Roof rack suggestions...what size (1 Viewer)

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So. Austin, tx
4wheelparts is running a sale on the ConFerr roof racks...my question(s), should I go with the 4'X5' or the 5'X7', 4" or 6" tall, one piece or the 'bolt together'??? How good are the ConFerrs or should I go with another brand? I want a quality rack at a cheap price...Pictures greatly appreciated! My rig is an 1983--60.

Thanks in advance,
Luis

:beer: :beer:
 
me 2?
 
I found a roof rack online for cheap (was in your same position). It was a conferr bolt together. Bought it for 100 with 8 mounting brackets. In the process of welding it together (not bolting) and adding expanded steel for the floor. Its 55" x 85" x 6". I wanted the 6 " thinking it would hold and pack easier and a full legnth. I figured if you are going to have it up there, might as well have the space. If you wheel somewhere with lots of low trees, having a tall rack may be a bad thing.

And on to attempting to answer your question... you may save on shipping with a bolt together. Get it and weld it. Its made of 3/4 square tubing (at least mine is) and should be pretty sturdy. I guess it would depend on what you are using it for and what resources are available to you. Money or tools & equipment.

Tons of folks make racks. There was a guy who hangs out on this forum that builds some killer racks but, shipping would have killed me coming from the east coast (can't find the link - just search the forum) ARB makes a nice one (of course), Wilderness makes a nice one as well, and if you really wanted to spend some bucks - look at the Hannibal racks (you can search for these on Google or something).

Also, search the forum for rook rack. Lots of good stuff.

Don't know if this jibber jabber helped.... good luck!
 
I would recommend staying away from the 6" and shooting for the 4" instead. The Conferr rack on 60's sits pretty high and the 6" is going to add a lot of resistance to the already "less aerodynamic than a DeLorean" shoebox body. That's going to drop your mileage by a few MPG, and with the price of fuel here in Austin, I would try to minimize the impact.
 
Are you picking it up or having it shipped? The sale looks great and they are advertising free shipping but, you don't see the $50 crating charge until you click to buy. Still a decent deal, and if you can pick it up from a store and avoid the crating charge, it's a really good deal.
 
I saw the free shipping part but not the crating fee...I will probably pick it up...
 
I have the Conferr 6" in the 4 foot length. It's worked well but I agree with a previous post to use the full length possible since you already have something up there. I have the one piece and if shipping is not as issue I would recommend it. Definitely consider the expanded metal floor. I reinforced mine throughout with 2x4 tubing and I have been able to store literally 100s of lbs of supplies on long trips. My guess is 400 lbs.

Enoy the rack!
 
Too bad there's not a 4' X 7' model. The one that's 5' wide seems like it would be too wide.
Also there's no mention of mounting systems or gutter mounts on their web site.
 
exceot for the "cheap" part, i wouldnt buy anything else than the ARB Tradesman rack.
several sell them, but you need to be carefull, because the rack seems cheap, but you need to buy the mounting hardware, which is something like 250 bucks more.
Man-A-Fre sells them complete. they come from Aussie-land, so if they are not in stock, your gonna wait.
i bought the full width, longest i could, with the mesh bottom. about 800 bucks, deliverd to the east coast.
no matter what, i will never buy any others. in fact, when i get my 80 series next, im gonna have the one i have retro-fit.
hammer
 
I bought my 60 with a Wilderness rack already installed by the PO, and I've been really happy with it. The rails (the sides of the rack) are 4" high, overall height 8" above roof, length 4'6" wide by 6'10" long. Predrilled tabs on the front and back for mounting lights. It also has the floor rails, which SOR lists as an option. I had a couple of plates welded on one side so that I could bolt on my HiLift brackets--works well, but getting my 60" jack up there is a killer.

I took pics but haven't d'loaded them yet--tonight.
 
I have a Tradesman oval tube full length rack. The really nice thing is that it fits the 60 and the 80 by adjusting the width of the feet. The adjustment takes about 15 minutes to get it all lined up and re-installed on a diffferent truck. It is a very stable rack. I can't reallly tell much difference in the fuel mileage. Highly reeccomended.
 
I felt I didn't need a 'heavy duty' rack and went for a Serco aluminum full length. Bought a 1/2 length first and found if I wanted a spare tire up there I'd be out of space. Sold it on ebay and then bought the full length(4" tall). I love it. Then I bought the floor kit. Free shipping and about $500 total for rack and floor.
Works well for me.
aaa.sized.jpg

:cool:
 
But do any of these roof racks hug the roof better? All of the roof racks that I have seen have a 3 inch gap or so between the roof and the bottom of the rack. Maybe I'll just have someone fab one up for me. I don't know.

:beer:
 
GLTHFJ60 said:
But do any of these roof racks hug the roof better? All of the roof racks that I have seen have a 3 inch gap or so between the roof and the bottom of the rack. Maybe I'll just have someone fab one up for me. I don't know.

:beer:

One benefit of a gap is that you will see if your load slips through the rack floor and rests on your roof. I've seen roofs after they've had a load on them -- it's not pretty!
 
The Tradesman doesn't have too much of a gap-about 3 inches at mid roof. Here are a couple of pics:
Rack1.jpg
Rack2.jpg
 
You are right. That dosen't look bad at all, in fact, I think that the particular rack in the pics looks pretty cool.

:beer:
 
I found the gap useful when overloading can cause square tubing and expanded metal fatigue. Leaves plenty of room for non-safe, too heavy loads.

(not recommended)
 
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Careful with the overloading, you can carry a LOT more weight on a decent rack than you should!
inti rack detail.jpg
 
Exiled said:
Careful with the overloading, you can carry a LOT more weight on a decent rack than you should!


you got another pic showing that whole cruiser?




here's mine, BA outfitters built it
 
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Would be interesting to hear what are the most useful features of your roof racks. I have been tossing around the idea for a looooong time but other than a spare tire carrier I think I coudl fit everyting in the cab. Help me convince the wife that these things are necessary!
 

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