Roof Rack Advice

[riptorn]

Interested in a large footprint rack. My questions are.
1 What brand/stile would you recommend / why
2 What brand/stile would you recommend staying away from /why 
3 How much did it affect handling & MPG
My intent is to put a MAXAIR towards the rear (even if I have to remove some of the deck), put at least 400w solar and attach an awning.
I have a 12' telescoping ladder so I won't be adding a rear ladder. 
Why & how on earth did mounting a ladder on the side become so popular? Just don't make since to me.

 

[user 423]

It might help to know what you're putting it on.

 

[riptorn]

'16 express2500 , non raised roof

 

[highdesertranger]

I would just get the side brackets and make my own. there are several good manufactures that sell van parts for contractors I don't know a name off the top of my head.

x2 on the side ladders. that's part of the show and tell for the expedition crowd. you want the sides of you vehicle as smooth as possible, so branches just ride down the side and scratch the paint. you surely don't want to give them something to catch on, believe me.

highdesertranger

 

[Zork]

A van that is 6.6 feet wide plus ladder is still narrower than an 8.5 foot wide cargo trailer.

 

[pure_mahem]

I don't like the idea of leaving a ladder available to any loonie to climb on my van and get on the roof. Make em work for it! Just my opinion

 

[B and C]

A van that is 6.6 feet wide plus ladder is still narrower than an 8.5 foot wide cargo trailer.

It is narrower than a trailer but the trailer doesn't have anything for that tree branch to snag on and rip the ladder off.

 

[MrNoodly]

If you go with three (or more) cross bars, look for set with slightly shorter uprights for the middle crossbars. They compensate for the curvature of the roof.

As fo the affect on mileage, air flows up the windshield and, depending on your speed, arcs a little above the roof -- and whatever you have mounted on it. The flow will eventually follow the roofline -- which is actually the solar panels -- toward the middle. Meanwhile, a little air flows between the roof and solar panels. To me, all that means panels on a roof rack aren't going to affect your mileage in a significant way -- certainly not as much as the weight of the stuff you haul around or the speed you drive.

 

[MrNoodly]

Why & how on earth did mounting a ladder on the side become so popular?

If you have a lot of other stuff mounted on the back there's no room for a ladder.

 

[MrNoodly]

Oh, and get steel uprights, not aluminum. I learned that the hard way.