Crowdsourced roof rack design?

[Eitek1]

Has anyone considered a crowd sourced type roof rack design for the 5th gen?

I was thinking of something really modular that could be bolted together without fancy jigs needed for construction.

I think every decent sized town will have a shop with a CNC plasma cutter to cut out the sides and front rails. My guy locally charged 15 cents per foot for cuts. I was thinking of using something like electrical unistrut for the cross rails. They have a lot of ready made attachment options for unistrut so that's a plus.

I have access to some 3d modeling software (fusion 3d) and I don't think it would be all hat hard to design. Designing one and "getting it right" are two different things, that's where crowdsourcing comes in.

Also, the design would be totally open. Don't want to do all the work yourself? I'm sure a shop would love to sell kits and would be encouraged to do so.

Any thoughts?

 

[honda250xtitan]

so a prinsu rack lol.

 

[Eitek1]

so a prinsu rack lol.

Actually, same concept I guess with a more modular rack system. I don't want to steal anyone's "design" but that method of construction in manufacturing is fairly well integrated already.

I think there may be a couple of roof racks out there doing this so it's not a proprietary design type.

 

[e60ral]

I would much rather use 80/20 extrusions for the cross bars than unistrut

if you can design the siderails, siderails and 80/20 extrusions is what prinsu is

 

[jafrush]

I would much rather use 80/20 extrusions for the cross bars than unistrut

if you can design the siderails, siderails and 80/20 extrusions is what prinsu is

And the Frontrunner too, basically. Its not a bad way to do it. We've looked at it too.

 

[Eitek1]

I would much rather use 80/20 extrusions for the cross bars than unistrut

if you can design the siderails, siderails and 80/20 extrusions is what prinsu is

What advantage do you get from the 80/20 cross rails that you wouldn't get with unistrut? I've not handled the 80/20 extrusions but I've handled miles of unistrut and it seems pretty capable.

 

[3wbdriver]

Please post a picture of this unistrut. I think I know what you're talking about but not positive.

 

[Friggin Idiot]

Have you seen [MENTION=139789]RagoFabrication[/MENTION] new Modular Rail System for OEM Rails? They have been posting pictures with some really big tents up there.

 

[e60ral]

What advantage do you get from the 80/20 cross rails that you wouldn't get with unistrut? I've not handled the 80/20 extrusions but I've handled miles of unistrut and it seems pretty capable.

Rust resistance, modularity, accesories, aesthetics, probably strength, etc...

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

 

[jafrush]

We're making them also. I've been working on ours since the summer, we've got several sets out in the wild now. Check them out at the link in my sig.

Have you seen [MENTION=139789]RagoFabrication[/MENTION] new Modular Rail System for OEM Rails? They have been posting pictures with some really big tents up there.

 

[honda250xtitan]

Actually, same concept I guess with a more modular rack system. I don't want to steal anyone's "design" but that method of construction in manufacturing is fairly well integrated already.

I think there may be a couple of roof racks out there doing this so it's not a proprietary design type.

electrical unistrut is very unrefined compared to the other options already on the market.

 

[Eitek1]

Rust resistance, modularity, accesories, aesthetics, probably strength, etc...

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

Unistrut is Galvanized so it doesn't rust, and really wouldn't if painted. There is nothing more modular, there are about 1000 products made to attach to or hook to unistrut in some fashion. As far as strength goes, you can hang a buick from unistrut it's incredibly strong. It's essentially the building block of an industrial erector set.

Aesthetics, you might have it there but unless you are looking at it from the top it would just look like a regular channel I think. I just thought with the "maturity" of the unistrut product line it would crossover very nicely to roof rails due to the versatility offered with attaching options.

Here's the "deep" channel

Here's the "Shallow" channel

Here's a link to a catalog showing some of the attaching options.
Unistrut U.S.

If folks aren't interested that's cool. I just thought it might be fun for another good professional looking option for folks that are handy.

 

[e60ral]

Unistrut is Galvanized so it doesn't rust, and really wouldn't if painted. There is nothing more modular, there are about 1000 products made to attach to or hook to unistrut in some fashion. As far as strength goes, you can hang a buick from unistrut it's incredibly strong. It's essentially the building block of an industrial erector set.

Aesthetics, you might have it there but unless you are looking at it from the top it would just look like a regular channel I think. I just thought with the "maturity" of the unistrut product line it would crossover very nicely to roof rails due to the versatility offered with attaching options.

Here's the "deep" channel

Here's the "Shallow" channel

Here's a link to a catalog showing some of the attaching options.
Unistrut U.S.

If folks aren't interested that's cool. I just thought it might be fun for another good professional looking option for folks that are handy.

galvanized stuff rusts, galvanizing just slows it. 80/20 extrusions are aluminum. i do construction management, lots of industrial projects, i'm very familiar with unistrut. unistrut is not modular in the way 80/20 is, not in the context of a roof rack.

if you want a unistrut rack knock yourself out, but it won't look good

 

[NC-Chris]

Ldf off-road what are your bars made of? Steel or aluminum.

 

[honda250xtitan]

Unistrut is Galvanized so it doesn't rust, and really wouldn't if painted. There is nothing more modular, there are about 1000 products made to attach to or hook to unistrut in some fashion. As far as strength goes, you can hang a buick from unistrut it's incredibly strong. It's essentially the building block of an industrial erector set.

Aesthetics, you might have it there but unless you are looking at it from the top it would just look like a regular channel I think. I just thought with the "maturity" of the unistrut product line it would crossover very nicely to roof rails due to the versatility offered with attaching options.

Here's the "deep" channel

Here's the "Shallow" channel

Here's a link to a catalog showing some of the attaching options.
Unistrut U.S.

If folks aren't interested that's cool. I just thought it might be fun for another good professional looking option for folks that are handy.

https://www.8020.net
Galvanized certainly rusts, paint definitely doesn't help much especially if its piece that gets knocked into, strapped down onto, slid across, etc.

aluminum or stainless steel:rockon:

 

[Eitek1]

I have to say I'm a little embarrassed. I've worked in an industrial setting in one capacity or another for the past 24 years. I can say that I've never seen 80/20 aluminum extrusion used once for anything.

I literally thought it was a proprietary product until I googled it. The only reason I through about unistrut is because it's just a general product without a single supplier (and the fact you can buy it at Home Depot).

Now that's out of the way, I guess the roof rails should be made out of 80/20 extrusion... If this would turn into a crowd sourced effort at this point I think the crowd is saying 80/20 is the way to go.

What other features should it have?

When you think about it, use this philosophy.

1. What should it achieve that other racks don't?
2. What flaws should the design avoid?
3. What qualities that are currently familiar should it maintain?

 

[jafrush]

Ldf off-road what are your bars made of? Steel or aluminum.

Steel with black powdercoat. They only weigh 5 pounds each, going to aluminum doesn't save that much.