Roof Racks

Here in Oz, we have a couple of local companies that make Roof racks.

Of course its a lot easier if a car has gutters to attach them to.

Now there are limits to what you can "safely " put on the roof of a car. Most car manufacturers will caution you to limit the roof load to 90kg.

One firm that has a wide range of fittings is a company call Rola Roof Racks, they make rack systems for all sorts of cars with or without gutters. I've used them and they are as good as any.

Of course putting a roof rack on a vehicle has negative impacts on your fuel consumption even when not carrying a load. So its good to be able to remove them when not in use.

I own three vehicles, a sedan to do the daily commute to work, a wagon for weekend duties and a tray back ute, because there are somethings you can't put in(or on) a wagon. I also have a light duty trailer for loads up to 1 1/4 tonne and a 3 tonne trailer. I learnt a long time ago, that you need to have the right tool to do the job right.

Things I've seen on the roofs of cars, and more importantly have come off the roofs of cars at speed have proven to me that my approach has the least opportunity for misadventure..

I often use a roof rack on my little car when I'm pilfering gathering trees for my bow making. Good for getting DIY materials too.
Del's handy hint #85:-
If you are going to carry long floppy stuff like plastic guttering, soffits fascias etc.
Tape a ladder to the roof rack with some gaffer tape, you can then strap the floppy stuff to that and it won't end up all over the road.
Handy hint #45:- Strips of rubber cut from old innertube, or EPDM roofing sheet make great tie downs.
Del

When I wanted a roof-top storage solution for our Mini-Van, I shopped around a bit. I wanted something that would last, could be easily removed, and would hold a reasonable amount of stuff, and most importantly, keep the weather out! I ended up paying a premium for a large, soft-sided zip up bag made by a Swedish company,Thule.

LINK

We've used the carrier for 3 seasons now, and I can say it's holding up very well, I suppose it should, it cost about 3 times what the low-end stuff runs. As the old saying goes, you get what you pay for! This particular carrier is made to be used on vehicles that already have a "rack" that gives you attachment points for the bag.

My $.02 worth.

Tom D.

These guys are pretty well known in the western U.S.A.: http://www.yakima.com/

They make ski and boat racks, streamlined clamshell containers, etc.

I'm not sure if they are associated with the city where I grew up. But a former Yakimaniac has to say something....

You would not believe the roof racks I have used. I had a factory job on my Rabbit, used to carry an ice sail boat longer than the car.

On my island cars, I would cut two by fours to fit the roof curve, and screw right up through the headliner to attach them. A good seal around the wood kept rain out, and helped glue the rack down. I would cut the ends of the rack lumber with notches for the rope to catch into.

Too bad CR4 doesn't do photos easy, some were quite artistic. The combination of a maple roof rack and teak rub rails on a GLC wagon made for a sweet woodie.

Too bad CR4 doesn't do photos easy!!!
Whaaa?
It's better than most sites...
Left click the green camera icon, click browse and you can down load pics straight off your PC.
You don't have to mess with photo hosting sites like photo bucket like you do on some sites.
Del

To post pictures I have to use Firefox. Otherwise I get no toolbar.