rhino style aluminium roof baskets, any experience

[shmick82 Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close shmick82]

Hi all, after some reading about fuel consumption, and my lack of long term need, I have settled for those alum basket roof cage things that sit on the cross bars. does anyone have any experience with those ebay ones, or jaybec ones? also are square cross bars that much worse than the rounded oval ones?
they will only be used on the odd road trip to carry tent and random stuff (50-60kg max), mainly on the road and some dirt/sand roads hence why im looking at these cheap ones. pretty light duties.

ps. I searched this and other forums but came up short of any useful info regarding this particular type of basket, so apologies if its been done.

[r4ndll Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close r4ndll]

I used to have one of the Aldi rhino knock offs (Auto XS was the brand and I've seen a few similar style for sale on ebay). I've since got hold of a Rhino steel mesh basket. The Aldi one filled a short term need (couldn't get my hands on anything lese quickly enough). I really wouldn't have trusted it on anything other than the black top, and the gaps between the cross beams were huge, but for $80 it did the job. The beams were held on with a single screw on each end, that went in from underneath, and if they'd come loose there was enough room for the beams to work free with vibration. I used Loctite on them to try and prevent it.
Also the size is misleading. They ends slope so you lose a bit of luggage space.

Here's a review of the Aldi one (not mine).
http://www.downthunder.com.au/parts/...lloy-Roof-Tray

and a similar Ebay version: http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/1-3M-ALUM...-/221654358573

[shmick82 Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close shmick82]

that's the stuff im looking at. thanks for those pointers. not something I thought about, but I could work with it. in terms of strength, are those side rails pretty solid if you can remember? my tent is heavy and would need to be tied pretty firmly. do you think the side bars are at risk of getting loose? ive bought an alum table from aldi once, and returned it the next day as the legs almost gave way when I dropped a slab of beer on it.

[r4ndll Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close r4ndll]

The side rails weren't too bad. It was rated to 80kg. Not sure of the ebay ones. You could always lash to your roof rack cross beams through the tray if you were worried - its what I did
This install video shows how its put together and the cross section of the alloy. I would think the ebay ones are similar. The main thing would be that the corner pieces are plastic and its two screws holding it in. I was more worried about the floor beams than the rails. I have no experience of the Rhino version so can't compare.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghAo0rPnH4I

For a few dollars more you could get a Rhino mesh platform. Its what I should have gone for instead of the tray in hindsight as we've got an Oztent.
http://www.rhinorack.com.au/products...rm-medium_rpbm

[Guest Close Guest]

I'm more inclined to stick with the real deal from Rhino rather than cheap ebay racks. This would ensure proper fitment to the roof rails or directly mounted to the roof. Have you got the north-south roof rails?

[shmick82 Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close shmick82]

yep, north south, grande, which I believe u have too. im thinking cheap as I cant see myself using them more than 2 times a year, driving to and from a campsite. ive seen roof racks failing in offroad touring situations and until the kids are a bit older (in 4-5 years) I cant imagine id venture too far off the blacktop

ideally id like to just remove the standard north/south rails and put up a roof cage, but might cost a bit in fuel for the convenience of using it twice a year.
do platforms kill economy as much as a cage would? id settle on that as a permanent solution if it was not too bad on fuel

[Guest Close Guest]

With the Rhino platform, or even the cross bars that bolt directly to the roof, they are easily removable - 1 screw per foot. If you are looking to save money, then look at second hand stuff on gumtree and ebay.

eg http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Rhino-roo...item235475dec0
It'll fit nicely onto your roof rails. All you need are these feet

http://www.rhinorack.com.au/products...unt-system_cxb

[shmick82 Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close shmick82]

thanks for the comments and suggestions. Might expand my horizons to include a platform style rack as apparently they aren't too bad on fuel. I really like the rhino pioneer platforms. ill keep an eye on ebay and gumtree