Roof Bar Mounts on Factory Rails
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Newbie
Joined: Jan 2018
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From: South Carolina
Year: 1997
Model: Cherokee(XJ)
Engine: 4.0
Roof Bar Mounts on Factory Rails
Sorry if this is the wrong place, I’m new and this seemed as the best place. I picked up a bone stock really clean 97 cherokee sport with a 5 speed manual recently and quickly realized the factory rails suck. I kayak a lot and was wondering if anyone knew of a mount that is solid that attatches round or square (ideally square) crossbars to the factory rails. I was thinking of making some but for the time being id like something like something I could buy. I know they exist because I saw someone with one a few days ago, but I didn’t get a chance to ask them about their mounting for their crossbars. I’d like to avoid gutter mounts if I can.
CF Veteran
Joined: May 2012
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From: Lost in the wilds of Virginia
Year: 1998 Classic (I'll get it running soon....) and 02 Grand
Model: Cherokee (XJ)
Engine: 4.0
CF Veteran
Joined: Nov 2017
Posts: 3,700
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From: Groton, MA
Year: 1995
Model: Cherokee(XJ)
Engine: I6 4.0L
Does anyone have advice on gutter mounts? My 95 is the SE model so there are no stock roof racks and I was contemplating whether to get some racks for it.
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Joined: Oct 2011
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From: SEMO
Year: 2000
Model: Cherokee (XJ)
Engine: 4.0 L6
I use Yakima gutter mounts and have no complaints. The rubber boots on them do a good job of protecting the paint on the gutters. They're really easy to remove & replace once they're set up, so I only have my rack on when I'm using it.
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Joined: Nov 2017
Posts: 3,700
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From: Groton, MA
Year: 1995
Model: Cherokee(XJ)
Engine: I6 4.0L
Sounds good. I think my Dad had a set of Yakima racks for his 94 (despite having the factory racks)... I'll have to see if he still has them. He definitely had a set of racks that looked like they were from the 70's, with 2x6's mounted to the rack with carpet on top that he used for transporting 2 canoes side by side. LOL!
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Joined: Oct 2011
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From: SEMO
Year: 2000
Model: Cherokee (XJ)
Engine: 4.0 L6
LOL, yeah I remember seeing a lot of that in the 70's...
Yakima raingutter mounts and bars are popular and can be found used pretty easily and cheaply on eBay. Be careful if you want locking mounts, as the really old ones aren't compatible with the SKS lock cores.
Yakima raingutter mounts and bars are popular and can be found used pretty easily and cheaply on eBay. Be careful if you want locking mounts, as the really old ones aren't compatible with the SKS lock cores.
Thread Starter
Newbie
Joined: Jan 2018
Posts: 15
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From: South Carolina
Year: 1997
Model: Cherokee(XJ)
Engine: 4.0
CF Veteran
Joined: Oct 2011
Posts: 1,394
Likes: 8
From: SEMO
Year: 2000
Model: Cherokee (XJ)
Engine: 4.0 L6
I would suspect that is the case. The door frame/gutter area is more rigid than a couple of inches over on the roof panel where the factory rack is attached. I prefer the gutter mounts not only for their improved weight-bearing aspect, but because they can be easily removed when not in use, and can be adjusted for a wider range of spread than the shorter late-model factory racks offer.. I don't use the factory crossbars anymore, so I can just leave them off, improving aerodynamics however slightly. I use two bars for bicycles and smaller items, then add a third bar up front for longer, heavier items like canoes.
Last edited by Tbone289; Apr 11, 2018 at 12:14 PM.
Member
Joined: Jan 2018
Posts: 186
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From: Poulsbo,Wa
Year: 1994
Model: Cherokee (XJ)
Engine: 4.0
Roof racks for SE
Well this is interesting...My 1st Jeep was a Sport and had factory rails..I liked the way they looked. My Red Mess is an SE with no rails and I was trying to find out where to get those factory rails...
But from what you guys are saying is I'll be better off with good rail mounts....
Well time to refocus
But from what you guys are saying is I'll be better off with good rail mounts....
Well time to refocus
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Joined: May 2012
Posts: 7,965
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From: Lost in the wilds of Virginia
Year: 1998 Classic (I'll get it running soon....) and 02 Grand
Model: Cherokee (XJ)
Engine: 4.0
Yes, there's actually a double layer of metal there, too, because that's where the roof panel is attached to the side panel.
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