> Having factory racks made into something other than a decoration is > also a no-brainer Being a truck die-hard, I've never owned a car with any sort of rack - factory or aftermarket. So, pardon my ignorance... are you implying that given the choice between an aftermarket system, versus mounting aftermarket accessories to a factory rack (which you "may" be saying is more decorative than functional), I'd be better off with the totally aftermarket setup? Rick *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
On 5 Feb 2004 at 15:28, Rick.Sylvia_at_ferguson.com wrote: > > Having factory racks made into something other than a decoration is > > also a no-brainer > > Being a truck die-hard, I've never owned a car with any sort of rack - > factory or aftermarket. So, pardon my ignorance... are you implying > that given the choice between an aftermarket system, versus mounting > aftermarket accessories to a factory rack (which you "may" be saying > is more decorative than functional), I'd be better off with the > totally aftermarket setup? _IF_ the truck rack is basically a decoration, then yes, you'd be better off with an aftermarket. To be honest, the worst factory rack I've seen was on a Taurus wagon. The cross bar was broken from a single kayak. I met the owner at a symposium and he wasn't too pleased with it as a kayak carrier. I wasn't impressed with a Windstar I once rented, but the big issue there was how easily one could remove the rack and walk away with the thing after attaching stuff - zero security. IIRC, their rack rating was only 100lb. There are other tales of factory racks being poorly attached to the roof. Load limits of 100lb are typical. OTOH, I've seen a couple of factory racks that look pretty tough - at least the longitudinals. One was a friend's, ummm, Korean brand wagon (forget the name). The cross bars aren't as impressive but can be replaced with brand name aftermarket crossbars if the longitudinals are good. If you look at a typical van converted for use carrying ladders and stuff, they use a bolted-on steel rack that can carry a lot of load. That demonstrates that the underlying roof is plenty strong. They could provide a factory option for a roof rack that could allow a van to carry four kayaks with ease, instead of breaking under the weight of two. I know a lot of folks that use factory rack side rails to hold a homemade rack in place. The kayaks/canoes etc are carried by the homemade rack and the factory rack just keeps things from slipping around. Mike *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
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