3rd Party Roof Rack

[nochruto]

Does anyone know of a good low profile roof rack option? I really like the the Prinsu low profile rack but after speaking with them they don't make it for 3rd Gen Exp. Other than Kingdom Overlanding, there doesn't seem to be any other options out there. I was really hoping not to spend 1800.00 on a roof rack.

 

[Brandonian]

Not sure how handy you are, but it's something I may venture on this summer if needed for mine, but I've seen lots of nice unistrut roof rack builds online which is a cheaper option, and you can build it the way you want it. Supposed to be a really inexpensive option as well, just have to be a bit crafty .

 

[ediddily]

I went with Cabela's rook rack. $150 and has held up well over the years and holds plenty.

 

[Langer]

Does anyone know of a good low profile roof rack option? I really like the the Prinsu low profile rack but after speaking with them they don't make it for 3rd Gen Exp. Other than Kingdom Overlanding, there doesn't seem to be any other options out there. I was really hoping not to spend 1800.00 on a roof rack.

@ExplorerTom has a great one

 

[ExplorerTom]

Eezi-Awn rack I bought from equipt1.com. When browsing, it will not say “fits Expedition”. But it will. This rack has been on my Explorer, my 2000 Expedition, my 2014 Expedition and is now back on my Explorer.

 

[DeafBringer]

Damn, that rack looks AWESOME. But eye watering at $900...

 

[Pyrofighter307]

Idk how handy you are, but you might want to look into building one. You can buy precut and tapped extruded aluminum from 8020.net Thats what I plan on doing for mine.

 

[ExplorerTom]

Damn, that rack looks AWESOME. But eye watering at $900...

It is expensive. However, I bought it 7 years ago. It’s been on “4” vehicles. It will still be solid and strong in another 7 years. And another 7 years after that.

Buy once, cry once.

 

[ExplorerTom]

Idk how handy you are, but you might want to look into building one. You can buy precut and tapped extruded aluminum from 8020.net Thats what I plan on doing for mine.

8020 or “unistrut”, which is steel. Either would be a great option for a roof rack.

I made a backseat platform out of 8020 in my Explorer. Works great and is super strong.

 

[tacoduck]

Thinking out loud, but why not buy some extra crossbars from the junkyard to spread the load? I have a Land Cruiser and it’s a popular alternative to adding an aftermarket rack. Lots of guys run rooftop tents with this setup with no problems.

 

[Aces]

Edited after seeing OP’s actual post.

 

[smahaffy]

Thinking out loud, but why not buy some extra crossbars from the junkyard to spread the load? I have a Land Cruiser and it’s a popular alternative to adding an aftermarket rack. Lots of guys run rooftop tents with this setup with no problems.

Ive done that and with a RTT but the standard crossbars on and expo are pretty weak and flex a lot when you put weight up there. If you want to put a deflector on because with the RTT is an airdamn and your mileage drops to 11mph.
The best ive seen is kingdom but its a steep price.

 

[rollinstone]

I use a Yakima system…bars and towers. Holds trays, kayaks, bikes, skis…whatever.

 

[ExplorerTom]

Thinking out loud, but why not buy some extra crossbars from the junkyard to spread the load? I have a Land Cruiser and it’s a popular alternative to adding an aftermarket rack. Lots of guys run rooftop tents with this setup with no problems.

Like this?

 

[Darkhorse16]

Eezi-Awn rack I bought from equipt1.com. When browsing, it will not say “fits Expedition”. But it will. This rack has been on my Explorer, my 2000 Expedition, my 2014 Expedition and is now back on my Explorer.

Do you remember which vehicle you purchased it for that was compatible with the expedition. Looks like the 4Runner or Land Rover Defender might be close to fitting.

Did you remove the factory bars and use eezi-awn’s tracks?

 

[ExplorerTom]

Do you remember which vehicle you purchased it for that was compatible with the expedition. Looks like the 4Runner or Land Rover Defender might be close to fitting.

Did you remove the factory bars and use eezi-awn’s tracks?

I think I went with a 5th gen 4Runner. I originally bought it for my Explorer that is similar in size to the 4Runner. But it worked pretty well on my Expeditions as well. Mine partially covered the sunroof on my Expeditions (not something I have on my Explorer) so if I was going to buy one specifically for an Expedition with a sunroof, I would go with a shorter one. Without a sunroof wind deflector, it was very noisy even with the sunroof closed. When the rack was on my Expedition, I didn’t use my sunroof- it was very loud with the sunroof open. If the rack was farther back, it probably wouldn’t be all that noisy.

And yes, you remove the factory rack/rails. Then the “hard” part is transferring the holes into the Eezi-Awn rails so you can bolt it to the roof. My rails now have lots of holes in it from all the different vehicles it’s been on.

 

[prenticect]

I have gone down the rabbit hole on roof racks in just the past 2 days. I learned that our model does not have a roof support frame, like the 2018+. So any "real" replacement is a bolt-on, as in bolt to the roof of the truck. That overland is SUPER nice and costs over 1500.. BUT it is built for overlanding so good construction. Once you accept that, everything else ties into the cross rails of your existing roof rack. I am not happy about that, but those are the default options. Once there, you can look at adding different cross members to your rack and then adding a basket type thing on top or whatever other attachments.

For me personally, I am looking at something like this below. My issue is what type of newer cross member connection is needed or whatever to attach that to the top. NOTHING specific to our truck appears. So playing the game of what is possible on such. I like this because it is rail type setup and you can add attachments to it, like light bars, side rails, or stuff for kayaks, etc. (FYI, not sure on the size I want, that URL is just my starting point) At some point I am going to contact the manufacture of that rack to see if they can help me figure it out.

https://www.etrailer.com/Roof-Rack/Rhino-Rack/RR25TB.html?feed=npn&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Google%20%7C%20Shop%20-%20Roof%20Rack&adgroupid=84311584723&campaignid=203663657&creative=398832124458&device=c&devicemodel=&feeditemid=&keyword=&loc_interest_ms=&loc_physical_ms=9003970&matchtype=&network=g&placement=&position=&gclid=CjwKCAjw-IWkBhBTEiwA2exyO5ExTlondIEcD_lYdoZz7m52mJ8csQ6qMYf48ck__E7sI393gPnExRoCx7IQAvD_BwE