Nice rack

I'm back with the welder.

I honestly didn't think I'd use it on the Freelander but it turns out I just can't leave well alone.

This last week has seen the culmination of weeks (maybe months) of deliberation and indecision. 

A while,ago I bought some thule roof bars so that I could carry things on my roof rails, but after fitting them I was disappointed with the increased height and the wind noise. One solution was obvious, take them off until I needed them, but then they are either at home (what if I need them when I'm already out) or rattling around in the back of the car (no wind noise but loose bars bouncing around make enough noise on their own).

The 5 door Freelander has the very expensive (and rare) option of  a Safety Devices rack, as seen on the G4 Freelanders, but the 3 door just had the simple bars. 

Looking at other options I came across Rocky Road Outfitters, who make a full heavy duty rack which fits between the bars on U bolts. I like the look but they are US based which means expensive shipping and customs charges, and they are modular, using end brackets which the bars slip into and are bolted. Bolts can come loose and can also create wind noise of their own.

So I dusted off the welder (literally after a shed wall was cut away) and ordered up some steel.

Using the original rack as a jig, I came up with this:

What we have here are 3 cross bars with angled feet (the Rocky Road version has flat feet), with one of the longitudinal bars tacked in place. There will be 3 more welded in where you can see the coating sanded off.

There is also a bracket at the rear for the worklight and I've since welded a couple more brackets at the front if I should want to fit some roof lights one day. 

I don't have any pictures of the rest of the build as I work faster than a camera can capture (I forgot), but here we have the finished item in all its glory.

I still need to sort the light wiring out again...

The middle bar is slightly lower than the end ones, because the roof rails have an arc to them. Having this bar lower actually lets it sit level, which means I can easily fit sheet materials flat in place. And if I fit some boards to the rack (to comlensate for the bracket height) I can lay flexible materials dead flat when bringing them home.

The bars also sit level with the existing rails, only the brackets area little higher. 

Which means I can leave them on permanently without worrying about car park restrictions. Also during the test drive they were nice and quiet.

They weigh about 10Kg, which is more than I would ideally like but seeing as they are made from decent strong steel, it's understandable. Also, the safety devices rack must weight much more than this, which limits its use (75Kg roof limit in the UK). 

I'm happy with them,cthe you look exactly as planned, and I'm now musing about extending some front supports to the top of the windscreen, with a lightbar inbetween. Long loads and additional lights? Gotta be a winner.

Frustration free packaging?

I don't order from Amazon a lot, although when I do I'm pretty much enamoured with their service for a few months until I've bought all the things I want from them.

But one thing really gets my goat, and it's the packaging...

They say it's frustration free, and easy to open, but I disagree on the first claim.

Last week I ordered an item for my car, and a few days later my postman shoved a "While you were out" card through the letterbox.

On reaching the post office I was presented with this:

Wow, must have bought something big.

Opening it up...

What is inside that needs so much protection?

Is that it? Another thin cardboard box?

Yup, and what is inside that requires such protection? A Cartier rear view mirror? A gear knob crafted by the very best at Faberge?

No, it's just a couple of meters of silicone hose to replace the worn vacuum lines on my engine.

Seriously it could have been shipped coiled up in a Jiffy bag and it would have been adequately protected.

But now I have a load of brown wrapping paper and a cardboard box to dispose of - yes I recycle but that's not really the point. The energy used to make the paper and the box, and to transport it from amazons warehouse to mine must be disproportionate to any "green" credentials. 

Like someone harping on about "green electric vehicles". Yeah only as green and the fossil fuel or nuclear powered power station that provided electricity to charge your car.

It's unusual for me to consider the environment, I'd love a big classic American V8 (Pontic GTO my personal favourite), but you have to admit, this packaging is ridiculous.