Water carrier for roof rack

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BigBlueOx_TRD

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We were tired of trying to perfectly get these 7 gallon water jugs on top of our roof rack and strapped down for our adventures. Not only that, but keeping them snug enough to not make noise on trails, etc. It only took one good beach trip and the jugs to move back and forth enough on the rack roof rails and they shifted to the side and fell in between the rails and scratched the roof pretty harshly for me to realize we needed something permanent to hold them.

I scrap metal from the shop I work at and a lot of the guys will bring me there home scrap also. It's a profitable side hustle that usually funds things for the rig. In this instance I had been given a washer and dryer from a co-worker and thought, hmmmm....that dryer has a nice thick side panel that would make a great tray. So I measured and cut it out, then welded 4 pieces of angle iron I had laying around to form a tray that would hold 1 , 2 or 3, Reliance 7 gallon water jugs that we had. Welded on some threaded eye bolts for the ratchet straps to hook in to on the sides and painted it. Then drilled holes and mounted it to the module roof rails.

It's been a great little DIY project that didn't cost me anything but 4 eye bolts and 2 cans of spray paint.
 

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Dimitri_Raptis

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We were tired of trying to perfectly get these 7 gallon water jugs on top of our roof rack and strapped down for our adventures. Not only that, but keeping them snug enough to not make noise on trails, etc. It only took one good beach trip and the jugs to move back and forth enough on the rack roof rails and they shifted to the side and fell in between the rails and scratched the roof pretty harshly for me to realize we needed something permanent to hold them.

I scrap metal from the shop I work at and a lot of the guys will bring me there home scrap also. It's a profitable side hustle that usually funds things for the rig. In this instance I had been given a washer and dryer from a co-worker and thought, hmmmm....that dryer has a nice thick side panel that would make a great tray. So I measured and cut it out, then welded 4 pieces of angle iron I had laying around to form a tray that would hold 1 , 2 or 3, Reliance 7 gallon water jugs that we had. Welded on some threaded eye bolts for the ratchet straps to hook in to on the sides and painted it. Then drilled holes and mounted it to the module roof rails.

It's been a great little DIY project that didn't cost me anything but 4 eye bolts and 2 cans of spray paint.
Great project. I had a 70 litre tank in my boot and was taking a lot of space. My roof rack has a roof top tent. I ended up taking 5 litres with me that does the job.
 
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BigBlueOx_TRD

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I was thinking about this last night, Do you have water drain holes in the sides/corners?
I sure did.
If you look close on the sides of the angle iron you can see 2 holes in each piece. That's the mounting holes for the bolts to the roof rails. Then I drilled 6 holes down the center of the base for water to drain. In case of rain, washing the rig, or any other fluid concerns.
Great question!
 

BigBlueOx_TRD

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Great project. I had a 70 litre tank in my boot and was taking a lot of space. My roof rack has a roof top tent. I ended up taking 5 litres with me that does the job.
That's pretty awesome!

I've considered, at some point, getting a rear bumper with tire carrier and swing outs. If so, I'd like to install a water tank where the spare is. I've seen several really great DIY projects for this and it has turned out well.
It's always great to have potable water on board, or any really. Can really save the buns in a overheat situation if you pop a hose and don't have coolant.