Crossbar upgrade

[Charlie207]

My factory crossbars are the weak type, with the locks that fail, and I'm looking for some suggestions for upgrades.

I don't want a roof basket or base, as I want to be able to mount bike/kayak racks, and occasionally a cargo box.

Has anyone found upgrades?

 

[SpareParts]

How can we tell someone what to do when you don't understand proper symmetry! Look at that crossbar. All crooked and 5hit. Just ain't right!

















Actually JK I have no clue how to make a better bar but im sure someone here does.

 

[Scrappycrow]

Has anyone found upgrades?

Yes. Yakima has fitments for our trucks, but I am using Yakima components: RoundBars, Control Towers, and Landing Pads, which I initially used on an AMC Eagle. The versions of the Control Towers and Landing Pads I'm using are ~25 years older, but the new ones have essentially the same functionality. You'll need to figure out which of the current Landing Pads have the multiple universal square threaded plates like my old one has. I initially used them with the stock rails, but have the rails off now to replace them universal Yakima rails, which seem sturdier (and are lower profile) than the stock Tahoe rails.

The fitments Yakima specifies has "aero"-type bars which appear weaker than the RoundBars, but they're undoubtedly less noisy. When on my AMC Eagle, I had to install their airfoil-shaped cover to get rid of the howling that the front bar created.

If you go with the RoundBars, you can use their LoadStops, which are quite handy for lumber, etc.

 

[Charlie207]

Yes. Yakima has fitments for our trucks, but I am using Yakima components: RoundBars, Control Towers, and Landing Pads, which I initially used on an AMC Eagle. The versions of the Control Towers and Landing Pads I'm using are ~25 years older, but the new ones have essentially the same functionality. You'll need to figure out which of the current Landing Pads have the multiple universal square threaded plates like my old one has. I initially used them with the stock rails, but have the rails off now to replace them universal Yakima rails, which seem sturdier (and are lower profile) than the stock Tahoe rails.

The fitments Yakima specifies has "aero"-type bars which appear weaker than the RoundBars, but they're undoubtedly less noisy. When on my AMC Eagle, I had to install their airfoil-shaped cover to get rid of the howling that the front bar created.

If you go with the RoundBars, you can use their LoadStops, which are quite handy for lumber, etc.

Dooood.....thanks for the reply! I have old Yakima towers and crossbars laying around from the Saabs and BMWs I used to own, and for tïts & pickles decided to see if I could get the Yukon rails off to see if the Yakima towers bolts threaded into the Yukon roof bosses.

Yes!

What spacing did you use in yours? I only have two towers available per side.

 

[Scrappycrow]

Dooood.....thanks for the reply! I have old Yakima towers and crossbars laying around from the Saabs and BMWs I used to own, and for tïts & pickles decided to see if I could get the Yukon rails off to see if the Yakima towers bolts threaded into the Yukon roof bosses.

Yes!

What spacing did you use in yours? I only have two towers available per side.

You're welcome!

I will be drilling the Yakima rails to match the Tahoe's fittings, then spacing the bars depending on the load. I am doing it this way to have the maximum number of fasteners into the roof (without installing more) and to distribute the load as much as possible. I strongly suggest being careful on loading while using just one fastener, as it could pull out or bend the roof quite easily. I'd instead use the pad areas that have two fasteners.

Also, make sure you seal the fasteners, as the nutserts (or whatever GM calls them) are open, not blind. I'll be using Strip-Calk.

 

[Charlie207]

You're welcome!

I will be drilling the Yakima rails to match the Tahoe's fittings, then spacing the bars depending on the load. I am doing it this way to have the maximum number of fasteners into the roof (without installing more) and to distribute the load as much as possible. I strongly suggest being careful on loading while using just one fastener, as it could pull out or bend the roof quite easily. I'd instead use the pad areas that have two fasteners.

Also, make sure you seal the fasteners, as the nutserts (or whatever GM calls them) are open, not blind. I'll be using Strip-Calk.

For now I'm hoping that kayaks won't be an issue utilizing just one bolt/bolt-hole. I guess I'm thinking that it worked fine on my BMWs with one hole per tower.

I didn't have any sealer, per se, so I used some blue gel thread-locker that never really hardens completely. It's a fail for locking threads, but will work well to seal them. I was going to use a layer of teflon tape, but somehow can't currently find the 40 rolls I've accumulated over the years.

 

[Charlie207]

This is what I ended up with. It seems like adding a plate in the front and back, under each tower to utilize the two bolt holes in the roof would be a good solution, but I'll have to mull over how to find the right materials.

Adding a 3rd set of towers and a crossbar over the middle, to use the existing mounting holes in the roof would be nice.

 

[Scrappycrow]

I was going to use a layer of teflon tape, but somehow can't currently find the 40 rolls I've accumulated over the years.

Teflon tape wouldn't have helped with these, as it only works for tapered threads.

Remember to plug or tape up the unused ones.

 

[kbuskill]

It looks like you have already settled on a solution but just as an FYI the Z71 roof rack from the GMT800 platform will bolt right onto our GMT900 trucks and it is quite a bit heavier duty and has a built in roller bar at the rear to ease in loading things up from behind.

 

[_GMAN_]

It looks nice, but I prefer a more factory look. I doubt I will ever put anything up on my roof.