roof rack questions

[04trac]

i want to get a roof top cargo cage so that i can put things up there without damaging the finish, but i have some questions.

I dont have the bars that connect the factory rails (from left to right) but i've only ever seen the rack that mount to those bars....am i missing something or are there cargo racks that do not require roof bars? any suggestions would be welcomed,

thanks guys
-ev

 

[Gator Jeff]

You need to get something like the Yakima Low Rider (Part # 8000118) that attaches to your rails. For the Low Rider and Crossbars, you're looking at around $200 plus the price of the basket. If you're in a higher crime area, you should consider lock cores which will be another $44. Once you have that, you can put on a basket, boat rack, bike rack or whatever you want. I'm a Yakima installer, so I'm partial to the brand, but you definitely do get what you pay for.

Jeff

 

[04trac]

so i do need to get the cross bars before i can put anything on it then....ok. i'll get to work on that...what would you recomend for a roof cage? it'll probably be carying luggage or band gear (speakers, rotomolded cases, etc) probably a few hundred pounds

 

[04trac]

and having the ability to mount lights on it would be a plus

 

[Gator Jeff]

You do need the crossbars. That is what the basket will actually attach to. I would recommend going with the Load Warrior although there are a number of safari racks out there that would attach to round cross bars. In the case of the Load Warrior (and it's bigger brother the Mega Warrior), the top of the rack is made of the same diameter bars as the cross bars. Mounting lights on the Load Warrior, or any safari rack would not be a problem. Yakima also has accesories for the Warrior racks to hold highlift jacks, spare tires and tools.

 

[04trac]

ok, (sorry for the dumb questions) but for everything i need the low rider clamps and the warrior rack. what cross bars should i get if i keep everything yakima?

 

[Gator Jeff]

No worries on the questions. The Low Rider clamps and the crossbars are the must haves. You can get the crossbars from anywhere that sells the Low Riders. There are a lot of basket options out there and they all (including Thule's) will fit on Yakima crossbars.

Yakima's site and literature will tell you the crossbar width that will pretty much be a flush fit (hardly any bar sticking out beyond them) to the Low Riders. You can however go much wider. I have 66" bars on mine so that I have a lot bar space outside the my towers (clamps in your case). The only concerns you have by going wider are knocking your head on them if you're tall enough or your truck isn't and exceeding the permitted width for roof mounted objects in states that have such a policy. Back when I lived in Florida, Bigfoot would have been street legal, so you probably don't have an issue with the latter.

If Florida has strengthened their rules, it's likely that your bars can't be "wider than your vehicle". So even if you got crossbars that were wider than your fenders, odds are that they are still within your mirrors and that would likely get you off as long as Officer Friendly doesn't hit his head on the crossbars when coming to your window.

 

[chad551]

I use the factory Ford crossbars with my Yakima load warrior basket.

Chad

 

[Gator Jeff]

I use the factory Ford crossbars with my Yakima load warrior basket.

Chad

You can use the Ford factory bars, but sadly they don't have nearly the capacity that Yakima (or Thule) bars have. Factory bars are usually around 135 lbs in capacity, 150 lbs max. The Ex had a Hyundai that was rated for only 100 lbs. The Yakima is rated for 165 lbs. It may very likely be more, but the lawyers don't want the risk of litigation if someone overloads the rack and it deploys into following traffic on the freeway.

 

[04trac]

deploys.......thats a great image right there...