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Cross Bars - Recommendations?


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I purchased a 2016 TC Passenger Wagon LWB in November. We're going to start the conversion to 'weekend warrior camper van' on the inside soon. I want to add cross bars so I can add additional storage room on the roof and possibly a retractable awning. 

Any suggestions on affordable crossbars that are compatible or should I stick with Yakima/Thule? 

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  • 3 weeks later...

Thanks! I ended up ordering the Thule system from e-trailers.com because I was on a timeline. Sadly, the weak part of the system isn't the Thule rack it's the factory rails. As I understand it, the Ford factory rail system with a rack/cross bars system installed are only rated to hold around 150#. Which is kind of disappointing. We took 2 Dagger kayaks on a trip with it, and they probably weigh 50-60#'s each and it performed nicely. I guess we'll see if I need to modify  to hold more weight later.  

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Your passenger wagon (assuming non-panoramic roof) is only rated by Ford to carry 165lbs regardless of what rails are on it (OEM vs aftermarket). Since I don't have OEM rails, I bought a pair of 'universal' ladder racks that are manufacturer-rated for 500lbs, but I'm still limited to 220lbs (including the rack itself) since I have a cargo van. 

 

873226851_Screenshotfrom2020-06-0312-15-18.png.87b1b41819b75053f983f14727836ce3.png

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On 6/3/2020 at 1:21 PM, jrm223 said:

Your passenger wagon (assuming non-panoramic roof) is only rated by Ford to carry 165lbs regardless of what rails are on it (OEM vs aftermarket). Since I don't have OEM rails, I bought a pair of 'universal' ladder racks that are manufacturer-rated for 500lbs, but I'm still limited to 220lbs (including the rack itself) since I have a cargo van. 

 

873226851_Screenshotfrom2020-06-0312-15-18.png.87b1b41819b75053f983f14727836ce3.png

 

Can you tell me the brand of those "universal racks" and if they're available in Canada ? THANKS. 

This is "just in case" as I don't like the extra drag & possible stability concerns.

Edited by Gideon
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11 hours ago, drh14 said:

This is super helpful! Thank you! 

I'm eventually going to buy a roof top box,  so I suppose I'll just have to be conscious of the weight we carry in it. 

 

If you need more space and weight capacity, perhaps you should consider a small enclosed cargo trailer.  It would certainly be easier on your back than  loading on the roof and create far lower 'drag' on the road (better fuel consumption).

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13 hours ago, Gideon said:

 

Can you tell me the brand of those "universal racks" and if they're available in Canada ? THANKS. 

This is "just in case" as I don't like the extra drag & possible stability concerns.

 

This is them, but now it's saying unavailable - they were $112.99 when I had bought them a couple months ago. 2-bar ladder rack on Amazon

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On 6/10/2020 at 9:38 PM, Gideon said:

 

If you need more space and weight capacity, perhaps you should consider a small enclosed cargo trailer.  It would certainly be easier on your back than  loading on the roof and create far lower 'drag' on the road (better fuel consumption).

 

Thanks for the suggestion! The box will be only used for traveling, so I'm not super concerned. I think I will end up going with the Thule Pulse Alpine, extra storage but super low profile. No question, the box and my awning will effect my fuel consumption though. I don't find the idea of a cargo trailer super appealing because it sort of defeats the purpose and ease of having an all-in-one micro-campervan (which is the eventual goal). 

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We 've been camping with a Yakima skybox(not sure what size) for years and it works great for light things like bedding,tarps and small tents.

Mount the cross bars within the allowable spacing for your model box and forward enough so you can stand on the sliding door sills.

 

Elk Neck State Park,MD

Chesapeake Bay in the background

0730171958.jpg

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