Thule advice (1 Viewer)

[LCtwohundred]

Thanks @kevinfoutch, super helpful! Sounds like the "recessed clamp" was designed for aerodynamic purposes, but forces some rack owners to effectively put a roof rack on top of a roof rack. :/

I really like the Thule, but I'm thinking it might be easier to get the Yakima Skybox. The bottom is flush and no recessed clamps. But the clamps do look like they are made for those round Yakima cross bars and I wonder if they hold on well to the Prinsu/Front Runner metal bars.

 

[1world1love]

Hi @1world1love , would the box not fit directly on the Front Runner roof rack? I'm looking at rooftop box options and I like the Thule Motion, but perhaps I need something that's "Flush" on the bottom so it would fit on a FR/Prinsu rack.

Yeah, what @kevinfoutch said. Many of the newer boxes from all manufacturers are using the recessed footing design. There are still a couple of models that are flat. I think the skyboxes are flat, but can't confirm. If you do find one, then it should work. The FR slat is not much bigger than the aero cross bars, although they are a bit thicker and don't taper as much. Still it should work.

But like Kevin says, I am happy with the setup and was aware of this when I installed the FR. I think that most "tray" like setups will have the same problem. The Thule adapter from FR is pretty reasonably priced and has the side benefit of allowing you to swap in any Thule accessory. This is nice for us because we have Thule racks on both of our other cars.

 

[LCtwohundred]

Thanks @1world1love

Do you or @kevinfoutch happen to know if those FR Thule adapters would work on a Prinsu rack? Prinsu doesn't seem to sell any Thule adapters (except for bike mounts). So if I go with the Thule it might force me to get a FR rack instead of a Prinsu.

 

[kevinfoutch]

I can’t confirm exactly but believe the FR accessory mounts might work on a Prinsu rack with some modification to hardware, selection of specific bolt heads, etc.

Front Runner and Prinsu - accessory compatibility???

Hey everyone. Anybody know if the accessories offered by Front Runner that bolt into the t-slots on their load bars fit into the t-slots on the Prinsu rack load bars? I'm looking at purchasing their rotopax rack mounting trays, Wolf pack boxes, and using their corner brackets, tie down rings...

forum.ih8mud.com

How do you mount stuff on the prinsu roof rack?

I have the prinsu rack installed on my 200, and do like it. I am however curious how to best mount my hi lift jack and 2nd spare. Granted I could just use ratchet straps but I'd prefer a hardware answer. I'm curious what you have mounted on your prinsu and how you went about doing it.

forum.ih8mud.com

 

[radman]

The Yakima i got (showcase 20) is flat on the bottom and came with "universal" feet that can clamp around any shape cross bar. It would have worked on my Prinsu, but i have load panels that blocked the feet from getting to the crossbars. Also, the feet would have raised the box a bit, so I removed all mounting hardware and used 1/4" carriage bolts into the prinsu-crossbars.

Builds - The Big Bad Rad Dad LX (Dissent) Build

The kids are about to go down for bed, and I may be pulling an all-nighter 😂 Here's a good view of the satin finish against the comeup gloss:

forum.ih8mud.com

 

[LCtwohundred]

The Yakima i got (showcase 20) is flat on the bottom and came with "universal" feet that can clamp around any shape cross bar. It would have worked on my Prinsu, but i have load panels that blocked the feet from getting to the crossbars. Also, the feet would have raised the box a bit, so I removed all mounting hardware and used 1/4" carriage bolts into the prinsu-crossbars.

Builds - The Big Bad Rad Dad LX (Dissent) Build

The kids are about to go down for bed, and I may be pulling an all-nighter 😂 Here's a good view of the satin finish against the comeup gloss:

forum.ih8mud.com

Ah that's a creative solution. Thanks for the suggestion.

I need to do some thinking on where I want to take this project. I really don't have a good reason to get a new roof rack except for (1) looks and (2) an awning. But it looks like people have managed to put awnings on the stock roof rack, so maybe I'll just give up on getting a new roof rack altogether, which would allow me to get the Thule Motion.