basket that can hold some weight

[oconnor]

Looking for a basket that can hold a 32 tire and some gear. All the ones that I have found say 200lbs max. My pack weighs in at 80 lbs (I'm a Marine) and if me and a couple buddies throw some gear up there on top of whats in the back of the truck it will get maxed in no time. By the way I have a 97 sport.
Need some real hardware not the heap flexable yakima crap.

 

[dman726749]

well they will all sit on your factory roof rack and i think it has a limit of 200lbs too so that is what will be your limiting factor.

 

[jimbo74]

the roof rack on my truck said 100 # max..... now roof racks arent going to be able to handle anymroe than that if the roof cant handle it... think about putting the gear inside...

 

[nissanboy]

its all BS abot what the roof can hold IMO.... i have a 35" tire on a wheel up there im guessing weighing in at aroun 50lbs mabey more. i also have a hi lift, shovel, axe, camping gear, and ill occassionally toss a book bag up there with it and possibly firewood.

Load it up and watch the roof for signs of stress. Mine isnt even bowing.

 

[Texplorer]

Not all racks attach to the factory cross bars. My surco came with its own stronger cross bars. I have a 33" spare up there and Im constantly throwing stuff up there and standing on it so it can hold a lot more than it says.

 

[GJarrett]

They don't all sit on your factory roof rack; many safari baskets bolt directly to your rails on top that the factory racks bolt onto. I have a lightweight aluminum SURCO rack that holds a 100 lb 35" spare tire, full camping gear, four gallons of fuel, comealong, MaxAxe, HiLift jack, and whatever else I can throw up there for long trips. I also climb on the roof while all that other stuff is on there to strap it down, so add another 165 lbs on top of that. Con-Ferr steel safari racks are known for being extremely strong. There are many other good strong products on the market.

Any good safari rack that replaces the factory roof rack and bolts directly to the rails on the roof should be sufficient. Racks like the Yakima bolt onto the factory roof racks and break the factory racks in half. Sinjin (a prior moderator on this site) bought a tent from loftyshelters.com that mounts to the roof. It has a hard shell case in the collapsed state and then extends up just like a popup camper and holds two people to sleep ON THE ROOF (see below).

Stay away from the baskets that mount to the Ford racks and go with the ones that replace them, and you should be fine.

 

[appx91]

I also have a Surco rack. It is mounted to Yakima towers and Yakima cross bars. I have a 35" spare with steel wheel and couple cans of gas and gear and I haven't had any problems. Make sure your cross bars support most of the weight from the spare and you should be good.

 

[Bronco638]

I think I read that my wife's Escape rack can support 400 lbs. I'd be surprised if the Ex rack couldn't handle as much. I think everyone else has nailed it, ditch the factory rack and attach to the roof rails.

I stand corrected, 100 lbs, after checking the Owner's Manual.

 

[glfredrick]

^^^^ What GJarrett said...

The actual roof rails will hold up enough weight to support the vehicle upside down, the rack mounted to those rails won't. I've already fabbed my own roof basket (for a Jeep XJ - similar idea) that easily carried a 33" spare, hi-lift, etc., plus the weight of one or two men (when used as an observation deck) and had no problems, and we attatched it from the roof rails, not the cross bars.

What is of greater consequence is how adding the weight up top affects handling - not if it can actually carry the weight. Notice in the pic below that almost everything has been stripped out of the rack... And, I know that GJarrett would concur - I watched him strip his rack at Moab. Gets sort of top heavy for off-camber trails with all that stuff way up there.

 

[Bronco638]

You know, I kind of thought that the roof had to support the weight of the vehicle (and, that would make sense). So, it's logical the roof rails would be able to support more weight, given the racks could too.

 

[Bigmellon]

I agree that you need to replace the stock roof rails. Being plastic, there is no way thry could handle serious weight, especially when off roading...

I like the custom route. Although mine has been working to haul lumber (works great for 18 foot timber!), I built this thing to hold up to a 36" tire (yeah, I am dreaming!) and also keep other crap from falling out. I threw a couplr lights up there, some expanded metal on the botom, and voila... just what I always wanted...

(in advance - it is a big pic...)