DIY Low-profile Crossbars

[guruerror]

I'd been toying with the idea of getting a Gobi stealth rack for my truck, but didn't wanna shell out the bucks; plus the rack added a bit more height to the truck than I wanted.

I was mainly looking for something that would allow me to haul plywood/drywall on the roof but give me a lower profile than the OEM crossbars (and also not have the annoying HUMMER branding...this truck is over-branded IMO). What I came up with is a play off of the bike rack I made last year...



I went back to Home Depot and snatched up some 1" black pipe this time and went to work. Let me say that my spot welds are UGLY...I just taught myself how to weld and these ugly little buggers are mainly just to hold the prototype in place until I get it to the 'professionals' for welding and powder coating.

I will prolly end up making three of these which should easily support any typical drywall/plywood run I need to make. I'll prolly drop this sucker off to the pros tomorrow or next weekend. I'll be certain to post pics of the finished product as well as the completed project (all three rails installed).









The PROFESSIONALS in my neck of the woods...cold beer, welding and powder coating all under one roof...can't beat that!

[pwrhse2k]

Brent, I've got my OEM cross bars (2 of them). That plus yours should do the trick don't you think?

[guruerror]

Originally Posted by pwrhse2k

Brent, I've got my OEM cross bars (2 of them). That plus yours should do the trick don't you think?

You lost me...do the trick for what?! LOL!

I've got four OEM ones...I want something a little more low-profile.

[pwrhse2k]

My bad Brent. I didn't know the stock cross bars were much higher than the fabed low bar piece pictured.

[guruerror]

Yeah, but not by much...the stockers are about an inch higher.

I could have gotten another 1/4 inch of clearance by using 3/4" pipe but wanted to maintain some rigidity. I'm hoping once it's properly welded and powder coated it'll have the same rugged-finished look as the bike rack.

Speaking of which...where's your tires?

[pwrhse2k]

That's WTF I want to know! LOL I talked to the guys I ordered the wheels and tires from and they had a set of 4 come in on July 10th. I'm now waiting on the 5th wheel spare. Since the wheels were on backorder this may take a while. Errrr