Base Racks

---

The roof of your car, van or SUV has become one of the most popular and versatile places to carry your gear. Rack systems from Thule and Yakima offer a Great fit for your vehicle and safe reliable transport for your favorite toys. You also have the option to mix and match accessories to carry a variety of items at one time.

A system for your roof requires a base rack specific for your vehicle. Then you can choose the accessories that are appropriate for your gear. With a system on your roof you can ensure ease of use, safe transport for your gear and, security from theft.

The base rack is the starting point for any system on the roof of your car. In the days when all cars had rain gutters it was easy to sell a one size fits all rack and have good results. Today we have cars with rain gutters, cars without rain gutters, mini-vans and SUV’s that may or may not have factory racks as well as pick-up trucks. With so many different options it is important to get the correct fit information for your given vehicle.

Most base racks consist of 3 or 4 components to make a complete rack. Locks can also be added to secure the rack to your car. Use the Thule and Yakima on-line fit guides to determine the components required to fit your vehicle.

Once you have the base rack on your vehicle you can select the accessories you will need to carry your gear. Quality bike accessories, ski & snowboard accessories, water sports accessories and cargo boxes are all available from both Thule, Yakima, Mont Blanc and SportRack.

View our selection of base rack products from Thule, Yakima and Others.

Factory Rack Options

---

With so many mini-vans and SUV’s on the road today you may already have a rack on your vehicle that is ready to accept some accessories. Cargo boxes, ski & snowboard carriers, bike carriers and water sports carriers are all available to fit most factory racks.

Weight ratings can vary from rack to rack so it is important to make sure that your factory rack is adequate to handle the load you want to carry. A common application is to mount a cargo box to a factory rack. The boxes weigh about 40 lbs so if your factory rack if rated to carry 100 lbs you have to decide if 60 lb capacity inside the box will be enough.

The position of the rack on the roof can also be an issue. If your factory rack only covers the rear half of the roof and you mount a cargo box to it you may have a problem with the rear hatch hitting the box. If you have any questions or concerns about the factory rack on your vehicle please contact us for more information.

Rear Mounted Racks

---

Mounting a rack on the rear of your vehicle is a great way to carry a variety of loads. Although most options are made to carry bikes you can also get racks to carry skis and even luggage. There are three main styles of racks for the rear of your vehicle, hitch mounted racks, strap-on racks and spare tire mounted racks. The main difference is how they mount to your vehicle.

Hitch mounted racks are becoming one of the most popular ways for families to get bikes from point A to point B. They are easy to use, offer lockabillity and can carry up to 4 and even 5 bikes. This style of rack requires a trailer hitch on your vehicle and the strength of the hitch will determine how many bikes you will be able to carry. If your vehicle is not already equipped with a trailer hitch we can supply and install a hitch for almost any vehicle. Check the size of hitch on your vehicle and see how many bikes you can carry:

Class I	2000 lb.	Ball or 1 1/4″ receiver	2 bikes
Class II	3500 lb.	1 1/4″ receiver	3 or 4 bikes
Class III	3500-5000 lb.	2″ receiver	4 or 5 bikes

Strap-on bike racks are another great way to get bikes on the back of your vehicle. They come in 2 and 3 bikes models and are versatile enough to fit almost any car, wagon, mini-van or SUV. If you are changing cars in the near future or buying a rack to use on 2 or more cars a strap-on rack may be right for you. Check the Thule and Yakima on-line fit guides to see if there is a strap-on bike rack to fit your vehicle.

Spare tire mounted racks are exactly what they sound like. They mount to the door mounted spare tire that you would see on a Jeep or some other SUV’s. They can be purchased for bike or skis or a combination of both.

Specialty Racks

---

We offer specialty rack options for commercial and heavy duty applications.