Wedgetail

Built to fit a wide range of 4x4 utes and wagons and selected vans, the Wedgetail platform roof rack is fitted onto a set of mounting rails that are bolted to mounting lugs connected into the sub-structure of the roof or onto the roof gutters and held in place by bolt-on clips.

These mounts spread the weight of the roof rack and its load over the whole mounting system and have the strength to cope with extended periods of off-road use.

DESIGN

The Wedgetail rack was developed by our team of engineers to take advantage of custom designed components and new composite materials. Super strong aluminium was moulded into two profiles for use in the platform frame and for the crossbars. A number of materials were tested for use as the corner fittings until the final components were approved.

FRAME AND CROSSBARS

Manufactured using 6060 grade aluminium and extruded in Australia to custom profiles for use as frame components or as crossbars. The frame components are designed for maximum dynamic strength while the crossbars are designed to withstand the direct downwards pressures generated by the weight of items carried on the rack or by accessories fitted on the crossbars.

The frame bars are pre-punched with holes at between 250 and 310 mm spacing for locating of crossbars and fixing of wind deflectors.

All bar components are powder coated in matt black.

WEDGE-LOCK CORNER UNITS

The corner units are moulded using a composite of nylon and glass-reinforcing mixed with other strengthening substances. Once cast the corner units are machined to remove surplus materials and mounting holes are drilled.

The Wedge-lock corner units have a flanged nut inserted into the outside of the bolt hole. The ends of the corner units are fitted into the frame rails and 8 mm stainless steel bolts are used to fix them in place, creating a strong joint.

WEDGE-WING MOUNTING RAILS

The mounting rails are custom designed for each vehicle so that the weight of the platform and load is evenly spread over the vehicle roof. The mounting rails are laser cut from 3 mm steel and then zinc electro-plated and powder coated with a matt black finish.

The mounting rails for all utes and wagons are a single piece and for vans each side is made up of two sections.

The mounting rails and lugs and all bolts required are packed into cartons for shipping.

TESTING

A series of prototypes were manufactured and stress tested on a range of vehicles and on the toughest offroad tracks with the maximum load allowed. The Wedgetail rack went through two years of development and testing before it was approved for manufacture.

PACKAGIN & FREIGHT

Platforms are plastic wrapped and packed in a cardboard carton. The mounting rails, wind deflector, mounting lugs, all bolts or rivets required and a set of installation instructions are packaged into a second carton. The cartons are then placed on a shipping pallet, polyester strapping added and plastic wrapping applied to protect the shipment.

Wedgetail racks are dispatched by road freight to locations throughout Australia.

Vehicle specific installation instructions are included with all racks.