Roof Racks

[DesertDon]

Try Jacks

This is the gonzo method to lift the roof but it does work. I saw this done on an outing and I have done it at home but not in the field.

I'm planning on carrying a canoe on some trips. The weighs about 75 lbs and I cannot lift the roof with that kind of weight on it. I have the canoe strapped to the FWC roof rack.

It is possible to lift the roof using one of the camper jacks pushing against the hand lift board on the roof. I lift one end then the other in the same fashion as a normal roof lift. Hand cranking is slow. A battery drill helps a lot.

This method is slow and clumsy but it can be done. I anybody knows of a better lift assist, let me know. I would sure like to check it out.

 

[benburnett]

roof racks and lifiting system

I believe that the 54" and 66" that you refer to are the lengths of the bars not the tracks. I know the tracks come in 48" and 60" lengths. If you look at your roof, there are two lines of screws in about 10" or so from each outside edge. If you measure the distance between these, this should determine the length of bars that you should have. I know that on our campers right now the 66" bars work great. The screw lines are where you would mount the rails for your towers to slide in. In turn the towers hold the bars.

As to a new lift system, I don't know about FWC but we have no plans on changing it at this time. The main reason is the simplicity of it and with care the panels will last a lifetime. The one lift system on the market that seems to work well and not break down is the one that Alaskan uses for their campers. It works off of hydraulics and would add a bit more weight to the camper.

It's a give and take with the campers. Everyone wants a light weight camper that chooses FWC or ATC. Everyone enjoys the life span of the campers and high resale value of them. Part of the give on having all that is that there are limits to what you can and can't do with the camper. When I sell a camper to a customer I try to point out what these limits are so that they are not disappointed down the road. One of those limits is what you can put on the roof and what you can't and the procedure of having to remove most anything you do put on it. The camper was not designed to carry a lot of weight on the roof and be popped up with it up there.

 

[benburnett]

lifting system

If you go back through the threads on the board, one fellow came up with a great system out of PVC and a small air pump. Seems like it was about 3 or 4 months ago if I remember right.

 

[camelracer]

I was the one that built the pneumatic lift cylinder out of PVC. So far it's worked great. I haven't tried it yet with a load on the roof but it should lift 300 to 350 lbs. The only downside is that you need a compressed air source. I already had that on board for airing up the Jeep tires.

 

[Sam]

Camelracer,

I remember your invention and just went back and re-read the old post. I think I am interested in building something like that. Care to share the construction details, or are you waiting for a patent?

 

[erod]

ben sorry to be confusing...i was referring to the lengths of the tracks...http://www.yakima.com/Product.aspx?id=171...lookslike 42, 54 and 60". i understand the difference between these, however is there any issue on the FWC using the 54 vs. the 60, would the 54's be to short to properly distribute the weight? i would definately go with the 66" bars, found the whole system here in town for less than $200, then just need to finad a box! thanks again for all your insight.

 

[benburnett]

yakima

Erod,

The 54" will work fine. We have installed all sizes from the small up to two 60" tracks together for 120" total.

 

[erod]

right on ben, the confirmation i was looking for...ordered the tower, landing pads and bars today! should be here and ready to go in less than a week! i am stoked...thanks again and i will let everyone know how it goes. cheers!

 

[camelracer]

Sam,

If you have any specific questions about my PVC lift system why don't you email me and I'll be glad to answer. I don't want to bore everybody with stuff covered in the previous post.

Dick

 

[erod]

guess i missed this thread...how bout' a link?

 

[benburnett]

link

Here is a link to the thread on the air lift system by camelracer

http://www.wanderthewest.com/forum/showthread.php?t=215

 

[camelracer]

Erod,
Here is the link to the original post.
http://www.wanderthewest.com/forum/showthread.php?t=215&page=3

 

[erod]

thanks guys!

 

[erod]

ok, so i have aquired all the components for the yakima roof rack but i still have a few questions...what about the roof vent...in the pics that stan posted the vent is in the middle, my vent is toward the drivers side (see photos)????. in stan's photos the tracks are mounted near the rear of the camper roof...does that help with the weight distribution? also, ben mentioned using the same size screws that are currently holding the roof panels in...why wouldn't i use screws that are 1/8" (or so) longer to account for the depth of the track? lastly, great advice about dispersing weight with a panel of wood and sealing the new holes with silicone...anything else that you guys think would help? thanks all!

 

[benburnett]

roof rack

My mistake on the screws. We use a #8 3/4" truss head to mount the tracks. Just asked Jeff about that the other day and forgot to post it to you.

The vent position doesn't really make any difference. Your towers should be tall enough so that the bars will be above the vent.

The tracks can be mounted anywhere you would like them to be. Most put them towards the back of the camper for ease of being able to get to.

For weight distribution, the center would make more sense and would make lifting th roof easier depending on how much weight you have on the racks.

 

[Tomas Tierra]

I just drilled my holes, and mounted my racks today..nervous times, but it came out well..I hate drilling holes in thiings I love.

I mounted my front mount 33" back from the front edge..I may wish I had gone closer to the front edge as there is a lot of flex in the long,(front to back) frame members..I think the Ranger has almost 11' of roof..My buddy has a similr rack on a rangerII (see photos) and I went over to check his after i had finished mine....he had minimal flex..

I think it will hold a surfboard! I'll post pictures manana..

 

[erod]

thanks again guys, well, i will be tackling this project in the am. let you know how it goes...appreciate the help as always! oh yea, tomas, can't wait to see the pics! cheers!

 

[Tomas Tierra]

Here are some piccies of my minimal rack set up..I will be adding another cross bar with a basket in the rear...eventually..

I have alot of flex..maybe an inch of up and down flex. the rack is very solidly connected to the frame, but lotsa flex..I wonder if putting the front cross bar more forward would have helped..I know the rack on my old fleet (that I coppied, almost) was right in the front of the camper..I guess I'll see next week as I have 50+ miles of offroad to do

 

[erod]

well got the rack mounted on sat. tested it that afternoon for a trip to the bridgers...worked awesome. did some 4x4n', its amazing what that little bit of weight does though when trying to lift the top...pretty tough. but, stoked on it none the less. ended up finding the bars and control towers used at a second hand store in town...returned the new ones and saved a bundle...anyway, here are some pics...oh yea, install was a breeze, thanks for all the help guys! cheers!


see the small strip of snow to the right of the top of the camper...still skiin' in june!