anybody have any advice on attaching a Sears roof box to the factory roof rack? i have 2002 ltd 4x4

 

Uhhhh.... read the Sears instruction manual? Sorry to sound like a smart-aleck, but many X-owners have eliminated the OEM crossbars because they rest directly on the roof's painted surface (rubs the paint away over time). Yakima and others make racks (and boxes) that are elevated above the roof. I'm modifying four Explorer crossbars (making them wider) in order to have them up and off the paint ... and to keep that factory appearance about them.

 

i suppose i knew it was a dumb question, but the factory racks sit so low as opposed to what i am used to - villager (b4 i got X), & i have concerns about how the ubolts will fit. the sears box had ubolts that went underneath the raised crossbars on my Villager; now the cross bars are flat against the roof, and i dont see any way to get the ubolts under the cross bar and sticking up so that the box can sit down on the racks - sorry for the dumb question. i was just wondering if anyone had attached a sears box to the factory rack with or w/out problems so that i dont have to go out & pay 250 for yakima

 

Don't think it was a dumb question. Ain't no such thing. You've got a legitimate concern, and it will take some mechanical creativity to provide a working solution. It's just hard to visualize, but you're latest post provides some more info. Could you fabricate some brackets from aluminum angle bar (available at most hardware stores) in order to install the "through bolts" (those going through the crossbar) in a longitudinal direction in lieu of vertical? Even a series of pop-riveted brackets (riveted to the crossbars) would provide sufficient mounting points. Still, the sore spot is that the crossbars will still be resting on the paint. Good luck with whatever you decide to do. And BTW .... welcome to the forum!

 

Will the Explorer towers not accept the Excursion cross bars??

For some reason I think that the Expy (pre-03) towers accept the Excursion cross bars. This will provide the desired height with minimal fabrication.

I think I experimented with my Ex prior to my move to Hawaii last year and the sale of my beloved Ex.

 

I just spent about 230 for a Thule settup in order to protect the paint. It's one of those "pay me now or pay me later" kind of things. I have an 04 and have never carried anything on top. But when I remomved the crossbars, I could see the beginnings of "rub" marks. It was a good investment and now carrying things on top is a snap.

Good luck and welcome to the forum!

 

Thank you all for your replies. I will post results soon - must resolve it b4 vaction at end of the month

 

Monsta - No, the Explorer towers will not accept the Excursion crossbars. And even if they did, the Excursion's crossbars are very weak in regards to supporting a vertical load (another reason they're right down on the paint ... they need the roof for added support). Both the Explorer and Expedition towers fit the Excursion roof rails. I'm simply (or I should say "only" since it's not so simple) lengthening the crossbars to make up for the additional width between the roof rails. I'm fabricating 8 inserts, one for each end of the 4 crossbars ... one end of each insert fits inside the crossbar, and the other end fits inside the tower ... though I'm beginning to wish I had cut up one of the bars to have the cut-pieces TIG-welded to the other three crossbars to make them longer (I would've been finished with it long ago).

 

I bought a Sears Sport 20-SV roof box a few years ago while in Florida,
easy to take on and off with the u-bolts and wing nuts provided,
takes less than 10 minutes to install. I use it for all my trips back and forth
from New York to Florida. So far no problems and the roof racks are just fine.


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2002 Excursion Limited, V10 Vanity plate "EXCURSON"

 

I recently bought thule foot mounts and crossbars, cost about $180. Anything with u-bolts is going to need a different crossbar. The only way to use the factory crossbars is to find a way to run a bolt directly through the bottom of the box into the threaded holes in the crossbars being careful not to use too long of a bolt as to damage the roof.