Roof rack decking material, what should I use.

[nfpgasmask]

Hi folks,

So I am rebuilding my expedition rig. I have a nice old gutter mounted Confer roof rack. The deck size measures 6' 4.5" x 4' 4". Previously, I used plywood that I simply painted. This worked quite well, however it is also quite heavy, and after a year or so the sun really beat up the wood and it started to peel and crack off.

So I have been thinking about aluminum diamond plate sheeting. Problem is, price. For a sheet of this at 3/16" we are talking almost $700. And 3/16" will likely not be that rigid. I don't even want to know what thicker stuff would cost.

Then the idea of using some sort of extruded plastic would also work, like the side of a milk crate, but where does one find a sheet of this? And will it really be any lighter than plywood?

So, I open the question to the forum. What do I use?

This isn't my rack, but it looks like this almost exactly:



It has the cross beams just like this for support.

Thanks- Bart

 

[Rebelord]

I saw somewhere on here. Someone used plastic molded grating for a floor. Just like you were talking about. Looks like milk crate type of stuff.

 

[boo471]

I just got some expanded metal for mine.

 

[darien]

This is the stuff here:

http://www.swapinc.com/Kennel-Tuff.aspx
http://www.qcsupply.com/670700-2-4-kennel-floor-slat.html

Light as a feather and super stiff and tough. It's what I used on two separate vehicles with no breakage or complaints.

I hate diamond plate - heavy and slippery, hard to work with/cut to fit. Expanded metal is not very tough and is also hard to work with.

 

[getout]

This is the stuff here:

http://www.swapinc.com/Kennel-Tuff.aspx
http://www.qcsupply.com/670700-2-4-kennel-floor-slat.html

Light as a feather and super stiff and tough. It's what I used on two separate vehicles with no breakage or complaints.

I hate diamond plate - heavy and slippery, hard to work with/cut to fit. Expanded metal is not very tough and is also hard to work with.

What a cool idea.

Sent from my SCH-S720C using Tapatalk 2

 

[nfpgasmask]

Yes! This dog kennel flooring looks perfect. I don't like expanded metal either as I like to sleep up there under the stars when the weather is nice, so a nice solid flat surface is needed for my bed roll. Plus, I like to be able to bolt stuff down up there as well, so I need a more stout surface. This kennel flooring might work perfect. I'll check it out.

Man, I wish this stuff came in bigger slats. The dims will make this difficult.

Thanks - Bart