How do luggage racks work
Whichever you decide is best for you, here's a brief primer for installing a roof- or rear-mounted cargo carrier. We'll start with the roof-mounted carrier. Before we begin, remember to consult your cargo carrier's manufacturer instructions before installing your carrier. To install a roof-mounted cargo carrier, you're going to need a roof rack.
Many automakers build SUVs, wagons, minivans and some sedans with factory-installed roof racks already attached. If your car doesn't have a roof rack, you can install one yourself.
Previously, this meant you had to drill holes in your car's roof. Some roof rack systems today circumvent that process by clamping to the car's rain gutters [source: Rack Attack ].
These small, curved lengths of metal move water away from your car's windows and serve as a sturdy support for a roof rack. Because of the different designs and locations of rain gutters on cars, be sure to get a roof rack system that's been designed specifically for the make, model and year of the car you have.
Considering you've got a roof rack, it's time to mount your cargo carrier. Your roof rack should consist of two raised stationary parallel bars that run front-to-back along your car's roof side rails and at least two more moveable parallel bars that run side-to-side along your car's roof crossbars. With roof-mounted cargo carriers, you have three general options: luggage baskets , which can hold luggage, bikes, kayaks and other items; cargo boxes , enclosed, hard-shell containers that can hold anything you can fit inside; and cargo bags, which are like cargo boxes, but aren't made of sturdy plastic.
Regardless of which type of rooftop carrier you buy, most make use of the width created by sliding the crossbars apart to stabilize the load. With the crossbars apart, the rack or box carriers are installed with brackets and screws that create a clamp to attach and stabilize the carrier to the crossbars. A simple turn of a few screws and most cargo carriers are installed.
Be sure to check the tightness of the brackets and screws from time to time, especially on long trips. If you don't want to install a roof rack, you may want to look into a rear-mounted cargo carrier. Almost all of these carriers make use of a trailer hitch. Like roof racks, many vehicles are manufactured with trailer hitches installed. This allows you easily to switch between a ball hitch for towing and a cargo carrier. There are a variety of rear-mounted cargo carriers.
Most of them slide easily into the interchangeable hitch. A cargo tray, for example, is much like a roof-mounted luggage rack, with a sturdy frame that slides into the trailer hitch. If you have a cargo carrier that requires a larger or smaller trailer hitch receiver, this is easily fixed with an adapter.
You've got your basic cargo carrier installed, but wait, there's more. Read about some of the accessories and additional parts you may need. There may be a few more things you'll need before taking off for the great outdoors or on a nice, long vacation. For example, we don't recommend you simply toss your bike or your suitcases on to your roof-mounted luggage basket and go; you'd most likely wonder where exactly your stuff fell out. The suitcase problem is easily fixed.
Find out which best suits your car and your needs with our Roof Racks vs Roof Rails guide. Roof racks like our Whispbar HD and LocknLoad Bars run east to west across the roof of your car, giving you a more secure load.
Roof racks are designed to handle more cargo weight. However, it is important not to overload the roof rack and stick to the weight guidelines to avoid the danger of an overloaded vehicle. Roof rails are mounted on to a vehicle in a north-south direction running parallel with the length of the car.
As roof rails are often factory fitted the rails themselves are not able to be used on their own. However, there is a range of different roof rails accessories to help improve your load capacity and stability. Attaching roof racks to your car roof rails is super easy to do.
Check out Thule SnowPack Extender — an aerodynamic slide-out rack for convenient loading and unloading of skis and snowboards.
Roof racks make life a little easier! You can combine your Thule roof rack with several of our sports and cargo carriers. See all articles. Check out our gift guide! See details. A little lost? It looks like you're coming from Germany. Want to go there? Germany German Select another country? Model number. Go to cart Continue shopping. Guide - Roof racks. What can I use my Thule roof rack for? You can use a Thule roof rack for: Roof boxes - Extra space for all your gear Bike racks - Bring bikes of any kind — mount the bike rack quickly and easily Water Sport Racks - Mount racks for kayaks, surfboards and SUP boards.
Winter Sport Racks - Skis and snowboards — get ready for action in minutes. What is a roof rack used for? How do I choose a roof rack?