Aluminum Roof Rack

[TIT-CRUISER]

Has Rasta4x4 looked into this?


I am interested in a full size roof rack that is lighter than the current offerings. It seems that your skid plates are getting good reviews so I thought that a aluminum rack will help keep the COG as low as possible.

[shane4x4]

I believe the stock rack is aluminum. It'd be nice to have an aftermarket aluminum basket go compliment it.

[Rasta4x4Usa]

I will ask the manufacturer if he would be interested in making some. Not sure if there would be interest because this is more of an accessory and there is also a minimum of 25 pieces when making a new item.

[cnynrat]

The stock rack is aluminium and plastic. IMO an all aluminium rack as an alternative to the stock rack would be more ineresting than a basket because the stock rack is still somewhat limited due to the plastic pieces and the design of the cross members.

I suspect the challenge would be making it cost effective.

[shane4x4]

If there were some type of aluminum replacement for the cross members, and maybe a basket of some sort - that'd be worth something I think. Cost effective is another story altogether

[TIT-CRUISER]

I know that it won't be cheap, but neither is the Gobi Stealth. I would like to see something lighter than the Gobi since the rack is at the very top of the truck. I have a thing about racks.

[shane4x4]

That's a good point. How much could 4-6 aluminum cross bars w/mounting hardware & powder coated to match the stock roof rack cost? Add some type of 'grate' or something for the basket up front & you'd be good to go.

Now that I think about it, aren't the cross members already aluminum? Someone needs to make some high-speed steel or aluminum brackets to replace the plastic crap. Now i'm brainstorming

[TIT-CRUISER]

shane4x4 previously said:

Someone needs to make some high-speed steel or aluminum brackets to replace the plastic crap. Now i'm brainstorming

I agree, it shouldn't be too difficult if I only had the tools to make it happen.

[Aslan]

I did a plate of 6061 as a roof rack cross bar replacement. I had it water-jetted with slots to allow for airflow and to lighten it.

It was pretty expensive to do. I ended up replacing it with a full length ARB rack. I still have the aluminum plate and use it for a work table in my garage. It was great for what it was, but I needed a larger rack for gear.

based on my experience, if Rasta can come up with a production setup, it should be better cost wise than what I could do on my own.

From a strength and capability standpoint, it kicked butt.

be good to see what these guys can come up with.

[bcsfj]

Perhaps develop a blueprint and possible a prototype model. Post a thread for interest in groupbuy and if the support is there offer a groupbuy for the introduction of a new product. That's what several other vendors on this forum have done with much success.