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23 Sep 08 - 12:02 PM (#2448210) Subject: BS: DIY Roof Rack? From: Mr Happy Howdy Earthlings! I'm after some info & advice. Contemplating building a car roof rack. I've carried stuff on the roof before now on various cars without a rack as such, fastening the load on with straps through the car interior. How do conventional racks fit on modern gutterless vehicles? Anyone know? |
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23 Sep 08 - 12:19 PM (#2448221) Subject: RE: BS: DIY Roof Rack? From: Bert A strap which goes through the passenger space and you close the doors on it. |
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23 Sep 08 - 12:22 PM (#2448223) Subject: RE: BS: DIY Roof Rack? From: Mr Happy Bert, Thanks, is there something which fits in the rain channel on the roof? |
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23 Sep 08 - 12:25 PM (#2448226) Subject: RE: BS: DIY Roof Rack? From: wysiwyg Oh wow, we looked into this at one point..... it's such a hassle, I think, the way cars are designed nowadays. It's really best, we decided, just to let the car dealer install the kind of rack with adjustable slidey bars that are what the roof pack actually attaches onto. The dealer can find out where the roof supports are hiding under the headliner, and do it right if it can be done at all. Otherwise it's as Bert said, and then there's always the tension to adjust and the interference with passenger headspace, etc. ~S~ |
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23 Sep 08 - 12:31 PM (#2448232) Subject: RE: BS: DIY Roof Rack? From: dick greenhaus Do you need to remove the rack? The most successful one I ever had was hamemade (out of rigid copper tubing soldered together), with soldered-on floor flanges that bolted directly to the roof of my old Volvo wagon. Cheap, strong and custom-sized for my application (which was carrying five six-foot folding tables to folk festivals). |
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23 Sep 08 - 12:32 PM (#2448238) Subject: RE: BS: DIY Roof Rack? From: wysiwyg The thing is, the new roofs are paper-thin and, in some cases, plastic. Need to bolt to the structure beneath it, I think. ~S~ |
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23 Sep 08 - 12:35 PM (#2448241) Subject: RE: BS: DIY Roof Rack? From: Bert is there something which fits in the rain channel? No. ...bolted directly to the roof... I love it. |
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23 Sep 08 - 12:38 PM (#2448249) Subject: RE: BS: DIY Roof Rack? From: wysiwyg Well, that IS why cars are sold that way now, with a rack added as an option. The roofs nowadays aren't quite as DIY as they used to was! ~S~ |
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23 Sep 08 - 12:54 PM (#2448272) Subject: RE: BS: DIY Roof Rack? From: Seaking Be careful... I managed to temporarily close the A140 a few years ago when I was carrying a load on the 'Paddy Hopkirk' style of bars. The front nearside clip 'popped' and the load (a bedframe wrapped in polythene- and now suddenly a sail !)took off, half of it slamming back into the offside of the car and the other half almost wiping out a following motorcyclist. The nice man from the RAC and the equally nice policemen eventually helped me secure the wreckage onto the car with cargo straps through the windows before carrying on my otherwise event free journey. No harm done to anyone thankfully but an insurance bill of £4000+ and two traumatised children in the car. With that experience I now only use the screw fixed type, costs a bit more but worth every penny and easy to fit and remove. Chris |
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23 Sep 08 - 01:01 PM (#2448281) Subject: RE: BS: DIY Roof Rack? From: John MacKenzie Look up the proper roof rack for your make of car, and you will see the fastening system. JM |
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23 Sep 08 - 01:30 PM (#2448304) Subject: RE: BS: DIY Roof Rack? From: Amos Buy a new car, wi8th a built-in roof rack, and you will be much happier. A |
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23 Sep 08 - 02:05 PM (#2448332) Subject: RE: BS: DIY Roof Rack? From: JohnInKansas Even with the roof rack that comes pre-installed on your new car the "rated capacity" is likely to be quite limited. If the "car" is big enough to actually carry useful loads, you'll probably need a ladder to reach the load (on the rack) to tie it down. Of course then you'll need a ladder to reach to tie on the ladder so you'll have it to reach the tiedowns to unload, and you'll need to borrow a ladder when you get there to get your ladder down so you can undo the tiedowns to unload. Rent a small trailer? (Just pokin' fun at ya, of course.) John |
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23 Sep 08 - 03:16 PM (#2448379) Subject: RE: BS: DIY Roof Rack? From: CarolC Get four toilet plungers and cut the dowels in them to the height that the roof rack needs to be. Run a screw through the plungers where the wood is inserted into the rubber (to make sure they don't come out). Get some copper elbows and copper tubing the diameter of the dowels. Build the rack the size and shape that is desired, and place on the car's roof with the plungers resting on the roof. Tie down at the front and back of the car (to something under the front and back of the car). I don't know if this will work with the car in question, but I think it's a good approximation of how some store bought car racks work. |
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23 Sep 08 - 05:36 PM (#2448477) Subject: RE: BS: DIY Roof Rack? From: wysiwyg It's also a great description of how to permanently install dents in the lightweight car roofs of the present era, and watch the loaded materials slide riiiiigghhhtttt offfff the siiiiide....., too. ~Susan |
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23 Sep 08 - 06:15 PM (#2448498) Subject: RE: BS: DIY Roof Rack? From: CarolC Ok, maybe eight toilet plungers then. |
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23 Sep 08 - 06:21 PM (#2448503) Subject: RE: BS: DIY Roof Rack? From: CarolC The loads won't slid off the side, though. For years, I (with some friends) carted around canoes and kayaks using just two by fours between the boat and the car roof, and ropes tied front and back. One just has to make sure their ropes are tight enough, and the rope is tied in a V (narrow end at the boat, and wide end tied to the corners of the underside of the car front and back) so that it provides sideways stability. If one isn't hauling boats, they would need to tie the load together very carefully, and then tie the load to the front and back of the car using the V. |
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23 Sep 08 - 06:25 PM (#2448508) Subject: RE: BS: DIY Roof Rack? From: CarolC Re: the knot... we used a kind of slip knot that would let us tighten the ropes very tightly, and they didn't ever come loose. I can't remember how to make them now, but I bet someone with a better memory than mine who was doing canoeing and kayaking back in the 1970s would know. |
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23 Sep 08 - 06:28 PM (#2448513) Subject: RE: BS: DIY Roof Rack? From: John MacKenzie As an ex trucker, I swear by the Dolly Knot JM |
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23 Sep 08 - 06:37 PM (#2448520) Subject: RE: BS: DIY Roof Rack? From: CarolC Here's a great looking homemade roof rack. They're using side to side tie downs as well as the V in the front and back. Maybe we did that too and I just forgot. http://www.dartmouth.edu/~sullivan/roofrack.html |
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23 Sep 08 - 07:07 PM (#2448544) Subject: RE: BS: DIY Roof Rack? From: Gurney With a modern gutterless car, I'd hesitate to put anything substantial on a roofrack, even if you can find or build one. The 'mohican' strips, where the roof is welded to the sides, are the strongest part, and they are pretty frail, and the braces underneath are just to stop the roof-panel 'drumming.' Car panel steel is called 'forming' steel because it bends easily. Maybe a towbar and a lightweight trailer? Or, start with an old foam mattress, then a shaped frame, and strap the lot down, paying thought to braking stresses. A permanent roofrack? Not for me. I'd get tempted, and then overload it, and modern cars are so light, the load would seriously affect the handling. I do have a big roofrack on my panel van, and have carried some frightening loads on it, but that with an also-laden van. Less percentage of weight on top, you see. |
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23 Sep 08 - 08:41 PM (#2448579) Subject: RE: BS: DIY Roof Rack? From: The Fooles Troupe I have an older car with the roof rain gutter channels, and have 2 'surfboard bars' attached therein. I also have an original 'roof rack' that has these mounts. Modern style cars with the 'hidden' style channel above the doors need the new style fixing bars - these cost about AUD$200-300 a pair - I kid you not! You can buy for AUD$100 a tray that is clamped to the bars. This gave me the idea for what I did. You could do this tray for the newer style roof bars too. I prefer this as it is dismantable, allowing me to put the whole guff inside the car if wanted, as the original 'roof rack' had to be totally unbolted (lengthy job) to dismantle it. I can also use just the bars or the tray rapidly. I found a surplus panel of 'weld mesh' fencing panel. These come in 'heights' from about 3 feet to 6 feet. They have the top and bottom of the panels double folded in a triangular way that gives enormous strength to the panel run length. Use an appropriate width for the car/bars you have. Find a panel of the right 'height', that becomes the appropriate 'width' across the car top - this will sit on the 'surfboard bars'. The folded edges will give strength along the length of the car, front to back, also allowing some securing of the load to avoid shifting around on the tray. I then cut the panel to length, allowing a section (the mesh is welded at approx 2 inch distances) at each end to be turned up. These give somewhere to tie to at the front and back, and also provides a bit more rigidity to the 'tray'. You can attach the 'tray' with several of those locking, adjustable plastic clips, as used now by police as 'cheap handcuffs', or something more substantial. The load (a tarp cover is recommended too) should be eventually secured by ropes to the ends of the 'board bars' anyway - this helps transfer the load directly to the bar mounts. You can also buy water proof bags intended for securing to a roof tray anyway. Cost: a recycled fence panel, some angle grinding wheels for cutting the panel, plastic straps, and your time. You could paint it if you want, but the panels are made galvanised anyway. Take note of others who warn about overloading, 'sail factor', attachment strength, and most of all - KEEP YOUR ROAD SPEED UNDER CONTROL. The faster, the more stress, and the higher risk of failure somewhere, sometime. Remember it is better to arrive safely a bit late than be Dead on Time. (Old Aussie Road Safety Slogan.) |
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23 Sep 08 - 11:01 PM (#2448647) Subject: RE: BS: DIY Roof Rack? From: Willie-O Buy one to fit your car model--read the fine print, it should specify--and get good tie=down straps. Don't leave the straps out in the weather, they seem to become very fragile after just a year or so that way. Anything that you carry, secure it redundantly--safety lines to front and back, and securely lashed side-to-side. And, um, you get what you pay for--but you don't need to pay a fortune. W-O |
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23 Sep 08 - 11:25 PM (#2448661) Subject: RE: BS: DIY Roof Rack? From: Gurney When I had a car with gutters like Foolestroupe's I made a roofrack box like his, too. My box was ply, with joints reinforced with alloy angle. The front was wedge-shaped for downforce, and the sides were pierced for tie-downs, and there was no back so that it could take longer loads. It had no noticable effect on fuel consumption or top speed, probably due to the shape. It was considerably norrower than the car, because I once balanced a car on two wheels through a long sweeping bend, inching ever-nearer the centreline. That's what happens when you have an overloaded roofrack and are cornering too fast. I got away with it that time, but I'll never forget it! |
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24 Sep 08 - 02:07 AM (#2448698) Subject: RE: BS: DIY Roof Rack? From: The Fooles Troupe BTW, the faster you go, the higher your fuel consumption anyway - but with an increased frontal area (load on top), your consumption will spiral. Recommended to keep below 60 mph/80 kmh, depending on traffic conditions. Stop on the side of the road occasionally, and let the backed up line pass if it is a single lane road. Also, if any side winds, they will cause you more tendency to go off the road! |
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24 Sep 08 - 06:25 AM (#2448802) Subject: RE: BS: DIY Roof Rack? From: Mrs.Duck Buy a trailer - sounds a lot less hassle! |
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24 Sep 08 - 08:11 AM (#2448851) Subject: RE: BS: DIY Roof Rack? From: The Fooles Troupe Well, if you've ever seen a trailer jack-knife... |
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24 Sep 08 - 10:10 AM (#2448944) Subject: RE: BS: DIY Roof Rack? From: Mr Happy .........also, anyone made their own roofbox? |
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24 Sep 08 - 10:25 AM (#2448955) Subject: RE: BS: DIY Roof Rack? From: dick greenhaus A couple of tips: The strongest support on a car roof is at the edges, where the roof rolls down to the sides. If you're concerned about structural strength (as you should be), avoid loading the flat portions of the roof; padded curved metal feet that fit the outer portions of the roof will do an excellent job of distributing the load safely. As for tie-downs, I've found that , if there are no sturdy tie-down points provided on your car, it pays to install some eyebolts attached to something solid (like a bumper bracket). |
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24 Sep 08 - 10:40 AM (#2448967) Subject: RE: BS: DIY Roof Rack? From: George Papavgeris For the cost of the increased fuel consumption you could probably courier the stuff there... |
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24 Sep 08 - 10:54 AM (#2448974) Subject: RE: BS: DIY Roof Rack? From: Wesley S Forget about copper tubing. Copper is so expensive now that thieves would literally rip it off your roof just to resell it later. I work for a company that sells industrial metals. We have folks call all the time attempting to do what you'd like to do. It all boils down to - doing yourself is too expensive. Buying a ready made rack from a manufacturer that is designed for your car is the only way to go. It's a whole lot cheaper and more efficient. |
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24 Sep 08 - 11:30 AM (#2448996) Subject: RE: BS: DIY Roof Rack? From: Mr Happy Just seen this http://www.rackinabag.co.uk/ during a Glooge search. Think I'll copy their fixing system! |
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25 Sep 08 - 07:27 AM (#2449585) Subject: RE: BS: DIY Roof Rack? From: Mr Red The ones I have seen are specific to a model and you may have to lift the plastic in the rain gutter. Have a look at roof boxes in Halfords. |
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25 Sep 08 - 04:01 PM (#2450182) Subject: RE: BS: DIY Roof Rack? From: dick greenhaus George- In the course of transporting a half-ton of CDs plus tents, tables and display cases dor CAMSCO to various festivals, I've used both roof racks and trailers. On a 1991 Volvo, fuel economy dropped from 16 to 22 mpg with a roof box (ca 24 in. tall, 5 ft. wide and 6 ft. long. With a 1999 Subaru Wahon and the same box, mpg dropped crom about 32 to abou 30; with a 5' x 8ft. x 6 ft. box trailer, mileage dropped to about 21 mpg. |
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25 Sep 08 - 05:10 PM (#2450255) Subject: RE: BS: DIY Roof Rack? From: skipy Araldite |
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25 Sep 08 - 05:36 PM (#2450271) Subject: RE: BS: DIY Roof Rack? From: Gurney For sniffing, Skipy? It smells like mouse-shit! Hey! I know because I kept mice as a child and I've used quite a lot of Araldite! |
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27 Sep 08 - 02:25 AM (#2451391) Subject: RE: BS: DIY Roof Rack? From: Mr Red To stick mouse shit to what? |
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27 Sep 08 - 05:09 AM (#2451423) Subject: RE: BS: DIY Roof Rack? From: catspaw49 To a roof rack. Spaw |
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01 Oct 08 - 11:04 AM (#2454818) Subject: RE: BS: DIY Roof Rack? From: Mr Happy Progress so far: I쳌fm trying to achieve the finished project on a shoestring, so I쳌fm using any materials I already have to hand so I don쳌ft need to buy anything extra. It쳌fs a 97 Rover 216 I've got 4 x ex-retail shop steel shelf brackets that I'll use for the main frame. I don't want the contrivance to be too heavy, so I'm attempting to use as many lighter weight materials as poss. On exploring ways to fix the rack down onto the roof, I couldn't find any hook holes under the doorframe rubbers & the plastics on the rain channel seem well fixed down, like they're not designed for removal. Instead, I쳌fve removed some plastic screw covers at the top of the inside doorframe, revealing two bolt holes. Couldn쳌ft find any bolts to fit, so I쳌fve threaded through some webbing straps in loops on each side of the car. The back part of the passenger area has a handle fixed above each door, so I쳌fve attached web straps to these. The car쳌fs a hatchback & to make some extra strapping points, I쳌fve threaded some web loops round the two hinges of the hatch. This gives me 6 rack securing points which will be used in conjunction with ratchet tightenable webbing luggage straps to secure the rack onto the roof. Also, I don쳌ft want to damage the paintwork, so I쳌fm going to pad any areas which will have the rack/ load touching the roof with strips of old carpet or foam padding. Conscious of the fact that modern car roofs are often paper thin & the strongest parts are the edges along the tops of the doors, I쳌fm going to make these the main load bearing areas. Also, the top of the roof isn쳌ft level but slightly curved, so I쳌fll use some thin lengths of wood, which are easily bendable & attach the metal bits of the rack to them. |
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04 Oct 08 - 07:52 AM (#2457006) Subject: RE: BS: DIY Roof Rack? From: The Fooles Troupe My tray worked great on the trip home - everything was lashed down tight and a tarp over the top - no movement. Kept speed down, but noticed increased fuel usage - the extra height was less than a foot. |
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04 Oct 08 - 12:48 PM (#2457164) Subject: RE: BS: DIY Roof Rack? From: JohnInKansas Many autos are on the order of four feet tall, so a foot is a 25% increase in height. If the rack is close to the width of the vehicle, that means a 25% increase in frontal area, and - roughly - a 25% increase in aerodynamic drag at a given speed. Additionally, most modern cars have fairly low "drag coefficients" - often as low as 0.2 or less, and "disrupting" the airflow can easily kick the Cd up to 0.4 or higher - which might mean a 100% increase in drag at the same frontal area. (1.25 x the area) x (2 x the Cd) gives you 2.5 times the drag at the same speed. In the US, prevailing highway speeds are around 70 mph, and people consider "slowing down" to mean dropping to 65, or in the extreme to 60 mph. The drag is generally proportional to the square of the speed, so going 6/7 as fast reduces drag by (6/7)2 or to .73 x what you'd have "at speed." And 0.73 x 2.5 = 1.8 approximately. If your engine is working 80% harder, I think I'd expect it to burn fuel a bit faster, and to burn more per mile. Of course the typical auto carries a payload of about 200 lb (one passenger) so if it gets 30 mpg it's "payload efficiency" is 0.1 ton x 30 miles/gallon = 3 ton mile/gallon. Doubling the payload by putting 200 lb on the roof, even at the cost of increasing fuel consumption by 80%, improves the "payload efficiency" to 3.33 ton mile/gal. Of course that semi that passed you while you were "slowed down" probably had a 30 ton payload (80,000 lb is a fairly common gross wt, with 60,000 to 65,000 lb in payload) and is typically getting >4 miles per gallon, so (s)he's moving 7 ton miles per gallon, or is more than twice as "efficient" as you are - comparing the trucker's worst case with your best of cases - without slowing down.(?) There ain't no "free" way to move the freight. For small loads, it may be worth paying the fuel cost (and the nuisance penalties) for the convenience, but big trucks actually do do it better than you can for commercial-sized loads. John |
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04 Oct 08 - 04:56 PM (#2457302) Subject: RE: BS: DIY Roof Rack? From: Naemanson A long time ago I got some foam blocks from L. L. Bean which were designed to fit on to the gunnels of a canoe so you could carry it without roof racks. I took a piece of pipe and those blocks and made my own roof rack to carry kayaks. I also use it to carry wood, furniture, and anything else I cannot fit into the car. Later on today I plan to mount them and use them again. Get some good solid foam rubber, not the stuff they make mattresses out of but something that has some solidity. You want a block about six inches to the side. Get a length of pipe that will reach across the width of your car. Carve the foam to accept the pipe. The best way would be to cut a hole through the foam and insert the pipe so the two items become one unit. Use a flat strap around the ends of the pipe and meeting in the car. Tighten it and go. I made mine wider than the car because I wanted to get three kayaks up there. After a couple of painful bumps I added foam to the pipes. I used a Fun Noodle (lengths of foam they sell for kids to play with). It's brightly colored and there is a hole in the middle you can force the pipe through. A short piece on the ends of each pipe does the trick. Note, the Fun Noodle should not be used for the whole length of the pipe because it adds too much diameter and presses on the center of the roof. The foam used to make those toys is about the right consistency for the blocks of foam needed to support the pipe but they are too small. Maybe with some glue or something you could build up a decent block. Do not try to use electrical conduit or PVC for your pipe. It is not tough enough and will bend under the load. Get some sturdy 1/2 inch or 3/4 inch water line pipe. |
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04 Oct 08 - 11:56 PM (#2457458) Subject: RE: BS: DIY Roof Rack? From: The Fooles Troupe JiK 81 model Daihatsu Charade - it's about nearly 5 ft high. It's light and gets about 50-55 mpg on the highway - 60mph/100kmh, even when 'fully' loaded - 1-2 adults and packed to the window line with luggage and the back seat down. The motor, gearbox & transaxle have had the "Slick50" treatment - noticeably lower mechanical noise, and less friction that gave about 10% increase in fuel economy. I normally only travel at about 60 mph/100 kmh, of course less when signed. Too many past surprises with radar units to bother going faster. This time I was mostly at 80 kmh (50 mph) up to a bit faster in spots, no stops - last few 10 kms was as 50 mph - city roads, but little obstructing traffic, except last km up to the house. For the quantity, the extra fuel much was cheaper than trying to find some way of getting freight undamaged about 120km. The bars/try is the easiest for me. Good to see your comments again. "big trucks actually do do it better than you can for commercial-sized loads" We do have a sort of madness in Aust - I know of a full load of mattresses being sent from Toowoomba factory to Sydney, 1 mattress removed, then the rest backloaded to Toowoomba - 2 kms down the road from the factory... most 'local depots' have been shut down, and 'capital city' (and often usually only Sydney) depots only. May be ok for the USA, but it is stupid for Oz, because of the massively greater distances, and only 6 states, roughly same land mass area. Eg, magazines here in Brisbane (and all the rest of Qld - look at a scaled map!) are returned to Sydney at the end of the month's display, then have to be brought back if past issues ordered. But most back issues are just pulped... the Brisbane depot was shut years ago... It's actually easier and cheaper to buy the back issues from the US or UK publishers DIRECT!!! - even by air mail! |
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05 Oct 08 - 02:17 AM (#2457490) Subject: RE: BS: DIY Roof Rack? From: JohnInKansas Foolestroupe - The numbers given were, of course, just rough (gu)estimates based on common vehicle styles and driving habits - and on US ones at that. Of course you can do your own math with more appropriate dimensions. Interstate highways here are generally at 70 mph limits, with about 10% of drivers speeding. A few places actually do have 75 or 80 mph limits. Since about the only times I've been out on the freeways recently has been with our 4,000 lb trailer in tow, my "Interstate speed limit" usually never exceeded about 60 - due to engine heating (6 small hamsters) with the towed load. On "back roads" where there aren't multi-lanes to allow faster traffic to just drive by me, I usually aim for at least 10 mph below the speed limit. If I'm 5 mph below the limit, it's often very difficult for anyone to pass safely - at least without exceeding the limit, but with 10 mph of "slack" the ones who must go faster usually can find a place to pass easily and safely within a short distance. By driving a little slower I'm less of an impediment to traffic than if I drove nearer the legal limits on our 2-lane roads. I've just had to replace my '95 Chevy Astro. At fourteen years old it was just having too many problems to be feasible to keep it running, despite <98,000 miles on the odometer. The replacement has better fuel economy ratings, but lower rated towing capacity; so I'm having to do some careful calculating to figure out what kinds of loads I can carry in the tow vehicle when the trailer is following. The rated towable load (4,900 lb) is significantly lower than the 6,000 lb rated capacity of the old truck; but that rating isn't really the problem. The new truck has bunches of "gross load rating" but there are individual limits for each axle that are going to be "really close" to the axle (and tire) limits, unless I'm pretty careful about load distribution. I'll need some pretty significant metal mods to make things work the way I hope they will; but for now it's all theoretical mathematics and SWAGging until I can assemble all the specs and do the calculations. The new cargo hoist is all painted and prettied up, and it probably gets bolted in the back end tomorrow; and I have already added a cross-body toolbox for some "lockable" stowage; but I still have to figure out how to cover the open truck bed so her scooter doesn't get rained on, and come up with adequate "entry assists" so she can get in the cab. (And with all the new electronics in the new one, figuring out how to change the radio station might be a good thing to get done sometime soon.) John |
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08 Oct 08 - 10:28 AM (#2460193) Subject: RE: BS: DIY Roof Rack? From: Mr Happy Ok – more news! Managed to cobble the rack together in quite a rush during Thursday & Friday last week. Had to do most've the assembly outside 'cos me garridge is all full o' junk, mostly camping stuff & bits've old tents etc. The weather here [NW Eng, Cheshire, UK] has been pretty atrocious, strong gusty winds + intermittent but long & heavy, blustery rain storms. The awful conditions delayed the project somewhat, as I'd hoped to have had it all completed & strapped to the car by Thursday evening, ready for a sharpish departure to Ingleton on Friday morning. Managed to bolt together the main metal frame by Thursday night but the cross struts had to wait til Friday. Not having much lying around in the way of materials, I used a length of box shaped steel to bridge the central front to back gap, then some lightweight lengths of thin but strong skirting board to go across the width, supported by the central steel & secured to the main frame with a coupla strong plastic cable ties. I'd planned to leave home ready loaded with mine & 'er indoors' stuff by around noon Friday to collect Anna, one've Mr Happy's extended Gloom Band members, chuck 'er & 'er 'usband Phil's stuff in the motor, race over to Runcorn to pick Phil from work 2.30ish then on to Liverpool to pick Mrs Happy [Mie] from 'er work around 3pm. But as ever, due to many unforeseen probs, esp the weather, I was running about 2 hours behind schedule on Friday morning. I'd laid some bits've old carpet on the car roof and when I hoisted the roof rack onto the car, it was immediately apparent that I'd need some extra height to raise it away from the roof itself, especially from the centre [as someone's mentioned above] This is around 11am – rush, rush, think fast Mr H! Rummaging in garridge & greenhouse produced some lengths & bits've 2"x 1" laths which I sawed then screwed to the frame – eventually! As luck [bad] would have it, the one & only high speed drill bit the correct size for the job was blunted & wouldn't go through the metal. Had to resort to drilling out all the screw holes with a smaller bit, which doubled the amount've time taken to do the job. However, finally got it done & slung the whole contraption up on the car & commenced lashing it down – oh bugger! I'd omitted in my haste to affix any tie off points, so again had to scrat round for something suitable. [Hmmmmmnn, just realising this epic story is approaching short novel size – shall I send it in to Readers Digest as well?? – WTY??] Amazingly, I quickly located some metal U shaped hanger bolts, so got to work with the 'leccy drill again & made holes all the way round the rack at strategic intervals. Marvellous! All done – by 1pm! Next 2 old suitcases rapidly filled & slung on the roof, together with me trusty pushalong 4WD MPV [kiddies folding pushchair I always use at festivals for carrying me instruments, booze etc, so I don't need take the strain on me Zoomed over to Anna's by 1.30pm & threw her & her stuff just higgledy piggledy in the car then screeched up the M56 to Runcorn – got there 2.30 on the dot!! YeeHah – back on schedule!!! Then over to Broadgreen, L14 – just round the corner from the Jam Butty mines of Knotty Ash & got to 'er indoors without any bollicking for being late! Continued – Episode 2 following shortly – watch this space!! |
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09 Oct 08 - 12:44 AM (#2460776) Subject: RE: BS: DIY Roof Rack? From: The Fooles Troupe Actually the roof bars on mine sit high enough to allow air to flow under the 'rack' - this obviously is lacking efficiency, as well as raising it a bit more than necessary - having a method that sits on the roof would be better. |
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09 Oct 08 - 08:42 PM (#2461603) Subject: RE: BS: DIY Roof Rack? From: Greg B You lot should see my Yakima bars attached to the stock roof rack of my Toyota FJ cruiser, which is 6'4" high as it is. Now put those up there, with kayak cradles, and add the kayaks and we're talking tall. But I U-bolted a 48" cross-bar on the front with a Yakima Air-dam... http://www.fjcruiserforums.com/forums/attachments/interior-exterior-visual-tech/16225d1191526092-yakima-off-shelf-solution-img_0223.jpg Surprisingly, the fuel mileage doesn't suffer much with that mess up there. Since the FJ has all of the aerodynamics of a brick to start with... |
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09 Oct 08 - 08:46 PM (#2461607) Subject: RE: BS: DIY Roof Rack? From: Greg B Another view of the monstrosity... ridiculous We don't get stuck in the mud on the way to the launch point... |
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22 Oct 08 - 10:00 AM (#2472719) Subject: RE: BS: DIY Roof Rack? From: Mr Happy Well the contrivance worked well enough to carry a hue pile've stuff to Ingleton ok. Only snags I had were, 'cos I'd secured the rack to the car by means of webbing straps passed through the doorways, in heavy rain water seeped in & me right shoulder, knee etc got soaked! Anyone have suggestions to alleviate this prob [other than wearing waterproof clothes]? |
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22 Oct 08 - 10:06 AM (#2472726) Subject: RE: BS: DIY Roof Rack? From: Mr Happy Also, I've seen a DIY box trailer around local roads, made from the rear end of a van [Ford Escort or similar] Anyone ever made their own trailer? |
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22 Oct 08 - 11:21 AM (#2472803) Subject: RE: BS: DIY Roof Rack? From: wysiwyg Not personally, but the county abounds with open trailers made from pickup truck boxes. ~S~ |
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22 Oct 08 - 12:32 PM (#2472856) Subject: RE: BS: DIY Roof Rack? From: wysiwyg For rain-leakproof fasteners, I'd go with the ones linked upthread. ~S~ |
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22 Oct 08 - 05:57 PM (#2473174) Subject: RE: BS: DIY Roof Rack? From: Gurney I've built four trailers, one for a boat, and it is not a job that I'd recommend as a saturday afternoon hoot. They were all built with new steel and required considerable tools and skills. The idea of using the back of a pick-up/ute works, but it still needs a purpose-made tow bar on the trailer, designed for the body that it is going onto. The differential should be removed from axle to save needless friction. The brakes too, unless the intention is to link them up, which is not a job for the tyro. Our local builders chain sells trailers at barely more than the cost of the materials. They are made in China, and not bad. I wouldn't build another trailer unless I needed something specialised, it isn't worth the effort. Unless the effort is the object of the exercise. |
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15 Apr 09 - 01:54 PM (#2611823) Subject: RE: BS: DIY Roof Rack? From: GUEST,Chris J. I re-engineered my Saturn roof rack to fit both my Vue and L200 http://www.flickr.com/photos/algonquinpaddler/3063936390/ |
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15 Apr 09 - 02:04 PM (#2611829) Subject: RE: BS: DIY Roof Rack? From: wysiwyg A good option is rear hatch/trunk entry are not needed is the hitch-carried rack that sits over the rear bumper. Less wind drag/gas mileage attrition. ~S~ |