Roof Rack/Basket Questions.

96XJCLASSIC · Oct 12, 2003

I am looking to buy a rack/basket for the top of my XJ. I am looking at the Bushman steel rack by Kargo Master. Does anyone out there have this rack? Opinions? Are there other racks out there that are better? I wanna stay right around the $300 mark. Also these racks come in 52" x 60" and 52" x 50". Which size is better for a cherokee. Thanks, Sorry for all the questions. NICK

96XJCLASSIC · Oct 12, 2003

Someone has gotta have an opinion or info on this. Right?

wek91xj · Oct 12, 2003

I have the surco safari rack, its was oly around 200 bucks... i like it alot and its held up well.... im thinking of switching to the yakima load warrior soon though, anyone know about this rack?

Jump This · Oct 12, 2003

Yakima racks are great products.....
I don't know that anyone makes a poor rack for the XJs.
I have seen a few racks that get torn up from tree branches and tree trunks. Mostly during big lean angle stuff.
I am building my own...(yeah..yeah..I've been 'building' my own rack for over a month now

) It will be narrower than most and only have a 4" side rail.....
(At least I managed to pick up the material on Saturday....now I just need to finish another project before the rack gets built)
Rick

crimsonride · Oct 13, 2003

Jump This said:
...I don't know that anyone makes a poor rack for the XJs....

I do, stay clear of Warrior, they're a cheap, heavy product prone to rusting. Not as good of quality as most. I personally like Wilderness acc.

yellowxj · Oct 13, 2003

My wifes got a nice rack. I'd should post a pic of it. Lots of people have looked at it, I'm going to get a sticker for it that says "stop looking at my wifes rack". Got it from my friends land cruiser, wilderness is the manufacturer, does good but at one time it was over loaded and bent the rear section down a bit. I also need to get shorter brackets for it to lower it closer to the xj's roof.

tnomud · Oct 13, 2003

I have a Surco rack from Summit Racing and am happy with it. I think I am going to ad a diamond plate floor to it this week though.

Jump This · Oct 14, 2003

Well....are you going to post a picture of your wifes rack or not!!???

Çrestfa||en · Oct 14, 2003

I have a Yakima roof rack bought it off a friend it is pretty beefy. Best ones are the ones that attach to the gutter. I have riped off big branches that got stuck in that rack.

Hunter-LynchburgVa · Oct 14, 2003

yakima and thule are nice but overpriced if you have to pay retail for it. check ebay, you can get that stuff pretty damn cheap. or find someone you know who works at a shop that sells their product and get them to pro-deal it for you (20-30% BELOW wholesale price).

Hunter

xxxj-va · Oct 17, 2003

Roof racks are bad.....what are you gonna put up there a big heavy tire? You got trees where you go wheelin right? Get a bumper...

Better yet wanna buy my old KM steel rack with lotsa goodies?

"anti-rack" Pete

TOZOVR · Oct 17, 2003

xxxj-va said:
Roof racks are bad.....what are you gonna put up there a big heavy tire? You got trees where you go wheelin right? Get a bumper... Better yet wanna buy my old KM steel rack with lotsa goodies?

"anti-rack" Pete

Pete, I hear what you're saying, but when you are wheeling in the backcountry for extended periods you need a place for the gear...my DOg gets the back and my Wife has the pass seat....outback is Tools and Co2.

I run a custom Fabbed rack mounted to Thule crossbars and feet

I also have a set of Thule 300 feet and crossbars for sale (Right Here!! )

xxxj-va · Oct 17, 2003

I see YOUR point too...don't do the back country thing and well, in VA we gots lotsa trees....I lost my rack thanks to a little off camber and a tree so I am biased. Honestly I'll run a rack for just the reasons you say, but it will be skinny (nothin sticking out past the gutter rail) and used only to go "back country" or from home to campsite, unload, wheel, reload, go home. The rack doesnt help me make obstacles, and I need all the help I can get. Your rack design looks good to me, except for that hi-lift sticking out there....

P

TOZOVR · Oct 17, 2003

xxxj-va said:
I see YOUR point too...don't do the back country thing and well, in VA we gots lotsa trees....I lost my rack thanks to a little off camber and a tree so I am biased. Honestly I'll run a rack for just the reasons you say, but it will be skinny (nothin sticking out past the gutter rail) and used only to go "back country" or from home to campsite, unload, wheel, reload, go home. The rack doesnt help me make obstacles, and I need all the help I can get. Your rack design looks good to me, except for that hi-lift sticking out there....

P

That's actually my shovel. stickin out. I had to throw it back on quick...

in the pic below you can see the Base of the highlift mount. We also have quick release brush wires that run from the bUllbar to the very top of the rack...helps limbs slide up and over.

Maximus · Oct 17, 2003

My suggestion is to go out and spend your money on a welder and learn to weld, then you can make the exact item that you want. I have built my third rack which I am very happy with, I looked at all designs and came up with what I thought would work best for me.

I cannot seem to post a pic but I will try later or an e-mail to you if you want.

I am able to put upwards of 400lbs on my rack without it even shrugging, needless to say I do not wheel with that weight. Only from the hardware store to home.

TOZOVR · Oct 17, 2003

Maximus said:
My suggestion is to go out and spend your money on a welder and learn to weld, then you can make the exact item that you want. I have built my third rack which I am very happy with, I looked at all designs and came up with what I thought would work best for me.

I cannot seem to post a pic but I will try later or an e-mail to you if you want.

I am able to put upwards of 400lbs on my rack without it even shrugging, needless to say I do not wheel with that weight. Only from the hardware store to home.

Hhehehehehe, yeah, and you should buy my Thule feet and crossbars to mount it on!!

codus_1 · Oct 17, 2003

I second the build your own reply, just had one made for my 99, bought 3/4" steel tubing and had my local shop weld it up all for less than 100 bucks, Im not paying 2 or 3 hundred dollars for something that I may very well ruin. Make sure they close the ends with a 45 degree so no moisture can get to it. He used 3" flat stock for the verticals, put a 1/2" hole in each one for light mounts and hilift...whatever, it works great, I couldnt be happier.

Roof Rack/Basket Questions.

96XJCLASSIC

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96XJCLASSIC

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wek91xj

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Jump This

Just another minion!

crimsonride

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yellowxj

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tnomud

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Jump This

Just another minion!

Çrestfa||en

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Hunter-LynchburgVa

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xxxj-va

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TOZOVR

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xxxj-va

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TOZOVR

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Maximus

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TOZOVR

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codus_1

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