Want to put stuff on roof. I am bad with knots despite having been a Cub Scout. So something idiot proof would be nice. Ratchets a good idea? What brand and type would the experts recommend? Thank you.

Ratchet straps are nice and easy to tighten down. Buy the appropriate width for what you are carrying.
I like the Front Runner Stratchets, but they are pricey.

I have ratchet straps, Front Runner stratch-its and the-perfect-bungees. I use all three for 3 different loads. The Roller-Cam ones are nice too.

Thank you! Found one on Amazon. Looks like its the same one. No real explanation on install and removal, but should be simple enough. Thank you. Another edit: The Stratchets look like they require an eyelet to receive the end. The Pro rack has nothing like that. I'd need something that loops around the bars and locks onto itself.

Awesome. I am going to check those other two out. The more the merrier. Thanks a ton! Edit: The Perfect Bungee sounded familiar. Turns out I have a bunch of those! I wasn't sure they were any good because they're just a hook on each end. Seemed, "unsafe" for a novice like me to do. Thanks!

In order to use ratchet straps properly with the pro rack, you also need some soft loops for the hook ends to grab.

Rhino makes some solid ones.

Thank you! Are these them?

Rhino USA Soft Loop Tie-Down Straps (4-Pack)

You look around the bars, then put the hooks through both?

I like the non ratcheting straps. Works for kayaks and lots of other stuff. Amazon.com : VAMO SUP Kayak Surfboard Surf Rack Tie Down Straps - Black Pair (15FT) : Sports & Outdoors

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Sorry for the thread drift - I just ordered a 21 TRD Pro. It should be arriving in about 10 weeks.

It's too tall to fit in my building's garage so the basket will need to come off prior to delivery.

Is it difficult to remove the basket? The dealer said they will be glad to take it off, however, they've never done it before. I don't want to have any water leakage issues in the future...

thanks so much for any insight. I am new to the forum and dont have the necessary thread count to start a new discussion.

Thank again.

That sucks...not to be an a**, but why didn't you check your garage height before ordering?? Seems to me you're losing some of the benefit of having a 4Runner if you can't put a rack on it..That aside, there are a couple of threads on here where folks have removed them..If I recall there's some sort of kit you can buy to do it..

It's easy to take off. A cap and 2 bolts per corner. The main question is, what are you going to do after?

Like, is the goal to permanently delete the roof rack? Find an OEM SR5 rack that's lower profile? After market rack?

Taking the rack off is easy, but what your plans are after will depend on the water sealing answer.

You really need to research this on this site, use the search feature.

Two big issues off the top:

1 - you need to understand how these are bolted to the roof, how the bolts and corresponding nuts interface, unless you want to remove the headliner.

2 - you stand a very good chance of denting the roof panel at step one of removing the rack.

3 - If you can search for the details, you will know more than the dealer will on doing this, they even told you that.

For this AND for the OP, @Little_tower fashioned a mod that removes the top level on the Pro rack that not only gives you a few inches back but also makes the rack a bit more functional. You'll lose the 'basket' look but the mod is non-destructive. Should you want to get that basket back, just rebuild it.

See #3 on this thread TRD PRO Basket Mods

Yes exactly those. They loop around the bar, you hook the end of the ratchet strap into one and then do the same thing on the other side. Takes the guesswork out of using the pro rack and is the proper way to tie the strap to a round member that the hook won't fit on.

As a general rule - I almost always use typical 2" heavy duty ratchet straps. Most 1" width straps are garbage. I'm sure there are some good ones, but most are crap. The ratchet mechanisms are usually just not very good and dont' last a long time.

However - the standard hook end on a common 2" ratchet strap like this is too large to physically fit under the OEM cross bar.


So you need to find straps with ends that look like this if you want them to be easy to use on the OEM rack.


The biggest mistake people frequently make tying down stuff is to wrap the strap around the object in a loop. Don't do that. You go over the top and use the strap to hold the object down against the rack and friction between the object and the rack is what keeps it in place.

NO:


Yes:

Most dealers sell a roof rack delete kit, or you can find them on Ebay or Amazon. The old roof rack is worth gold. The going prices on Ebay are about $700 to $800 plus shipping. Shipping is expensive though and it is hard to package even when disassembled.

I bought mine on Ebay for $400 only because the seller didn't know what she had; advertised it as after market, not OEM.

If you still want a roof rack, go as suggested earlier: an SR5 rack which is much lower profile, but beware that most cargo boxes will not fit for the cross bars are too near the roof.