Here is tbe "spacer" that i did to be able to have clearance from the rack seating on the roof.

1" square aluminum tube
Longer U bolts.

Sorry for the pic quality.

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How much clearance between bolts and roof?

0.5 inch..roof and rack is 1 inch

Thank you for being one of the 18 humans in this world that know how to use the word myriad....

I think this thread/setup is underappreciated! Not everyone wants or needs one of the various full rack setups (Gobi, Baja, etc).

Hope to keep this discussion going with a few thoughts/observations.

- To anyone that has this setup (particularly with mounts inverted), is it quick/easy to take the rack on/off (leaving the mounts on)? Getting to the nuts under the Ubolts, etc.

I'm considering this setup but would not leave the rack on full time, only when doing longer off road/camping trips. I'm thinking that using the OEM crossbars and the mounts that come with the Rola would make for easier on/off action. (Though the OEM crossbars would have to stay on then.)

- do OEM crossbars add much wind noise when nothing is on them?

- Ecko - thanks for the spacer pics (staring eyes kinda spooked me!), but I think the height of the rack is basically the same as if you had just inverted the mounts in the first place?

Thanks

Since it's been on/off three times since installing, it's now pretty quick for me to remove, assuming you have ratcheting-style open-end wrenches (they need to be narrow). Takes a bit longer to install as you have to get everything straight, nuts symmetrically tight, etc. Maybe 5-10 minutes to remove, 20-30 to re-install.

No, not at all that I noticed.

Seems about right, though those bolts look way closer to the roof than mine are. Can't imagine having to get those nuts on/off more than once without flinging a wrench through a window in exasperation.

Is there any reason people are going Rola over Yakima?

mcarey - I think the Rola is about half the price as Yakima baskets

b407, ecko - now that I look back at ecko pic from earlier in the thread, the basket does seem to sit a bit lower with his spacer setup, but pretty tight clearance bolt ends to roof...okay for a full time install but not something I'd want to take on/off often.

b407 - thanks for the additional info

Price, and despite how similar they look, I can't stand the look of the Yakima.

The Rola just looks simple, burly, almost like a 'real' stock rack should look, IMO (kind of like the FJ OEM racks). Takes a little prep work to seal prior to installing, but I figured for the price, I'd give it a whirl for a couple of years and see if I could get by without spending $1k+ on a different rack that might likely rust.

If I ever replace it, it will likely be with an aluminum Rhino product.

I have the rola on oem crossbars - it's really quick on/off - it can be a bit awkward but it's manageable to put on or take off by yourself if you're careful. I also marked my crossbars with a subtle line using a sharpie so I can quickly align the feet that attach to them because I am OCD about the thing being perfectly centered and aligned which is what takes the most time.

No wind noise for me (using the rola wind fairing as well) but a loss of about 1mpg.

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@b407driver , thanks for the inspiration… you saved me about $100 having to buy a set of cross bars to mount my Coleman roof basket!! Fabbed a quick set of brackets out of some 1/4" alum angle. Lest anyone copy the dimensions, keep in mind these are NOT FOR A ROLA RACK!! My Coleman basket measures 39” wide, which I imagine is close though.



In looking at factory cross bars on Amazon some months ago, I read one reviewer who suggested using a paint lid opener to pop off the end caps. BRILLIANT!!





Punched some 3/8” wide slots in a piece of 1/8” x 1” aluminum flat bar to use with some carriage bolts in the factory rails.



Installed.

Nice work! Cool to see someone fab a set of these to their exact needs. The basic concept of the angle bracket seems like it could be adapted to a lot of uses, and I wish companies like Rhino would make an option like this instead of relying on the stupid crossbars; so much more elegant a solution.

^^ I would think you could adapt your set-up to work with a Rhino easy enough.

Anyone have the Rola with the extension? Would love to see some pics to see how it looks. I have the standard and I'm thinking about going w the extension. Thanks!


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lol, come on man. it's only a 4 page thread. read it.

edit: classic, it's now a 5 page thread.