Tips for Installation Of Roof Rack on your Vehicle

While most people get their roof racks installed at the local auto-garage, it is not too difficult to do it yourself especially if you are used to doing things around the house and are handy with a spanner, wrench or screwdriver. Read on to see how easy it is to install a roof rack on your vehicle – even it is bare roofed.

Even if your vehicle is bare roofed and does not have a factory installed rack, all you need is the rack itself, a fit kit, a foot pack, and crossbars that's it. While the installation process itself is easy, depending on the vehicle, there are only slight variations to the installation process.

Tip: If yours is a small 2-door vehicle, ask for the short-roof adapter. These will increase the roof rack’s carrying capacity and also increase the gap between crossbars so that they are adequately spaced and ensure better weight distribution.

A 'Fit kit' is a custom-designed kit that ensures the best fit for your particular vehicle brand and model. It usually consists of a 4 strong clamps that fasten to the edges of your vehicle roof along with pads that contour to your vehicle’s roof.

The foot packs have four 'feet' and the Podium-style foot packs are most popular. Once these feet are fitted to the roof of your vehicle, you connect the fit kit meant for your particular vehicle and attach the rack’s crossbars.

You vehicle might either have a factory-installed roof rack mount locations or, it might have raised roof rails. In either of these two cases, the roof rack installation process is slightly different.

Installation of a roof rack:

First-off, there are several different types of roof racks e.g. Bike roof racks, Kayak roof racks and so forth. Let us see how each of these is installed.

The Bike Roof Rack: A roof-mounted bike racks come in two pieces, the roof rack and the actual bike rack. The bike rack is fitted to the roof rack and it holds the bike in place. If you have two bikes to carry, you buy two bike racks.

Tip: Buy a lock along with each Custom Roof Rack.

The Kayak Roof Racks

You're in luck if you have a vehicle that is shorter in height because lifting a Kayak over your head to place it on top of your vehicle requires quite a bit of physic and strength.

Tip: If you are short or your vehicle is over 5.5' in height, you might want to buy a 1.5' tall and sufficiently broad stool. You will need it when loading and offloading your kayaks.

Tip: Before you buy a Kayak carrier, measure the roof of your vehicle's roof – length and width. You want to be sure the Kayaks are going to fit the roof with only a feet or so jutting out at the front and rear. The Kayak carrier too has to be sufficiently long so as to accommodate the Kayaks. Also remember to buy straps to hold the Kayaks in place. For one or two Kayaks, shorter straps should be okay but also consider the Kayak's width, length and depth when selecting your straps and bar spread.

Finally, the best place to buy Rola Roof Rack is Bars-n-racks at Sydney and their branch locations spread across Australia.

Whispbar Roof Rack System Features And Benefits

Whisbar roof racks systems are way ahead of any other roof-mounted carrier system for your vehicle – both in terms of design and in terms of strength. With their unique aerofoil-shaped bar, the sheer quality of design and materials used as well as the finish sets it miles ahead of its nearest competitor. Let's check out why Whispbar roof rack systems are so good.

You realise you are using a superior roof rack system the moment you start installing the Whispbar roof rack because one of its features is the space they keep behind and in front of each location where nut or bolt has to be inserted and tightened. The space is important because you have to be able to insert a spanner or other available tool to tighten the bolt and you need adequate space to work. Trust us, we've seen too many roof rack systems (especially the Chinese made ones) where there is inadequate or down-right no space to work with and it can be quite frustrating.

The premium feature and benefit of buying a Whispbar roof rack system is the aluminium wing-shaped crossbar called the “Whispbar”. It incorporates a revolutionary space age design that nearly eliminates the otherwise irritating whistling sound caused by air moving past the roof rack. The added advantage to the design is that it also nearly eliminates wind drag and therefore does not increase your fuel consumption – though to be honest, we are referring to an empty roof rack. Once you put luggage on top, there will naturally be wind drag.

Quality costs. Whispbar roof racks are certainly not cheap but they definitely are value for money. Part of the benefit from having the S-wing system is that it can be used for every roof type, including flush mounted roof rails, raised roof rails, T-tracks, clamp on systems, Fixpoints and even cars with gutters. Just buy the right adopter kit when you – it’s just a question of which adapter kit you use. With a bit of luck you’ll only need to buy a new adapter kit when you buy the Whispbar and you are ready.

Yet another feature offered by the Whisbar brand of Roof Racks Sydney is that they let you choose the style of bar that suits the look of your car, truck or 4x4. For example, “flush bar” has 'feet' at the end of the cross bar and looks awesome on a sedan. But here's a little secret, for maximum load carrying capacity and flexibility you might want to choose the “through bar” - it's simply more street smart.

If your car is your pride and joy, it might be worthwhile to check out the Rola Roof Rack systems and you can do so online here: http://www.barsnracks.com.au

Rhino Roof Racks - Safe and Secure Accessories For Your Automobile

Every family with an automobile requires a roof rack for their vehicle. There's load's of stuff to be carried. Cycles, kayaks, skies, tents, fuel cans, camp chairs and not forgetting vehicle accessories required to pull the vehicle out of tough spots - in fact, a family outing into the Australian outback would probably be carrying enough luggage to fill a mini-van.

Fact is, a roof rack can come handy even during routine shopping expeditions – e.g. buying a ladder. You can't shove a ladder into the car it will have to go onto the roof. Ditto buying a cycle or kayak or anything too big to fit inside the car. So now that we settled that you require a roof rack for your automobile, the question is which one is best suited to your needs?

There's more than one type of roof rack out there. In fact, there's dozens of different types of roof racks. Some roof racks are especially designed to carry bikes or Kayaks or Skies – they have clamps that make it easy to clamp down the bikes. Then there are what is known as 'trays' (because they look like a giant trays). These are popular general purpose roof racks. You can just chuck all sorts of things into it, strap it down and drive off.

So, roof racks can be general purpose (like the tray we mentioned above) or, specifically designed to carry certain things. After from this, they are also engineered for weight. For example some are classified as light-duty and other's heavy-duty and so forth. Obviously, these pertain to the weight they are designed to carry which by the way, in turn depends on your automobile's weight carrying capacity (refer your vehicle's manual).

When you actually visit the automobile accessory store, you will not only notice many type of roof racks, you will also notice many brands of roof racks. From cheap Chinese imports that will probably break on your first use, to expensive World Class roof racks that surpass all Australian safety standards.

One of the premier brands in roof racks is the Rhino roof rack. These are beautifully designed, safe and secure accessories for your automobile. There are several different models of Rhino Roof Rack. In fact, there are also variations depending on the make your automobile.

So what you've got to do is to figure out what you will be carrying on the roof rack, the weight of the stuff you will be carrying on the roof and whether your automobile can safely carry that much weight (refer your vehicle's manual). Also, you need to decide whether you would want it to be permanently fixed on your vehicle or you want it fixed only as and when you require to use a roof rack. Once you've got all that worked out, select a Rhino roof rack that is suited to your vehicle's make, your purpose and weight category.

You just can't go wrong in selecting a Custom Roof Rack and the best place to buy these would be http://www.barsnracks.com.au

Pros And Cons Of Using Roof Racks Of Your Vehicle For Storage When Travelling

There are two sides to every roof rack. Make no mistake, while most of it are pros there can be a few cons too. Here's how to decide the best mode of carrying your luggage when travelling.

Pros to a roof rock of your vehicle for storage when travelling:

The main pro of course is the fact that a roof rack allows you to carry a lot more luggage than you normally could in your vehicle – it creates additional space.

Another pros to a roof rock of your vehicle for storage when travelling is that you can carry large and unwieldy items that would not normally fit inside your vehicle. For example a bike, or kayak or ski or a ladder, snowboards, canoes or some large items like chairs.

You can also use the roof rack to carry some stuff you don't wanna put inside your vehicle – e.g. soil for your garden or organic manure or plants or even pots for your garden.

My personal favourite is being able to put a tent on the roof of my SUV cause my wife and daughter don't wanna put their sleeping bags on the ground as they are scared of snakes and scorpions. So while poor me sleeps on the floor I pitch a tent for them inside the roof rack cradle.

On the negative or con side of things, a speciality roof rack like the ones used to carry bike, or kayak or ski or a ladder, snowboards, canoes or some large items have clamps and stuff on them. While these types of roof racks are okay for sports outing, they might not be as effective during your regular shopping trip to the local mall. For this kind of thing, a regular cradle-like roof rack is ideal which means you might have to buy two roof racks and install the speciality roof rack for carrying bikes, or kayaks or skies or a ladder, snowboards, canoes or some large items only when required.

The other con we are told is the possibility of roof rack decreasing your vehicle mileage by increasing wind resistance. When you carry bike, or kayak or ski or a ladder, snowboards, canoes or some large items, these offer severe wind resistance which in turn increases your vehicle fuel consumption. In fact, two scientists in USA Alan Meier of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and Yuche Chen of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory did a study on this and published a report in the journal Energy Policy.

The third con is that not all Sydney Roof Rack are created equal folks who are less informed will often go for a bargain deal which usually means a cheap Chinese rip-off. These racks are very likely to break, be poorly designed and have very short life-spans.

For ARB 4WD Accessories Sydney, please visit your local bars-n-racks car accessory outlet or visit http://www.barsnracks.com.au

Yakima Roof Rack For Your Vehicle That Suits Your Load Carrying Needs

With a Yakima roof rack for your vehicle you just can't go wrong because it will totally suit your load carrying needs. Here's how:

Yakima's Roof Racks for cars, vans, trucks and 4x4's will fit just about every vehicle on the road – old and new, shiny sports model as well as rugged all terrain vehicles. The Yakima BaseLine and Q Tower Racks are designed for easy of installation and removal. Yup, you can remove just as easily as install them so your vehicle does not have to look ridiculous going around with an empty roof rack on the top. Fit the Yakima's Roof Rack when you need to use it and remove it when you don't. They are without doubt, one of the best roof racks available for any car.

If your vehicle has factory installed raised railings then opt for Yakima TimberLine Racks. On the other hand if you car or vehicle has flush mount rails, go for Yakima RidgeLine Racks. Yakima SkyLine Tower Racks on the other hand are best for roof tracks with factory fixed points and are even available to bolt through a cap. Some car versions have roof top rain gutters or to artificial rain gutter brackets. For these types of vehicle, opt for the Yakima 1A Rain Gutter Racks fastening system. Like we said, there a Yakima's Roof Rack System for every car, truck, van, SUV or ATV out there.

If you just want to carry your bike then instead of a roof rack, you could opt for the Yakima Bicycle Carriers, Bike Racks and Trailer Hitches. You can also opt for Spare Tire Bike Racks, Rear Trunk and Hatch Bike Racks Bicycle Carriers, Pickup Truck Bike Racks or Roof Mount Bike Carriers. These last option is available in two basic configurations - Upright Mount (you don't have to remove the wheels) and, Fork Mount (only front wheel is removed and bike is held in place by front fork).

The trunk and hatch mount racks fasten in place with rubber coated metal hooks (ideal for carbon frame bikes) and nylon or steel straps. The spare tire bike racks manufactured by Yakima fasten to pre-installed attachment plates on the rear spare tire.

Yakima Roof Rack Bicycle Carriers and Bike Racks are available in upright bicycle carriers and front fork mounted bicycle racks. Fork Mounted Bike Carriers need you to remove the front wheel of your bike whereas with the Yakima Upright Bike Mounts, you don't have to remove any wheels.

Sydney based Bars-n-racks dealer in Custom Roof Rack systems also offers Trailer Hitch Bicycle Carriers and Bike Racks with a carrying capacities of up to 5 bicycles. The hitch racks are available in 2, 3,4 and 5 bicycle configurations and include locks, cables, fold down arms, swing-away mechanisms. These bicycle carriers also have soft rubber cradles that ensure that your expensive bikes are not damaged in transport.

If you are looking for sheer convenience, then nothing beats the convenience of platform style trailer hitch bike racks. Platform style trailer hitch bike racks have low height clearance and wide spacing between trays, so you can easily load or unload bikes in seconds.

Now that you're ready to buy your Car Roof Racks Sydney for– one that suits your load carrying needs, For more information please visit http://www.barsnracks.com.au

How To Find The Best Towbar Accessories Suppliers In Australia?

A towbar is required to tow something behind your vehicle – be it a trailer full of work tools, a caravan or a new camper trailer. A good tow bar with the best towbar accessories gives you the flexibility and freedom to not only get your life back on the road but to do it right.

Bars-n-racks Sydney, Australia stocks a wide range of towbars and its accessories from all the top brands manufacturing towbars (including Hayman Reese) and tow bar accessories. Hayman Reese tow bars are designed and manufactured to comply with all of Australian Design Rules and Standards. Tow balls, hitch receivers and other accessories are also available at Bars-n-racks and they are continually adding new products to the towbar range.

Hayman Reese Tow Bars are Australia’s leading tow bar manufacturer since 1951. For over 70 years now, Hayman Reese have been designing, fabricating and testing a range of vehicle towing systems. So if you are looking for a towing solution, Hayman Reese is very likely to have your towing solution for you.

Tow bar systems sold by Bars-n-racks Sydney, have the best ground clearance making them idea especially if you are heading out into the country side. All towbar systems sold by Bars-n-racks Sydney, come with lifetime product warranty and repair service supported by a wide network of branches all over Australia.Additionally, their tow bars include sockets and wiring. You also have a choice of accessories such as fuel tanks and wheel carriers.

Hayman Reese Weight Distribution System is much sought after and must have trailer accessory. It manages the load of your trailer so you don't have a problem while driving i.e. the load is evenly distributed through the vehicle’s chassis. Bars-n-racks supplies this with a lifetime warranty. Accessories available include Drop shanks, Safety chain extenders, Hitch parks, Friction sway controller, Boat trailer adaptor and the famous Dual cam high-performance™ sway controller.

While at Bars-n-racks, ask for the 'Drop Hitch'. The drop hitch is a device that eliminates the need to unhitch your caravan or boat or whatever it is that you are towing. The drop hitch provides you access to the rear of your four wheel drive without the need to unhitch your camper.

Bars-n-racks also has the Redarc Tow Pro electronic brake controller with the revolutionary inertia sensing technology. The Towbar Sydney accessory dynamically adjusts the braking of the trailer by sensing vehicle deceleration. It ensures the trailer does not push your vehicle forward when you are trying to brake. The Redarc Tow-Pro can work electrically ( electric brake actuators ) or hydraulically to control the trailers brakes.

Bars-n-racks also stocks the 'Clearview Mirror'. It has 100mm longer more surface and therefore offers a better rare view which is important when towing something. This is available in electric and manual optionj. For more Heavy Duty Towbars, please visit http://www.barsnracks.com.au

How To Select The Best Roof Racks System For Your Vehicles?

You walk into a roof rack retailer and see roof racks of various sizes. So which one is right for you? This article demystifies the roof rack system for you.

Most folks think big and go the biggest roof rack system they can find. Without doubt, a bigger roof rack may help you carry most of your large holiday gear, but it also takes up more roof space, adds to wind resistance, wind generated noise, and because of its large size looks kind of odd when empty and of course, it also comes with a bigger price tag.

It is therefore essential to choose a roof rack system that not only carries most of your large gear, it also fits your vehicle roof perfectly. So how do you select the best roof rack system for your vehicle? Here's how you do it:

Decoding the roof rack system by their sizes – Depending on the size of the roof rack crossbar (the width of the roof rack), here's what you could carry:

A standard 50” wide roof rack system will carry up to 4 bikes or 2 kayaks or 4 surfboards or 8 pairs of skis or, one 40” cargo box and a bike. Now aint that something? And this is just standard size.

A larger 60” wide roof rack system will carry up to 5 bikes or 2 kayaks or 4 surfboards or 10 pairs of skis or, one cargo box and two 2 bikes beside it.

A 60”+ wide roof rack system will carry up to 6 bikes or 2 kayaks or 4 surfboards or 12 pairs of skis or, one cargo box and one kayak beside it.

Before you even make that trip to the roof rack dealer, open your vehicle manual and check your vehicle’s weight limitations and acceptable roof type. You see, roof racks are designed for specific weights. So when choosing the right roof rack system for your vehicle, you want to be sure that your car or 4x4 or truck will support the roof rack system and the weight it will carry or you could end up finding out you made a bad choice the hard way – when driving and the car begins to feel sluggish. Of course, even if you forget to check your manual, in most cases the roof rack dealer will ask you about it.

After you've checked the weight carrying capacity, eyeball your roof. What do you see? Your roof is either bare with no hint of how you will attach a roof rack or, it might have factory mounted roof rack or rail-mount roof racks.

Rhino Roof Rack system consists of two parts – the horizontal bars and the stuff (known as 'fit kit') that anchors the crossbars to the roof of your vehicle.

Fit Kits are essentially custom-designed for each brand and model of vehicle. A fit kit fastens the roof rack system to the roof of your vehicle.

A 'foot packs' is part of the fit kit and essentially, it includes four feet that provide attachment points to anchor the roof rack crossbars to the roof of your vehicle.

Crossbars: These are the horizontal bars you see on the roof rack system. You first install the fit kit and then attach the crossbars.

Lock Cylinders: Lock cylinders are like the lock on the door to your home. It provides security and makes it difficult for someone to steal your gear.

Now that you're ready to buy Whispbar Roof Racks Sydney, the question is, where do you buy it from? You buy it from Bars-n-Racks, Sydney Australia. For more information, please visit http://www.barsnracks.com.au