Yakima roof rack crossbar options

86Scotty · 10-07-2011, 03:58 PM

Hello out there, i'm finally replacing my borrowed raingutter towers, crossbars and rack with my own, some of which will be home made, and i'm wondering if anyone has used pipe or even solid dowels for crossbars instead of the expensive Yakima ones. I'm gonna see what's available at Lowe's. It's not that buying the real Yakima ones is all that expensive, but why really? Can't i just go get some pipe from the hardware store or supply yard and cut it to length? I'm also wondering what the typical E350 crossbar width is. I'm planning on mounting a skybox/cargo box up there, some 6" pipe for water storage, and maybe 1 bike mount. I'd like the bars wider than the body, and i know it isn't rocket science to just get the tape measure out or go to Yakima's website, but i'm wondering what you guys' experience has been. FYI, i DO NOT have a PH top, just a standard van roof.

thx

jage · 10-07-2011, 08:53 PM

Search Copper and Jeffrey as author.

RLC85 · 10-18-2011, 11:03 PM

I used 1'' EMT from HD. It worked great, after i sanded the inside of the towers a little.

Jeffrey · 10-19-2011, 10:09 AM

Yes, I used 1" copper pipe, which is 1.125" outside diameter, the same as the black plastic coated Yakima bars.

Kzinti2 · 10-20-2011, 03:16 PM

If you are using gutter-mount towers, you can also bolt 2x4 lumber to the towers. I have used wood cross-bars to haul canoes and kayaks for 30 years. I put a lag eye bolt vertically at each end of the bars and 5 more in the front or back edge for tie-down anchor points. I used 1/4" nylon rope for tie-down material. The bars need to be at least as wide as the van gutters for convenient boat loading from the side. You will need 78" bars if you are hauling 2 tandem canoes.

Jeffrey · 10-20-2011, 05:01 PM

Uh, how do you attach a 2x4 to a Yakima tower intended to receive a 1.125" round bar?

Kzinti2 · 10-21-2011, 05:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jeffrey

Uh, how do you attach a 2x4 to a Yakima tower intended to receive a 1.125" round bar?

The old-school Yakima towers that clamp to the rain gutters use a clamp that bolts onto the top of the tower to hold the rail. http://yakima.com/shop/racksystems/nake ... raingutter

If the clamp was not used, other things could be bolted directly to the towers such as a 2x4:

As cars shed their external rain gutters, Yakima evolved other designs to adapt. They also changed their bar mounting system so newer users had to buy their bars and could then be more easily enticed to buy into their ever-expanding systems of attachments...