[Taylor Davis]

Hello all!
I am the proud owner of a new 2015 Ford Transit 2500. I am currently looking to see if anyone has put a roof rack on their van? I am looking specifically for make and model of a crossbar and ladder to mount a Thule roof box on the crossbars. I have done some digging and am wondering what people have? Any help would be appreciated!

 

[camp&ride]

Waiting til spring to install, but I ordered this setup:

Thule Podium Foot Pack 460 (2x 2 packs)
Thule Fit Kit KIT 3138 (2x 2 packs)
Thule SquareBar 78" (4x bars)

I plan to mount two 130 watt solar panels and a Fiamma F45 awning to the rack setup. The bars are longer than necessary but I plan to cut them to needed length.

 

[Ahoelk]

Ford also has crossbars I think that they maybe cheaper then Thule. I order the 4 bars system for $650.00 installed by Ford

 

[camp&ride]

Ford also has crossbars I think that they maybe cheaper then Thule. I order the 4 bars system for $650.00 installed by Ford

I looked into the Ford bar setup, and it seemed a bit lighter duty than the Thule. That said, the same Thule setup as what you got is a good bit more expensive. As with so many things, a decision based on intended use.

Ahoelk, can you post a couple of photos of the Ford Rack installed?

 

[Ahoelk]

I will when I get it installed - the rack is at the dealer waiting for the van, which was slated to arrive today - but I was just told now it is slated for January 6th, due to weather..... frustrating.

 

[HDH]

Hello all!
I am the proud owner of a new 2015 Ford Transit 2500. I am currently looking to see if anyone has put a roof rack on their van? I am looking specifically for make and model of a crossbar and ladder to mount a Thule roof box on the crossbars. I have done some digging and am wondering what people have? Any help would be appreciated!

Congrats with the new van, you'll like it.


I installed the Ford load bars. A set consist of 8 supports and 4 load bars. For the 130" wheel base I only needed 3 bars but the set comes with 4. The Ford set for 3 or 4 bars has the same price of $415.





The Ford load bars and supports are very sturdy and I used it as a base for my Rhino roof rack.





I installed an ARB awning on the side of the load bars via some aluminum angle. The ladder on the back is from EuroCampers. They sell a ladder for the Medium roof and one for the High roof.

 

[Ahoelk]

Good looking set up

 

[camp&ride]

HDH, what did you use for brackets to mount the ARB awning? Any chance you could post a photo or two of the awning mount setup? Nice work!

 

[HDH]

HDH, what did you use for brackets to mount the ARB awning? Any chance you could post a photo or two of the awning mount setup? Nice work!

I used 2.5" x 2.5" aluminum angle, which I mounted to the factory load bars.

 

[Hecktone]

HDH, what model number is your Rhino Rack?

Also, did the dealer eagerly agree to install the rack? What did they charge? Any leaks?

Thanks for the pics, it looks really good and seems to be a very reasonably priced option.

 

[kitesurfer]

I installed my Ford racks myself. They are easy enough to install but will leak leak like a sieve without silicon. the install instructions make no mention of caulking and the rubber pad looks like it was designed not to leak, but it does. Also pay particular attention no to cross thread the bolt fitting into the roof threads.
My dealer charged $250 to install. It only took me 2 hours to install mine the first time. to remove, caulk and reinstall took less than an hour. I'd be happy to help install racks if anyone wants to come to jacksonville.

 

[lepelch]

Yes:
I learned that the rubber boots are useless for waterproofing. I had to remove and seal with silicone. I also use plumbers tape for the bolt as an added precaution. It now seems bob-proof but it's archaic that the instructions don't call for adding sealant. I was amazed how much water was flowing in in the first rain event (actually cleaning the van).

 

[Ahoelk]

Hello all,

I had Ford install met rack and it leaked like a sieve - so it took it all apart and siliconed the bottom of the rubber - I hope that this will work, will find out in the next rain storm. If it does not I may also try plumbers tape on the bolts -

 

[Hein]

I'm working on some towers that will utilize 15 series 8020 crossbars: Below is a pdf showing the layout concept. I would appreciate any input on the design. I would likely use VHB tape and the single 8mm bolt to attach the towers to the roof of the van. That should prevent any leaks.


I will need to measure a van to verify the hole/pad locations and would appreciate someone getting out their tape measure. The dimensions for the hole locations came from Orton's drawing of his short wheel base van. He opted for a more stealth design and so I am curious if making the bracket into a Z shape (his suggestion) and using shorter crossbars would be more desirable (less visible). Let me know what you think.

www.impact3d.com/Ford_Transit_8020_crossbar_layout.pdf

Sorry for the duplicate posting. There are number of roof rack threads active ATM.

All the best,
Hein
Impact, Inc.
54l 49O 5O98

 

[orton]

My drawing is for the long wheelbase (148"). It is not the extended 148".

 

[Hein]

Thanks for your 148WB file, Dave. I located a Grape Solar 160W panel that will work in the span between 2 of the factory crossbar locations. Two panels can be fitted side by side for a total of 320 watts. Here is a layout drawing:

http://www.impact3d.com/Ford_Transit_2xGrape160W_layout.pdf

 

[Grandhavenski]

Here is a picture of my recently finished rack...

 

[Hein]

Reviving an old thread to let everyone know that we have a limited quantity of heavy duty tower brackets that are compatible with the Rhino Pioneer Platforms. Please PM me for details. Below are some photos from the customer who requested these:

 

[jhtransit]

Can you find out which Pioneer platform was selected? And a photo that shows how it was mounted to the brackets? Any progress on brackets for a longitudinal rail?
Joe

 

[BigMac77]

I was just finally getting around to shopping for my roof rack for solar panels. I was going to order the OEM Ford racks (4 bars for 415.00 ) , but apparently they are backordered with no estimate of delivery. The dealer parts guy said last time that happened it took 3 months to get them in..
Anyone know of any dealers or folks that have a set of 3 bars in stock for sale? Only need three because of my vent fan in the rear. TIA

How are the folks with the Rhino Racks diggin' their set up?