A quick little back ground, I'm gonna build a high rack to mount on top of my 1990 Cherokee Laredo. This will be slightly different than a roof rack, this will actually be a high rack to use on the ranch to hunt out of. I'm trying to determine if I connect all the way down to the frame or if the roof rack will hold an aluminum frame with two grown men sitting on top of it. Probably looking at about 400 pounds total in addition to the rack itself. Any thoughts on the strength of the roof? I'm inclined to drop the rails down the sides and attach to the frame, but thought this might be the right place to ask the question.

 

I'm interested to know how you fab this whatever you end up doing. If anyone could post directions on how to make a regular roof rack that would be awesome too. The type that you can put a tire in and other cargo gear would be damn cool.

What did you have in mind in terms of height for the rack?

-Nate

 

Depends on just where and how you are going to distribute the weight.. Are you planning on doing a drip rail install? If you connect all the way to the undercarriage then I would say that the weight limit would be much greater and would depend on the suplies and method of Rack floor your going to use. My old xj had a drip rail monted system and I loaded about 400 pounds worth of material ( plywood, studs, 2x8) on it and drove ten miles with it on top without an issue. it had 6 legs that were bolted to the rail.

If you go to the undercarriage then you have more options. you could even make it a pin pull removable type all depends on the mounting system and the materials used. Just watch how much weight you add up top, it'll change the Center of Gravity a bit if you use it as a daily driver.

 

The stock roof rack mounts are not really up to 400#. It might hold it but it would be marginal. If you attach to the drip rail and distribute the weight it will hold.

 

My Yakima drip rail mounted rack has a limit of 175 lbs (by the manufacturer). If you had more than just the 4 mounting points you could probably go higher, but I don't know about 400 lbs. Looking at your plan and interest, I'm assuming you're planning on using this very frequently and that will require more strength than the drip rails would allow.

Come to think of it, you should ask Overland (I believe his name is). HE has mounted some sort of contraption to mount a tent on top of his XJ. Surely that is the type of design you could use.

s

 

Stock rack limit 100#. Remember, the steel roof panel is supporting some of the weight too.

400+# up high? I think I would bring 4 supports down and tie them into the body pan/integrated frame rails. With stout 2" square tubing.

Safety first.

 

Mine attaches to the drip rails too, and I have put a good amount of weight up there. I would take it off to wheel for sure, but to get to the spot I will load it up quite a bit. Fuel, camping supplies, etc... not sure of the actual weight, but I know that stuff adds up!! Here are a couple of shots of mine loaded for our annual Labor Day weekend camping trip last year:

 

You talkin about something like this?



Looks like the "poacher special"!!!

All they need is some million candlepower spots.

 

it wont be a daily driver, in fact if it gets much over 15-20 on the ranch that will be "warp speed".

I've considered the removeable pin type rack as I might not always want the rack on. At the very least it will bolt to the frame if thats the direction I choose to go. Here is a pic of a high rack on a CJ - i'm looking to do something similar but not as much of a vertical profile.

 

That rack looks pretty heavy. The one like I posted would reduce your weight. You could fab up some crossmembers on the rack and mount some swivel boat seats or something like that. You might even consider using 2"x6" treated lumber across the bottom of the rack to mount seats to.

 

To better support the weight without having to do gutter mounts, you could make it big enough so that you could bolt it to the rack bars, and have it wide enough so that you could weld/bolt a piece of angle iron and rest it on the side rails.

 

Where would be an inexpensive place to pick up an aftermarket rack? And yeah, some of those look likes poachers paradise!

-Nate

 

lol, ok... for the record - the hunting racks are not "poachers paradise".. in Texas, specifically South Texas the trees are usually not more than about 10 feet tall. The ranch roads and powerlines are typically where the hunting takes place. Because the ranches are so big people put a hunting rack on top of their 4WD's. That allows you to hunt different area's of the ranch depending on conditions etc. you pull up to your spot and then climb up top to hunt so you can see more territory. The brush is so thick you cant see more than about 20 feet so you have to be able to be above it.

Anyway - all that is probably for another forum... just wanted to clear the air!

Thanks for all the info, i'm starting to make measurements and drawings, i'll post it up after i've got it done!

 

I was just talking specifically about the one I posted up on the wrangler. Those seats on the front look like a road hunter's contraption. I think the top mounted blind would be cool.