no I'm just realistic. Durango is a great vehicle. That's why I still have mine. But when people talk as if they are the greatest truck in the world.. It's not only funny but also interesting.

I guess it's not a concern for me. Paying for just gas for the durango is cheaper than two car payments plus fuel. So maybe because my durango isn't a daily it doesn't bother me about making pennies to further.

FYI I average about 12.5 in the city and 21.5 on the highway. If I lost 4mpg i wouldn't even notice.

Anywho I think the rack mounts on the truck are made of plastic?? I would think a custom mount would be needed. I would mount custom plates to the factory bolts in the roof runners.

 

Well being realistic and a party pooper so too speak are two different things. I know its a fine line and on days I'm feeling exceptionally cynical its a hard balancing act.

Anyways my friend was driving 600 miles every weekend so that 4mpg mattered. Just figured I'd mention it since some people have a similar situation. I should add that was on the highway, at lower speeds it had nominal effect.

Yes the factory stuff is mainly plastic. I figured that the factory runners and cross bar would give a good template for initial measurements and ideas. Just get a set out of a junkyard that isn't in such good shape for cheap.

 

Well the problem I have with getting junkyard racks is that it sounds like you mean to mount the basket to the rack?

Probably the easiest solution - but not the best looking. Further more that’s about 3” gap between the basket and roof of the truck. The cross bars are curved as well so not all the weight would be distrubted evenly.

 

Hope these pics help give an idea.. (or you can just go to your garage and look!)









..and random truck pics. Because who doesn’t love photos??

 

Re-read that part, I was trying to say use the rack for measurements to build a new one. That way you don't have to destroy your nice one.

Btw nice shark-fin attena, to bad there isn't an easy way to get rid of the factory mount and smooth out the fender line.

 

Ahhhh..I’d just take off the OEM one and measure that one. Not like you’ll really mess it up. And if you really want to replace it in the future you can always just go to the junk yard then - not like theirs are in any different condition than ‘yours’.

And thanks about the shark fin.. I don’t like it and it’s not installed. It came off my step moms car (she took the garage out with it and it popped off). I just wanted to see what it looked like. I have a sat radio antenna right there and it’s kinda plain looking..

I like the other one I got for my Fusion. It’s a bit more bold and lower profile (you never want your shark fin cover higher than the racks).

But at $84 shipped I can’t justify that cost for a spare vehicle that only gets 2k miles a year..

 

I shaped than bolted a plate where the factory plastic roof rail was. A second L-strip was then welded to metal plate which allows the rack to get bolted on from top. It's strong, and I haven't had any concerns with weight or what was up there. The stance is lower than the factory rack.


I store a Hi-Lift in the front, and the rest of the cage gets filled with either firewood, camping gear or beach gear. MPG is 12, but I also have 32" AT tires.


Plan is to mount a LED light bar in front, a little lower than the rack so it fills in the area between the roof and the rack.

 

Ding ding ding.

That’s a great looking setup. But I hope your MPG is 12 in the city??? I get 12.5 in the city and 21 on the highway.. I run a 32.5” Cooper tire on my Durango 4x4..


Also strobesnmore.com is a great place to buy a LED bar if you want a FLOOD beam. They are made with CREE leds (good stuff). Otherwise you can go here and get a bar directly from the company to get options such as spot beam or combo of flood & spot. http://hanma-usa.com/products/ <email them telling them you’d like to buy a bar or two and see their quality/performance and they’ll sell you one or a few at dealer cost. However in the future you must purcahse a larger qty (100+)