mtclmbr

So... I broke my factory roof rack cross bars carrying a significant amount of lumber back from Lowes.... I researched a seemingly unending plethora of aftermarket cross bars because obviously if I broke the factory cross bar it would not serve as a suitable a replacement!

I wanted the replacement to have high strength and go the distance... I thought Yakima and Thule was going to be the way to go until the price tag was around $300.

I looked into some other off road options but most mount to the gutter rails or drilling into the roof and I didn't like the idea of digging into the paint and abandoning the factory installed rails...

After seeing a picture of Kevin's Off road roof rack mounts.. which they denied to sell me without the rack... I ventured out on my own and put this together..

It took a little precise measurements and a few attempts to get the angle iron cut and shaped just right but in the end I am pretty happy with it. I have stainless eye hooks on one side and I am going to put 4 inch stainless dock cleats on the other for a super easy method of securing loads and more lumber! The strength of this design is far superior to the factory cross rails and as far as durability of the wood... we'll see. I have had this treated 2x4 for a couple years outside already and it was no longer needed in its prior life as a flag pole. I plan to coat in spar urathene to help out... but hey worst case. $5 For another set of cross bars! All said and done I probably have $30 into these cross bars and I couldn't be happier.

JPXJMOAB

Why would you ever do that ... Metal tubing would've been so much stronger and more durable .. But WAY better looking

STUD IN THE MUD

Well.... you saved money i suppose

Fred/N0AZZ

I had wooden bumpers on an old farm truck a long time ago, they worked and were cheap wood came from an old barn than fell down.

Nick-B

You could at least paint them black so they're not so redneck.
Other than that I like it.

mtclmbr

Metal could of been stronger... but considering these racks will be frequently abused with strapped down lumber and plywood it would surely scrape off the paint and because of my proximity to the coast, the salt air would accelerate corrosion.

I contemplated using white oak which I can get custom milled in Houston for $50 but I am not planning a trip up there for some time and I wanted something for immediate use...

This jeep is a very utilitarian vehicle so I don't mind having the raw treated wood on it... I am really excited for the stainless eye hooks and dock cleats Mounted to it, makes it super easy to secure cargo.

Thanks for the comments! If I get around to the white oak I'll post some pics!

XJmike0122

Man honestly no it doesn't look the best but (and it's a big but) it's doing what you need it to do so that all that really matters.

nicksan

At first I was like, oh theres 2x4s on the rack, but then I saw that the 2x4s are the rack.. LOL.
Simple and Cheap, I guess............

extrashaky

My first thought was "ghetto," but redneck is a much better description. I suppose it works, if he doesn't mind people laughing at it. A coat of paint would definitely help, though.

I understand not wanting to drill into the roof, but why not use the gutter rails? That's a stronger mounting location, and if you're carrying heavy crap up there, I would think you would want it as sturdy as you could get it. The stock roof rail system was designed for kayaks and bikes, not for lumber.

ETA: Check out this thread:

https://www.cherokeeforum.com/f59/in...lution-204334/

I found some of those pallet shelves at a surplus store a while back. I think they were $20 each. Not only would it look a lot better, the cage design gives you all sorts of tie-down options.

1000rrstunna

Wow... This is terrible... ��

Ianf406

Good choice with the treated... At least you didn't use regular old wood. Glad its working for ya! I personally wouldn't make one of wood but I would do that before alot of the stuff I see on here. Good job being creative!