Roof rack

nhpenner · Post by **nhpenner** » Wed Jan 02, 2019 5:27 pm

Just wondering about what roof racks are best recommended and which fittings to use on a 1998 delica L400 [IMG]https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201901 ... 3907d9.jpg[/IMG]

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Khrolar · Post by **Khrolar** » Wed Jan 02, 2019 6:01 pm

nhpenner wrote: ↑Wed Jan 02, 2019 5:27 pm Just wondering about what roof racks are best recommended and which fittings to use on a 1998 delica L400

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I believe there's 2 types of roof racks you can get for our delica's.
A basket for the roof that can bolt directly to your vans roof, however this requires drilling holes in the roof to mount it, I don't believe many people go this way

Or the more common option is a gutter mount system.
Thule and Yakima both make gutter mounts for high roof vans. I believe both are around a $300 price tag.

Currently I have the Yakima system mounted to my van, it works well, however I found that the clamps for the feet bend out the gutter on the van, and that the inside of the clamp sits quite close to the metal of the vans roof. To solve any potential scraping I added some 1/8" rubber pads on the back of the clamp.
You will also have to purchase the high roof risers with the gutter clamps to make it compatible with out high roof.

If I was to buy a band new system I would probably go with the thule setup as it looks cleaner.

bitnaut · Post by **bitnaut** » Fri Jan 04, 2019 9:31 pm

There’s also rhinorack.ca. I use their RL210 legs and HD Rack. But there’s a fitting guide on the website that includes our Delicas so check into that.

Spurside Farm · Post by **Spurside Farm** » Fri Mar 22, 2019 3:42 pm

Great question nhpenner - we have the same van and are looking for a roof rack system.

I called Cap-It and was told that the Thule system does work, but will not be under warranty as the part that connects the taller foot is flimsy plastic and is not designed to hold the weight (I hope I'm quoting the fellow correctly). Instead, it was recommended that we go for a RhinoRack, but they retail $550-$850.

Has anyone had troubles with the Thule system? I cannot find info on their website for Delica vans.

Thanks

(and thanks bitnaut - the RhinoRack website is good)

demiro · Post by **demiro** » Tue Mar 26, 2019 7:46 pm

I have a Surco safari rack that I bought at 4wheelonline. It is not yet mounted because I'm still looking for roof bars.

KitsuneL400 · Post by **KitsuneL400** » Thu Mar 28, 2019 1:51 pm

Hi there,

I recently purchased and mounted the Thule racks on our L400 Crystal Lite Deli. They were the gutter mount model. With the extra high towers. Why the extra high towers you might ask? Well the Delica gutters have a little quirk. They slope downward towards the rear of the vehicle. I had originally purchased the high towers which were fine at the front of the vehicle but too low at the rear to give any usable clearance.

I got the racks at Rackattack. They set me back about $550. They have a driving load capacity of about 175 lbs. good solid racks and not hard to mount. The only trick to mounting is that you my have to pop out a couple of the gutter clips depending on where you want to mount the rack fottings.

If you’re located in BC and looking for something a bit more utilitarian, check with the guys at Rising Sun imports in New Westminster (Annicis Island). They sometimes have no name racks from overseas that cost less than the big name brands.

Aaron

Spurside Farm · Post by **Spurside Farm** » Thu Mar 28, 2019 6:21 pm

Thank you Aaron. I'm glad to hear you recommend Rising Sun. I'm in conversation with them about getting some roof racks but wasn't sure if there were any reviews on them as a business. I appreciate your advice. I'm hoping that these no-name racks will be compatible with a Thule tub. Fingers crossed.
Thanks for your info.
Andrea

Sysop · Post by **Sysop** » Tue Apr 30, 2019 5:33 pm

Just got my racks today from rising sun, crazy solid! Never seen racks built like a tank! Will probably out last the l400.

Spurside Farm · Post by **Spurside Farm** » Wed May 01, 2019 6:53 am

That's funny timing Sysop...I ordered some racks from Rising Sun in the end and they have just arrived too. Just need to be picked up from the post office. We're looking forward to trying them out. Glad to hear you like them and approve of the quality. Happy trails!

volnoir · Post by **volnoir** » Thu May 02, 2019 4:49 pm

Would love to see a photo of the racks you guys are getting!

Spurside Farm · Post by **Spurside Farm** » Thu Jul 04, 2019 10:10 pm

Hi volnoir,
Sorry for the delay. I can't seem to post photos on here, but I can email them to you.
Our rack set cost us $460 including taxes and shipping to Vancouver Island (from Vancouver). They seem great so far. Pretty easy to install (though the instructions had only a few words in English...my husband found a YouTube that helped supplement the diagrams...we didn't want to wreck the gutters but it all worked out).
Hope that helps. :)

jimmyd · Post by **jimmyd** » Mon Aug 05, 2019 1:53 pm

Hey, I am using the Thule 387 roof rack towers on my 2002 Spacegear. So far it works really well, I keep my ski box on it all the time. It took some time to mount the rack. They do minorly push the gutter covers out a bit but it's not noticable from the ground. I found the Thule rack to be significantly cheaper than the Rhino rack alternative.