C4B96A86-DA43-4EC3-BDED-8218C0CB5B3F.webp
 
Thanks for posting this.

The limit load is still confusing. Sounds like no matter what, to get extra strength you’d have to replace the factory side rails?

So if I copied what you did, using the factory mounted side rails, can I sleep four people on top in an RTT without my roof caving in?
Maybe I would double the cross beams. So four instead of two.

But I do like $130 vs $1300
 
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All in with 4 bars!

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Great work!

I've used 8020 to build racks for my audio equipment.
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Thinking about using it to build a refrigerator and/or drawer slide as well.

One thing I didn't see asked/answered. . .how do the 8020 bars attach to the factory side rails? Are there mounting points in the side rails?
 

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