clubagreenie
7th August 2013, 09:56 AM
So I've been looking around and while I've had the time, but not the funds, plenty of racks come and go but never at a reasonable price range.
So having the time and access to a great metal shop, where as long as I help the owner out I have free reign of the place. So I want to know, what are the key features that D2 owners would want in a rack. Be as fanciful, esoteric or basic as you like. From this I'll combine it all and come up with say 3 designs (was thinking a full length & modular half (rear) & half front to fit both std rails, system legs and that could attach to a rear half to make it modular.
So I'll start with a basic description of what I was thinking in models & features:
Models.
Full length; Follows roof lines or fully length flat (suit roof top tents etc).
Half Length - Front; Sitting at either same height as rear (to make full length flat) or same dropped height as the stepped full length.
Half Length - Rear; Sitting at same height as the full length.
Either way for the height, the mounts will be a separate item to the rack and height would be able to be changed for the front section with a simple addition of an extended plate.
Features.
Floor; choice of mesh or tubular. Select sizing of mesh or combine different sizing depending on what you plan to carry.
Mounts - Full Length Rack; I like a full length rail (8-10mm hollow sq or round) sitting in the gutter with 4 vertical legs and clamps.
Mounts - Half Rack - Front; It'll actually be made in two pieces (L & R, front pair/rear pair). It'll make packaging smaller and keep the unit modular. Height options for the front mounts would be to have it sit below the factory rail height, on the original rails (with or without cross bars) or above these.
Mounts - Half Rack - Rear; As for the fronts, the rear corner will wrap around the corner giving fore/aft location and holding.
Accessory mounts; Long handled shovel, hi-lift jack (but prefer the weight of this lower), jerrycan, spare wheel (or tyre only) holders. Was thinking of provision for maxtracks etc to be slung under the front of the rack. I've looked at the Grating FRP stuff and it's very HD but not too heavy. It's thinner than the moulded variants and two or maybe even three sets could be underslung on either the original rails.
Awning; Provision for an awning to be attached to either side of the rack. Looking at along the side of the front section and the legs of the rear. Again, keeping it as modular as possible, it would only require replacement of the mount leg to change from std to awning. This could be done on an exchange basis so once the awning mounting was known the mounts could be made to suit, ship out and swap over and return std mounts for refinishing and reuse.
Load carrying; The top edge of the front of the rack would be at the same height as the floor at the rear to support any long loads carried.
Work Light; Provision for a light to be supported on an extendable tube as part of the rack, plus possibly a coiled cord so that the light could be relocated to another point if required.
That's all I can come up with for now. List you thoughts and ideas, I'll be making my own by the looks of things and see what happens from there. Would like to keep a full length unit at around $800- or so, which on paper is doable. It's not the cheapest but you shouldn't be left wanting for anything either.
So having the time and access to a great metal shop, where as long as I help the owner out I have free reign of the place. So I want to know, what are the key features that D2 owners would want in a rack. Be as fanciful, esoteric or basic as you like. From this I'll combine it all and come up with say 3 designs (was thinking a full length & modular half (rear) & half front to fit both std rails, system legs and that could attach to a rear half to make it modular.
So I'll start with a basic description of what I was thinking in models & features:
Models.
Full length; Follows roof lines or fully length flat (suit roof top tents etc).
Half Length - Front; Sitting at either same height as rear (to make full length flat) or same dropped height as the stepped full length.
Half Length - Rear; Sitting at same height as the full length.
Either way for the height, the mounts will be a separate item to the rack and height would be able to be changed for the front section with a simple addition of an extended plate.
Features.
Floor; choice of mesh or tubular. Select sizing of mesh or combine different sizing depending on what you plan to carry.
Mounts - Full Length Rack; I like a full length rail (8-10mm hollow sq or round) sitting in the gutter with 4 vertical legs and clamps.
Mounts - Half Rack - Front; It'll actually be made in two pieces (L & R, front pair/rear pair). It'll make packaging smaller and keep the unit modular. Height options for the front mounts would be to have it sit below the factory rail height, on the original rails (with or without cross bars) or above these.
Mounts - Half Rack - Rear; As for the fronts, the rear corner will wrap around the corner giving fore/aft location and holding.
Accessory mounts; Long handled shovel, hi-lift jack (but prefer the weight of this lower), jerrycan, spare wheel (or tyre only) holders. Was thinking of provision for maxtracks etc to be slung under the front of the rack. I've looked at the Grating FRP stuff and it's very HD but not too heavy. It's thinner than the moulded variants and two or maybe even three sets could be underslung on either the original rails.
Awning; Provision for an awning to be attached to either side of the rack. Looking at along the side of the front section and the legs of the rear. Again, keeping it as modular as possible, it would only require replacement of the mount leg to change from std to awning. This could be done on an exchange basis so once the awning mounting was known the mounts could be made to suit, ship out and swap over and return std mounts for refinishing and reuse.
Load carrying; The top edge of the front of the rack would be at the same height as the floor at the rear to support any long loads carried.
Work Light; Provision for a light to be supported on an extendable tube as part of the rack, plus possibly a coiled cord so that the light could be relocated to another point if required.
That's all I can come up with for now. List you thoughts and ideas, I'll be making my own by the looks of things and see what happens from there. Would like to keep a full length unit at around $800- or so, which on paper is doable. It's not the cheapest but you shouldn't be left wanting for anything either.