You might want to replace those zinc plated washers with stainless ones. The typical zinc plated "hardware store" washers will start to rust within a few months in a wet environment. I learned this the hard way on my Shasta restoration. I'm now a believer in stainless steel hardware for anything that will be exposed to the weather, especially if you are working with any kind of aluminum parts (such as a Topo Topper, perhaps? 😇)
Might've been hard to see, but I've painted over them. I've used plated hardware on all my roof rack projects over the years, sometimes painted, sometimes not. Can sometimes see some oxidation on the unpainted parts eventually but nothing ever stays in the same configuration long enough to get to the point of rusting. 😄
I really enjoyed this video, I found it very interesting to watch the trial and error and then eventual resolution. I also think that the solution worked out well and looks very clean on the truck. Having that slight bit of angle on the Maxtrax will hopefully act as a bit of a spoiler so that it has minimal effect on your MPGs it may even possibly improve MPGs helping the air to move over the camper. Like some others have mentioned I would be curious to how much road noise it added. Though again with the angle of the Maxtrax I am going to wager that it is minimal. If it is noticeable I suggest adding some more Iron, like Iron Maiden which should solve it🎼🤣. Jason
Thanks Jason. Yeah, a bit of wind noise that starts at about 60mph, but it's sort of low frequency and I've already stopped noticing it. Might give the Iron Maiden a try anyway. 🤘
make me wish I had those OEM roof racks on my '20. They're pretty ugly, but having those holes already in the roof is 90% the way to go. I never wanted them...but now I'm a little jealous. Couple things. That drawer liner may not be UV rated. You might want to consider getting on McMaster-Carr or other similar utility supply and get a UV resistant rubber. Neoprene is pretty good and squishy so you can get a good seal. It might also fill that gap that I can see between the bend and your roof. Maybe 1/8" thick...maybe 3/8" thick. Or maybe expanded polyurethane foam pad if you can find it. The other thing you could do is get some 'Bonded sealing washers.' These have rubber bonded to the bottom of a washer and will seal between the head and the washer. Or use some polyurethane caulk to seal between the head and the washer. Water could slip between the bolt head and the washer and drip down the bolt (between the rubber washer and bolt threads) eventually. But otherwise, that's a great setup.
I can see at the moment you were working on the roof, that your cat is a good and dependable helper. I have a dog that is a good helper too! Great job on the rack! Thanks for all the videos!!
Me personally I'd end up leaving something behind by accident it it's not attached to the vehicle. Excellent work. You can even open sunroof to get them off if opening doors is not easy or on a slope or in water.
Hey if it works! Now just waiting to hear about any road noise at highway speeds. And what your windshield will look like after you use them in a wet sloppy muddy or snowy situation and remount them back up there for the ride home. 😂
@@softroadingthewest It's too bad you live down in Hippyville, and not closer to me. We could have built that rack for the MaxxTrax out of aluminum. Lighter, and no need to paint.
Yes, I have a new low-frequency noise that starts at about 60mph, not terribly bothersome. I drove around for a week with just those two bars of perforated unistrut on there and those things howled starting at 50mph, so by comparison I'm relieved at how subtle it is. 😄
Just a thought - how porous is that drawer liner material you sandwiched between the roof and the bracket? Will it soak up and hold water that may lead to corrosion? Also (as someone else mentioned) stainless steel bolts and washers FTW. I have had mixed results with zinc coated fasteners - some rust faster than others (even here in Australia - it does rain occassionally).
Yes, those washers are going to rust fairly quickly. I also agree that a waterproof rubber gasket will last longer and a decent bead of sika/pu type sealant will add peace of mind.
Looks great. It also looks like if you swapped the left&right roofplates ( if that’s possible) then you’d be able to mount the maxtrax pins directly through the angle sections that the mini rack is mounted to; and making the entire mini rack obsolete?
Your fab skills are improving. The armchair mechanic in me wants to mod your rack so the maxtrax form an air dam for the front of the tent. I'm sure that would improve your gas millage at least .01 MPG. :-)
Yes, I have a new low-frequency noise that starts at about 60mph, not terribly bothersome. I drove around for a week with just those two bars of perforated unistrut on there and those things howled starting at 50mph, so by comparison I'm relieved at how subtle it is. 😄
Nice work Ethan! Reasonably priced as well. For anybody else doing the same, I'd recommend using bonded washers instead of stacking a regular washer on a neoprene washer. You can also put a little ring of silicone around the hole on the roof before putting the bracket on, and that will ensure that if any water gets in under the foam (or shelf liner in this case), it will go around the hole instead of in.
I personally would have preferred them on the driver side camper lift door but since that wasn’t doable this seemed like the only other choice. Glad you made it happen on top AND you still have a view out the top!
Honestly I wasn't 100% sure I would even be able to make this work for the Maxtrax when I bought the brackets, but I figured worse case scenario, I could use them to mount some lights across there. But very pleased with how this worked out. Thanks again for your assistance with this project!
Hey Donald, it saddens me to see you are still using the wood chop saw with the metal saw blade. When the blade is rated 1/3 the RPM that the wood chop saw spins it. I understand that our under a budget but what does your safety cost to stop personal injury? What does a rental bottle of shield gas worth in your area? Im happy to donate some money to get you into shield gas. Overall great work on the design and finding the brackets to mount your tracks.
It's not a metal saw blade, it's an abrasive cutoff wheel. I stopped using the saw blade very early into the bumper project after I basically destroyed it running it on this saw...don't worry, I won't be using it again, it doesn't cut anything. After the rear bumper project, I promised myself I would add gas to the welder before my next big project, but I wasn't planning on doing any welding on this project and was already into the (rare non-rainy) weekend when I decided to go that route. It was such a small amount of welding that the flux core wasn't that bothersome. At some future point, if I've got a real welding project planned, I'll definitely add gas...in fact I'm actually thinking of completely replacing this budget welder with something better.
Nice build. I saw your truck at Bring a few weeks ago. I wanted to say hi but did not get a chance. One comment I wanted to make is to remove the bag from your miter saw if you are using it to cut metal. Especially if there is any sawdust. Could be a very dangerous fire hazard.
Yeah, I'll see what happens and take further measures if they start to leak. All I had on hand was silicone - which I always get negative comments about if I use it - and Sikaflex 221 which would absolutely seal it but possibly render the installation irreversible. So I decided to just see how it goes with the purely mechanical approach since it had been working for Ethan. My truck sits outside with no shelter 24/7 and has been absolutely hammered by relentless rains over the past couple of weeks, and so far so good. 🤞
Yes. The vertical pins are a standard Maxtrax accessory, they fit through dedicated keyholes in the Maxtrax, and then the upper section twists to clamp onto the boards, which then also reveals a hole that a padlock can pass through. I didn't think to cover that detail in this video because they're very commonly used, but I should have at least briefly explained how those work. I have a video about the pins if you'd like to get a better look at them: ua-cam.com/video/5PtvYgn4LGk/v-deo.html
I do have a new low-frequency noise that starts at about 60mph, not terribly bothersome. I drove around for a week with just those two bars of perforated unistrut on there and those things howled starting at 50mph, so by comparison I'm relieved at how subtle it is. 😄
Hello Donald, I would like to know how your Topo Topper is holding up structurally? Are there any cracks on the welds? Is it in the same condition as when you bought it new? Have you put it through some hard off-road use? Thank you in advance for your response.
The Topo is constructed of formed 1/8" aluminum whose bends provide the structural integrity, and these pieces are bolted together, not welded. There are a few bits here and there held on by welds but they're not structural (and no issues with those welds). It's been on numerous rough trails over the past year and is holding up very well. Main difference from new is that it's a bit scuffed up from the narrow PNW trails I drive, but that would be the case with anything I put on there. I plan on doing a 1-year review video here soon.
Very sensible use of existing resource. Cool. I’m betting it has a freeway noise signature. Hope it isn’t annoying. I haul canoes/kayaks. Moving them fore/aft just an inch changes the noise level on the interstate. But, that’s just part of the game. There’s a small loss for a lot of gain.
Yes, I have a new low-frequency noise that starts at about 60mph, not terribly bothersome. I drove around for a week with just those two bars of perforated unistrut on there and those things *howled* starting at 50mph, so by comparison I'm relieved at how subtle it is. 😄
Yes, I have a new low-frequency noise that starts at about 60mph, not terribly bothersome. I drove around for a week with just those two bars of perforated unistrut on there and those things *howled* starting at 50mph, so by comparison I'm relieved at how subtle it is. 😄
Well done taking your time and coming up with a good solution for your max tracks now you have time do the Molly panels for the center consul in side your frontier😊
I seen you driving up the Mckenzie hwy just past Blue river last Tuesday. I was driving down river in a garbage truck. I seen the tracks mounted on the roof as we passed each other.
Looks good. I'd much prefer black max Trax over orange in that set up for appearance tho
If you cannot be a good welder, at least be a good grinder
Nice… Great idea. Thanks for sharing the good, the bad, and the ….cute cat.
You might want to replace those zinc plated washers with stainless ones. The typical zinc plated "hardware store" washers will start to rust within a few months in a wet environment. I learned this the hard way on my Shasta restoration. I'm now a believer in stainless steel hardware for anything that will be exposed to the weather, especially if you are working with any kind of aluminum parts (such as a Topo Topper, perhaps? 😇)
Might've been hard to see, but I've painted over them. I've used plated hardware on all my roof rack projects over the years, sometimes painted, sometimes not. Can sometimes see some oxidation on the unpainted parts eventually but nothing ever stays in the same configuration long enough to get to the point of rusting. 😄
I really enjoyed this video, I found it very interesting to watch the trial and error and then eventual resolution. I also think that the solution worked out well and looks very clean on the truck. Having that slight bit of angle on the Maxtrax will hopefully act as a bit of a spoiler so that it has minimal effect on your MPGs it may even possibly improve MPGs helping the air to move over the camper. Like some others have mentioned I would be curious to how much road noise it added. Though again with the angle of the Maxtrax I am going to wager that it is minimal. If it is noticeable I suggest adding some more Iron, like Iron Maiden which should solve it🎼🤣.
Jason
Thanks Jason. Yeah, a bit of wind noise that starts at about 60mph, but it's sort of low frequency and I've already stopped noticing it. Might give the Iron Maiden a try anyway. 🤘
Turned out nice.
Good thing you’re project manager, in the fur coat, was supervising
Great solution Donald. And I am happy to see some new possibilities for roof racks for our Frontiers being made.
Nice work. Just an idea - What about adding posts for limb risers ?
Nice solution to the problem. Well done. Charlie supervised !
Great solution. I like the "mini rack". Props to Ethan for the bracket design work.
You are Definitely Good at Figuring out Solutions to your "Engineering" Challenges
make me wish I had those OEM roof racks on my '20. They're pretty ugly, but having those holes already in the roof is 90% the way to go. I never wanted them...but now I'm a little jealous.
Couple things.
That drawer liner may not be UV rated. You might want to consider getting on McMaster-Carr or other similar utility supply and get a UV resistant rubber. Neoprene is pretty good and squishy so you can get a good seal. It might also fill that gap that I can see between the bend and your roof. Maybe 1/8" thick...maybe 3/8" thick. Or maybe expanded polyurethane foam pad if you can find it.
The other thing you could do is get some 'Bonded sealing washers.' These have rubber bonded to the bottom of a washer and will seal between the head and the washer. Or use some polyurethane caulk to seal between the head and the washer. Water could slip between the bolt head and the washer and drip down the bolt (between the rubber washer and bolt threads) eventually.
But otherwise, that's a great setup.
Looks like a great solution! I hope you find this works well on the road too.
Nice job Donald. I appreciate you taking us through your thought process and all the iterations before getting to the final solution.
I can see at the moment you were working on the roof, that your cat is a good and dependable helper. I have a dog that is a good helper too! Great job on the rack! Thanks for all the videos!!
That turned out great... just about the best solution for this setup
Me personally I'd end up leaving something behind by accident it it's not attached to the vehicle. Excellent work. You can even open sunroof to get them off if opening doors is not easy or on a slope or in water.
I don't know how you would get any of this done without Charlie helping out. 😆
Looks really good!
That looks great! Nice Job.
Great job buddy
Hey if it works!
Now just waiting to hear about any road noise at highway speeds. And what your windshield will look like after you use them in a wet sloppy muddy or snowy situation and remount them back up there for the ride home. 😂
Next month's video: Upgrading the windshield wipers and sprayers. 😂
@@softroadingthewest It's too bad you live down in Hippyville, and not closer to me. We could have built that rack for the MaxxTrax out of aluminum. Lighter, and no need to paint.
Well done and fun to see this come together.
Looks great, Donald!
I like the look. Great work!
Hey Donald, love your vids. Especially the diy's. Any increase in wind noise?
Yes, I have a new low-frequency noise that starts at about 60mph, not terribly bothersome. I drove around for a week with just those two bars of perforated unistrut on there and those things howled starting at 50mph, so by comparison I'm relieved at how subtle it is. 😄
Just a thought - how porous is that drawer liner material you sandwiched between the roof and the bracket? Will it soak up and hold water that may lead to corrosion? Also (as someone else mentioned) stainless steel bolts and washers FTW. I have had mixed results with zinc coated fasteners - some rust faster than others (even here in Australia - it does rain occassionally).
Yes, those washers are going to rust fairly quickly.
I also agree that a waterproof rubber gasket will last longer and a decent bead of sika/pu type sealant will add peace of mind.
Great job! IMO that’s the perfect spot and the way you built it, awesome!!!
Longest cliff hanger on UA-cam.😂
No one is happier than me to have reached the conclusion. 🤣
Donald you are definitely a fabrication inspiration for me. This makes me excited to work on my fab projects this year.
Looks great.
It also looks like if you swapped the left&right roofplates ( if that’s possible) then you’d be able to mount the maxtrax pins directly through the angle sections that the mini rack is mounted to; and making the entire mini rack obsolete?
Thank you Donald.
Great work, looks good. Please give your furry quality inspector pets for us.
Your fab skills are improving. The armchair mechanic in me wants to mod your rack so the maxtrax form an air dam for the front of the tent. I'm sure that would improve your gas millage at least .01 MPG. :-)
Excellent solution! might as well plug up those holes up there anyways! this would also probably work for the Xterra of the same gen as well
Nice vortex generator!
Usually they go on the rear of the roof, not the front!
All kidding aside, you might add a MPG with those on like that.
Great job. Does it make wind noise?
Yes, I have a new low-frequency noise that starts at about 60mph, not terribly bothersome. I drove around for a week with just those two bars of perforated unistrut on there and those things howled starting at 50mph, so by comparison I'm relieved at how subtle it is. 😄
Nice work Ethan! Reasonably priced as well. For anybody else doing the same, I'd recommend using bonded washers instead of stacking a regular washer on a neoprene washer. You can also put a little ring of silicone around the hole on the roof before putting the bracket on, and that will ensure that if any water gets in under the foam (or shelf liner in this case), it will go around the hole instead of in.
Good ideas.
I personally would have preferred them on the driver side camper lift door but since that wasn’t doable this seemed like the only other choice. Glad you made it happen on top AND you still have a view out the top!
Thanks Donald, really appreciate that you always respond to questions
Nice to see another successful project done... Those roof rack brackets look like real problem solvers 😉
That mounting solution seems perfect for your setup. 👍🏻
Good job!
Thanks Rob!
9:27 is top tier cinematography
Clearly this is eventually just going to become a full-time cat channel 🤣
👍👍👍👍👍, Great solution to your maxtracs dilemma. 🐈
Plus you can even access them via the sunroof if needed in a wild emergency!
Perfect solution and great work.
These look amazing, great job!
Nice! This looks like the perfect solution.
This came out much better than anticipated. Looks sweet and functional! 🤘🏻
I'm happy Ethan was able to get this going
Honestly I wasn't 100% sure I would even be able to make this work for the Maxtrax when I bought the brackets, but I figured worse case scenario, I could use them to mount some lights across there. But very pleased with how this worked out. Thanks again for your assistance with this project!
Thanks for the video Donald
😎👍
Looks Great. Thanks for the video
Looks great. Terrific job!
Very Nice setup. Time to change Hobbies if i need to worry about MPG !
Haha, that note was pre-emptively answering the inevitable questions I would have received about MPG impact if I hadn't mentioned it. 😄
Nice work! Well thought out!
Hey Donald, it saddens me to see you are still using the wood chop saw with the metal saw blade. When the blade is rated 1/3 the RPM that the wood chop saw spins it. I understand that our under a budget but what does your safety cost to stop personal injury?
What does a rental bottle of shield gas worth in your area? Im happy to donate some money to get you into shield gas.
Overall great work on the design and finding the brackets to mount your tracks.
It's not a metal saw blade, it's an abrasive cutoff wheel. I stopped using the saw blade very early into the bumper project after I basically destroyed it running it on this saw...don't worry, I won't be using it again, it doesn't cut anything.
After the rear bumper project, I promised myself I would add gas to the welder before my next big project, but I wasn't planning on doing any welding on this project and was already into the (rare non-rainy) weekend when I decided to go that route. It was such a small amount of welding that the flux core wasn't that bothersome. At some future point, if I've got a real welding project planned, I'll definitely add gas...in fact I'm actually thinking of completely replacing this budget welder with something better.
Nice build. I saw your truck at Bring a few weeks ago. I wanted to say hi but did not get a chance. One comment I wanted to make is to remove the bag from your miter saw if you are using it to cut metal. Especially if there is any sawdust. Could be a very dangerous fire hazard.
Good point, it doesn't seem to really be doing anything anyway. Thanks!
Nice work on the custom rack!
What a great solution!
A perfect plan always has it's problems. Thanks for the video! George.
Charlie yearns for the trails.
Great install and good looking
Definitely the best solution
👋 Hey Braxton, hope all is well with you
glad they are not leaking, but i would have put alittle silicone or something in the bolt holes to help seal it all up
Yeah, I'll see what happens and take further measures if they start to leak. All I had on hand was silicone - which I always get negative comments about if I use it - and Sikaflex 221 which would absolutely seal it but possibly render the installation irreversible. So I decided to just see how it goes with the purely mechanical approach since it had been working for Ethan. My truck sits outside with no shelter 24/7 and has been absolutely hammered by relentless rains over the past couple of weeks, and so far so good. 🤞
Good solution, nice job
Does the mounting bracket lock the boards down.
Yes. The vertical pins are a standard Maxtrax accessory, they fit through dedicated keyholes in the Maxtrax, and then the upper section twists to clamp onto the boards, which then also reveals a hole that a padlock can pass through. I didn't think to cover that detail in this video because they're very commonly used, but I should have at least briefly explained how those work. I have a video about the pins if you'd like to get a better look at them:
ua-cam.com/video/5PtvYgn4LGk/v-deo.html
Nice work, Donald
Monogrammed fender washers. Very fancy. ;-P
Sshhhh. 🤫 Don't tell Ulysses Dean Fletcher I took his washers!
Nice job on the rack.
Very cool solution!
Looks good!
Maybe little loctite
Yeah, but how do you reach those Maxxtraxx when the truck is upside-down with wheels in air. I bet you didn't consider this. Flawed design! 😂
That is why you mount the hi-lift jack under the truck.
🤣🤣
Nicely done. 👍🏻
Well done! 👍🏽👏🏽
That’s a great solution! Nice build on the rack too. 👍 And that cat! 😂
Great solution!
You found a spot!
👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼
Dig this format
that's great idea how much wind noise does it create?
I do have a new low-frequency noise that starts at about 60mph, not terribly bothersome. I drove around for a week with just those two bars of perforated unistrut on there and those things howled starting at 50mph, so by comparison I'm relieved at how subtle it is. 😄
Awesome job.
Nice job!
This is fantastic!!! As a frontier owner i love this!
Hello Donald, I would like to know how your Topo Topper is holding up structurally? Are there any cracks on the welds? Is it in the same condition as when you bought it new? Have you put it through some hard off-road use? Thank you in advance for your response.
The Topo is constructed of formed 1/8" aluminum whose bends provide the structural integrity, and these pieces are bolted together, not welded. There are a few bits here and there held on by welds but they're not structural (and no issues with those welds). It's been on numerous rough trails over the past year and is holding up very well. Main difference from new is that it's a bit scuffed up from the narrow PNW trails I drive, but that would be the case with anything I put on there. I plan on doing a 1-year review video here soon.
Very sensible use of existing resource. Cool.
I’m betting it has a freeway noise signature. Hope it isn’t annoying.
I haul canoes/kayaks. Moving them fore/aft just an inch changes the noise level on the interstate. But, that’s just part of the game. There’s a small loss for a lot of gain.
Yes, I have a new low-frequency noise that starts at about 60mph, not terribly bothersome. I drove around for a week with just those two bars of perforated unistrut on there and those things *howled* starting at 50mph, so by comparison I'm relieved at how subtle it is. 😄
Nice!
Nice work! Does it add to wind noise?
Yes, I have a new low-frequency noise that starts at about 60mph, not terribly bothersome. I drove around for a week with just those two bars of perforated unistrut on there and those things *howled* starting at 50mph, so by comparison I'm relieved at how subtle it is. 😄
Well done taking your time and coming up with a good solution for your max tracks now you have time do the Molly panels for the center consul in side your frontier😊
I will get there one of these days!
👌
Maybe the best option! Keep up!
Excellent solution.
Whats the new antenna on the bumper for? Cb?
That's a 6db GMRS antenna (upgrade for my existing Midland GMRS radio). It's made by Alamosa Antenna.
.
Thank you!
I seen you driving up the Mckenzie hwy just past Blue river last Tuesday. I was driving down river in a garbage truck. I seen the tracks mounted on the roof as we passed each other.
Nice, you got the early sneak peek! 😄
My route is on the Mckenzie hwy. I knew one day I'd probably see you on the road lol. I enjoy your channel.