Thread: Home Made Roof Rack

Sounds alright to me.....although marine ply isn't cheap

You could use a security screen door....but that would look odd

My defer had cold room sheeting foam between to sheets of aluminum.

In a roll rover the best place for gas is on the roof as it will become separated.....although I never pack with a roll over in mind.

Cheers Weeds.

I've been looking for suitable screen doors but nothing seems to pop up that would be worth the expense or effort. I did take a look at some off-the-rack versions once but they were asking a grand! Just a simple security mesh style platform with a bar bent up and welded to the side. Nice and light, and looked neat, but not worth that much.

Had a look at Bunnings and 9mm sheets of 2440 x 1220 AA ply are $66. And they weigh 19.7kg. The 12mm sheets are $93 and weigh 27.1kg. I could always trim and drill holes to shave some weight too.

Compared with the Rhino mesh platform it seems a no-brainer. 2120 x 1180 x 50, 27kg, $423.

Will 9mm be fairly rigid?

And if I trim the panel so it sits no further forward than the front cross bar I'm guessing wind resistance will be reduced as much as possible.

Thoughts?

Why do you need AA? Why do you need marine ply?

According to people who built stitch and glue kayaks and canoes, the difference between marine and structural ply is that marine ply has no voids. Voids in one of the plies would be much less of an issue on a roof rack than on a panel making up part of a kayak or canoe.

The glue is supposed to be the same.

I have used 12 mm CD ply at about $46 as a trailer floor and it lasts quite well. It would be subjected to more abuse as a trailer floor than as a roof rack.

I don't need AA; that's just all that came up on Bunnings' website.

And I went for marine ply as I thought it was more hardy than structural and used a different glue. If that's not the case then great.

Yours is obviously not subject to the same stresses as mine would be (ie, hanging between bars), but would you suggest I use 12mm or do you think I could go thinner?

The necessary thickness would be dictated by the distance between the bars: whether there is anything to add stiffness, such as a rail along the side; and whether any items carried there would be likely to punch a hole through on rough roads.

However my initial thought is that you would need 12mm and that you would need the equivalent of a tie rail along the sides to secure items. That rail could be made a bit like a triangulated truss and could add a lot of strength.

Just my two bob, but...
As a carpenter/builder I would suggest that 12mm would be thinnest you'd want to go. For a once off trip then it should be fine, but if your wanting to reuse it a few times then I'd suggest using 18mm softwood ply or 12mm hardwood ply. I'd suggest that maybe some thick aluminium angle or 'c' channel be secured to the edges to give more rigidness to the sheet and also strength for when you tied own off the sheet, if that makes sense.

From what I've learnt over the years is that the coding on the ply sheets has to do with the appearance quality and the glue quality used. Therefore a sheet labeled as AA is far greater than CD. That's why the Bunnings sheets are not as good quality as a plywood supplier, because they sell the cheapest product they can. You will find with the CD (as I have) will delaminate after some time if it's not weather proofed.

But as always it comes down to two things, how deep are your pockets for this project and how long do you want it to last?

My ideas are based on the thought that your racks will be spaced greater than 600mm and I strongly recommend you do not use the 9mm all the bumps in the road will take its toll on it I think.

Just my opinion,
Nathan.

When i bought my used rhino racks the previous owner had made a simple basket out of steel mesh and light angle iron, it would be cheaper to make and provide multiple tie down / strapping points.

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