roof rack

Disclaimer: Links on this page pointing to Amazon, eBay and other sites may include affiliate code. If you click them and make a purchase, we may earn a small commission.

Carson

New Member
Joined
Feb 3, 2016
Posts
2
Reaction score
0
I recently got a 2005 LR3 HSE just wondering what the best roof rack would be. Also cheapest.
 

Silmarillion

Active Member
Joined
Oct 6, 2014
Posts
41
Reaction score
0
Frontrunner makes a fantastic roof rack - I believe the half rack is ~800. I've got the full rack - it's very well built and tons of accessories are available for it.
 

jwest

Full Access Member
Joined
Mar 22, 2008
Posts
2,041
Reaction score
409
Location
Seattle WA
"best" + "cheapest" LOL

Some racks are better suited for certain uses while others are best at looking cool.
 

Codename Duchess

Full Access Member
Joined
Jul 21, 2014
Posts
130
Reaction score
5
I have a front runner fullsize.

I was looking at the Baja rack first, but the Front RUnner unit is solid, and I like that it's one uniform height, without having the step at the front.
 

tlt

Full Access Member
Joined
Mar 31, 2011
Posts
727
Reaction score
5
Kind of funny, Best + Cheapest. It depends on what you plan on doing with it. I like the lower clearance of the Frontrunner. I went with a Baja, which is extremely rugged, but a little higher. It has side rails, etc. so it is quite a bit higher, maybe a bit more rugged.

I think they're all similarly priced.

Good luck in your search!!
 

jwest

Full Access Member
Joined
Mar 22, 2008
Posts
2,041
Reaction score
409
Location
Seattle WA
I like the lower clearance of the Frontrunner. I went with a Baja, which is extremely rugged, but a little higher. It has side rails, etc. so it is quite a bit higher, maybe a bit more rugged.

Low profile is one reason I chose the Hannibal over another Safety Devices when I bought the Discovery II and later sold the SD rack but still have the Disco I ;)

For the Disco I and II, the Hannibal mount system is very well built and about as rugged as I think aluminum could realistically be made. However, that is on the gutter mount of D1/2.

The LR3/4 with it's few roof bolt points, and/or factory tracks, does not lend itself as simply to a rugged rack mounting. Almost all I've seen use 6 points on the rack itself and the factory tracks maybe mount into 8 roof holes (? 3 per side mid roof and 1 per side up front beside the sunroof)

So far my "temporary rack to vehicle interface has worked since 2007 and it's just 3 Yakima cross bars set into their own bases which are bolted into the tracks by 2 4mm bolts each base.

This allows the entire rack and the 3 bars it is mounted onto, to be lifted off in 5 minutes by two people. Alternately, I can do it solo by unbolting the rack from the 3 bars (6 x 3" bolts top down from original rack holes and through drilled holes in the cross bar ends), then remove the bars individually, or leave them if needed for a roof cargo box or super simple roof tent mounting.

These 3 bars ended up working so well, I just kept using them ;) I also like that if necessary, I can solo dismantle the entire system as well as it's modular multi-function.

The same ideas could be applied to Front Runner very easily, or other brands.

Oh. the space created between the rack and the factory tracks, allows my fiberglass waffle board/bridging ladders 12"x48" to sit cross-wise track to track just above the glass roof. There is space for 4 but the plan is for just the 2 waffle and a couple nested aluminum sand ladders.
 

jwest

Full Access Member
Joined
Mar 22, 2008
Posts
2,041
Reaction score
409
Location
Seattle WA
If I could just simply/directly post photos on this forum, I'd show you all several details.
 

Latest posts

Members online

No members online now.

Forum statistics

Threads
36,272
Posts
218,121
Members
30,498
Latest member
Dandavies9
Top