Roof racks
Submitted: Saturday, Aug 27, 2011 at 11:36
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Taf68
Hi All,
just after some advice regarding roofracks. I have been chatting to the guys at TJM coopers plains about roof racks for my challenger. The system i want is the rhino rack heavy duty system as, with a few acessories, this will be able to meet all our needs for camping, kayaking and other items we carry. But to have this i need to have tracks fitted to the car. I have been told that this will not compromise the car and it will remain both waterproof and structurally intact and that they are strong enough to meet all our needs, including a planned trip to the cape.
so now to the questions
1. Has anyone else had this system fitted as an aftermarket accessory, and how is it. did it live up to your expectations or did it develop problems after fitting?
2. talking to the staff at tjm gives the impression that they know what they are talking about and are professional at what they do. is anyone able to confirm this. I dont want to spend hard earned money with someone only to find out that once the money is in their bank they really dont give a damn about customer service.
Thanks,
Taf
Reply By: 4053david - Saturday, Aug 27, 2011 at 12:21
Saturday, Aug 27, 2011 at 12:21
Hi Taf,
Probably bad karma to start drilling holes throught the roof except as a (very) last resort.
Have you checked out the Rhino range. You don't mention which model Challenger you have but Rhino have roof bars for all models. For the latest Challenger, which has existing factory rails fitted, you need to buy the Rhino cross bars and then fit either a steel mesh basket or platform to the bars.
This set up may not do all that you want but has the dual advantages of firstly not requiring any holes to be drilled and secondly it can be easily removed and stored away until needed.
AnswerID:
463633
Reply By: Member - OnYaBike - Saturday, Aug 27, 2011 at 20:10
Saturday, Aug 27, 2011 at 20:10
There was a track system riveted on to my 02 Rodeo crewcab when I bought it.
I fitted a roof basket. After the 3rd or 4th trip to the Cape some of the rivets started to pull out of the roof. I think it was a combination of the weight and corrugations over time.
It is not so much the dips where everything pushes down, but
the humps where the 80gk or so attached to the basket wants to keep going skywards with only half a dozen or so rivets preventing it.
I replaced rivets and added extras with plenty of silicone BUT mainly I took off the basket, leaving only the tracks for cosmetic purposes, and had a custom steel rack made for
the tub. Problem solved.
My advice: buy nothing involving rivets.
AnswerID:
463657
Reply By: Pouchey - Saturday, Aug 27, 2011 at 21:54
Saturday, Aug 27, 2011 at 21:54
Taf
Interestinley I just fitted a set of tracks & heavy duty Rhino bars to my Colorado today.
I had the same bars on my previous vehicle but that had mounting points already set up during manufacture. I had them on that vehicle for approx five years with no problems but mainly only carried lighter material & a spare tyre when doing a trip.
The chap at roofrack city said that not too many vehicles come with pre installed tracks anymore.
AnswerID:
463663
Reply By: Taf68 - Monday, Aug 29, 2011 at 22:24
Monday, Aug 29, 2011 at 22:24
Hi all,
Thanks for all the replies and advice. David, in answer to your question the challenge is a 2002 PA. It has factory fitting points but they are recessed into the roof line and are so small that i dont think they will be secure enough that i would trust them on anything more than simple and light camping trips.
Secondly, there are only two of these small fixing points on the challenger and i want to have a set up with three legs/bars. I have always used three because i dont like the idea of being in the middle of nowhere and having a leg/bracket break and suddenly i am stuck with all my gear on the side of the road and no way to get it
home.
So far i think i am going to go ahead and book the car in to get the tracks and racks fitted. Then i can start to looking for the rest of the wish list: a
snorkel, dual battery setup and set of drawers
Taf
AnswerID:
463829
Follow Up By: Member - Mark (Tamworth NSW) - Thursday, Sep 01, 2011 at 18:49
Thursday, Sep 01, 2011 at 18:49
Taf
Contact Rhino direct via e mail, they were very helpful to me when I was facing a similar dilemma with our NS Pajero, they had detailed technical advice. As we already had Rhino bars, we settled for a Rhino cage instead which still met our needs without the need for drilling. You may still need the heavier duty bars and rack.
If you do a search you will find someone asked a similar question 3-4 months ago and people replied that they had no problems screwing some form of track into their roof.
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