How To Secure Something To A Roof Rack

Use ratchet or cam straps to tie the roof rack through the doors not the windows.

How to secure something to a roof rack.

I ll continue using my roof rack with the advised ratchet configuration to secure them ie. Leaving your rack on all year will increase the price you at the pump. Tie down the boards lengthwise and widthwise similar to how you d secure a mattress. Ratchet straps are a cheap and easy way to ensure the highest level of safety when deciding how to secure items on a roof rack.

Next pull the long end of the strap under the crossbar on the. First loop the strap under the roof rack s crossbar and drape the loose ends over your oblong load i e. The pen and paper plus elastic example in the accepted answer and using a large 27 ratchet wrapped around the length of the load and secured to the rear and front tow hooks with thick protectors where it touches the car chassis to keep the front of the planks from flapping upwards and either snapping off or acting as a parachute. What types of tie downs work best.

Use a tie down that wraps around the item and the rails. Remove your rack when not in use to avoid the added weight drag and noise. With a long cab treat the cab roof like the roof of a short car. Wrap lumber in a tarp to secure it and place a blanket down on the roof under the load to avoid scratching your vehicle s paint.

Open up your hood and you ll find bolts on the sides you can attach these loops to that creates an anchor point adjust your driving. Wood said most roof rack systems for cars have a dynamic roof load of about 165 pounds. On each side of the roof you ll see a rack that runs the length of the roof of the vehicle. Two equally spaced straps running front to back and two side to side across the load will do the trick for most standard shaped items.

Roof racks have been known to fail at high speeds with lots of updraft so take the extra precaution of tying the roof rack down to the roof of the vehicle as well.