How do you attach lights to roof basket?

LibertyCRD · **Posted:** Wed Mar 15, 2006 10:06 am

Hey, I ordered the overstock.com roof basket. Got it and it looks real nice for $59 bucks. But there are no light mounting tabs on it. How do you guys mount lights on your baskets?? Are there aftermarket tabs you can buy that will bolt onto the round tubing the basket it constructed with?

uvalax236 · **Posted:** Wed Mar 15, 2006 11:10 am

Make some tabs or drill a hole for the lights.

RaeRae1616 · **Joined:** Wed Jan 11, 2006 6:23 pm **Posts:** 124

Great question . . . I'm also interested . . .

and the question being begged is . . . how exactly would one make tabs . . . and how would won connect that tab to the rack . . . is welding the only option?

uvalax236 · **Posted:** Fri Mar 17, 2006 12:48 pm

There are unlimited possiblities. Go to the hardware store and look at the different types of metals they have. Im sure that with a few minutes of looking at the metals you can figure something out. All you need to make a tab is a drill with bits, a bolt and nut, a vise, and strength. Its very easy to make mounts. You can weld if you want to but your going to have to paint it.

RaeRae1616 · **Joined:** Wed Jan 11, 2006 6:23 pm **Posts:** 124

Yeah . . . I totally got the drill a hole part . . . it's the mounting it to the basket part that's tough . . . looking for ideas:

do some mount it to the wall of the basket? . . . or do most people mount them to the supporting bar along the floor of the basket?

Are there any strenght issues to either way? and how would you mount a tab so that it stays level around a potentially round support bar at the base of the basket? Hmmm . . .

But, you're righr I often spend hours at Home Depot walking around and dreaming up what can be done with what I see . . . one of my favorite past times

RaeRae1616 · **Joined:** Wed Jan 11, 2006 6:23 pm **Posts:** 124

LibertyCRD wrote:

Hey, I ordered the overstock.com roof basket. Got it and it looks real nice for $59 bucks. But there are no light mounting tabs on it. How do you guys mount lights on your baskets?? Are there aftermarket tabs you can buy that will bolt onto the round tubing the basket it constructed with?

So how do you like the look of the BVG Adventure roof rack? I'm curious to know how it looks as compared to the Surco rack which most folks say looks really nice. Did you make custom crossmembers for it? And, how tall is that rack . . . I'm sccared of clearance issues being that I live all up in the middle of a big city (Houston)?

P.S. LibertyCRD, I took your advice (among others) and got my General Grabber AT2's (255/70/R16) put on today . . . pictures and feedback coming soon after I roll with them a little while. But, they do look awesome!

Thanks,
Brandon

LibertyCRD · **Posted:** Fri Mar 17, 2006 3:14 pm

yeah, i got a screw in one of my new General tires this morning and the deep tread saved it from going all the way in and puncturing the tire. i LOVE these tires.

i also love the BVG basket. looks like it's only 4-6" tall at most. Comes within an inch of being able to sit on the factory side rails. I'm going to try and fab up some cross rails for it to sit on tomorrow. All in all it looks great..exactly what I wanted. And for the price it is unbeatable.

LibertyCRD · **Posted:** Fri Mar 17, 2006 3:21 pm

http://www.kchilites.com/store/ATV-Brac ... 1C122.aspx

I might try these.

Jeepjeepster · **Posted:** Fri Mar 17, 2006 3:31 pm

If it was me, I would make it to where the rack sat between the rails. That would make it look alot better. There was a guy on here that built these and they were down betweem the rails. Looked awsome.

Heres a good way to mount the lights.

Get some flat metal from any hardware store and bend it around the roof rack rails. Then Drill a hole to clamp it around it, and another hole to bolt the light up.

uvalax236 · **Posted:** Fri Mar 17, 2006 6:34 pm

Jeepjeepster wrote:

If it was me, I would make it to where the rack sat between the rails. That would make it look alot better. There was a guy on here that built these and they were down betweem the rails. Looked awsome.

Heres a good way to mount the lights.

Get some flat metal from any hardware store and bend it around the roof rack rails. Then Drill a hole to clamp it around it, and another hole to bolt the light up.

If you do that, make sure that you put big washers on either end so that if you tighten it down, the metal wont bend. I would also think about putting a peice of rubber around the metal to 1 minimise sound, 2 keep the lights from sliding around, 3 keep the metal tab from bending from having to tighten it down, and 4 keep the metal from scratching the rack.

Jeepjeepster · **Posted:** Fri Mar 17, 2006 6:58 pm

I believe those in that pic are coated in rubber. Some black tape around the rack would do fine.

4wdParakeet · **Posted:** Sat Mar 18, 2006 2:51 pm

I just ordered this basket and was looking at some site that sold it and they sell light mounting brackets for it for like 40 bucks shipped

Parakeet

How do you attach lights to roof basket?

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