You can often find used Yakima rain gutter towers for cheap at the 2nd hand gear stores. For a home build that should be a good way to start on a budget and have a commercial looking finished product.
I'm partial to these:
http://www.gamiviti.com/html/products_roofracktowers.html
I'll be starting a rack home build later this year using the Gamiviti towers. Will post a detailed build thread when I do.
I've looked at the Gamiviti page, liked what I saw and have had the page bookmarked for a little while.
http://www.gamiviti.com/html/products_roofracks.html
The expo rack pack they sell for $650 wtih six 30/60 mounts would be a big stretch on my budget but not outside the relm of what I'd pay. That said, when you add another $150 for shipping, my frugality slaps me around and I go back to looking at ATV ramps. For the number of times I'll be needing this (2-3 times a year?), function and cost trump form.
gamiviti towers are good, mark's offroad sells good towers, off-road unlimited (I think) sells con-ferr style towers under the 'defender racks' name, etc.
Bit six towers will cost you $160 on up.
Oh, except for the quick-n-easy towers. Those are cheaper:
http://www.nrs.com/product/3200/quick-n-easy-car-top-racks-set
But not as cheap as yard sale yakimas.
I should have a set for sale here in utah shortly.
Yup, that pricing is about what I have found too. All of them look good, but I'm having a hard time spending the money on "really nice", when I have other LC items in my sights - like a rear bumper with spare tire swing out, to make space in back (which, by the way would reduce my need for roof mounted storage even more).
As for Yard Sale Yakimas... I've got a set of four 1A's for sale on Craigslist as we speak. I figure I can sell them for the cost of the ladder rack (which I've also used before) and I think that's a better (albeit heavier) solution for me.
Can u make your own or have someone help you? I built my own with some thought and made 6 for about $30. And they are sturdy as I can stand on my rack.
Making my own has been on my mind. I know that "work" would be fun recreation and a nice break from my day job. I've got a friend and a brother locally who own mig's and have my own oxy/fuel setup.
I hadn't priced material costs, but had figured the materials would put me back closer to $150-$200 (perhaps I need to shop somewhere else). Did you buy it at a metal supplier, at a scrap yard or did you have access to scraps from work?
The biggest problem is finding the time to do it. As I'm sure is the case for many of you, when I'm not working, commuting or sleeping, I suffer from twokidsdoingbaseballkarateandscoutsitis. It's very dibilitating to my calendar and has eliminated this thing people call "free time". I'm afraid that 'build my own' is a dream for the next few years.
