How much flex between cab and box?

[Uncle Gump]

Not exactly what I was thinking... lol

 

[97RangerXLT]

2" and put some rubber/ foam rubber bumpers on the end of the basket just in case... probably what you are putting in it wont make the basket flex much but there is that to be considered as well.

Make sure that the cap can take the weight/ load

AJ

 

[Uncle Gump]

2" and put some rubber/ foam rubber bumpers on the end of the basket just in case... probably what you are putting in it wont make the basket flex much but there is that to be considered as well.

Make sure that the cap can take the weight/ load

AJ

I already looked on the Leer site and my cap is rated for over 200 lbs... That was really the first thing I checked. The basket and mounting hardware will be around 50 lbs... is my guess. At worst... it may see 200 lbs, of on the hoof venison (yes... I plan on shooting really big deer... I'm thinking positive) so I'm not real worried about load. Most times it will most likely be empty.

I should have some time over the weekend... think I'm going to set it on the cap using a couple 2x4's. That will be up 1 1/2" and I can see what it looks like. I still want to keep it as low as possible.

I was really thinking I was going to put an awning on it... but I'm gonna let that thought pass. I've got a 10x10 rain fly... I'm just going to pick up a couple good adjustable tent poles. Then make some attachment points on the basket so I can put it up off either side or off the back. It will weigh less... way less to go wrong... much cheaper... and far more versatile.

 

[sgtsandman]

Before you load up the rack, check out the videos by Ronny Dahl on roof racks and load ratings. On road ratings are often quite a bit higher than off road. Better to figure it out now than on the trail when your rack lets loose and dumps it's load all over the trail. He did three on the subject recently.

 

[4x4junkie]

Something else you might keep in mind (if it's important), a rack can significantly ding your MPG (even empty), depending on the rack's design.

I had a roof rack on my Ranger that was cantilevered off the roll bar, and initially I built it with an expanded metal mesh bottom, and the MPG decrease was quite substantial (from approx 21 on the hwy to about 18). So I redid the rack with bars as the bottom (figuring the big impediment was to the wind blowing off the top of the windshield going underneath it), and the MPG improved, but it still was about 1.5 short of what it was without the rack.

I didn't use the rack as much as I thought I would, so I wound up taking it off (putting it back on only for those times I needed it).

For your initial question, I had the rack mounted approx 2" above the cab. Never came close to hitting, however I also have poly cab mount bushings, which significantly lessens the bed/cab flex.

 

[Rick W]

I ditto what @4x4junkie said, maybe make it removable. I love all the lights and stuff above, but it does hurt mileage and performance at speed.

I didn’t see anything about bed loading. If you put a big load in the bed of the truck, won’t that make the bed and hence the cap and the rack rock round more?

Two other thoughts. If you ever have it loaded where you think it will be close, how about using some of that foam pipe insulation around the lowest bar of the front of the cap. I use that stuff for everything. You’d have to cut it around any perpendicular supports or webbing, but you can hold it on with a half a dozen zip ties or even some tape and just throw it away after. And even with that foam, if you think it might contact the top of the cab when you’re running around in the mud and dust, you may want to just run a few layers of masking tape on top of the cab where the foam would rub, just for the week or weekend.

My 87 four-wheel-drive, and my 96 F250 have rain gutters over the doors. I have a cap and roof rack on the F250, but when I carry a really long ladder or a 20 foot piece of iron or such, I have one of the very old fashioned temporary roof racks/bars that locks into the rain gutter like mom and dad had back in the day. I think they are from mom and dad actually. I have one set up for the F250, with a spacer on top, so if I put a long ladder or such on it, it holds it up higher than the cap rack, so it doesn’t hit my code 3 lights by accident. The cab wiggles different than the bed, but I’m never doing it long enough to damage the ladder or the racks. Even if your truck does not have rain gutters, they make universal racks with suction cups and straps to hold it on.

Like the temporary foam above, maybe rig your temp rack/bar underneath your basket, so it would never hit the roof of the truck. Or, you could put it across your roof in front of your basket, and run a couple of extensions on the basket, so it hits the rack instead of the top of the cab, or maybe even zip tie the extensions to the temporary bar. This also helps with the load rating of the roof of the cap. I guess my point is to create a wear spot and support spot with a bar, instead of figuring out your roof is the wear spot by accident! & Those extensions could be temporary, like a piece of conduit or even PVC pipe, held on with some zip ties or such for the weekend.

My 2cents, hope it helps!

 

[Uncle Gump]

@sgtsandman I looked at a bit of those videos... and others. It doesn't surprise me that some of these folks are dumping their roof top loads. Common sense goes a long way here. I have zero worries that what I have in mind is going to give me any troubles. My main objective is to haul my damn canoe and a ladder. I just ordered 3/8 x 1 1/2 aluminum flat stock to make landing pads for the basket mounts. I'm going to use 3 down each side with 5/16 bolts and plates on the inside. So it will have 12 bolts total. This isn't mine but my brackets are pretty much identical... the 3/8 landing pads will make the bottom of the rack 1 inch off the top.

@4x4junkie MPG is always a consideration... gas is nearly $3 a gallon again. Wind noise is also something I'm concerned about. I decided to not extend the basket over the cab of the truck and to make it removable. I guess I will just have to see how it goes and how much I use it. Lately I have hauled my ladder at least once a week to fix lights and ceiling tiles. To carry the 8ft ladder... I remove my spare tire carrier and put the spare in the bed. Then leave the rear glass open on the cap so the ladder can stick out. Then with all the stuff in the back of my truck... I'm limited to want I can haul between locations. If I need it once a week... it will probably just stay up there. But if I suffer to much from the MPG hit or the noise level I will probably make a low profile ladder rack with just three load bars to put in place of the basket. Then mount the basket when I need that.

@Rick W I have to get this basket in position and do some final measuring with the canoe but I think it will have a removable front bar bolted to the basket that will extend over the cab to help support the front of the canoe. This is something you're familiar with... I have this vision...

 

[Rick W]

This is something you're familiar with... I have this vision...

I did a lot of work in China. You should see what they carry on a 3-wheel moped. More than you’d ever put in your ranger!

 

[dvdswan]

I feel like a fool now. For some reason I thought you were talking about this type of basket. lol

 

[sgtsandman]

I decided to not extend the basket over the cab of the truck and to make it removable. I guess I will just have to see how it goes and how much I use it. Lately I have hauled my ladder at least once a week to fix lights and ceiling tiles. To carry the 8ft ladder... I remove my spare tire carrier and put the spare in the bed. Then leave the rear glass open on the cap so the ladder can stick out. Then with all the stuff in the back of my truck... I'm limited to want I can haul between locations. If I need it once a week... it will probably just stay up there. But if I suffer to much from the MPG hit or the noise level I will probably make a low profile ladder rack with just three load bars to put in place of the basket. Then mount the basket when I need that.

@Rick W I have to get this basket in position and do some final measuring with the canoe but I think it will have a removable front bar bolted to the basket that will extend over the cab to help support the front of the canoe. This is something you're familiar with... I have this vision...

With what you are thinking to do will probably work and will eliminate the issue those of us who have a set of racks on the cap roof and a set on the cab roof. You can't strap long items to both sets of racks because of the frame twist. You can either strap the ladder or canoe to the front rack or the rear rack but not both. I learned this one from personal experience. If you want to control possible wind issues lifting or twisting the load, run straps to the front bumper or recovery points in order to allow the frame to flex and not try to twist and shift the load and/or the rack(s) at the same time.

 

[Jazzer]

You could mock it up with wood and clamps, then run one front wheel up on a ramp to check flex....

-Jazzer