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Ford Cross Rail Installation


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The Ford dealer finally got the right part in after three wrong orders. I purchased the Ford Cross Rails (Only $107 for the pair). The rails themselves are a sturdy powder coated elliptical metal. The brackets are made of a beefy ABS and have small eyes on the back edge for tie downs or bungees to attach. Everything is bolted together using either T25 or T30 star bolts.

 

The installation was a breeze (30 minutes max) and I am attaching photos and instructions below. You will need a T25 and T30 star head bit or socket.

 

- PHOTO 1 = Before - without cross rails.

 

--- STEP 1 = Remove the plastic hole covers from the inside of the roof rails.

 

- PHOTO 2 = Roof rails with plastic hole covers removed.

 

--- STEP 2 = Each bracket has two pieces (top and bottom). Attach the bracket pieces to the ends of each cross rail using the T25 star bolt. Do not tighten this too much yet because you will need to adjust the spread to fit the roof rails.

 

- PHOTO 3 = Cross rails with brackets attached. The tie down eyes should be on the rear edge of the rails.

 

- PHOTO 4 = Instructions Page 1

 

- PHOTO 5 = Instructions Page 2

 

- PHOTO 6 = I used my floor mats to protect my roof as I attached the cross rail brackets to the roof rails with T30 star bolts.

 

--- STEP 3 – Protect roof and attach cross rail brackets to roof rails with T30 star bolts. You can reach this fairly easily by opening the rear doors and standing on the threshold. I only had a star type allen wrench initially. Due to the angle there was not enough room to sufficiently tighten the bolts. I had to use a T30 socket with socket wrench to finish tightening the brackets to the roof rails.

 

--- STEP 4 = After the cross rail brackets have been completely tightened to the roof rails then you need to tighten the sandwiched brackets down on the cross rail. This is done with the T25 star bolt on top of each bracket.

 

- PHOTO 7 = After – with cross rails. Front and up view.

 

- PHOTO 8 = After – with cross rails. Front view.

 

- PHOTO 9 = After – with cross rails. Rear view.

 

- PHOTO 10 = After – with cross rails. Rear and up view.

 

Very easy installation. I think this adds much more utility to the rails. Now I can haul lumber on the roof rack without hurting the paint. You can hardly notice them, so I can't really say that they affect the styling one way or the other. They also make the roof rails a great deal sturdier. I was surprised how much the roof rails flexed with a load prior to installing the cross rails. Just pull on the roof rails and you will see what I mean.

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Edited by gradywhite
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nice write up.. good photos.. this will help the next guy for sure.

 

now, all you need to do is go with a stubby antenna :)

 

Great idea! Just after I saw your post and pics of your stub antenna, I went out and looked how the factory antenna could interfere with long items placed on the cross rails. I will definitely be getting the stub.

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Great idea! Just after I saw your post and pics of your stub antenna, I went out and looked how the factory antenna could interfere with long items placed on the cross rails. I will definitely be getting the stub.

 

that is exactly why I recommended a stubby for you. now that you plan to put stuff up there, others have commented about that looooooong antenna being a pita so a stubby might be a consideration.

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Can you elaborate on how strong these rails are? How much weight can they support?

 

As a owner of several vehicles with 'roof rails', I never have found them to be able to support much and find them to be more decorative than functional. I always had to 'jerry' a support under the rails to support bikes or a ski carrier so the rails would not bend or flex.

 

So- are these just plastic or are they re-enforced enough to provide real time support for two mountain bile carriers??

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Can you elaborate on how strong these rails are? How much weight can they support?

 

As a owner of several vehicles with 'roof rails', I never have found them to be able to support much and find them to be more decorative than functional. I always had to 'jerry' a support under the rails to support bikes or a ski carrier so the rails would not bend or flex.

 

So- are these just plastic or are they re-enforced enough to provide real time support for two mountain bile carriers??

 

They feel very sturdy to me. They have a natural upward bow to them and they are made of metal. I don't see any load rating anywhere.

 

Two things that I do not like about them are:

1) They are not adjustable. These are fixed in one postion.

2) They are fairly close to each other. I would say the distance between the two cross rails is about two feet. This is mainly due to the fact that the Edge roof rails are not that long to start with.

 

I had a Grand Chrokee prior to this and I loaded its rack with lots of lumber on multiple occassions and never had a problem with the rails. I would see it bow down sometimes, but it still supported the cargo. This rack seems just as strong as the GC was.

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They feel very sturdy to me. They have a natural upward bow to them and they are made of metal. I don't see any load rating anywhere.

 

Two things that I do not like about them are:

1) They are not adjustable. These are fixed in one postion.

2) They are fairly close to each other. I would say the distance between the two cross rails is about two feet. This is mainly due to the fact that the Edge roof rails are not that long to start with.

 

I had a Grand Chrokee prior to this and I loaded its rack with lots of lumber on multiple occassions and never had a problem with the rails. I would see it bow down sometimes, but it still supported the cargo. This rack seems just as strong as the GC was.

 

 

Could you post the part number for me?

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Could you post the part number for me?

Unfortunately I already tossed the box and my receipt has teh incorrect Escape rails they ordered to start with.

 

I did find the following online, but I would double check with your Ford dealer. The ones bel,ow appear less expensive, but once you factor in shipping and taxes tehy are teh same cost.

 

7T4Z-7855100-BA

 

http://fparts.dealerfit.com/store/ford-edg...ac28ead74581ce5

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Unfortunately I already tossed the box and my receipt has teh incorrect Escape rails they ordered to start with.

 

I did find the following online, but I would double check with your Ford dealer. The ones bel,ow appear less expensive, but once you factor in shipping and taxes tehy are teh same cost.

 

7T4Z-7855100-BA

 

http://fparts.dealerfit.com/store/ford-edg...ac28ead74581ce5

 

Thank you. I appreciate the link.

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that is exactly why I recommended a stubby for you. now that you plan to put stuff up there, others have commented about that looooooong antenna being a pita so a stubby might be a consideration.

 

 

I added the same 2.5" stub antenna that Lex did. See attached photos. I like the looks of it and it shouldn't get in the way of roof rack items. You can see that is is lower than the cross rails.

 

For big items I still simply remove the antenna. That is what I did this weekend when I hauled a mattress and headboard on my roof.

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  • 3 months later...
Unfortunately I already tossed the box and my receipt has teh incorrect Escape rails they ordered to start with.

 

I did find the following online, but I would double check with your Ford dealer. The ones bel,ow appear less expensive, but once you factor in shipping and taxes tehy are teh same cost.

 

7T4Z-7855100-BA

 

http://fparts.dealerfit.com/store/ford-edg...ac28ead74581ce5

 

Is not the bar numbers at the end of the paper posted, in the center???

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  • 2 months later...
The Ford dealer finally got the right part in after three wrong orders. I purchased the Ford Cross Rails (Only $107 for the pair). The rails themselves are a sturdy powder coated elliptical metal. The brackets are made of a beefy ABS and have small eyes on the back edge for tie downs or bungees to attach. Everything is bolted together using either T25 or T30 star bolts.

 

The installation was a breeze (30 minutes max) and I am attaching photos and instructions below. You will need a T25 and T30 star head bit or socket.

 

- PHOTO 1 = Before - without cross rails.

 

--- STEP 1 = Remove the plastic hole covers from the inside of the roof rails.

 

- PHOTO 2 = Roof rails with plastic hole covers removed.

 

--- STEP 2 = Each bracket has two pieces (top and bottom). Attach the bracket pieces to the ends of each cross rail using the T25 star bolt. Do not tighten this too much yet because you will need to adjust the spread to fit the roof rails.

 

- PHOTO 3 = Cross rails with brackets attached. The tie down eyes should be on the rear edge of the rails.

 

- PHOTO 4 = Instructions Page 1

 

- PHOTO 5 = Instructions Page 2

 

- PHOTO 6 = I used my floor mats to protect my roof as I attached the cross rail brackets to the roof rails with T30 star bolts.

 

--- STEP 3 – Protect roof and attach cross rail brackets to roof rails with T30 star bolts. You can reach this fairly easily by opening the rear doors and standing on the threshold. I only had a star type allen wrench initially. Due to the angle there was not enough room to sufficiently tighten the bolts. I had to use a T30 socket with socket wrench to finish tightening the brackets to the roof rails.

 

--- STEP 4 = After the cross rail brackets have been completely tightened to the roof rails then you need to tighten the sandwiched brackets down on the cross rail. This is done with the T25 star bolt on top of each bracket.

 

- PHOTO 7 = After – with cross rails. Front and up view.

 

- PHOTO 8 = After – with cross rails. Front view.

 

- PHOTO 9 = After – with cross rails. Rear view.

 

- PHOTO 10 = After – with cross rails. Rear and up view.

 

Very easy installation. I think this adds much more utility to the rails. Now I can haul lumber on the roof rack without hurting the paint. You can hardly notice them, so I can't really say that they affect the styling one way or the other. They also make the roof rails a great deal sturdier. I was surprised how much the roof rails flexed with a load prior to installing the cross rails. Just pull on the roof rails and you will see what I mean.

I have read that some cylinder cross rails cause noise at freeway speeds. Did you find this to be true? Any noise at all? Any other cheap places for this part online other than what you provided?

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