new Gamiviti rack - Expo+

[nakman]

Ok, so about as innovative as Malibu Stacy's new hat perhaps, but still I have been wanting to make another that adds a little more of what's best on the Expo rack for the 100 series. Extended the top hoop back to about 2/3 the way, giving the rear passengers a grab handle as well now.

On the 60's & 80's this would have to run the other way, but 100's have that nice advantage with their towers allowing it to be flipped. I am looking forward to how this works with the RTT, should preserve the grab handle even when the main platform is consumed. Still in pre-production phase, so all comments are welcome

 

[nakman]

We're also going to make one that takes the second hoop all the way back.. to give you that grab handle when you're standing on the back tire. Which I actually do quite frequently.. hope to have that one in a week or so, then will either offer one or the other, or both.. one more pic, hope you all had a nice Thanksgiving.

 

[paflytyer]

Nice! I am a huge fan of the Gamiviti Racks. I run a Expo v1.0 and couldn't be happier with it. I also run mine upside down and use the basket as a grab handle all the time. I did make some changes to mine to better suit my needs. I welded 1/4 round steel (mesh pattern) to the floor of the rack to give me the ability to load things of any size and have tie down points in any direction. I also fabbed up a rack fairing from ABS plastic for less than $25.

The selling point of this rack system for me is it's light weight and super low profile. Gamiviti rack towers are unmatched as far as I'm concerned. And, it's like sliders for your roof! As far as ascetics, I think it follows the line of the roof better than the boxy ones. Kinda like it belongs up there.
A few pics of the old version.....

 

[nakman]

Looking good, man! and thanks for the comments.. I really dig your mesh floor too.

 

[CardinalFJ60]

Cool!

I like it. Excellent example of rear grab handle. You may already be doing this, but provisions to run coax, 12v, etc, inside the length of rack. Gobi does this and it's a clean way to run lights and stuff. They provide grommets. But then again, why couldn't I drill holes to run that stuff?? Maybe pre-run a simple metal snake or even 12v, through the holes to make it easier? That's a stretch from a manufacturing time, I bet.

 

[Fitzgerald]

Great looking rack. Love the lower hoop idea.

 

[Nottajeep]

Light tabs above the doors and hatch areas would be nice.
Great looking rack!

 

[yeti in ga]

I really like it and this is on my wish list for sure....

 

[thetoyotaman]

I also fabbed up a rack fairing from ABS plastic for less than $25.

Can you elaborate on this, I was thinking of making one too. Where did you get your supplies and how did you make the cut? Thanks.

 

[nakman]

Cardinal: cool idea for sure. But kinda defeats the purpose of the simple approach here. With more complexity adds more cost, then the whole deal becomes less attractive, particularly to the guy who has to front all that waiting for someone to buy one... Come over some time though, we can drill holes, zap on another tube, or just zip tie some loom to your heart's content.

Braswell: Also neat idea, and one we considered. But given that the mounting plates have so many extra holes, it hasn't been a problem finding another one to screw a light to. I do stock extra light tabs for those who wish to add more, and if you're willing to be patient would even zap more on for you. Like the wire routing, it's not for everyone, and keeping these somewhat generic has proven to be the best approach.

Kinda like Stan's wire mesh- really sweet, but not for everyone. I'd rather stick to the base model that's just scalable to your own customization, and keep costs and complexity down.


Yotaman: When upside down, the light tabs give you just about the right kick-out for mounting up a sheet of plastic to make a quick fairing. You can also use a Yakima or Thule fairing, if you can pick one up on CL or something. Here are a couple pics of mine, same ABS material that Stan mentioned above. I used Yakima clamps on the sides, then a single zip tie in the center.. has been holding up great. Stan's is all zip tie, which also works just fine. A 4' wide piece is about perfect (racks are 52") then just cut on a band saw or jig saw. You can get 2 out of a 4'x1' piece, allowing you a rough draft before you cut the final. hth...

 

[nakman]

Here's a Yakima:

 

[paflytyer]

Can you elaborate on this, I was thinking of making one too. Where did you get your supplies and how did you make the cut? Thanks.

The Yakima brackets are probably a better way to go, I just didn't have any at the time, so I made a work-around with super heavy duty zip ties. The idea was to grab some Yak mounts and make something else...... That was 2 years ago

I went to a plastics shop here in Denver and bought a 56" x 6" piece of ABS for a few dollars. Then, mocked up a fairing out of cardboard and just cut it out with a Dremel tool. Ultra fine sandpaper around the edges to shape it a little better.





Just to add to some info on the extra steel on mine...... I didn't want it to cover the entire rack. I wanted the area above the sunroof to remain more open just in case of an emergency where I needed to exit out of the sunroof. You never know.....

 

[thetoyotaman]

Thanks. Being in a small town, I'm not sure where I could find some plastic like that but it sure looks nice.

 

[Corbet]

Tim, an idea I've been playing with it to weld a piece of flat stock behind the leading cross bar. One could then drill light holes anywhere you need for as many lights or what ever kind of light you want.

1/8" by 1" should be sufficient for most anything.

 

[Nottajeep]

Braswell: Also neat idea, and one we considered. But given that the mounting plates have so many extra holes, it hasn't been a problem finding another one to screw a light to. I do stock extra light tabs for those who wish to add more, and if you're willing to be patient would even zap more on for you. Like the wire routing, it's not for everyone, and keeping these somewhat generic has proven to be the best approach.

I am as patient as a Buddhist priest.

Really my ideal setup with your rack would be:
42" or 50" Bar up front
3x3's above the door pillars
3x3's in the rear corners

Also would like the ability to sit up top and use the rack as a gazing/lookout platform. (kind of falls back into the mesh discussion)

I really like your work and consider myself a serious buyer. Let me know if we can work something out.

Many Thanks... JB

 

[paflytyer]

Thanks. Being in a small town, I'm not sure where I could find some plastic like that but it sure looks nice.

., the company I got mine from is http://www.plasticareinc.com/ and I know they'll ship.

 

[nakman]

Tim, an idea I've been playing with it to weld a piece of flat stock behind the leading cross bar. One could then drill light holes anywhere you need for as many lights or what ever kind of light you want.

1/8" by 1" should be sufficient for most anything.

Yeah that would work too, though it makes that first opening a little smaller, which could be enough to keep me from slithering through. Not that I'm planning any emergency super deep water crossings or anything, but hey you never know.. I've actually crawled through the sunroof a couple times then sat on the front of the rack to mess with the RTT rainfly. It was tight, but doable, had to pay close attention to the headliner on the way back through ;p

JB, pm sent man, we'll hook you up. :thumb:

 

[CappyKD]

Yeah that would work too, though it makes that first opening a little smaller, which could be enough to keep me from slithering through. Not that I'm planning any emergency super deep water crossings or anything, but hey you never know.. I've actually crawled through the sunroof a couple times then sat on the front of the rack to mess with the RTT rainfly. It was tight, but doable, had to pay close attention to the headliner on the way back through ;p JB, pm sent man, we'll hook you up. :thumb:

Still loving my Expo 1.0 rack! I like the longer bar idea as well. I just flipped my bar from down to up. Haven't decided if it's staying that way or going back down.

 

[thetoyotaman]

., the company I got mine from is http://www.plasticareinc.com/ and I know they'll ship.

Thanks. The plastic looks textured. Is that correct? If so, it will probably hold up better than the Yakima ones which are shiny and age quickly.

 

[paflytyer]

Thanks. The plastic looks textured. Is that correct? If so, it will probably hold up better than the Yakima ones which are shiny and age quickly.

One side is smooth, the other is textured. I run smooth side out.

The rack has light bar tabs that run across the front. When run upside down the tabs are low, near the roof. At some point I'll put an LED bar across there and cut the fairing to kind of "wrap" around the light bar.