Roof rack decking troubles and griefPlus

[LAMBCRUSHER]

Has anyone used bedliner on their plywood? My ACX deck did OK without any coatings for about 2 years on my fj55 flatbed...paid handsomely for it tho...

 

[LakeNorman_FJ40]

Like Doug, go with aluminum. Plywood is way too heavy and doesn't last.

At one point Aircraft Spruce had best sheet aluminum prices online. Ordered 3 smaller sectiobs for my Con-Ferr full size rack. Joined sections with Home Depot aluminum thresholds. Used round top button head bolts (from McMaster Carr) in lieu of rivets to secure aluminum to rack. <$100

5 years later with constant sun exposure and all good.

 

[MANUCHAO]

As stated...
Can't go wrong with aluminum...
5052 alloy....
If the surface is framed all the way around 0.90 should do the trick... If it is going to overhang 3/16 should do...but price is a bit more...throw a piece of carpet to deal with hot/cold surface...

 

[ander42b]

Here an up date on the roof rack decking. So this what plywood looks like after 14 months. 2 summers, 1 winter and two rounds of monsoons. But as you can see from the first round of pictures that the blistering and peeling started after the first round of the monsoon.

Now here's the deck two nights ago. I'm going to have to remove the deck soon because it start to be a moving road harzard.

Thanks for everyone's input. Reading all of them and trying the figure out the best course action.

Jason

 

[slacker24-7]

Holy crap that's terrible I use a full sheet of 4x8 treated 3/4" plywood that I painted with black wood fence post paint I got at the local farm supply I usually get 3-4 years out it and then it probably still has a lot of life left in it , it just starts looking bad around the edges. Not sure I would recommend it as it tends to leave black stains on the stuff I put up there .. But it works well protecting the wood ... Your right though thompsons does suck . Anyone ever use Lindseed oil ? I use it on my trailer wood floors and it does great . my 60 stays out side year round , this pic kinda shows it

 

[SteveH]

I used the floor section of a plastic bedliner from a full size domestic pickup, as the floor for my ConFerr rack. It was free, waterproof, lightweight, and durable. Drawbacks are that it's a bit slippery and expands somewhat in the sun. I used bolts and nuts to secure it to the rack. If your rack is very wide, this middle section may not be wide enough, however.

 

[BGarcia88FJ62]

I used expanded metal on the roof rack I built last year. It's a bit on the heavy side but super sturdy and it won't wrinkle.
If I had to do it over I'd probably use the the aluminum checker plate.

 

[Meatdawg]

I used chicken coop flooring, pretty sturdy and light weight. I had wood planks for the flooring, but after research, this flooring was what a lot of people were using. Works well for me.

 

[yotaboy]

I used chicken coop flooring, pretty sturdy and light weight. I had wood planks for the flooring, but after research, this flooring was what a lot of people were using. Works well for me.
View attachment 2227837

does that wistle more with that on it

 

[Meatdawg]

does that wistle more with that on it

I have not noticed any noise from it.

 

[cruiserpilot]

I used chicken coop flooring, pretty sturdy and light weight. I had wood planks for the flooring, but after research, this flooring was what a lot of people were using. Works well for me.
View attachment 2227837

Got a close up of this stuff? BTW, how much does it weigh? Have you got a link to it with a spec sheet?

As for diamond plate, it's really ugly stuff to kneel on. I can't stand the stuff. Fine for walking on with boots,
but not fun to recreationalize on.
What I'm getting would be a really good overall solution would be this chicken coop stuff, or sheet aluminum
and then that grey marine carpet that was mentioned at the beginning of this. Boat deck stuff resists everything
if it's good quality and you can slide bags, boxes or gear across it for tying down without scuff or damage to
your stuff. Drag your stuff across diamond plate for a while, see how long it lasts.
I think OP used the wrong everything initially. There is some really good advice as far as prepping wood here.

 

[Meatdawg]

Here is a link to where I got the flooring.....

Home - FarmTek - Hydroponic Fodder Systems, Farming & Growing Supplies, Hoop Barns, Poultry & Livestock Equipment, High Tunnels, Greenhouses & More

FarmTek offers the best customer service and most economical prices on products for the agricultural industry. Product offerings include farm supplies, aquaponic, poultry supplies, agriculture products, animal housing, home improvement, commercial high tunnels and hoop houses, fodder growing...

www.farmtek.com

I am out of town, but here is a pic of it that I found online.

 

[ander42b]

Meat dawg,

Looks good. I have plain plywood on the roof rack. Currently two kids in collage poor but, I’m saving my lunch money. Have did it cost ????? Is material strong enough to stand on ???
Thanks Jason

 

[Mace]

Expanded metal or aluminum sheet. Both would be considerably lighter than plywood. I bought a old confer rack with chainlink fencing for a bottom. It actually worked pretty good!

 

[aviafx]

Here's a rig (are rovers allowed here? haha) that I saw last year, had that same roof rack decking. Looked neat but didn't think to take a closer-up photo.

 

[NearJetties]

I also had chicken coop flooring on my ‘94 D1 with Safety Devices rack back in my LR days (very dark days ). It didn’t whistle, supported my fat arse well, was cheap, easy to install, and could be trimmed to fit. I wouldn’t consider anything else if I were to do a rack again.

the only downside is it’s not strong enough to tie down to— need to use the side rails or go under the rack supports.

However, that’s really the case with all add-on flooring.

 

[Seth S]

You might consider using a Zip panel as an alternative to traditional plywood. The zip is actually less expensive and one side is treated with a highly water resistant coating. You’ll want to seal or treat the edges though so they don’t absorb water. They come in different thicknesses with the green ones being thinnest and the orange ones coming in thicker options.

I used them on my house in place of plywood and tyvek wrap. You use the panels and the. The zip tape to cover the seems.