UKMyers

Getting ready to order my towers, clips, lock cores, and crossbars but want to double check on what length bars to get. I am almost positive they are 48" but don't want to mess it up. Can someone mearure there's for me?

kaiberg

48" is good...i went with 58"s so i would have some more options...they hang past by about 5" per side but if you ever wanna throw something 4' wide up on your rack...like a sheet of plywood or anything its really nice to have the extra few inches to play with...another thought is this...the bars are all the same price...there just 1"pipe coated with thin black rubber with a cap that you push over the end...if you get the 58"s and decide you only need 48"...take the cap off...cut it with a hacksaw and put the cap back on...but ya cant strtch the 48"s to get a few extra inches as easily

UKMyers

Thanks I never thought about that.. what sort of extra options can you get with the 58" bars? I want to haul my MT bike but the rack will mostly be for stuff like camping gear, highlift, shovel, ect

kaiberg

on 58"s you can do a canoe or kayak plus 2 bikes...if you have 48"s and throw a canoe up there thats all your gonna get...also if you put a mega warrior rack on...the rack alone is 48" wide...if you have 58" bars you have room next to the the rack for a shovel or ax or whatever on each side...i just never like to limit my options...

Corey

iTrader: (1)

Joey, it's impossible for me to get an accurate measurement, as no one is around to hold the other end of my tape, and it flops when I lay it down.
No neighbors around to hold the other end right now.

But it looks to be very close to 58", so that is probably what they are.
Bought them back in '88, so hard to tell.

You want that length if you plan on putting on a Hi-Lift like I did, and have room on the other side for lets say a bike back.

I like having the extra overhang for said items.

seafarinman

UKMyers,
As far as the bars go, I have 58" bars on my rig. I liked having the extra length, as they provide a place for my Hi-Lift as well as a Thule Velo vise fork mount bike carrier. However, on the trail 198 at Evan's Creek last weekend, I was on a tight off camber (to the right) section, and I was doing pretty well, with no body damage except for my cracked left rear Bushwacker flare. As I passed a tree, my 9" of extra bar protruding from my roofrack struck a tree, and ripped off the mounting feet from the Yakima Plus-Nut Top loader rack bases that are bolted to my roof. The clamp on the front foot is twisted, and one of the bolts on the rack base is pulled out. I now need to remove the headliner and install regular nuts on the bolts instead of the "wall anchor" expanding anchors that are under the roof skin as well as install reinforcing metal plates underneath. I am going to take the sawz-all to the bars and shorten them about 5" on each side. On the trail we had to remove the whole roofrack (which was loaded up with camping gear) and strap it down into the bed just to complete the trail. I would think hard about what bar lengths you really need to avoid this sort of situation.

outdoorfever

i have 58" and mine are perfect, they should be about equal to your mirrors.

alanh

I just checked my 2000 factory rails and they are about 38" center to center, so a 48" bar would be 5" on either side.

Looks to me like you would need around 70" or more to stick out as far as the mirrors on mine. I don't think I'd want something that long though, for fear of whacking your head on them if you ever have to get real close to the side.

I've seen real long bars, but I've always wondered about it. I've had to sort of inch along the side of my vehicles more than once to get in when someone hasn't managed to park halfway decent in a parking lot. On my stock height 4R, the bar would hit me about the top of the head. Seems like someone taller could get it right in the eye if not careful if they stick way out especially at night.

Alan

outdoorfever

umm yeah, i'm 5'5, i dont have that problem

UKMyers

Thanks for the input. Yotatech pulls through again. I'll go ahead and go with the 58" bars since they are the same price. And like kaiberg said I could always cut them off but I don't think they would ever grow.

4RunnerFever

Late to the party. 58's are the way to go.