(Yet another) roof rack question

[mrlegoman]

I've read so many roof rack post my eyes are falling out....

Some of you have used a Thule system that fits the VX (even though Thule does not list the VX on their website).

What Yakima or Thule systems will work on the VehiCross? I need part names/numbers.

Bottom line, eBay has a lot of used system up for same and I need some thing under 100$. (So no, I do not want to spend 300$ on a OEM wiz-bang Yakima roof rack.)
Any and all help is greatly appreciated!!

[Moncha]

Once you have the actual VX uprights and crossbars, you can pretty much add any one you want.. I personally like the Load Warrior from Yakima but that is a choice you'll have to make.

[Mikeys00vx]

I use the Thule 881 Top Deck racks as an addition to my factory VX roof racks to carry my whitewater kayak.

Mikey

[thedutchguy]

Do what I did : go to the nearest thule dealer.
They have all the info you need, take measurements and order one for you.
If it doesn't fit, you don't have to buy it.
In my case it fitted perfectly,I'll try to recover the numbers of my rack.
But since there are none on the rack itsself, it may take a while.

[VehiGAZ]

On this note, does anyone know which Thule or Yakima mounts fit the extra-wide VX cross bars?

I usually use my Yakima carbo box, but I'd like to put a powderhound ski rack on it since it woudl be more compact, and as noted above, they are cheap and plentiful on eBay.

[keylock]

Great news thanks to many of you ... however, where can I find a factory roof bar rack that goes on the rails please ?
I have tried for some weeks locating one..

[Anita]

Keylock,
There might be an owner here who is willing to part with theirs if you are willing to buy used. At rare times someone comes forward with a new set they want to sell. Just keep asking on the forum.

[VehiGAZ]

The factory roof rack (uprights + crossbars) are theoretically only available through Isuzu dealers due to an exclusive arrangement they have with Yakima, but some people have had success ordering the parts directly from Yakima. I myself did not, so I bought mine from the dealer.

[JAFO]

I created the thread below to detail our experiences.

http://www.vehicross.info/forums/showthread.php?t=7932

I have the Thule Expedition 696 the larger of the two versions available. It installs with no modification. You just need to remove the rubber trim on the top of the roof racks. Or trim them around the mounting "T-Shaped" mounting bolts that Thule gives you that slide in the top channel of the roof racks.

Down side is that it does not have mounting brackets for load bars so that you can attach bike, ski, and other racks like the Thule Playpen had. But I'm going to fab my own.

[mrlegoman]

Once you have the actual VX uprights and crossbars, you can pretty much add any one you want.. I personally like the Load Warrior from Yakima but that is a choice you'll have to make.So there are no substitutes for the VX uprights?

[mrlegoman]

I created the thread below to detail our experiences.

http://www.vehicross.info/forums/showthread.php?t=7932
Yup. I've read through that post a few times. Good stuff, but I guess my question is directed more towards the uprights themselves. Am I forced to buy them from Isuzu? Or is their an alternative setup that can be rigged up?

[VehiGAZ]

To my knowledge (from reading every roof rack post I coudl find a year ago when I bought my VX), there is NO substitute for the official VX uprights & crossbars.

The uprights are specific to the VX roof rails - they even have the Vehicross logo on them.

[mbeach]

VehiGAZ,
The Yakima Universal Mighty Mounts will clamp onto the VX cross bars without difficulty. They cost @$45 for 4 of them. They also look like poop. They held my Powderhound about 2 inches above the crossbars, and they were not lockable (very securely, if at all). It would take a thief exactly 10 seconds to steal the entire rack, even if the Powderhound were locked.

Last night I replaced the Universal Mighty Mounts with $1.50 worth of eye bolts. I took pictures, but you might be able to get by on imagination.
Place the Powderhound rack on the crossbar(s) where you want it, and mark under the mounting holes.
Drill through the crossbars (remove the rubber trim first) and put the nut/washer on the bottom side of the eye bolt.
Thread the Powderhound mounting bolts/wingnuts through the eyes to secure the ski rack to the crossbars.
If done properly (it's difficult to tighten the nuts on the underside of the rack) this setup will be 'un-stealable' unless the thief takes the entire roof-rack /upright combination (I'm sourcing some anti-tamper replacement bolts to prevent that).

I'll pull the pics tonight and post them if anyone's interested. It just looks so much cleaner than the Mighty Mount option.
I wasn't going to post the fix for another week (it'll give me time to test the integrity of the mounting), but I ski 3-4 times and week and should be beating it around pretty regularly in the mean time.

[mrlegoman]

I'll pull the pics tonight and post them if anyone's interested. It just looks so much cleaner than the Mighty Mount option.
I wasn't going to post the fix for another week (it'll give me time to test the integrity of the mounting), but I ski 3-4 times and week and should be beating it around pretty regularly in the mean time.Please do!

[VehiGAZ]

Ditto, that.

You ski 3-4 times a week?! Lucky dog. I need to move...

[VehiGAZ]

PS... thanks for the tip. I will skip the mounts and try the home-made mounts you suggest.

[mbeach]

Wait until I post the pics tomorrow -that way you avoid making the same mistakes that I did (I removed some material that actually protects one of the nuts from tampering).

[mbeach]

O.K.what gives. Sometimes I can attach files and sometimes I can't.

See my gallery for photos -they are sequentially numbered.

[VehiGAZ]

Hey mbeach,

Thanks for the photos. They help illustrate what you did.

What is the story with the mounts in the "before" pics? Are those the "winged vertical mighty mounts" that Isuzu sells for the VX? I can see why you wanted to replace them!

Also, any progress on the ToD conversion circuit design?

[mbeach]

The Mighty Mounts are simply a band that wraps around your crossbars and allows attachment of accessories. Since our crossbars are odd-shaped and large, it's been difficult to find a fit-specific Mighty Mount for them.

The ones in the photos are universal units, they work well, but they are ugly and easy to remove, so I ditched them. I still have them on hand in case I want to move my bike or canoe in the summer.


The TOD circuit is on hold for the holidays, the DC motor controller that I sourced operates at too high of a frequency for our needs. I could build a more appropriate circuit, but that would defeat the "easily duplicated" nature of our plan. I want one that anyone can go out and buy and implement.

[mbeach]

There should be 9 pictures relating to this mod in my gallery -there are only 2. I'll see what's up so you can get more details.

[JAFO]

VehiGAZ,
The Yakima Universal Mighty Mounts will clamp onto the VX cross bars without difficulty. They cost @$45 for 4 of them. They also look like poop. They held my Powderhound about 2 inches above the crossbars, and they were not lockable (very securely, if at all). It would take a thief exactly 10 seconds to steal the entire rack, even if the Powderhound were locked.
.
.
.

mbeach, the Yakima Mighty Mounts can probably be locked with the SKS Accessory Lock Housing (Part #07220).

www.yakima.com
GoTo Products / Rack Systems / Security

Also the Isuzu Dealerships sell clips, what look similiar to the "Universal Snap Arounds" that Yakima has on their website, however they are larger and wrap around our roof racks (cross bars). They sell both vertical and horizontal ones. I will get the part numbers when I get home. When you use these mounts with, the mounting bolts that come with the Powderhound, are captured when the ski rack is closed and locked.

[JAFO]

So there are no substitutes for the VX uprights?
I have not tried it myself but I would think that the gutter style rack feet/towers would work. Where the factory rack towers mount is a flat base with a ledge under it to afix the mounting clip. Just like a rain gutter.

I believe at least one of the following, if not all, would work. Just measure the width of the base, thickness of the base, and you may have to use trial and error to find the right clip size.

Yakima - www.yakima.com
--------------------------
1A Raingutter (part # 00101)
1A Highrise Towers (part # 00104).


Thule - www.thule.com
-----------------------
Gutter Foot Pack (300)
High Foot Gutter Mount Foot Pack (387)
Specialty Foot Pack (368) - designed for thin gutters
BMW Specialty Carrier (763)
Load Carrier (305) - VW Specialty
Super High Foot Gutter (953)

[mbeach]

Yakima's website isn't working right now. I've looked for the mounts that fit our crossbars without success in the past.

This was the next best thing.

Oh, I fixed my gallery -there are 9 photographs (look for the #s) worth of rack-mod goodness.

[VehiGAZ]

I talked to Yakima yesterday, and the mounts that fit our crossbars are called "winged vertical mighty mounts" but they do not have them for direct sale, which the guy said means that either they are discontinued, or they are part of the exclusive-selling-rights agreement with Isuzu on this roof rack system.

On the other hand, when I talked to my local Isuzu parts guy, he said that he could not find just the mounts as a separate part set, and that according to the diagrams he was looking at, it appeared that the ski rack purchased through Isuzu attaches directly to the crossbars. Well, that probably means that the rack comes with the mighty mounts, but who knows? If JAFO posts his part numbers, I can check it out for sure.

Nevertheless, I think mbeach's solution is the best... cheap, easy, and secure. Thanks for getting the pictures posted!

[Moncha]

Not sure if you did see it or not but I posted the rack literature (http://www.vehicross.info/modules.php?name=Downloads&file=viewfile&id=3) and it shows individual part numbers (Isuzu). Unfortunately, it does not show the accessories available for the rack

[mrlegoman]

Has anyone tryed one of these:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1,1&item=8068750661&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT