Thule M.O.A.B

[emsmatt]

Looking for pics of 5TH gens with the Thule MOAB with and/or without the extension set. Ive looked around the threads and searched the rack thread started by Quentin with no success so far. Thanks for the help.

 

[arvmark]

So far this is the best pic I have. The rack is not always on the truck, but I can answer any questions you have about it. I also have the Thule cargo net for this basket, and the load bars, just not shown in this pic.

 

[Shooter33]

Looks nice. I'm assuming that pic shows the extension also?

How is it for noise?

And have you noticed a change in mpg?

Thanks.

 

[arvmark]

Right. Pic above is with extension. I put it up there with no extension originally, and in my opinion it didn't look right, too small. I don't normally drive around with it unloaded, but when loaded, noise is definitely noticeable. Mpg impact has not been significant. Without the extension you may not notice the noise as much, as the rack will sit further back on the truck.

 

[sp8ball]

So far this is the best pic I have. The rack is not always on the truck, but I can answer any questions you have about it. I also have the Thule cargo net for this basket, and the load bars, just not shown in this pic.

Thanks for the pic, Arvmark. That's the basket I was interested in, but I didn't know how it looked on a 5th Gen. You have the right color and everything!

My only concern was the "stealthy/sleek look" vs. this thing being on top of roof bars. That pic is on factory bars...how high does it sit with the load bars?

 

[arvmark]

I'm out of town right now. After I get home i'll give you some good measurements. I would not call it stealthy or sleek, though. The issues I have stem from the factory rails /bars (low capacity, low clearance between roof & bars), not from the Thule rack. I will say that for the price of the rack, I was disappointed by what I consider to be too much plastic in the design. If I had my way I'd have rails & bars spec'd to hold 300 lbs and an all metal basket that I could install / remove easily.

 

[arvmark]

Thanks for the pic, Arvmark. That's the basket I was interested in, but I didn't know how it looked on a 5th Gen. You have the right color and everything!

My only concern was the "stealthy/sleek look" vs. this thing being on top of roof bars. That pic is on factory bars...how high does it sit with the load bars?

I'm out of town right now. After I get home i'll give you some good measurements. I would not call it stealthy or sleek, though. The issues I have stem from the factory rails /bars (low capacity, low clearance between roof & bars), not from the Thule rack. I will say that for the price of the rack, I was disappointed by what I consider to be too much plastic in the design. If I had my way I'd have rails & bars spec'd to hold 300 lbs and an all metal basket that I could install / remove easily.

I think I may have misunderstood your question. The load bars I have come with the Moab and mount to the top rail of the basket. I always mount the Moab to the factory bars, as I (currently) do not have an aftermarket base rack system.

 

[emsmatt]

I like the M.O.A.B but it becasue I want to be able to use the bars to put surfboards 1 side we needed and the crossbars on top of the basket is perfect for that. My only concern is how high it is. It seems to sit very high when mounted on top of the factory crossbars. Is there a base system available to purchase which would bring the whole thing down a bit?

 

[TOYSTRY]

Dumb question. If the factory cargo rails are rated for 150lbs, wouldn't installing a Thule roof rack (or any rack that mounts to the factory cargo rails) defeat the purpose of being able to carry extra stuff/weight on top of your 4Runner?

 

[emsmatt]

Dumb question. If the factory cargo rails are rated for 150lbs, wouldn't installing a Thule roof rack (or any rack that mounts to the factory cargo rails) defeat the purpose of being able to carry extra stuff/weight on top of your 4Runner?

Well if thats a dumb question then Im an idiot because that makes perfect sense and I didnt even think of that.

 

[sp8ball]

Well if thats a dumb question then Im an idiot because that makes perfect sense and I didnt even think of that.

Dumb question. If the factory cargo rails are rated for 150lbs, wouldn't installing a Thule roof rack (or any rack that mounts to the factory cargo rails) defeat the purpose of being able to carry extra stuff/weight on top of your 4Runner?

Actually, this is the genesis for my "Thule Aftermarket Crossbars (which I wasn't clear about earlier in this thread) with MOAB Basket" question...

 

[arvmark]

Dumb question. If the factory cargo rails are rated for 150lbs, wouldn't installing a Thule roof rack (or any rack that mounts to the factory cargo rails) defeat the purpose of being able to carry extra stuff/weight on top of your 4Runner?

The exact weight of the basket is available online,but I think it's 40-45 lbs. So yeah, now you're down to 110 lbs of real cargo. But if all you had was factory rails and bars,how would you secure 110 lbs of misc items? I used the basket to haul more than that down and back on a 26 mile road that broke my bro. In laws trailer, no way I could have done it w/o some rack.

 

[Gumby]

When I was looking to get one, I checked all over the net, and nobody really had pics of the MOAB. And being that shipping to Hawaii SUCKS ($100), I didn't really wanna take a chance, but did, and I'm pretty happy with it. Had to Plasti Dip the huge Thule in front and reversed the grills on the sides though.

 

[Jtraskell]

Welcome to the family Gumby. Nice looking rig. Be safe.