Subtopic	Posts		Updated
	Aluminum flooring	17		04/23 05:22pm
	Roof top tents - what are you using?	1		04/20 01:38am

By Ken on Wednesday, April 18, 2001 - 11:52 am: Edit

I would like to put in some type of flooring for my adventure rack. Ive seen metal plates placed in there, but i dont like the look. I do like what the guy in all the Moab pics did. The Yellow Disco seems to have some type of mesh flooring. Was this welded in? Any suggestions anybody may have would be very helpful, Thanks.

By wes on Wednesday, April 18, 2001 - 11:58 am: Edit

Look in the tech section under 'Roof Rack Flooring'. The yellow disco is probably Ho's, thats aluminum diamond plating which is bolted to the rack. Local Shop quoted me $216 for a sheet of aluminum diamond plating in a 4' x 8' size.

By chrisvonc on Wednesday, April 18, 2001 - 02:19 pm: Edit

http://www.discoweb.org/rackflooring/
I made mine for under $150 for material and welding fees.

By Rob Davison (Pokerob) on Thursday, April 19, 2001 - 04:17 am: Edit

i used plywood and a can of paint it cost me $30

it aint as cool as the others, but because it isn't too flexible it eliminates the hump and makes for a nice place to sleep...

i have a drawing of how i cut out my plywood if you want it.

email me
rd

By Mike on Thursday, April 19, 2001 - 06:12 pm: Edit

Pokerob:

Do you have pictures of your floor for your rack and possibly your roof top tent?

Thanks,
Mike

By MarkII on Friday, April 20, 2001 - 01:36 am: Edit

Anyone running a roof top tent or do any camping on top of their Disco? I have a Garvin rack and was planning to do some camping this summer. I've seen the 90's and 110's all decked out with full bore expedition tents but I just want to stay hi and dry. What kind of tent and what kind of flooring are you using? Thanks.

By MarkII on Friday, April 20, 2001 - 01:37 am: Edit

Sorry I threw the post in the wrong spot.

By Rob Davison (Pokerob) on Friday, April 20, 2001 - 06:59 am: Edit

http://www.discoweb.org/robdavison

you cant really tell what it looks like.

i have the plywood floor with a cheap-ass sears tent that was $16.00 on sale

it was the perfect size to fit up there.

like you, all i wanted was something to keep bugs and rain out... it worked. i'll set it up this weekend and take a picture.

rd

By Chris on Friday, April 20, 2001 - 07:25 am: Edit

I have the garvin rack with a plywood floor that I have used to camp on. In fact, the main reason that I went with the wilderness rack is the fact that it is flat and better suited to sleeping on (in my opinion). As far as tents go, I have a Walrus Windshear two-person backpacking tent that fits perfectly on the rack. I don't have any pictures with the tent on top, but there are some pictures of the rack in the gallery under Chris Condon.

Chris

By Tom Proctor on Friday, April 20, 2001 - 07:38 am: Edit

Pokerob,

Please e-mail me the drawing for your Adventure rack plywood cuts. I am trying to decide if I want to score/hinge the plywood to match the bend, or cut three seperate pieces.

I'll be using painted marine ply.

Thanks,

Tom
96 Disco

By nadim on Friday, April 20, 2001 - 07:43 am: Edit

Guys...

I used marine plywood for 3 years on my custom rack, 12mm (~1/2"), but it is too heavy, splinters, and eventually stores water that may lead to rust!

I have thrown the old rack out, and have started building a custom lightweight/strong one...i have decided to put 3mm (1/8") aluminium on it...i can easily save 40lbs, and at that hight, that is great!

By Chris on Friday, April 20, 2001 - 07:59 am: Edit

Nadim, that is a big piece of wood!

I am using 3/8" construction grade plywood. This is considerably lighter than the marine grade. As far as weather protection I filled in all open areas with wood filler and then used two coats of primer and two coats of a sealing paint (I can't remember exactly what kind I used). Anyway, we have hade a ton of rain this season and I have had no problems with it whatsoever. Besides, if it does need to be replaced in another few years, it only costs 30-40 bucks.
Just something else to consider.

Chris

By nadim on Friday, April 20, 2001 - 08:27 am: Edit

True, the cost is fair. But the aluminium has many advantages...it is lighter, lasts for ever, thinner so less wind noise...
I guess it comes down to preferences and money...
Good luck people!
Nadim

By MarkII on Friday, April 20, 2001 - 10:41 am: Edit

Pokerob and Chris are you putting 2 people on the roof or just yourselves? I am just trying to figure out how strong those roof rails really are. I figure between me and my wife we'd be looking at 300-350 lbs. How is the noise with the flooring in? Do you leave it in all the time? I'm thinking down here in the hot Florida sun leaving it in all summer might do a good job of keeping the truck a little cooler. I'll be looking for the pics after this weekend Pokerob. Thanks.

By Chris on Friday, April 20, 2001 - 11:07 am: Edit

Mark,

I have had 3 people and gear on top of the rack. As far as sleeping on top, I have had two people up there without incident. Noise wise, I don't think the flooring added a whole lot. I was without a floor for a while and got used to the noise from the rack--when I added the floor I do recall it sounding slightly louder, but not much. At this point I don't even notice the rack up there as I am used to it. I leave it on all the time as it is the only flooring that my rack has.

Chris

By Rob Davison (Pokerob) on Saturday, April 21, 2001 - 07:56 am: Edit

i have hauled ~400lbs of lumper on mine on the road driving and slight 4whling up an access road without any problems.

my rack was very loud, UNTIL , i put the plywood up (which i keep up there all the time.)

now it is in harmony with the tires

i used 3/8" pressure treated plywood with a couple good coates of black oil based paint. it's going strong now for a year without and problems or warping.


my only complaint it going over rough brick roads the rack rattles bad(wood on metal)

i'm planning on getting that black foam for pipe that is usually found on air conditioning pipes as insulation. i'll zip tie it around all the tubes and then i'll lay the floor back down onto it, and that sould clear away the rattles.

i'll take the pictures then have ho post them in my gallery so everyone can see (look on monday)

rd

By petzold on Sunday, April 22, 2001 - 12:39 pm: Edit

1. used 1"x6" treated boards. removed the rack, flipped it over, used plumbers metal perforated metal stripping to connect wood to rack. used one less board than needed for space to slide them forward or backwards for tie down on the alluminum rack.
2. found a used yakima fairing, turned it around and mounted on the front to keep air from rushing under the rack and roaring like a windtunnel.

killer set up.

p

By Alyssa on Monday, April 23, 2001 - 09:58 am: Edit

LRNA says that the Discovery Series I roof holds 110 pounds including the rack.

By Chris on Monday, April 23, 2001 - 10:10 am: Edit

I would imagine that 110 lbs. is a conservative estimate intended to cover LRNA with respect to liability.
Anyone know if that is a fact?

By chrisvonc on Monday, April 23, 2001 - 10:27 am: Edit

Very conservative.
When this question has popped up here and on other lists, many people have stated that they have had in excess of 250-300lbs lashed down up there (including myself)(Just to clarify, not myself lashed down but that much gear at one point hehe).

By Rob Davison (Pokerob) on Monday, April 23, 2001 - 10:43 am: Edit

ok, i'll say this ... the RACK can hold probably #1000... the rain gutters are what you have to worry about...

rd

By Rob Davison (Pokerob) on Wednesday, April 25, 2001 - 05:45 pm: Edit

ok, here are a few rough pictures of my plywood poormans, bucktoothed, hillbilly, cotton pickin'

roof rack floor

http://www.discoweb.org/robdavison/roof3.jpg

http://www.discoweb.org/robdavison/rf_0003.jpg

http://www.discoweb.org/robdavison/rf_0004.jpg

http://www.discoweb.org/robdavison/rf_0010.jpg

email me with any questions.

rob

By E Snyder on Thursday, April 26, 2001 - 08:35 am: Edit

I've used plywood flooring for roof racks, but it catches a lot of wind upthrust at highway speeds. I had a wire mesh floor made. For my Garvin rack. I've had 6 or so people on roof, no damage to gutters. Key is adding extra support cross bars to distribute weight out to edges of rack, not just on crossbars provided. Stainless u-bolts hold it on. I will try to take photos and post them on DW. I also have drawings that I took to steel fabricator shop to make the floor from. Email me if interested.

By Tom Proctor on Thursday, April 26, 2001 - 09:33 am: Edit

Rob,

Thanks for the pics. I misunderstood your original post - I thought that you cut teh ply to fit the rack profile (i.e. the different front and rear levels). Nice job though!

I'll let you all know what I finally decide to do...

Tom P.
96 Disco

By Rob Davison (Pokerob) on Thursday, April 26, 2001 - 10:18 am: Edit

yeah tom, that was my point.. i let it stay as one big sheet, that way the tent would sit up there nicely... or lawnchairs(not $G) and a little gas grill for the steelers games an'at...

let me tell you this is probably this is not the best roof you can have, just the cheapest.

i'd rather spend $200 on gps than a floor for the rack, it's all about what you use it for.

i still think it looks good too, most people never notice it (beeing 7' in the air doesn't hurt either)


rd

By Diesel on Thursday, April 26, 2001 - 10:21 am: Edit

Tom,

If you want to keep the adventure rack flooring flat, put a hinge in the ply wood where the back part of the rack meets the downward contour. The hinge allows you to access the space under the plywood. On the lower front section, you can put another piece of plywood and mount a weather proof box there. Now you don't loose the space under the plywood. Just a thought. If you want a more clear description, let me know.

Diesel

By Tom Proctor on Thursday, April 26, 2001 - 03:21 pm: Edit

Diesel,

I had thought about carrying the rear decking level forward to the front edge of the rack. THis would give a good place for a storage box. But, everything that I could think of putting in such a shallow box is either heavy, or I would want it in the rear cargo area. Also, the two levels work really well with my two roof top bags, and I would not want a single level rack.

One possibility I may pursue, is to run ply from the rear, forward to the lower level (including the down slope). I would score the underside with a circular saw to allow the ply to flex at the down slope transition. This ply will match up to a second piece for the lower level. Pretty simple except for the angled cut to give a nice seam (where the two sheets meet).

Hey, where are those bent ARB pictures?!

Tom Proctor
96 Disco