Factory Roof rack - Useless?
 

I have an 2007 SR5 V6 with factory rails and cross bars. I find the rack pretty useless. Does anyone have any recommendations for how to make the rack more worthy. If not, I have been looking at adding Rhino SXB aero bars for weekend loads, lumber, bikes, but thought I should ask around first. Accessories aren't cheap like cargo box etc. in case I want to add-on later. Any thoughts on the subject? Any simple solutions that look good and are quick to mount?

How is ite useless?

Snowboard racks, two bikes, or a cargo box all fit up there. But then if you don't have anything to put up there i guess it is a "useless" rack

Don't forget a tire! :)

I have a Yakima rack attached to my stock rack mainly because the stock cross bars are so weak. I have hauled lumber, beds, and other stuff up there on those cross bars. I have had that rack for over 20 years and just kept switching it from car to car. I just had to buy the rail-grabs when i put it on my truck.

Useless!?

http://i1228.photobucket.com/albums/...8.jpg~original

Works great for 22' extension and 12' step ladder.

To me it is useless I can't even put my tin boat up there which weighs a little less than 200lbs. I'm looking at getting a custom roof rack made up if I can't find anything that will work.

The cross rails are sort of lame, but the side rails seem pretty beefy. I removed my cross rails then drilled and tapped four pieces of aluminum and slid them into the side rails so that I have four moveable locations into which I can bolt my Yakima cross bars or a roof rack depending on my needs. It has gone from lame to useable and my investment was almost nothing.

Works fine for a ski rack or mattress/box spring.

Anything beyond that I guess you'd need to get more/new equipment.

Yeah, "useless" in what sense?

I've got an old Yakima Basket Case that I bought 21 years ago and with some cross bar adapters I put it on the factory crossbars. Have used it to haul the spare tire for my trailer (trailer doesn't have the capacity to mount a spare) and also firewood. On my next big 4x4 camping trip it will hold 2 x 3 gallon Rotopax fuel cans.

Here's a picture of us loaded up and heading to Wyoming with the trailer in tow and a spare tire and bundle of firewood on the rack. Worked just fine.

http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z...A.jpg~original

And I have no reason to believe it wouldn't haul my canoe in much the same way that I carried it on my '99 T4R.

I admire the looks of the bigger/beefier racks but I'm not willing to take the hit on mileage and the Yakima does what I need a rack to do. I have a receiver hitch carrier for bicycles and a trailer if I need to haul anything big.

It is useful for small things like a spare that weighs what 70-90lbs even a decent size canoe is only around 100-150lbs. Heck I even carried a 20lb propane tank and 2 5gal fuel cans in a homemade wood roof box the first time out with the pop up . With the limits Toyota put on the factory racks no way I feel safe throwing my $2000 aluminum boat up there is what I mean I had my rack apart to paint a a year or two ago and those cross bars are so wimpy. I have used my buddies 1st gen 4r to haul it around but it had some old universal style racks. I have Yakima racks on my pop up that would do the job but then stuck with the boat not being as mobile to take to other fishing holes.

Teardrop Trailer
 

Did you make that trailer? I've seen lots of plans on-line. Anything you would change about it?

I find them to be quite useful. I know they flex a bit when you load it up a bit but I wonder if that is by design.

The roof rack is actually a very rugged structure on the Gen 4's.

The rails are very strong and are nice and long (compare to 3rd and 5th gen rails which are nearly a foot shorter)

The cross bars have plastic ends that slide in the rail tracks and that is their weak point but they are still quite strong. The cross bars themselves are made of extruded aluminum with with structural ribs inside the foils.

I have mounted Thule Aero Bars for hauling multiple kayaks. No movement at all at highway speeds with 2 or three 18 foot boats up there.

Not sure why OP feels the rack is useless, I actually would give it high marks for construction and strength. (talking about the standard SR5 roof rack)

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Sorry for taking this thread off topic for a second, but what grille is that ^ jdkilroy? It looks awesome!