500 MJ Posted February 28, 2007 Share Posted February 28, 2007 So, this summer I will hopefully have some time to rent a canoe and go do some paddeling. I will be getting the rollbar from 88swampedmj soon when I am home for spring break. While I am there, I'll install that and hopefully get a rack made up for the rear of the bed so a canoe can set on the rollbar and rear rack. I am thinking of a modular design that is three peices and can all bolt together for ease of storing it when not in use. It'll be a triangulated design and mount right in front of the tailgate. Any ideas you guys have that you'd like to throw my way? Of course, once its done, I'll post some pics! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
watchamakalit Posted February 28, 2007 Share Posted February 28, 2007 What about one that slides into a reciever hitch? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeepcoMJ Posted February 28, 2007 Share Posted February 28, 2007 What about one that slides into a reciever hitch? I like that idea...no unnecessary drilling on the truck. except i think he's going for the whole storage space thing...if he made one for the hitch it'd be that much extra metal to store... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
87manche Posted February 28, 2007 Share Posted February 28, 2007 what about using those stake pockets you install into the bed rail? I do like the idea of the hitch, but then you couldn't get the tailgate down unless you took it off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeepcoMJ Posted February 28, 2007 Share Posted February 28, 2007 what about using those stake pockets you install into the bed rail?I do like the idea of the hitch, but then you couldn't get the tailgate down unless you took it off. yea you could do it with the hitch one. you make the bottom extend the width of the rear bumper then shoot them up at the side and cross back over for the top Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
87manche Posted March 1, 2007 Share Posted March 1, 2007 yes, but then it's big and heavy, if you're trying to make it store easy it's not that practical. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
500 MJ Posted March 1, 2007 Author Share Posted March 1, 2007 Yah, problem is that I don't have a hitch yet. AND I want to make it nice and beefy and be stable enough to cruise on the freeway with it. I'll probably get a big canoe. I'll tie down the front and rear of the canoe at the gunrails by tieing into my front and rear tow points and it will sit on the roll bar and this rack for the back. The other thing I don't like about the hitch one is that it could sway from side to side and I want something sturdy when I take it on the trails to get back to the river... I think I have a good plan of what I want. I'll throw up a hashed up drawing later to show ya. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
87manche Posted March 1, 2007 Share Posted March 1, 2007 take a look at how the tie downs in the bed bolt in, they've got a plate and two screws that hold those in. You could unbolt the tie down, bolt your rack into the stock locations, it would be wide, stable and wouldn't require any cutting/drilling on the bed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skimore11 Posted March 1, 2007 Share Posted March 1, 2007 I just downloaded google sketchup ... its free and does some nice 3d rendering. You might want to check it out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fiscus Posted March 1, 2007 Share Posted March 1, 2007 I think the hitch insert is going to be the best way to go. I'm sure you could take it out & put it back in with tha canoe still on top if it was absolutely necessary to let the tailgate down. Anything tha tmounted to the bed would be larger to carry/store. A hitch contraption would just be a "T" with a tail. This might be the dumbest idea ever, but has anyone ever put a gutter-mount XJ roof rack on am MJ cab? I carry my canoe on my Surco rack: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete M Posted March 1, 2007 Share Posted March 1, 2007 This might be the dumbest idea ever, but has anyone ever put a gutter-mount XJ roof rack on am MJ cab? I've thought about it, but it's hard to rationalize an actual need for it since I have a bed. But if I had an XJ rack lying around the house, you can be sure I would have thrown it on just to see. :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
feerocknok Posted March 2, 2007 Share Posted March 2, 2007 This might be the dumbest idea ever, but has anyone ever put a gutter-mount XJ roof rack on am MJ cab? I've wondered about this as well, cause I'd like to have a seperate rack for my snowboards or to mount lights up front. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeepcoMJ Posted March 2, 2007 Share Posted March 2, 2007 This might be the dumbest idea ever, but has anyone ever put a gutter-mount XJ roof rack on am MJ cab? I've wondered about this as well, cause I'd like to have a seperate rack for my snowboards or to mount lights up front. i have an xj gutter rack for my snowboards...it looks good on the 2 door xj, wierd on the 4 door, and plainly like some hick put it on the mj. trust me i've tried...there's just no way to do it and make it look good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carnuck Posted March 2, 2007 Share Posted March 2, 2007 How about one that mounts inside the fenderwells at the back (and pivots up to use and down to tuck away) and just has a crossbar that will fit behind the seat or inside a tube bumper? (That's what my J10 is getting) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akamcbird Posted April 13, 2007 Share Posted April 13, 2007 your all thinking to hard...use some scrap 2x4s and tos it end season -3 peices fastened over under, sitting in the bed a tiedown will hold it in place. even if there isnt a road to the lake\river Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
feerocknok Posted April 13, 2007 Share Posted April 13, 2007 I have a new found love for tie-wire/bailing-wire myself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jage Posted April 13, 2007 Share Posted April 13, 2007 This might be the dumbest idea ever, but has anyone ever put a gutter-mount XJ roof rack on am MJ cab? It's a Yakima that my brother gave me, slightly modified to make a tire rack, but you should be just fine as far as over the cab support. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eagle Posted April 14, 2007 Share Posted April 14, 2007 Yah, problem is that I don't have a hitch yet. AND I want to make it nice and beefy and be stable enough to cruise on the freeway with it. I'll probably get a big canoe. I'll tie down the front and rear of the canoe at the gunrails by tieing into my front and rear tow points and it will sit on the roll bar and this rack for the back. The other thing I don't like about the hitch one is that it could sway from side to side and I want something sturdy when I take it on the trails to get back to the river... I think I have a good plan of what I want. I'll throw up a hashed up drawing later to show ya. If you plan to tie the canoe only to the rack, then it has to be beefy. That really isn't necessary. I used to carry a 16-foot canoe on the roof of a pony car using just four styrofoam blocks clamped around the gunwales to cushion it on the roof. Lateral and longitudinal stability was from ties running to the bumpers. You can use a very light rack mounted in a hitch, because really all it does is support the weight of the canoe, and canoes don't weight much. You just have to tie the boat off to the chassis to keep it in place. That why a long time ago somebody invented this stuff called "rope." :) :cheers: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
500 MJ Posted April 14, 2007 Author Share Posted April 14, 2007 Thanks Guys. I havent gotten around to doing things yet for this. I will probably just get the hitch deal and call it good. I can set the weight on the roll bar once I get that in and then the hitch will work out great for stabilizing it once I get it on the truck, still gonna use a bunch of rope to tie it all in though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
500 MJ Posted July 14, 2008 Author Share Posted July 14, 2008 Well, last year it never came to be but this year it WILL be a completed project. I've thought about it alot and I've come up with the following basic plan. I'll use my FRONT hitch to mount it up, rather than my rear hitch so I can use that for a bike rack or to tow a trailer, etc. The rack that I drew up in paint is the basic plan. I will use a piece of 2" stock to come out from my hitch and then I'll use smaller stock for the rest of the rack and the supports (the drawing doesnt show this though). I've thought that I want to keep things as light and cheap as possible. Once its all put together it will be able to be folded up and stowed in the corner. Should be easy to weld up and sturdy enough to use time and time again. I plan on using it ALOT for hauling a canoe and also for hauling lumber and whatever else I need to move that won't fit in the bed. Thoughts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jtdesigns Posted July 14, 2008 Share Posted July 14, 2008 That should work pretty good but you should come up with some sort of stop to keep it from folding up on your grill/header. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jage Posted July 14, 2008 Share Posted July 14, 2008 Are you adding some kind of roof rack to support the middle of the canoe? If so I think you can lose the D-ring to vertical support brackets. The front can only be to support the weight of the canoe front, and not the twist. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
500 MJ Posted July 14, 2008 Author Share Posted July 14, 2008 Yah, The rear part of it will sit on the top of the roll bar... I do see what you are saying though... Thing is that I'm not so worried about the twisting of the canoe, its the loading and unloading of it when I have the Jeep parked in un-level areas. Thats why I'm thinking that I'll put those bars in there..? :popcorn: Also, I just realized that I drew the bolt in the wrong spot on the lower part near the hitch. Its all going to be gusseted at the joints and they will be held together with bolts and pins. So there will be no way that it can fall back on the front of the truck, it will have a pin and a bolt in the gusset to hold it at 90 degrees. :roll: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete M Posted July 14, 2008 Share Posted July 14, 2008 My towbar setup looks similar to what you have in mind. I had to go waaaay back in time to get some decent photos of the details. I put a lot of effort into getting it to mount upright only to realize that it blocked my view (and that would be technically illegal). I never solved that problem and when I drive the truck I just store the bar in the bed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
500 MJ Posted July 29, 2008 Author Share Posted July 29, 2008 Well, after a test fit of the design above (I made one out of wood just like it), I decided against it because it didn't seem stable enough and then I thought about problems with sight obstructions and all... I don't really like cops too much as it is. :roll: I ended up thinking along the lines that I was thinking originally and came up with the one that I built below... Pretty simple and still easy to store when its not in use... it bolts together and I just need to loosen them up to fold it down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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