Bolting a Storage Box To Crossbars on Factory 4Runner Roof Rack – Install using Pelican Vault

Bolting a Storage Box To Crossbars on Factory 4Runner Roof Rack

Mount Storage Cases and Cargo Boxes To Factory 4Runner Roof Rack Cross with LFD Aluminum Crossbars Using a Pelican Vault Case

You may have seen rigs around town (and definitely all over Instagram) with large cases mounted to their roof racks. The main benefit is obvious: storage space, and what people store in them vary widely. In my case, I will be storing recovery/utility-related items.

The need for this extra storage stems from a recent family trip that we took and I found that all of my recovery gear took up a lot of valuable cargo space in the trunk. This seemed especially wasteful to me, given they were all items I wouldn’t likely need to access frequently.

Overview of the Pelican Vault V730

Pelican Vault V730

When it came to deciding on which case I would mount to my roof, a couple of obvious options came to mind.

Find the options online: 

Since I only have the LFD ruggedized crossbars on the factory rails, the useable length behind the front wind fairing was only about 50″. I knew my OCD (and wind noise) would bother me having a case hanging over and past the wind fairing, so I started looking at some shorter options. I ended up on the Pelican Vault V730 (linked above), which is the middle size in their Vault case line coming in at just a hair over 47″ in length. Price-wise, the V730 can be found for around $190, which sits right between the two case options listed earlier.

This case aims to give some of the basic weather protection (including weather stripping) of the Pelican Storm, but loses the waterproofness (submerging) and indestructibility of its more expensive relatives. From a value perspective, I was perfectly fine with this as the case will just be sitting on my roof – not thrown around a war zone. It also includes tons of foam padding should you choose to use it, but note that it isn’t the pluckable kind, so you will need to cut it manually. I ended up just keeping the top foam piece to provide a little heat protection in the summer.

Hardware & Tools Needed

Pelican Vault V730 Installation Tools and Hardware

This hardware is specific to the LFD crossbars, please take a look at your setup to adjust as needed.

  • 3/8 x 1in Hex Bolts (4)
  • 3/8 x 13/16 Neoprene Washer (4)
  • 3/8 x 1.5in Neoprene Washer (4)
  • 3/8 x 1/2in Bonded Sealing Washer (4)
  • 3/8 Split Lock Washer (4)
  • 3/8 Flat Washer (8)
  • 3/8 Nylon Locking Nut (4)
  • Drill w/ 1/8in and 1/4in drill bits
  • 14mm socket-wrench

Planning & Measuring

Toyota 4Runner with Pelican Vault V730 Side View

Pelican Vault V730 Alignment

Since you will be drilling holes into a brand-new (and not cheap) case, it’s extremely important to figure out where you would like to position it on your roof. “Measure twice, cut once” definitely applies here. I positioned the case exactly where I wanted it to live for the foreseeable future and also left the liftgate open, making sure the case cleared the top of it.

Pelican Vault V730 Alignment Estimate with Tape

Once I was satisfied with the positioning, I used some masking tape and pen to mark where the rails and bolt slots I would be mounting to were relative to the bottom of the case.

Pelican Vault V730 Measuring Alignment

Drilling Reference Point

With the case off the roof, I picked a reference point on the bottom of the case to measure the distance of the pen mark relative to it. On the Pelican Vault, there just happened to be a raised edge that squarely ran the width of the case – perfect.

The distance from the plastic edge ended up being 5 & 5/8″ and I then decided to place each hole 3″ from the side edges, using a drill bit to etch a mark on where I would drill my pilot holes.

Drilling & Mounting Hardware

Pelican Vault V730 Drilling with 1/8" Drill Bit

Pelican Vault V730 Drilling with 1/4" Drill BitPelican Vault V730 Bolt Fitting

Using a 1/8″ drill bit, I drilled 2 pilot holes on the back of the case. I followed this with a 1/4″ drill bit to put the bolts through. After the holes were drilled, I test fit a bolt to make sure they went in snuggly.

Aligning Pelican Vault V730 with Crossbar

Leaving the first two bolts in the case, I then placed it back on my roof. This was to make sure the opposite side’s set of markings was still lined up correctly with the crossbar slots.

Pelican Vault V730 Bolt and Washer Assembly

The bolt/washer assembly is as follows, going up from under the crossbar:

  1. Bolt
  2. Split lock washer
  3. Flat Washer
  4. 3/8 x 13/16in Neoprene Washer
  5. Crossbar
  6. 3/8 x 1.5in Neoprene Washer
  7. Bonded Sealing Washer
  8. Case
  9. Flat Washer
  10. 3/8 Nylon Locking Nut

Pelican Vault V730 Bolted to the Crossbar

Getting all 4 bolts through the crossbars and case can be tedious. Once done, I secured everything with a flat washer and nylon locking nut inside the case using a 14mm socket. With the amount of friction provided by both the neoprene and split lock washers, there wasn’t a need to secure the bolt from underneath the crossbar as I tightened the nuts from inside the case.

Securing The Case

The Pelican Vault has 4 points for padlocks. I only ended up using 2 since it would drive me crazy to unlock 4 of them every time I needed to access the case contents. The choice of padlock is up to you, just make sure it has an extended shackle and is weather resistant as it will be sitting in the elements.

End Result

Pelican Vault V730 with Two Padlocks

Pelican Vault V730 Mounted on Toyota 4Runner

Overall, I’m very happy with how the storage box looks mounted on my roof. The case sits just under 7″ tall, which brings the highest point of my rig to 7 feet. This means that I should still be able to fit in most parking garages without issue.

The main benefit is as stated in the beginning, gaining all of my trunk space back. I am now able to fit way more travel-related items for our family trips while still being able to have all of my recovery and emergency gear in tow.

Wind noise is slightly more prevalent, but that was to be expected with a rectangle box now disrupting the airflow. One side benefit is a mild correction to the driver-side lean from the gas tank. This is due to having this case and gear sitting on the far passenger side.

What are your thoughts on roof-mounted storage boxes and cases? Do you prefer the look of other storage such as a Thule-style case? Leave a comment!

As always, thanks for reading and I’ll see you all in the next one!

Subscribe
Notify of
guest

16 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Billy
Billy
1 year ago

hello, were you able to avoid wind noise by moving the case to the second bar?

Last edited 1 year ago by Billy
Jonathan A
Jonathan A
1 year ago

i got a TRD ORP and opted for the LFD rack also. Any recommendations on general hardware to use for tie downs when loading bulky items? Particularly keeping wind noise minimal

Michael
Michael
1 year ago

Hey man, just got my vault and was about to install it when it occured to me that I had from the first crossbar to the last one about 1/4 inch gap between the bar and the botyom of the vault. Did that happen to you as well?

Robert
Robert
2 years ago

Do you have a measurement from the roof line to the highest part of the box? I trying to figure some height number to make sure I can clear the garage still.

Tyler
Tyler
2 years ago

Hey Ryan.

What made go with the LFD rails instead of something like a Prinsu? I’m leaning more toward the LFD rails as I have no desire to mount a roof top tent, but would like a few more options of being able to mount stuff to the roof. The cost is one thing holding me back, four rails and the wind deflector is just over half the cost of a 3/4 Prinsu by the time I get them to Canada.

Dale Clough
Dale Clough
2 years ago

Hi Ryan! I did the install as noted and have a couple things to note. 1) the 1/4 drill was not large enough. I had to use a 3/8” for the 3/8” bolts. 2) the 3/8 x 1 bolts were barely long enough. a 3/8 x 1 1/4 would be ideal for install. I understand the extra bolt proud of the lock nut may not be ideal so it’s a trade-off. If I did it again I’d go with a longer bolt.

overall pretty clean install with patient measurements, adequate hardware and a cold soft drink.

now to dry run it for a couple days, check fasteners then load it up!

cheers!!

Last edited 2 years ago by Dale Clough
Dale Clough
Dale Clough
2 years ago

Ryan, going this route in 2022. Can you share what you load in the case and some images?

Dale Clough
Dale Clough
2 years ago
Reply to  Ryan L

Thank you!

Kevin
Kevin
2 years ago

Ryan, I have the same crossbars and tried to do this a couple of months ago. I was unsuccessful. How do you get the bolts to stay in place on the crossbars. I can’t get my hand under the box after the first bolt is in place. Thanks.

16
0
Questions or Comments?x
()
x