Surco 4560

MojaveKJ · **Posted:** Mon Feb 22, 2010 3:29 am

I got a Surco 4560 (really 45"x59") from craigslist the other day (couldn't resist) :JEEPIN:

and mounted it to the KJ today. It sits on the RRO roof rails and is attached with the aluminum 'tabs' from the mounts it had on it when I got it (from a TJ he said) cross pieces from 4 U bolts and 8, 7/16 bolts with washers and nylon locking bolts.

I like the look of the safari basket a lot but I think it sits too high. I like the length (and look) of the 4560 vs. the 4550 and the aluminum construction seems sturdy enough for my use. If I keep it I'm going to add 2 more cross bars in the center. I already moved the 2 cross bars it came with out toward the ends about 4 inches so 2 more in the middle would make for a lot more support if I do end up putting the spare up there. Maybe more roof slats as well, light mounts, etc. It turns out Surco is near me here in L.A., very convenient... I hope.

Opinions? Looks? Mounting? Weight capacity? Wanna buy it if I don't keep it? :idea:

All input is welcome, thanks!

riptricket · **Posted:** Mon Feb 22, 2010 1:33 pm

i just got one from a fellow forumer... I think it looks great!
Are you going to repaint yours? mine needs it, but I don't really know how to tackle that.

LibertyFever · **Posted:** Mon Feb 22, 2010 5:47 pm

I think I bought the identical Surco roof basket. I bought mine to mount extra lamps too but discovered they were too high to be highway legal.

Then I got the idea to mount my spare up there.

Both ideas look good however my gas mileage performance dropped off.

I've since removed my basket, put the lamps on the front bumper and the spare back on the rear tailgate. I'll keep my basket for when I need the extra storage on long trips or need a place to put my trail shovel or Hi-Lift.

liquidxit2 · **Posted:** Tue Feb 23, 2010 11:57 am

I wish I would have seen this post sooner as I would have gone with the 45x60 over the 50 but oh well no worries. Looks awesome though! :JEEPIN:

candpliberty · **Posted:** Tue Mar 02, 2010 11:47 pm

MojaveKJ, I agree with you. It looks to high. Could you remove the cross bars and set the basket right on the RRO rails? BTW, what did you put in between the RRO rails and the roof when you mounted it? I'm installing it right now and can't decide between shaving the OE rubber gaskets to fit or to lay down some RTV and use part of the original plastic at the back to fill in the groove.

riptricket · **Posted:** Wed Mar 03, 2010 12:13 am

this weekend, my brother and I are going to make the rack stronger with some u shaped metal i have from my last job...

MojaveKJ · **Posted:** Wed Mar 03, 2010 2:06 am

candpliberty wrote:

...BTW, what did you put in between the RRO rails and the roof when you mounted it? I'm installing it right now and can't decide between shaving the OE rubber gaskets to fit or to lay down some RTV and use part of the original plastic at the back to fill in the groove.

candpliberty, I kept the OEM grommets and trimmed to fit closer on the back. I still need to use black RTV to fill the gaps between the mounting plates and the body of the KJ. Seems to me that is a bad place for water to collect.

Originally I had hoped to remove the 2 cross bars and just use the basket of the Surco rack and attach that to the RRO bars but the floor of the basket is comprised of slats that run lengthwise to the KJ. Also the roof bars angle in as they run toward the rear of the Jeep so that up front the gap is about 43" and about 39" in the back, so the basket slips down over the RRO bars no matter where it is positioned.

What I'm looking at now (and again the rack is n the back burner) is a Defender rack from ORU with a set of their mounts for a YJ. The floor of the basket is made up of bars that run across the KJ, perpendicular to the RRO rails. The YJ mounts are designed to fit ORU's Expedition Rack system like this:

http://www.offroadunlimited.com/orustore/pc/viewPrd.asp?idcategory=2081&idproduct=10479.

and has 6 mounting point that should adjust enough to allow for the rearward rake of the RRO bars. It's more expensive that the Surco and a lot of others out there but I think it's the best option for use with RRO (or RL I suppose) roof bars.

Let us know how your's turn out and of course....POST PICS!!!

Happy Jeepin...

candpliberty · **Posted:** Wed Mar 03, 2010 4:06 am

Thanks, MojaveKJ! I'm thinking something like the sport rack from RRO. I want to haul some plywood and other sheet goods once in a while so I need a stop in the front. . Shovel, highlift, axe, tent, couple of duffles, on desert outtings. I'll go get a stick or 2 of 1x1 square tubing and some 1 1/4 ubolts and start playing around. Plenty of tiedowns and some kind of wind deflector. Did I forget anything? The daughter finally got her sh*t out of the garage so I don't have to worry about lighting anything on fire!

I really don't want to jerry cans of fuel and water on the roof. I'm too beat up to be wrestling 50 pounds up and down off the roof! I haven't figured that one out yet. Happy jeepin right back at ya.

MojaveKJ · **Posted:** Thu Mar 04, 2010 5:10 am

Hey candpliberty, somewhere on here I found a link to an Isuzu page where a guy had done a really good reinforcing job to his Surco. You might do a search for that to get more ideas.

I looked at the RRO rack setup and though I like the concept of a crossed-bar ('truss'?) system without a basket for just the reason you mentioned. I'm not sold on the way RRO attaches their cross bar assembly to the 2 roof rails. It seems sturdy but I'd want to see one in person before deciding on it for what it is. I'm sold on the Defender these days, though not for a while as they are not the cheapest option.

As for carrying gas, the debate goes on IMO. There is one nifty system I saw on here that attaches to the rear receiver and holds one can on each side of the spare. I don't like it much but it seems to be built well and does solve the problem of where to carry the gas. I may move the spare to the roof and devise a carrier for the gas can(s) that attaches to the where the spare is now. But there are issues with that idea too.

-MojaveKJ

candpliberty · **Posted:** Thu Mar 04, 2010 7:43 pm

MojaveKJ, I'm thinking leaving the spare location stock and building a bumper with a swinging rack with storage above and to both sides of the tire. Leave the plastic ends of the OE bumper and build a center section that's tied to the trailer hitch at both ends and the middle. And tie a skid from the gas tank skid to the receiver. I'd like to carry 2-3 5 gallon cans of water and 2 5 gallon gas cans and maybe a cooler. 250- 320 pounds. Yikes! Maybe Reverend Mudd was right about the HD springs. I'll start saving for them. But I got plenty on my plate with a front bumper and roof rack to fab up. Just thinking ahead.

I couldn't find that Isuzu thread but I found other stuff elsewhere. Nothing out of the ordinary.

Surco 4560

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