Roof box with OEM Omtec Rails

[helphelp]

I have bought the Omtec cross bars for my van, they are nice quality and quite wide and not sure if you can use a roof box with them as the U clamps with boxes are not so wide and are for the more narrow type bars.
Has anyone used a roof box withe Omtec cross bars configuration.
Omtec do a locking roof bar which sits up on top of the rails and look narrow like most other roof bars
be interested to know before I go and buy anything else.
Cheers.

 

[n10n]

Haven't used myself but an alternative attaching mechanism is to use t-nuts in the roof bar top grooves, Omtec bars have these as well.

I think the t-nut base sizes are pretty standard and there's a variety of options available from Thule and others, including nuts of different lengths, eyelets, box - specific adapters etc.

 

[Bav]

Haven't used myself but an alternative attaching mechanism is to use t-nuts in the roof bar top grooves, Omtec bars have these as well.

I think the t-nut base sizes are pretty standard and there's a variety of options available from Thule and others, including nuts of different lengths, eyelets, box - specific adapters etc.

View attachment 206157

I use these - they're a lot easier to use than the u-clamps and, IMO, more secure.

 

[n10n]

I use these - they're a lot easier to use than the u-clamps and, IMO, more secure.

Out of the interest, did you take the rubber strip that normally goes into the groove away completely, or splice it to accommodate the nuts?

 

[Bav]

Out of the interest, did you take the rubber strip that normally goes into the groove away completely, or splice it to accommodate the nuts?

Spliced it - in the hope it would supress any rattles when no roof box was attached. Never heard any rattles, but it might not have rattled anyway I guess.

 

[Pete C]

I have bought the Omtec cross bars for my van, they are nice quality and quite wide and not sure if you can use a roof box with them as the U clamps with boxes are not so wide and are for the more narrow type bars.
Has anyone used a roof box withe Omtec cross bars configuration.
Omtec do a locking roof bar which sits up on top of the rails and look narrow like most other roof bars
be interested to know before I go and buy anything else.
Cheers.

In a word, yes. We have used 3 different roof boxes with ours, and they all had U clamps big enough.

Pete

 

[n10n]

Finally fitted cross bars to accomodate a Thule Force XT Sport roof box.

Thule’s t-bolts fit Omtec channel just fine. But in the end I didn’t fit using these as the Thule grips open enough to squeeze around the cross bars - much faster to attach/remove the box using grips. Seems the inner grips might touch the roof though, probably needs vinyl patches or some dremel treatment.

 

[roadtripper]

We've got a Thule box with the claw grips for the XC70, while it's quick to fit the height of the clamps internally is always a pain and I've always felt we should have gone for the aerobars rather than square so we could use shorter T nuts.

The bars are Thule but Volvo branded OE that we negotiated inclusion on the purchase so could never quite justify spending an the aerobars.

 

[n10n]

The t-adapter kit I got for this box (but ended up not using) has load spreading foot for each nut on the box internal side. And they’re quite high, didn’t check but I think with the feet it wouldn’t have been much lower than the grip.

 

[Robert]

I have bought the Omtec cross bars for my van, they are nice quality and quite wide and not sure if you can use a roof box with them as the U clamps with boxes are not so wide and are for the more narrow type bars.
Has anyone used a roof box withe Omtec cross bars configuration.
Omtec do a locking roof bar which sits up on top of the rails and look narrow like most other roof bars
be interested to know before I go and buy anything else.
Cheers.

Probably not a 100% on topic but I made adapter clamps and reinforcing plates for my cross bars and the roof box.
However I had to drill new holes in the floor of my roof box.
The clamps are M8 threaded bars, bent to shape and covered with a black heat shrink tubing.
Reinforcing plates are made from checker plate aluminium.

Have a look at the video & the photos below.

Roof bars clamps

New item · Album by Robert Zborowski

photos.app.goo.gl

 

[n10n]

Probably not a 100% on topic but I made adapter clamps and reinforcing plates for my cross bars and the roof box.
However I had to drill new holes in the floor of my roof box.
The clamps are M8 threaded bars, bent to shape and covered with a black heat shrink tubing.
Reinforcing plates are made from checker plate aluminium.

Have a look at the video & the photos below.

Roof bars clamps

New item · Album by Robert Zborowski

photos.app.goo.gl

View attachment 243900
View attachment 243901
View attachment 243899
View attachment 243924View attachment 243923

Very neat! Normal t-bolts are just 6mm so this is surely a ”heavy duty” solution.

I see you have nuts securing the U to the cross bar, meaning the box will be supported from below only by the width of the nut. Would it not be better to sandwich the box plastic in between two supporting plates and nut only on top? Bit more difficult to assemble for sure.

 

[Robert]

Would it not be better to sandwich the box plastic in between two supporting plates and nut only on top?

That is exactly what the final result is.
My bad, I wasn't precise enough.


By the way, great minds think alike