KJ Low profile roof cross bars w/basket

[Country2003KJ]

I am looking for low profile roof cross bars for my stock 2003 KJ roof rails. The OEM rails are fine but I need low profile cross bars that are even on their top so that I can place a cage/basket on top. The OEM rails are sloped but most cross bars would allow for an uneven installation on top. I need low profile so I can at least enter my garage with a basket on top - does not need to be loaded basket. Anyway can someone reccommend even cross bars? There are plenty high profile ones.

 

[klc]

I have these and have been pleased with them.

Robot or human?

 

[profdlp]

I built the ones in my sig. A few parts and they just screw together, so no welding. If they look interesting let me know and I will try and dig up the "How-To" thread.

 

[profdlp]

My sig picture looks awfully teeny now that I just posted. See if this is better:

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[profdlp]

I replaced my roof rack last summer and went with a lower one, which has worked out great so far:

Shown Here

 

[profdlp]

And Here

 

[Country2003KJ]

My sig picture looks awfully teeny now that I just posted. See if this is better:

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I like that! Can you describe or point me to a list of components or? I can give it a try.


What I am trying to do is put a rack roof up to hold the spare tire for those times that I want to put on a tow point basket. Tow point baskets just do not fit on the KJ's and still allow the back door to open. In this way I have the option to place the spare on top for those rare times I need more storage. Thx

 

[profdlp]

Here is the link for the build. There are more details in subsequent post in that thread:

profdlp's 2007 Liberty Project

I may go ahead and either flip the spare tire mount or throw the sucker on the roof rack. I am picking up and loading the trailer the day before I leave so I'll at least have time to monkey with it without getting antsy about not being on the road. Thanks! :)

www.jeepkj.com

I see they sell them at Amazon now. I ordered mine from a place called FarmTek. Basically, get four clamps and some sturdy pipe and you can tuck the whole works down between the existing rood rails. If you skim back through the above thread you can see the old crossbars I had which really raised the whole works up much higher than I liked. I can barely get in my garage where I live now and I would have never made it before.

One thing on the build is that I would order the pipe along with the clamps so they are a perfect fit. I figured I would be able to find pipe anywhere but it was not so easy.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00911U5KE?tag=bravesoftwa04-20&linkCode=osi&th=1&psc=1&language=en_US

The pipe diameter they need is listed at 1.315" OD which apparently is not a commonly stocked size. I did this nearly a decade ago, so my memory of this may not be perfect. The pipe I went with works fine but is just slightly too small (I'll guess and say it is probably 1.25") but it has worked great and they are still doing the job to this day. If you look at the design, once the clamps are attached to each side the pipes can't come out anyway.

Another thing to know is that the roof rails taper toward each other, so they are not the same distance apart at the back as they are at the front. Don't measure in just one spot and assume you can cut two identical lengths of pipe. I also got some heavy duty rubber and cut pieces to go under the clamps where they rest on the rails.

If you decide to go this route and have other questions just yell. It is a very easy project. I used a big-**** tubing cutter to cut the pipe and had the whole works on there in under an hour.

 

[Country2003KJ]

Here is the link for the build. There are more details in subsequent post in that thread:

profdlp's 2007 Liberty Project

I may go ahead and either flip the spare tire mount or throw the sucker on the roof rack. I am picking up and loading the trailer the day before I leave so I'll at least have time to monkey with it without getting antsy about not being on the road. Thanks! :)

www.jeepkj.com

I see they sell them at Amazon now. I ordered mine from a place called FarmTek. Basically, get four clamps and some sturdy pipe and you can tuck the whole works down between the existing rood rails. If you skim back through the above thread you can see the old crossbars I had which really raised the whole works up much higher than I liked. I can barely get in my garage where I live now and I would have never made it before.

One thing on the build is that I would order the pipe along with the clamps so they are a perfect fit. I figured I would be able to find pipe anywhere but it was not so easy.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00911U5KE?tag=bravesoftwa04-20&linkCode=osi&th=1&psc=1&language=en_US

The pipe diameter they need is listed at 1.315" OD which apparently is not a commonly stocked size. I did this nearly a decade ago, so my memory of this may not be perfect. The pipe I went with works fine but is just slightly too small (I'll guess and say it is probably 1.25") but it has worked great and they are still doing the job to this day. If you look at the design, once the clamps are attached to each side the pipes can't come out anyway.

Another thing to know is that the roof rails taper toward each other, so they are not the same distance apart at the back as they are at the front. Don't measure in just one spot and assume you can cut two identical lengths of pipe. I also got some heavy duty rubber and cut pieces to go under the clamps where they rest on the rails.

If you decide to go this route and have other questions just yell. It is a very easy project. I used a big-**** tubing cutter to cut the pipe and had the whole works on there in under an hour.

I went ahead and ordered the clamps and pipe from Farmtek after looking around to see if anything is local. I have not decided on the roof rack just yet but will look at a ~ 40" x 40" size with low or non-existent side height. I just need the area behind the sunroof for storage and with no over hang of the rear roof area. I won't cut pipe until I know the rack configuration. Thx for your suggestions.

 

[Country2003KJ]

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I used the pipes from Farmtek as you suggested and then tried to find a low profile flat rack. That works best for my needs and will allow me to park the jeep in the garage. Anyway this is what I finally came up with and did the install over the weekend. The one thing is that I need to stop the whistling of the roof rack and will use some round robust styrofoam to cover the bars in the front. But this is what I came up with. I used unistrut for the actual platform.

The first pic is the Farmtek pipe base (thanks for the suggestion) and the rest of the pics show the unistrut platform.

 

[profdlp]

Looks like you did a fantastic job!