Roof Bars - D3

[Aussie Jeepster]

I'm off to hospital on Wednesday for a hip replacement and to keep me amused while I'm there, I am going to sort out my "roof storage options"!!
I'm not looking for a full roof rack - just cross bars.
All I see me ever having up top will be a 200W solar panel (fixed to bars), an Oztent RV4 or 5, and either an awning on one side or both, and possibly a pair of maxtrax.
No jerry cans, no spare wheel, no tool boxes or storage boxes - all pretty light weight stuff.
My Disco has no rails on the roof, so whatever I get will mount "direct" to the roof.
I'm currently leaning towards the Rhino Vortex bars, and I guessing I'll need 3 of them to cover the 2M length of the Oztent.
What are others using, if you are not using full rood racks? I'm not looking at cheap knock offs - don't mind paying for what I want, that will do the job.
Thoughts?

[Parkes]

I've got two rhino vortex bars and carry pretty much what you are except the solar panels, a RV4 and tag along tent and 4 maxtrax. Asked the Oz Tent people about 2 vs 3 bars and they said 2 are fine, I've hand no issues either over the three years I've had them and the tent.

[RHS58]

I have 3 Rhino Vortex bars on Rhino front and rear tracks,
but I do carry a long and wide tandem Hobie Mirage kayak.

Though the front bar does create some turbulence noise.

[Aussie Jeepster]

I've got two rhino vortex bars and carry pretty much what you are except the solar panels, a RV4 and tag along tent and 4 maxtrax. Asked the Oz Tent people about 2 vs 3 bars and they said 2 are fine, I've hand no issues either over the three years I've had them and the tent.

That is what I wanted to hear! Are your 2 bars just at the back, or do you have one at the front (on higher mounts) and one at the back?

[winaje]

I know a guy with the roof mount rails and 4 Whispbar cross rails for sale in Melbourne if you're interested?

[eddomak]

That is what I wanted to hear! Are your 2 bars just at the back, or do you have one at the front (on higher mounts) and one at the back?

Hi - I was just using 2 bars at the back and could carry an RV5, but it would sag and touch the lower part of the roof (over the front row). I much prefer my 3 bar setup (taller legs at the front, bolts straight into the factory thread), and it is only 5 minutes or so to attach the front bar when I need it.

[Aussie Jeepster]

I know a guy with the roof mount rails and 4 Whispbar cross rails for sale in Melbourne if you're interested?

Thanks Will.
I'll wait until I'm all clear of the hospital/rehab, and will have decided what I want to do by then.

[Parkes]

That is what I wanted to hear! Are your 2 bars just at the back, or do you have one at the front (on higher mounts) and one at the back?

I do differ from you in that I have the full length LR rails but the two bars are generally located in the back section of the vehicle. Let me try and find a pic to show you

[Parkes]

That is what I wanted to hear! Are your 2 bars just at the back, or do you have one at the front (on higher mounts) and one at the back?

Pics attached, bars are about 840mm apart to suit the maxtrax pins. I used to have them a little bit further apart but not much.https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2017/05/451.jpghttps://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2017/05/452.jpg

[rocket rod]

I have 3 of the Rhino square bars on my roof but around town I have removed the front bar because of wind noise. Not sure if the Vortex will be quieter or not but I would get 3 bars anyway.

[PerthDisco]

Does anyone know which after market cross bars fit in the LR rails. Anyone have any for sale in WA? [emoji6]

[DiscoJeffster]

Does anyone know which after market cross bars fit in the LR rails. Anyone have any for sale in WA? [emoji6]

I had the whispbar /pro rack set on mine. They support interchangeable feet and I originally had them bolted directly to the roof mount points. I then switched to long roof rails and purchased new mounting feet for that and retailed the bars. I've since sold that and gone over to rhino setup with backbone and platform.

[Parkes]

I think most bars will fit the LR rails as they have interchangeable feet. I have rhino aero bars on mine, I believe most of the rhino bars will fit, they just ship the bars with the correct feet

[eddomak]

I have seen quite a few different brands fitted to the OEM rails, from Thule, to Rhino, to Prorack. If you go to a retailer that stocks the brand you want then there are usually enough parts to adapt to fit.

[GregMilner]

Does anyone know which after market cross bars fit in the LR rails. Anyone have any for sale in WA? [emoji6]

I just had a pair of Whispbar crossbars mounted to mind, directly into the roof mounting points. $449 including fitting from Roof Rack Superstore in Osborne Park.

[PerthDisco]

[QUOTE=GregMilner;2678534$449 including fitting from Roof Rack Superstore in Osborne Park.[/QUOTE]

Ouch!!!!!! Missed a genuine LR set on EBay for $160!!!!!! Should have gone harder

[Aussie Jeepster]

I was lucky enough to get 2 Rhino Rack Vortex bars, and a set of rear mounting rails off Gumtree from a local for $200 - so very happy with that.
I read of someone on the forum who fitted a single bar to the front of the Disco, straight into the mounting hole at the front.
Does anyone know the part number of the mounting feet that will do this?
They won't carry any load per se, just support the front of an Oztent.
I've searched, but can't find the appropriate post, but I think he used 50mm mounting bolts to fit them.

[eddomak]

I read of someone on the forum who fitted a single bar to the front of the Disco, straight into the mounting hole at the front.
Does anyone know the part number of the mounting feet that will do this?
They won't carry any load per se, just support the front of an Oztent.
I've searched, but can't find the appropriate post, but I think he used 50mm mounting bolts to fit them.

I wrote the post, and you can find it here: Third Roof Cross Bar on Lower Section of Roof (https://www.aulro.com/afvb/l319-discovery-3-and-4-a/217271-third-roof-cross-bar-lower-section-roof.html)

Unfortunately the pictures are all stuffed up (ie they are someone else's photos for some other thing) after the forum crashed, and the admins haven't restored the personal albums yet.

Please be aware that there are a couple of corrections to the original post further down the page. The bolts are M6 (not M5), and the exact part numbers weren't correct but there is a diagram in the thread.

If you really need the photos then I can try and upload them again.

I'm glad the post helped some people.

[Aussie Jeepster]

Arrrrggghhhh!
Different threads!
Just making sure this is the right parts list, but with an M6 x 50 screw
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[Aussie Jeepster]

Took the plunge this arvo and bought what I think are the right bits to mount on the front. Got them at Autobahn (all in stock!) and there was a 25% off sale today. Will hopefully get to try fitting them tomorrow if the body cooperates.

[l00kin4]

Hi Jeepster,

I should have asked exactly what you wanted to do. The important thing is that the front legs are the longer 80mm(?) high ones - RLT506. I think notionally they are a track mount leg but seems they will work with the same feet as the other rear legs and a single longer screw through to the nutsert in the roof.

Those are not in that parts list I posted (to clarify the parts required to mount the legs to the tracks, which come with the legs).

The (shorter) RLCP legs in that list are for the rear 2 sets mounted to the track.

Hope that helps.

David

[Aussie Jeepster]

Hi Jeepster,

I should have asked exactly what you wanted to do. The important thing is that the front legs are the longer 80mm(?) high ones - RLT506. I think notionally they are a track mount leg but seems they will work with the same feet as the other rear legs and a single longer screw through to the nutsert in the roof.

Those are not in that parts list I posted (to clarify the parts required to mount the legs to the tracks, which come with the legs).

The (shorter) RLCP legs in that list are for the rear 2 sets mounted to the track.

Hope that helps.

David

I hope to attack this on the weekend. The 2 feet I got for the front are certainly higher than the ones I have for the rear rails, but they might still need a spacer to lift the bar a few cm.
Will see what I discover during the process.

[eddomak]

Ooh, it looks like most of the pictures have been restored in the original thread! Well done moderators!

[l00kin4]

Ooh, it looks like most of the pictures have been restored in the original thread! Well done moderators!

That will certainly make things easier!

[Aussie Jeepster]

Today was time to do something useful after 6 weeks of being careful how/where I walked. I figured it would all involve doing stuff standing up, rather than crawling around under the Disco.
As I said earlier, I scored 2 Vortex bars off Gumtree, and last weekend I went to Autobahns 25% off sale and got another bar, and 2 mounts.
First job was to remove the covers for the rails from the roof, and shorten them.
Fairly easy job with a trim removal tool, although one plug decided to break. If this happens, get something to grip it, and just unscrew it out of the captive nut

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When the track comes out, expect a heap of crap under it - mine had a fair bit of Sydney in the tracks under the covers.
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It was mostly dry, so I scraped it out, and used a brush to clean it up
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Once cleaned out, it was time to cut the tracks so the front section could be replaced back onto the roof. Remember measure, measure, measure, and then cut! You end up cutting 153cm from the back end of the track cover. It is light aluminum and a hacksaw is just fine.
125290
Now it's time to fit the rails.
There are plastic end caps marked front and rear, left and right. Push them into the ends of the rail, and when you put it over the tracks in the roof, make sure it is flat on the outside and the inside. Mine took a little jiggling, but it was soon sorted. I had to buy the fixings as they didn't come with my rails. There are 3 security allen screws on each side, and according to Rhino, you are supposed to drill a hole at the back and put a rivet in. That did not happen!!! I'll see how it goes, but I won't be carrying any major weight on my racks, so I don't see it as being necessary.
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More to come soon

[Aussie Jeepster]

125307
Both rails are the same to fit. There was nothing fiddly about this part at all.

125308
These are the center and rear fittings with the racks fitted
This is the front leg that I used. Each one needs an M6x50mm bolt - which is 10mm longer than the one supplied, and it just screws straight into the captive nut that had one of the plastic plugs in it.

125309125310

alas, it does not line up first time! The difference was 40mm too low.

125311

Which was solved by adding some spacers - 4 in fact, to bring it up to the right height

125312125313

And now the completed job.
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Am now going to do a wind test to the butcher while I get some steak for a BBQ - will post the appropriate part details after dinner tonite.
Hope this helps answer some of the questions about what works, what doesn't, and how it looks.

[Aussie Jeepster]

Did a wind /noise test today, and there is a new sound between 60 and 80kpm, but it is not annoying. Over 80kph, it goes away.
I'll call it a success.

As has been mentioned by others, there are various part numbers for this combination.
The bits I used were:
RTS502 Rhino Tracks
RLT500 Track legs on the front.
RTLF Track legs on the rear.
I used 4 x 10mm spacers to lift the front bar, and you will need about an M6x75 bolt to go through them all - sorry I forgot to measure this.
Lots of instructions on the Rhino rack website but here are the rail instructions
125346

With all the other posts, this might all help to make someones job easier.

[jliquorish]

Hi Guys.

I am thinking of Vortex bars with the RCL legs. Does anybody use locking straps to hold Oztent securely? I believe their are accessories that fit in the channel.

[l00kin4]

Did a wind /noise test today, and there is a new sound between 60 and 80kpm, but it is not annoying. Over 80kph, it goes away.
I'll call it a success.

As has been mentioned by others, there are various part numbers for this combination.
The bits I used were:
RTS502 Rhino Tracks
RLT500 Track legs on the front.
RTLF Track legs on the rear.
I used 4 x 10mm spacers to lift the front bar, and you will need about an M6x75 bolt to go through them all - sorry I forgot to measure this.
Lots of instructions on the Rhino rack website but here are the rail instructions
125346

With all the other posts, this might all help to make someones job easier.

Good write up Jeepster. Just one thing to add to this - if you use a taller version of the RLT leg (RLT506, the 80mm version Rhino RLT506 Track Mount Legs 80mm (pr) - Roof Rack World (https://roofrack.com.au/product/rhino-rlt506-track-mount-legs-80mm-pr/)) on the front, you'll need less spacers...

David

[l00kin4]

Hi Guys.

I am thinking of Vortex bars with the RCL legs. Does anybody use locking straps to hold Oztent securely? I believe their are accessories that fit in the channel.

I use ratchet straps to hold my (usually 2, sometimes 1) Oztents to my platform with eye bolts like these: Rhino Roof Rack Eye Bolt Mount Spots Vortex Bar S604 Tie Down | eBay (https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Rhino-Roof-Rack-Eye-Bolt-Mount-Spots-Vortex-Bar-S604-Tie-Down/281914422366?epid=535581828&hash=item41a368b45e:g:7F4AAOSwqrtWn2Fz) which works well.

but Rhino also have this option: Vortex Ratchet Grab 2m - #SRG | Rhino-Rack (http://www.rhinorack.com.au/products/roof/camping/tents/vortex-ratchet-grab-2m_srg) which also uses an eyebolt at the other end.

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Not sure if it matters in your case but these would use up a bit more of the width of the bar than the eyebolt / ratchet strap option...

(Just for reference in the thread, the ones I use on the platform have a different nut: Eye Bolt Hold Down Kit x4 Rhino Pioneer Platform Rack 316 Stainless M8 Eyebolt | eBay (https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Eye-Bolt-Hold-Down-Kit-x4-Rhino-Pioneer-Platform-Rack-316-Stainless-M8-Eyebolt/191788308691?hash=item2ca77958d3:g:Rb8AAOSw9N1VlSE 4))

David

[jliquorish]

There is also a lockable tie down that raps around the racks. It is from Kanulock and comes in different lengths.