switchback

I was wondering what most people in here have on their trucks. . . Factory racks or aftermarket racks. I like aftermarket racks from both Thule and Yakima but when they are mounted over the doors it seems like they would be harder to load. The benifit with factory racks seems like they are easier to load because you can just climb up on the rear tire. I just bought a 99 SR5 without a factory rack and I am trying to decide which way to go. I could put a factory rack on, put an aftermarket over the doors, or go the more expensive route and put an aftermarket rack on the back which requires drilling (just like the factory rack only better). Any thoughts on this issue?

X-AWDriver

I have a Yakima Load Warrior basket which mounts roght to the stock rack and can be removed or installed in under 5 minutes so it could be an option.

4mydogs

I have the factory job and use it on nearly every trip -- gives the dogs a lot more room! I'm sure there are fancier, but I have no complaints.

terryjmatthew

I have the factory rack and Yakima!

Bob_98SR5

switchback,

welcome, nooooooooooooob!

the topic of roof racks has volumes of posts on this forum. search the following terms and read up b/c there's some great opinions based on first-hand experience:

- thule
- yakima
- stock roof rack (or factory roof rack)
- roof rack

Now here's my take on factory vs aftermarket:

- if you get a factory RR, you are severely limiting the number/options of accessories you can put on it. both thule and yak make 'adapters' that will fit the stock rack and their accessories, but not for alot of them

- the load bearing on a stock roof rack can't compare to an aftermarket rack. the aftermarket rack mounted on their "feet" and mounted above the roof is the sturdiest of them all. i used to know the numbers off the top of my head, but you can probably find that number somewhere. the downside to this mounting option is that you and your passengers will most likely hit your heads once or twice when entering the vehicle! seen it happen many of times. when my mom hit her head on one bar, i took them off in that location.

contrary to what you said, its a lot easier to load when the bars are above the cabin area because you have 4 places you can stand (door sills) on easily to load equipment.

if you do buy an aftermarket system, make sure you buy the wind deflector. it dramatically cuts down the whistling noise.

if you do buy an aftermarket system, buy on ebay. i swear, for the life of me i cant understand why these things go so cheap on ebay. they last forever yet people are willing to sell these at 1/3rd their retail value. thats what i'd do.

as for me, i had the stock rails/roof rack, but i replaced the stock cross bars with my 12 yr old thule bars (i had to by the "feet").

so search, read up, get more opinions and let us know what you decide (with pics, of course)

bob

jacksonpt

I've got stock rails, Thule feet/bars/bike carriers/kayak carriers, and a Surco safari basket.

switchback

Thanks for the detailed reply Bob. I will check for those other threads and see what has been listed there. In the meantime. . . do you know if an aftermarket rack that is installed in the "factory" tracks is as strong as an aftermarket rack installed above the doors in which the feet grip under the door seal? And, can a wind defector still be mounted on a rack that is adapted to the factory location? PS - its good to be involved with all of you guys in here. Can't wait to start "customizing" my "new" (new to me anyway) truck!

Bob_98SR5

in rank order of load bearing (strongest first)

1- aftermarket w/ feet, located above the cabin area
2- factory rails w/ aftermarket rack
3- stock rack system

yes, a wind deflector can be mounted on any aftermarket rack regardless of location. i custom made mine. look at my profile of my 4runner in the community section (listed by generations)

bob

Roadtripr

I think the stock roof rack is rated to 125-150lb weight. The yakima bars will be much stronger but you have to consider that the roof might not support a higher weight.
I have transported my kayak on the stock roof rack with no problem (80lbs 16 feet long), I only wished the rack covered more of the roof.
Another thing is the more weight you put on top the higher the center of gravity gets.
You might be able to pick up a stock rack used (then you added a load warrior basket or whatever you want)

dlbrunner

I just installed the yakima tracks, then put the rail riders from my old truck on there. I had no rack to begin with. The tracks are great, you can adjust the cross bars, or add another cross bar to increase the area the load is distributed. I had the rail riders in the factory tracks of my Exploder and never had any problems. I never carry a spare tire on top though.

Scottiac

weight ratings for yakima... I imagine thule will be similiar

yakima weight rating on factory rails is 100 lbs.
yakima weight rating on q-towers is 165 lbs.

I believe the factory rack options are 100 lbs as well.

Hermes

For what it is worth, the Thule feet are nice to have as you can take them off when not using the rack. The base stays in the factory tracks and the tower portion comes off w/ the bars. If it takes a minute I would be surprised. No wind noise when there are no bars and it also helps, albeit marginally, with fuel economy. Added bonus is makes cleaning the roof much easier. Nice to know I don't have to worry about my wife driving into a parking garage roof. Yes it can happen (damn parking valet & not my wife)

Granted, it may not look ‘cool’ for some. How often do you really carry stuff up there?

switchback

Bob, I checked out your truck in the community section and it looks great! I think I will probably put a Yakima rack in the factory rails for now, and then maybe move it forward in the future if I need to carry heavy stuff like 4 backpacks loaded for a week in the woods or something. I will have to first buy the "rails" from Toyota because my truck only has the molding in place where the rails would be; then from there I can put the Yakima system in place. The rails sell for about $90 at Toyota, a bit high but probably not a bad idea to have 'em on there anyway.