Yakima or ?

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ce4460

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Greetings. I'm a new member so this is my fist attempt to use forums. I have a 2011 Toyota Tacoma 2.7 regular cab. It has a fiberglass canopy upon which I'd like to mount a rack, ARB canopy (1250 I think), a light bar, and rear work lights. I was considering using a Yakima system to include the basket. My question is, what are other's experiences with Yakima racks mounted on a canopy and if there are recommendations for other options. To me, function is more important than form, but I would like something that didn't look overly utilitarian for those times when the rack is empty. If pictures could accompany your recommendations, that would be great, particularly if on a Toyota standard cab. Photos are nice, but certainly not critical. Thanks in advance. William.
 
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TreXTerra

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I don't have a truck, but I would want to be sure my topper was strong enough to hold anything in that basket. Lights are easy enough, but I can see overloading a gear basket pretty easily. Remember that every bump will multiply the weight up there - sometimes several times the static load.

Before going forward with a gear basket, I would try to find out more about the bed topper and what it is rated for in dynamic load. Then add up the weight of the lights, awning, rack system, and gear basket and figure out how much usable load you will actually have left. You may find it isn't worth the cost if you can only put a couple of folding chairs up there.
 

ShawnR

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Welcome to the forum. I wish I had some advice for you, but I don't have any experience with truck toppers and cargo baskets. TrexTerra brings up some good points. Hopefully someone will chime in and be able to offer up more info. Have you had any luck with Google, looking up information?
 

maktruk

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Generally fiberglass shells aren't rated for more than 100# of weight. Fiberglass flexes a lot and when it does the epoxy resin that holds the glass together cracks easily.
 

Pazuzu1991

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Greetings. I'm a new member so this is my fist attempt to use forums. I have a 2011 Toyota Tacoma 2.7 regular cab. It has a fiberglass canopy upon which I'd like to mount a rack, ARB canopy (1250 I think), a light bar, and rear work lights. I was considering using a Yakima system to include the basket. My question is, what are other's experiences with Yakima racks mounted on a canopy and if there are recommendations for other options. To me, function is more important than form, but I would like something that didn't look overly utilitarian for those times when the rack is empty. If pictures could accompany your recommendations, that would be great, particularly if on a Toyota standard cab. Photos are nice, but certainly not critical. Thanks in advance. William.
First thing you have to ask yourself, and be honest here, I'm I getting it for looks of for actually putting stuff on it to go into remote far away places?

If you answered mostly for looks, go with the Yakima rail set up and be happy.

If you answered for actually putting stuff on it to go into remote far away places read on my friend. Overlanding in the Taco is awesome, but you do have some limitations to consider. First you have the good Ol 2.7, great engine, more than great I think its magnificent. This little power plant is both a plus and a minus. The engine will come in handy on the trail as long as you keep the truck on a diet, but it will be a pain on the highways you need to traverse in order to get there. Especially at speeds over 70 MPH with something on your roof, a lift and a laden truck and bigger tires.

The average fiberglass cap on a Tacoma can handle up to 300Lbs no problem, as long as the load is properly distributed. On a fiberglass cap, the Yakima setup will only support about 100lbs to 200lbs per bar depending on the attachment type before it starts causing damage. The only way around this is to add more crossbars this is impractical, expensive, inefficient and ugly. Making things worse, the Yakimas or Thule WILL become lose or break with prolonged off road use. And to be honest, do you really want over 300lbs on the roof of your 2.7 Taco off road? If you don't know, the answer is no, trust me on this. The cap is heavy enough, adding that much additional weight higher than your roof line will make for some sketchy driving when things get... interesting off road. You need to upgrade the suspension to handle this added off balance weigh.

OK, So we established that Yakima and Thule "suck" for the Overlanding application on a Taco. What are your options then? Lucky for you there are lots of options for the Taco, not so lucky for you, they ain't cheap. There is Front Runner, Awesome racks that will outlast the vehicle, they are modular and have a lot of cool attachments you can purchase later as funds or requirements increase. You want the Wind Cheetah. These racks are built to last, which also means they are heavy as heck, they are loud at highway speeds, and the attachments are made of steel, which adds a layer of maintenance for long term durability.

Baja Racks, They are the cheapest option, but I don't care for the construction or the weight. They also have a lot of attachments and doodads you can add to the rack to make it more usable/look cooler. Ive never actually owned one of these, I don't think I ever will. I just checked them out while I was doing the research for building the Argo, my "R&D" expo vehicle. Yes its a Tacoma.

There is Gobi, excellent racks, Low profile very durable, modular sleek rugged. Best mounting interface of any rack Ive owned. Had one on my 4 Runner and loved it. Expensive and overkill for your application, it will also not flow with the Tacos roof line, makes the cab look bulbous.

There is Prinsu Design Studio, this is a small upstart that is in my opinionated opinion the best rack made for the Tacoma. Its light strong and sexy, the price is more than fair and it works flawlessly. I would personally only repurchase the Prinsu rack System. Its obvious the designer has an aye for style. The rack is not only bulletproof and modular, it actually looks like the Toyota factory put it there. Actually, it makes the cap look good on the truck because the visual lines work. Its pure elegance and form following function. Its the easiest to mount, and adapt to the load requirements, and its the quietest and most fuel efficient of the racks I tested. And its the only rack manufacturer that has an option of a bolt on cab rack for your Taco. I don't like it because I own it, I own it because I like it.

There are other racks out there but I didn't think them different enough to mention. Just remember that the weight on the rack will bounce up and down, and take the truck with it on its violent little journey. this it true of every rack system, the kinetic weight will affect your ride, on top of that, the Taco's bed will twist sway and bend in relation to the cab, its designed that way, when you put lots of weight on the roof, this is amplified as well.

Oh yeah, there is the cheaper not so sexy option of a contractor rack, but they are really heavy and stick out from the bed sides quite a bit. They allow you to carry up to 500lbs on the roof, but are, well, all about the function.
 
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Pazuzu1991

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I just looked up Prinsu Designs; no love for Nissans. :confused:
Well, I do know hes basically a very skilled guy that made his own rack for his personal use, people liked it and asked for one, he subsequently went into production. Hes not a huge operation. Try sending him an email. Maybe you can be the first Nissan guy. Just be patient, the guy is not exactly, user friendly.
 

Steve

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Welcome to Overland Bound, @ce4460

I don't have a truck, so I don't have any information for you on mounting to a truck cap. In addition to th fiberglass caps, there are also aluminum framed caps that may have more long-term strength.

I do have a Yakima LoadWarrior basket, though, and I have the 18" extension in mine. Initially, I had it mounted to the Subaru Outback's factory cross bars, but they flexed a lot, so I put them on Thule crossbars. This is a very solid setup. I have the 60" long basket, a 35 pound awning, 10 pound LED light bar, and have had the basket loaded with waaaay too much stuff driving across the country. So far, this setup has been on the Outback for over 10,000 miles, of which maybe 100 were offload. It has been very reliable.

Yakima LoadWarrior extended basket on OEM crossbars



Thule crossbars



Thule crossbars, Yakima LoadWarrior (extended), ARB Awning, and OPT7 Light bar



With three empty storage boxes



Waaaay overloaded



I hope that helps a little.
 

Pazuzu1991

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Welcome to Overland Bound, @ce4460

I don't have a truck, so I don't have any information for you on mounting to a truck cap. In addition to th fiberglass caps, there are also aluminum framed caps that may have more long-term strength.

I do have a Yakima LoadWarrior basket, though, and I have the 18" extension in mine. Initially, I had it mounted to the Subaru Outback's factory cross bars, but they flexed a lot, so I put them on Thule crossbars. This is a very solid setup. I have the 60" long basket, a 35 pound awning, 10 pound LED light bar, and have had the basket loaded with waaaay too much stuff driving across the country. So far, this setup has been on the Outback for over 10,000 miles, of which maybe 100 were offload. It has been very reliable.

Yakima LoadWarrior extended basket on OEM crossbars

Thule crossbars

Thule crossbars, Yakima LoadWarrior (extended), ARB Awning, and OPT7 Light bar

With three empty storage boxes

Waaaay overloaded

I hope that helps a little.
I used Yakima on my Honda Element with kayaks and bikes without any problems and on a 2wd Tacoma, and on a Vanagon, and on a tundra. But for mounting on the cap on a Tacoma, with the capability they have off road, they are a definite no go. I tried and failed to make these work, they just will not hold up to prolonged rigorous off road use. Basically, that rack on the Subaru is in line with the Subaru's off road capability, but that does not hold true when the Tacoma is the base number in that equation. I'm comparing apples to apples in a very specific application in which I have quite a bit of experience, Yakima nor Thule will hold.:innocent:


Rack makes it really easy to attach items very securely using bolts in place of straps.

I can use the Accessories from my Gobi and Front runner racks with very little alteration if any at all.

MaxAx in a Front runner Axe carrier on the Prinsu



you only need one strap to secure the Hard case because the Frontrunner attachment secure and guard against any lateral movement. Its solid. notice the MaxAx

my rack accessories are actually bolted to the rack trough the racks channels, they are designed for this and make for a secure vibration free mounting.


I can run a steal cable lock to secure my items to the rack. Its a no brainier because you need tools to remove the rack or its contents.
 
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maktruk

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I run a Softopper because I got "shellshocked" at the price of new fiberglass shells. I can't imagine putting that kind of strain on one and wrecking it.
 

Pazuzu1991

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I run a Softopper because I got "shellshocked" at the price of new fiberglass shells. I can't imagine putting that kind of strain on one and wrecking it.
I have a Bestop, I like both, but the convenience and security of the shell wins out for me. Ironically the Bestop is better sealed than the shell. My MPG's were the same with either. But the shell weighs in at 162.6lbs over the Bestop. However if I opted for the Bestop full time, I would've had to install an external cage on the Taco, that combination would weigh the same or dang close to the weight of the hard top. So close in fact that it didn't matter, and a cage would add more stuff to keep track off and maintain, not to mention more stuff sticking out to snag branches and such. I have to carry Kayaks, so I'm kinda stuck. But I will tell you the shell is a pain, and it does damage the bed when you off road the truck. It has rubbed the paint off the bed corners and gauged the plastic sides on top of the bed. My cap was over 2K, the Bestop was about $650, if I would have added an external cage to that it would have been another $800 on top of the Bestop.
 

pl626

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So how much utility do you want out of you roof rack? If you never intend to carry much of a load, the Yak is fine. I had a Yak basket on my RRC, but I've upgraded to an ARB w/ steel mesh floor, as my requirements changed. In addition to the extra capacity, I can also stand or sit on top to get a treetop view. I doubt you'd want to do that with your setup, but I think the Yak will be fine for you.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
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Laughing Otter

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First thing you have to ask yourself, and be honest here, I'm I getting it for looks of for actually putting stuff on it to go into remote far away places?

If you answered mostly for looks, go with the Yakima rail set up and be happy.

If you answered for actually putting stuff on it to go into remote far away places read on my friend. Overlanding in the Taco is awesome, but you do have some limitations to consider. First you have the good Ol 2.7, great engine, more than great I think its magnificent. This little power plant is both a plus and a minus. The engine will come in handy on the trail as long as you keep the truck on a diet, but it will be a pain on the highways you need to traverse in order to get there. Especially at speeds over 70 MPH with something on your roof, a lift and a laden truck and bigger tires.

The average fiberglass cap on a Tacoma can handle up to 300Lbs no problem, as long as the load is properly distributed. On a fiberglass cap, the Yakima setup will only support about 100lbs to 200lbs per bar depending on the attachment type before it starts causing damage. The only way around this is to add more crossbars this is impractical, expensive, inefficient and ugly. Making things worse, the Yakimas or Thule WILL become lose or break with prolonged off road use. And to be honest, do you really want over 300lbs on the roof of your 2.7 Taco off road? If you don't know, the answer is no, trust me on this. The cap is heavy enough, adding that much additional weight higher than your roof line will make for some sketchy driving when things get... interesting off road. You need to upgrade the suspension to handle this added off balance weigh.

OK, So we established that Yakima and Thule "suck" for the Overlanding application on a Taco. What are your options then? Lucky for you there are lots of options for the Taco, not so lucky for you, they ain't cheap. There is Front Runner, Awesome racks that will outlast the vehicle, they are modular and have a lot of cool attachments you can purchase later as funds or requirements increase. You want the Wind Cheetah. These racks are built to last, which also means they are heavy as heck, they are loud at highway speeds, and the attachments are made of steel, which adds a layer of maintenance for long term durability.

Baja Racks, They are the cheapest option, but I don't care for the construction or the weight. They also have a lot of attachments and doodads you can add to the rack to make it more usable/look cooler. Ive never actually owned one of these, I don't think I ever will. I just checked them out while I was doing the research for building the Argo, my "R&D" expo vehicle. Yes its a Tacoma.

There is Gobi, excellent racks, Low profile very durable, modular sleek rugged. Best mounting interface of any rack Ive owned. Had one on my 4 Runner and loved it. Expensive and overkill for your application, it will also not flow with the Tacos roof line, makes the cab look bulbous.

There is Prinsu Design Studio, this is a small upstart that is in my opinionated opinion the best rack made for the Tacoma. Its light strong and sexy, the price is more than fair and it works flawlessly. I would personally only repurchase the Prinsu rack System. Its obvious the designer has an aye for style. The rack is not only bulletproof and modular, it actually looks like the Toyota factory put it there. Actually, it makes the cap look good on the truck because the visual lines work. Its pure elegance and form following function. Its the easiest to mount, and adapt to the load requirements, and its the quietest and most fuel efficient of the racks I tested. And its the only rack manufacturer that has an option of a bolt on cab rack for your Taco. I don't like it because I own it, I own it because I like it.

There are other racks out there but I didn't think them different enough to mention. Just remember that the weight on the rack will bounce up and down, and take the truck with it on its violent little journey. this it true of every rack system, the kinetic weight will affect your ride, on top of that, the Taco's bed will twist sway and bend in relation to the cab, its designed that way, when you put lots of weight on the roof, this is amplified as well.

Oh yeah, there is the cheaper not so sexy option of a contractor rack, but they are really heavy and stick out from the bed sides quite a bit. They allow you to carry up to 500lbs on the roof, but are, well, all about the function.
Great advice here...
 

ce4460

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Welcome to Overland Bound, @ce4460

I don't have a truck, so I don't have any information for you on mounting to a truck cap. In addition to th fiberglass caps, there are also aluminum framed caps that may have more long-term strength.

I do have a Yakima LoadWarrior basket, though, and I have the 18" extension in mine. Initially, I had it mounted to the Subaru Outback's factory cross bars, but they flexed a lot, so I put them on Thule crossbars. This is a very solid setup. I have the 60" long basket, a 35 pound awning, 10 pound LED light bar, and have had the basket loaded with waaaay too much stuff driving across the country. So far, this setup has been on the Outback for over 10,000 miles, of which maybe 100 were offload. It has been very reliable.

Yakima LoadWarrior extended basket on OEM crossbars



Thule crossbars



Thule crossbars, Yakima LoadWarrior (extended), ARB Awning, and OPT7 Light bar



With three empty storage boxes



Waaaay overloaded



I hope that helps a little.
Thanks very much. Ive got my load warrior mounted with the 1250 awning (I wish I'd gotten the larger one now that I have it on). It's good to know I can put more up there than I intend. Looks good on your rig.
 
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ce4460

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First thing you have to ask yourself, and be honest here, I'm I getting it for looks of for actually putting stuff on it to go into remote far away places?

If you answered mostly for looks, go with the Yakima rail set up and be happy.

If you answered for actually putting stuff on it to go into remote far away places read on my friend. Overlanding in the Taco is awesome, but you do have some limitations to consider. First you have the good Ol 2.7, great engine, more than great I think its magnificent. This little power plant is both a plus and a minus. The engine will come in handy on the trail as long as you keep the truck on a diet, but it will be a pain on the highways you need to traverse in order to get there. Especially at speeds over 70 MPH with something on your roof, a lift and a laden truck and bigger tires.

The average fiberglass cap on a Tacoma can handle up to 300Lbs no problem, as long as the load is properly distributed. On a fiberglass cap, the Yakima setup will only support about 100lbs to 200lbs per bar depending on the attachment type before it starts causing damage. The only way around this is to add more crossbars this is impractical, expensive, inefficient and ugly. Making things worse, the Yakimas or Thule WILL become lose or break with prolonged off road use. And to be honest, do you really want over 300lbs on the roof of your 2.7 Taco off road? If you don't know, the answer is no, trust me on this. The cap is heavy enough, adding that much additional weight higher than your roof line will make for some sketchy driving when things get... interesting off road. You need to upgrade the suspension to handle this added off balance weigh.

OK, So we established that Yakima and Thule "suck" for the Overlanding application on a Taco. What are your options then? Lucky for you there are lots of options for the Taco, not so lucky for you, they ain't cheap. There is Front Runner, Awesome racks that will outlast the vehicle, they are modular and have a lot of cool attachments you can purchase later as funds or requirements increase. You want the Wind Cheetah. These racks are built to last, which also means they are heavy as heck, they are loud at highway speeds, and the attachments are made of steel, which adds a layer of maintenance for long term durability.

Baja Racks, They are the cheapest option, but I don't care for the construction or the weight. They also have a lot of attachments and doodads you can add to the rack to make it more usable/look cooler. Ive never actually owned one of these, I don't think I ever will. I just checked them out while I was doing the research for building the Argo, my "R&D" expo vehicle. Yes its a Tacoma.

There is Gobi, excellent racks, Low profile very durable, modular sleek rugged. Best mounting interface of any rack Ive owned. Had one on my 4 Runner and loved it. Expensive and overkill for your application, it will also not flow with the Tacos roof line, makes the cab look bulbous.

There is Prinsu Design Studio, this is a small upstart that is in my opinionated opinion the best rack made for the Tacoma. Its light strong and sexy, the price is more than fair and it works flawlessly. I would personally only repurchase the Prinsu rack System. Its obvious the designer has an aye for style. The rack is not only bulletproof and modular, it actually looks like the Toyota factory put it there. Actually, it makes the cap look good on the truck because the visual lines work. Its pure elegance and form following function. Its the easiest to mount, and adapt to the load requirements, and its the quietest and most fuel efficient of the racks I tested. And its the only rack manufacturer that has an option of a bolt on cab rack for your Taco. I don't like it because I own it, I own it because I like it.

There are other racks out there but I didn't think them different enough to mention. Just remember that the weight on the rack will bounce up and down, and take the truck with it on its violent little journey. this it true of every rack system, the kinetic weight will affect your ride, on top of that, the Taco's bed will twist sway and bend in relation to the cab, its designed that way, when you put lots of weight on the roof, this is amplified as well.

Oh yeah, there is the cheaper not so sexy option of a contractor rack, but they are really heavy and stick out from the bed sides quite a bit. They allow you to carry up to 500lbs on the roof, but are, well, all about the function.
Great tips. Thank you. You've given me a few more things to think about.
 
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BPD53

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I just this thread so here I go....

I have an ARE brand CX series topper on my truck with the factory installed Yakima system. I built a very simple aluminum rack that connects to the crossbars with cheap conduit hangers. I mainly used rivets, but there are a few bolts as well. It looks cheap but it works well.

I use mine to haul firewood all the time over gravel/potholed roads at pretty legitimate speeds. I have had ZERO issues with my rack or topper. I have taken my truck all over the state spanning thousands of miles without issues. The roads vary from interstate to rock trails with mud.

I really like the Yakima stuff because it is very modular for my hobbies. I would not hesitate to stack my Yakima homemade rack setup against anything out there.

I have never weighed the firewood on the roof but I would guess around 150 pounds.

I will agree with the others on the price of a topper. I am in to mine approx $1800 and the rack cost me around $80 to build. The ARE topper has a lifetime warranty regarding the shell.

Of course now mine will probably crack open like an egg next trip and make me look stupid.

I will try and grab a picture of my rack in the morning.
 
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BPD53

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Too much rain this morning to get a picture. I will try after work.