Target carrier (6 Viewers)

[tucker74]

Pigs get real tippy, that's the reason a lot of guys go with 60 axles I'd feel comfortable with that kind of weight and wider axles ...

Tucker

 

[J Mack]

Pigs get real tippy, that's the reason a lot of guys go with 60 axles I'd feel comfortable with that kind of weight and wider axles ...

Tucker

Thank you Tucker, that’s the info I was looking for.

The wife and I are not hardcore wheelers or ultra-expedition adventures and I don’t see us ever getting 600# of crap on a rack but again I have no practical experience so I thought it smart to ask you experts if I’m overlooking something simple.

I’ll be building a full floating rear soon and may go a bit wider than stock 55.

 

[davegonz]

I'd stick to the gutter mount. It's the simplest solution to your problem.

Check out the racks from Gamiviti. They're MUD cruiserheads making a great reasonably priced product.

http://www.gamiviti.com/html/products_roofracks.html

 

[J Mack]

It's the simplest solution to your problem.

Ha-ha you’re probably right, but then again buying a new SUV probably would have been the simplest and cheapest solution to my problem.

Looks like I need to spend a few more days researching things before I get too far down this path and dick-up my roof.

Thanks, guys!

 

[arcteryx]

Looks like most have answered the why. But my main concern would be rust, then structural integrity of the roof. As tucker said, they are not all that strong. Heck, my roof with the AC on it has caved in where it sits. I bet your gear would weigh more than the AC. Also, there are many guys, mainly in the rust areas of the country, that remove the OEM racks on 80s and fill in the holes to prevent - or fix - rust/leak issues.

If you go with gutters, you can reinforce the edges so the weight of the rack/gear wont strain the gutters as much. It could be as simple as dropping in another freestanding channel on top of existing channel to distribute the weight across the entire roof versus just the feet.

Keep up the good work J

 

[J Mack]

Also, there are many guys, mainly in the rust areas of the country, that remove the OEM racks on 80s and fill in the holes to prevent - or fix - rust/leak issues.

If I continue down this path the rack will not be attached to the roof skin but to an internal mount that will be welded to the sides just above the windows where the shoulder harness originally mounted., I’m not thinking strength will be an issue as these mounts will exceed all the factory mounts I’m looking at and the rack manufactures still give a 600# rating a weight I’m likely to never see.

Now you have me looking at the 80’s and their rust issue and seriously rethinking my strategy. The sleek low-profile rack may have to give way to common sense something in short supply around here.



Thank you!!

 

[J Mack]

I took a few days to think about all the advice and made some changes to my original idea and this is where I’m at so far.



I had some mounts laser cut.







Front two plates have short legs.








Center mount has medium legs.






Rear mounts have longer legs.





The original plan was for six mounts and I up it to eight for sturdier platform.








Before priming I rounded all the edges and roughed up the surface that was going to be bonded.






This is what the mounts look like after welding, etching primer and bonded in place.
I used Norton structural adhesive that has 3,500+ PSI Lap shear strength on all the parts that aren’t welded.


I drilled and taped the mount instead of using nutserts after reading about all the issues the guys are having with rust and leaking. I will bond nylon caps to the underside of the mounts before I put a headliner in.





I’m starting on the top now.

 

[tatat]

Will you use a silicone joint or something else between the roof and the mounting plate?

 

[scrapdaddy]

Very nice. It does give the sleek look to the roof line. Good job on thinking that one out.

 

[npulver]

Interested to see your roof rack design (the basket portion) I have some plans of my own, but my mounting will be staying with the gutter mount. I will be doing a full length safari type rack, assuming your doing something similar.

Keep up the good work!

 

[J Mack]

Thank you Ron..



Tatat I will most likely just put a dab around the bolts holes just for good measure but the way it’s all bonded from the underside and the roof skin is encapsulated none will be needed. If it all works as planed I will be able to remove the rack and bolts and not have leaks, the Norton structural adhesive has a lifetime corrosion and performance warranty and I oversized the mounts to give a little extra surface area around the bolt holes.

 

[davegonz]

Looks good J. Mack.

It would be cool if you had an internal roll cage with those mounts tied to it.

 

[scrapdaddy]

Don't you think with the way the rack is tied into the sides, that it would help alittle in a roll over. Not replacing a roll cage, but still would help, yes.

 

[davegonz]

Maybe in the back, but the front a-pillars are a joke.

 

[J Mack]

Don't you think with the way the rack is tied into the sides, that it would help alittle in a roll over. Not replacing a roll cage, but still would help, yes.

The bottom hoop is 1” X .095” chromoly and the top hoop is 1” X .065” chromoly not considered roll bar material for something as heavy as a pig, I don't think it would hurt in a rollover however I'm in no hurry to test the theory.



You can see in this picture that the bottom cage is also 1” .095” tubing but it’s not chromoly, I hate coping chromoly with my setup so mild steel it is.




Everything is bent and coped now I need to make some time to weld it together before the camping trip in four days.

 

[tatat]

Beautiful, I really like the way it matches the roof curves.

 

[Delancy]

This is some of the best research you can do!

I'm late, but pics of this research are where?

 

[J Mack]

Beautiful, I really like the way it matches the roof curves.

Thank you Tatat, the only straight section of the entire rack is above and below the light bar. I didn't take many pictures of the build process but this picture shows the two bars of the top hoop before welding and you can see the shapes. I will take better photos after I weld it up.

 

[Delancy]

Thought, based on owning a Gobi.

Before coating, or even finish welding, if it's not too late for that, may take it for a test drive to listen for any aerodynamic anomalies.

 

[J Mack]

Thought, based on owning a Gobi.

Before coating, or even finish welding, if it's not too late for that, may take it for a test drive to listen for any aerodynamic anomalies.

Thank you Delancy!
I still need to take it apart and clean all the oil out of the tubes, I think I will take your advice and tack it together and go for a drive down the highway. Before I decide on keeping it the way it is or add the expanded metal bottom do you know if one way is better than the other for noise?

Do you have any advice to quiet it down if needed?