Installing rear roof rack and ladder on 73 Brave

mattyj858 · February 23, 2016, 11:15 AM

Hi guys,

The 73 Brave I just bought did not come with a factory rear ladder nor the rear roof rack. I found a salvage guy who has a matching rear roof rack and ladder from a different brand class A. The rack will fit but need to confirm the ladder mounting points and length will work on the Brave. The ladder is designed to go over the roof rack ( top U bend to roof mounting flange)

Installing the roof rack I plan on using stainless sheet metal screws with 5200 to seal and lock into place. Sound right?

The ladder is a different story, any advice on how to secure the mounts? I would assume it needs some kind of backing plate? Are there specific stud areas the mounting flanges need to hit on the back rear of the rig? If I have to cut into the rear interior paneling to secure a backing plate and lock nut, please advise.

I have customized a few fishing boats in the past, lean posts and T tops so fairly competent. 5200 is my friend and conscious about sealing any holes. Winnebagos and interior paneling is new to me.

Any advise is greatly appreciated

Thanks

mattyj858 · February 23, 2016, 08:07 PM

Thanks, any info is greatly appreciated, I am still at a loss on how to install the ladder properly.

Thanks

Oz · February 28, 2016, 09:06 PM

Actually, there are no backing plates for the ladder mounts, or anything else attached to the coach for that matter. They just screw into the thermopanel like everything else.

beaverman · February 29, 2016, 11:30 AM

My question is why

? that's just 60 more holes for leaks to happen !

Rickf1985 · February 29, 2016, 04:12 PM

I took the rack off of my slide in and will be taking it off of the Winnebago as soon as I get a chance to do the finish work on the roof. Just more places for water to come in and tree branches to catch and tear a hole in the roof. Are you REALLY going to put anything up there that needs the rack? I think they have been put there for looks more than anything else for the past 30 years. They certainly are not strong enough to hold cargo. And neither is the roof for that matter.

yellowrecve · February 29, 2016, 10:25 PM

First place for a roof leak is the rack & ladder. Even with good backing, if you use the ladder or tie any thing to the rack, it will loosen and leak.

mattyj858 · March 01, 2016, 11:15 PM

Thanks guys, might reconsider. Honestly with a family of 4 I need more storage. I travel with surfboards and it would be handy to put them up top. There's not a lot of storage on these things, but also don't want to screw up the roof. Maybe I'll put this lower on the priority list.

Thanks

Oz · March 06, 2016, 11:54 AM

If you are going to use the roof for storage, which is common, you'll certainly need a ladder to get up there. If the backing plywood of the body and roof is in good condition, you really won't have a problem with loosening or stability. I had a ladder and the factory rack on mine.

Seal the attachment points for the ladder with top quality double sided sealant tape such as Eternabond.

I removed the OEM roof rack because of all those holes and sealed them all.

Using storage pods on the roof is one of the most popular methods of storage. Low profile to ensure you don't get in a "jam" with bridges is a good idea.

The weight is a factor. Not good for old, flat roofs. You can custom make a weight distributing mount out of box steel framing which extends out to the roof edges so the weight isn't all focused on the center of the roof.

mattyj858 · March 08, 2016, 10:36 PM

Awesome info, thank you. I am postponing this project as I just got hit with 2 cracked exhaust manifolds and needing to replace entire exhaust system at the time of $1,200. I am going to call my Brave "boat" Break Out Another Thousand

mattyj858 · March 08, 2016, 10:39 PM

Quote from: Oz on March 06, 2016, 11:54 AM
If you are going to use the roof for storage, which is common, you'll certainly need a ladder to get up there. If the backing plywood of the body and roof is in good condition, you really won't have a problem with loosening or stability. I had a ladder and the factory rack on mine.

Seal the attachment points for the ladder with top quality double sided sealant tape such as Eternabond.

I removed the OEM roof rack because of all those holes and sealed them all.

Using storage pods on the roof is one of the most popular methods of storage. Low profile to ensure you don't get in a "jam" with bridges is a good idea.

The weight is a factor. Not good for old, flat roofs. You can custom make a weight distributing mount out of box steel framing which extends out to the roof edges so the weight isn't all focused on the center of the roof.

Great idea on the weight distribution, I will mount the framing to the sides then mount the pod to the rails. Not planning on a lot weight up there
Thanks