Carrying on the Roof questions

[craig333]

Tying off to the bumper is a bit overkill. I use a footman loop on the rear and tie off to the lightbar in front. If I didn't have the lightbar I'd just put in another footman loop.

[/URL]

Those are both bolted through.

 

[Desertboater]

I have been looking at FWC for some time now.

I just have one question for you guys. How do you carry things on the roof if you cannot walk on it?

Being able to carry a kayak for me is a must but not being ale to walk on the roof to strap it down or load it will be a problem unless I am wrong?

Any insight would be helpful

Thanks

Jim

Waaaiit...you're not supposed to walk on the roof?!?! I've been carrying boats on my Eagle for a since I got it on a set of yakima racks that I installed myself. I opted for the tracks and instead of following the instructions of alternating and skipping every other screw-holes in the tracks, I went ahead and put a screw through every one of them. If I'm carrying sea kayaks or canoes, I'll tie to the bumper/steps, but I don't find it hugely necessary for whitewater boats unless there's a whole bunch (more than 2) up there.

When I need to get up there, I usually step from my rear tire to the bed in front of the camper, then up to the roof from there. I figure if the frame pieces that are holding the rack/boats are solid enough to hold boats (the roof is rated to 1000lbs, or so I've been told) then I'll trust them to hold me for a few minutes while I load boats. I only step on the edge/frame pieces...definitely not where it's not supported.

Cheers,
West

 

[jha6av8r]

Waaaiit...you're not supposed to walk on the roof?!?! I've been carrying boats on my Eagle for a since I got it on a set of yakima racks that I installed myself. I opted for the tracks and instead of following the instructions of alternating and skipping every other screw-holes in the tracks, I went ahead and put a screw through every one of them. If I'm carrying sea kayaks or canoes, I'll tie to the bumper/steps, but I don't find it hugely necessary for whitewater boats unless there's a whole bunch (more than 2) up there.

When I need to get up there, I usually step from my rear tire to the bed in front of the camper, then up to the roof from there. I figure if the frame pieces that are holding the rack/boats are solid enough to hold boats (the roof is rated to 1000lbs, or so I've been told) then I'll trust them to hold me for a few minutes while I load boats. I only step on the edge/frame pieces...definitely not where it's not supported.

Cheers,
West

When I picked up my Grandby at the factory, I was talking with Tom about what was being used to load kayaks and canoes on the roof. I asked him about walking on the roof. His response was pretty immediate. Don't to it. He went on to explain, it's strong like an egg. As a system, it's very stong, but you could damage it by concentrating weight in to small an area. This was the admonishment from the owner of FWC. Be careful.

My Yakima tracks were installed at the factory and they used screws in every hole.

 

[ETAV8R]

Might as well use this thread to ask the question:
What Yakima towers are used for our factory Yakima system?

 

[Otis]

Might as well use this thread to ask the question:
What Yakima towers are used for our factory Yakima system?

I used an old set of "Rail Riders 1" that we had used on the factory rails of a mid-90's Nissan van. They were an easy install and perfect fit, however I don't find the same product on the current Yakima website. FWC might list the towers they use when they install the whole package -

Cheers -

 

[JHanson]

On our original FWC I fabricated a set of square-tube aluminum bases on which were welded short pieces of aluminum angle iron to serve as pseudo rain gutters. I bolted the bases through the roof (with plenty of sealant), and mounted stock Thule towers and bars on them. They served very well, and never leaked.

 

[super doody]

Just saw this on youtube:

Go to the 2:59 mark

 

[norcalhawk]

Craig333...Is that a flood light(s) on the driver side of your camper? If so, is it easy to install? Inside switches? Do you have step by step Photos? As far as lifting, I also carry a canoe and kayak on top, so I will be installing 80# or 60# struts (inside) later this week to help in the lifting process.

 

[craig333]

I have floods on both sides of the camper. Easy to install, well its easy for me, I like that stuff. I don't pitch in much on wiring questions because its easy for me to do, not so easy to explain. No step by step pics. I did wire those into the cab with a spdt switch.

I still find my camper quite easy to raise with the canoe on top and 40lb struts.

 

[DavidGraves]

On our original FWC I fabricated a set of square-tube aluminum bases on which were welded short pieces of aluminum angle iron to serve as pseudo rain gutters. I bolted the bases through the roof (with plenty of sealant), and mounted stock Thule towers and bars on them. They served very well, and never leaked.

Howdy

Am I guessing right that this photo is near Tiburon Island in Sonora,,,,,visiting some of theSeri?

We went down there about 15 years ago tent camping from our Samurai.

DavidGraves

North Oregon coast

 

[Wallowa]

Tying off to the bumper is a bit overkill. I use a footman loop on the rear and tie off to the lightbar in front. If I didn't have the lightbar I'd just put in another footman loop.

[/URL]

Those are both bolted through.

What happened to the front edge of your FWC roof? It looks bowed in the center..

Phil

 

[craig333]

Always been that way.