Cherrie 274 wrote:
:)Reinstated by posting pic's;):)
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| Homebrew roof bars for KK http://www.lostjeeps.com/forum/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=59&t=72548 |
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| Author: | lfhoward [ Sun Dec 09, 2012 6:36 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Homebrew roof bars for KK |
Cherrie 274 wrote: :)Reinstated by posting pic's;):)
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| Author: | lfhoward [ Fri Jan 04, 2013 4:02 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Homebrew roof bars for KK |
lfhoward wrote:    A follow-up after a road trip to Michigan: Wind noise: Some, but not too bad. With the radio on it isn't all that noticeable. Reduction in mileage: On these all-interstate road trips I used to get about 23 mpg. On this one I am getting 21, but the KK is also loaded to the ceiling with gear, so part of the reduction may also be extra weight. I follow trucks (at a safe distance) to gain a few MPG's. When pushing the air myself I am at about 18-19 mpg. These numbers are calculated using miles travelled / gallons of gas at fill-up. I have stock size A/T tires and a stock suspension at this point. I expect my mpg numbers will decline again after the lift is installed. |
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| Author: | Doogals [ Wed Sep 11, 2013 9:35 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Homebrew roof bars for KK |
Cherrie 274 wrote: I can't remember if I sent you a pic of my last version. Here it is (again?).   Hey Cherrie, what material did you use for the rubber spacers between your roof rails and the unistrut? I'm mounting a roof basket and need something similar, thanks. |
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| Author: | Cherrie 274 [ Wed Sep 11, 2013 10:00 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Homebrew roof bars for KK |
Sorry . Not sure what it is/was. My friend and fellow kayaker had it. |
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| Author: | nFodzy [ Mon Mar 30, 2015 2:46 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Homebrew roof bars for KK |
Looking to do this mod but with the ATH side rails & crossbars I have. I personally don't like the clamps that were supplied with the Rola basket, and I had a friend weld the crossbars to the side rails way before I decided to get the basket so I don't have the correct distance for them to work properly. |
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| Author: | DavidDulin [ Tue Mar 31, 2015 8:43 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Homebrew roof bars for KK |
Those look pretty good after paint. One concern I would have for "homebrew" roof bars is liability. In the event of an accident, and accessories attached to the Jeep via "homebrew" hardware become projectiles, insurance companies may scrutinize this. The big rack companies spend many dollars on both the engineering and testing of the devices before sale. A former neighbor of mine made something similar for his 2005ish Liberty, though he drilled holes for the U bolts directly through the factory side rails. He used similar tubing that he painted black. Seemed pretty secure. He found a set of Thule load bars (not the correct ones for factory side rails - these were made for a Honda) at a tag sale and just sort of rigged them to the rails. "See, these were $20! Why spend $300?" I mentioned that they were not made for the Jeep, weren't attached securely, and may be a liability when hauling sheets of plywood or fencing up there. Lots of litigious types in Fairfield County. He just shrugged it off with a "who cares". In the end, it may be worth some extra money up front. |
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| Author: | lfhoward [ Tue Mar 31, 2015 9:11 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Homebrew roof bars for KK |
I agree that I've seen some pretty scary setups driving down the Interstate at 65 mph... that said, I think it all depends on the person doing it. Heck, who cares if you have a nice factory rack or an expensive Thule crossbar setup if you are holding the mattress on with a bungi cord and one arm? Or someone who puts 400 lbs of gear up there when the rated capacity is 150. But sometimes people are idiots, or in a hurry, and create unecessary risk for themselves and others. If you care that you do things safely (for yourself and other people on the road), you aren't going to be doing that or putting a cobbled together accident waiting to happen on the roof and calling it a day. Now of course anyone who uses the homemade crossbar design in this thread does so at their own risk, and that applies to anyone doing anything they read about on a forum. However, I am pretty sure the weak link in the setup is not going to be the galvanized steel pipes or the stainless double u-bolts with lock nuts. The Mopar side rails use plastic parts and the sheet metal they attach to has been known to crack and leak, so the bars will probably not fail before the siderails do. With careful planning and 30 minutes of work, one can have a good strong, trouble-free set of homemade crossbars. Check the lock nuts periodically to make sure the u-bolts are tight, and keep to Jeep's published maximum weight of 150 lbs on your roof (including the bars and your stuff), and you shouldn't have any problems that you wouldn't also have with stock crossbars. Update: I have been running this setup for almost 3 years now, using it to haul camping gear in the summer, and have had no problems at all with the crossbars. I had them off the Jeep once to do a roof repair because the sheet metal seam was leaking under the Mopar side rails. At that time I replaced the rubber washers that sit between the crossbars and the side rails, because they had compressed and split as they aged. This seems to be the only maintenance item, other than making sure the lock nuts are tight. The galvanized pipes and stainless u-bolts are still rust-free. |
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| Author: | PALiftedKK [ Tue Mar 31, 2015 11:50 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Homebrew roof bars for KK |
6 bolts holding a 100lb+ solar panel on and off road.  Nylon nuts on all bolts. Which is 26 nuts and washers. 10 U clamps. And a lot of blood. Is it safe? I'll let you know when it isn't safe. |
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| Author: | Erikg84 [ Thu Aug 27, 2015 10:30 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Homebrew roof bars for KK |
I started working on adding DIY crossbars to my KK yesterday. If anyone is looking for additional ideas to cap off the ends of 3/4" EMT, I found that using 1/2" Schedule 40 plugs work well. It's a tight fit, and the EMT actually shaves about 1/32" of plastic off of the plug when you hammer it in, but it's a tight fit that won't come out. I would buy one or two extra if you go this route. One of them was so tight that it actually broke the fitting in two, no problem though because they are only $0.40 each. Make sure you get the PVC plugs which are meant to go INSIDE of the schedule 40, and not the PVC caps which are meant to go OUTSIDE of the schedule 40. |
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