Thanks, FJoel. I was really wondering about those things. I guess I got lucky because at the beginning of this project I tugged on one with needlenose pliers and it cracked and partly broke off. If I had pulled it out, I guess I would have lost the nut! So when the first one broke, I decided I should trim them. I trimmed them flush with the roof for x8 plastic thingys and never lost a nut. I think I would have been a lot more conservative about it if I had known what they were for!
Bad Voodo - I'm glad you like it. I was really happy that it turned out so great. I think your idea for a tent platform could take a fair amount of extra work. The front and rear connection points are lower than the middle connection point, so you'd have to have adaptors in three different heights for the front, middle and rear if you wanted a flat platform for your tent. The top of the middle adaptor would be flush with the roof. You could maybe measure how much extra height you'd need for the front and rear by using a level.
The aluminum is plenty strong. I wouldn't worry about that. But the Yakima Landing Pads are just made out of plastic. I'm not sure if they could take the weight and stress of a person moving around on top of them. Also, I'd be a little worried about the leverage placed on a tall adaptor like the rear one, which could be 6 inches tall or more. You might have to add bracing and stuff... I don't really know. For a tent platform you may be better off with one of those burly steel racks. Sadly, not as minimalist though.
For my car I'm working on a interior sleeping platform with storage underneath for my snowboard and gear and a couple of other features for backcountry snowboarding/camping trips next winter. Are you in Contra Costa County, CA? If so then Techshop is a good resource for you, too.
Cool cool. You must have seen LandCruiserSteve's box then right? For a sleeping platform, check out that thread. The talent on this forum never ceases to amaze me!
As for the hardware falling out inside... once you have those puppies on there it obviously is held up tight. I think where I really did it was after the plastic bits broke the first time and I tried undoing the mounts. I had siliconed them to the roof to prevent leaks (and yes they will leak without some sort of gasket... I found this out in a carwash before I got the silicone clue) and when I went to undo the mounts the threads forced the internal hardware downwards instead of the bolts upward. Clunk clunk. Darn.
I was making aluminum mounts for 1.25" aluminum cross bars so that they will be stronger than the plastic ones. The mounts are finished, I just need to get the bars formed a little. I will try to find the link but search "modded Dom mount."
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Thanks for the 'links.' I hadn't seen LandCruiserSteve's sleeping platform/box yet, but it is similar to what I had in mind. A lot of backcountry skiers and snowboarders that I know have similar sleeping platforms in their pickup trucks. I made sure that the idea was feasable for the FJ before I bought it. Steve has a lot of good ideas that I will likely incorporate, although some of my needs are different.
Your dom mounts look pretty cool. Definitely beyond my machining capabilities. I guess necessity is the mother of invention in my case...
I think I will go back and silicone my adaptors. I didn't bother because it seemed like Toyota hadn't worked too hard to seal anything up there. But after seeing your comments I remembered that the black springy thingy under the bolts had some kind of gasket seal under it.
__________________ Storn StornCo << Yakima Rack Systems for the FJ Cruiser
I was making aluminum mounts for 1.25" aluminum cross bars so that they will be stronger than the plastic ones. The mounts are finished, I just need to get the bars formed a little. I will try to find the link but search "modded Dom mount."
Joel, that modded Dom mount is absolutely perfect. Will they be made in different sizes to affect a level load-bar "surface?" Are you guys any further along with the development?
SF, thanks for all the info. Yep, I am in CC County. Would like to get together sometime and see everything you're working on.
-voodoo
__________________ 2007 FJC
Black Diamond | AT | TLCA #16337
Hey Voodoo - sorry for taking a little while to get back to you. I got some more info...
The front attachment point on the FJ is ~1 3/4 inches lower than the middle attachment point. The rear attachment point is only ~ 2 inches lower than the middle attachment point. I had guessed that it was more like 6" because the roof actually peaks behind the middle attachment and then falls off rapidly, which gives off an illusion.
So anyway, I don't think leverage on the adaptors and landing pads is so much of a problem.
Also, I realized that you don't have to have the crossbars all in a row anyway. You could build feet on the bottom of whatever platform you will use for your tent and design them to mate to the crossbars at whatever level they naturally end up.
However, I did try to lookup the weight limits for Yakima racks. I would have to go find a catalog (they didn't have one online!) to find out the weight limitations for those specific components. However Yakima did state that their strongest setup is rated at 165 lbs. I suppose if you had two extra supports you could hold 50% more... about 250 lbs. I don't know... you have to decide if that a wide enough margin for you and I would track down a catalog (checkout REI) and find out the specific weight limitations for the landing pads and the control towers.
When I said that I was 'working on' a sleeping platform I meant that I have some thoughts on the subject, but that's about it. But I do have the deadline that I have to be done before the snow starts falling. So I'm gonna try to move on it this Summer. It would be fun to meet up. Maybe we could meet up at techshop sometime. I'll show you how to use the machine shop if you help with my sleeping platform. It could be helpful for your project too. Just a thought.
__________________ Storn StornCo << Yakima Rack Systems for the FJ Cruiser
OK, this is what I've been wanting since last year. So who can make this production worthy so I can buy them already? I already have the same towers but no way to mount it on my roof.
Isn't Techshop the place connected w/ Make Magazine? Or at least I remember an article related to it.
__________________
Sun Fusion Auto 4WD - FE, CQ, UR, Z1
Mods: BFG 285 70/17's on stock alloys, Aeroflow headlight covers, FJ3-FRCC Toytec Lift Kit with OME-N71, Demello sliders, dual rear cargo nets, stock tow hitch, DICE iPod kit, Yakima rack with StornCo adapters, SwissArmySUV Overhead map light, 2008 Side Visors
The hardware is definitely inadequate as were the seals. A little kitchen/bath silicone does a much better job, and I too had to pull the headliner due to this "engineering" fiasco Toyota calls a roof rack.
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