A heavy duty vehicle rack for the attachment to the drip rails or gutters of a vehicle is useful for carrying heavy articles, such as pipes, ladders, etc. The vehicle rack has at least one crossmember which extends across the vehicle roof and has an end member on each end of the crossmember to engage the drip rail or gutter and hold the crossmember above the vehicle roof. A clamp with horizontal fastening tightly secures each of the end members to the drip rail. The end members and clamps have inclined cooperating portions thereon which also cause the clamp to tighten against the drip rail also vertically to hold the rack in place on the vehicle.
An adaptor for securing a slat of a vehicle article carrier to an outer body surface of a vehicle without the need for drilling holes through the outer body surface. The adaptor comprises a main body portion having a channel formed along the entire length thereof. The channel has a cross-sectional shape which is designed to match the shape of an upwardly protruding lip portion formed within a roof ditch of the vehicle, such that the adaptor can be slid over the upwardly extending metal lip portion and thus attached thereto. At least one threaded bore is provided in the adaptor for enabling a slat to be secured thereto by an external threaded fastening element. A second threaded bore is included for enabling a set screw to be used to secure the adaptor to the metal lip portion so as to prevent sliding movement of the adaptor within the roof ditch. The adaptor thus allows a slat to be secured over a roof ditch without the need for drilling any holes in the roof of the vehicle.
Systems and methods for mounting an easily removable, external protective system on a vehicle such as an internal combustion vehicle such as a car, truck, SUV, etc. One function of the system is to allow the occupants to enter and exit the vehicle without removing the system. Certain embodiments of the invention will be discussed and illustrated principally as it applies to Land Rovers' Discovery SUV. However it can be applied to any of a variety of vehicles, or even other mobile units such as camper shells. The invention can be advantageous, for example, as it provides protection for the body of the vehicle from many impacts where it would normally be vulnerable. The system comprises removable external tubing attached to fixed mounting points and can be comprised of several mounting systems (see diagrams for specific construction).
