Harbor Freight Apache Cases installed on roof rack

[bsquaredMTB]

Found em!

https://www.harborfreight.com/9800-weatherproof-protective-rifle-case-long-black-64520.html

I have a small case for my drone and it's great! I'm going to keep an eye on them to see when they go on sale!

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[bsquaredMTB]

https://share.google/mIvqTvZmZuW1WF30J
Here you go. This is the cheaper ones.

On this mounting system is the only thing keeping the cases on the truck the mount the actual mounting system or do you use any additional straps? I guess, what I'm asking, is is there any risk of the handles coming loose from the mount?

 

[Toyotimothy]

On this mounting system is the only thing keeping the cases on the truck the mount the actual mounting system or do you use any additional straps? I guess, what I'm asking, is is there any risk of the handles coming loose from the mount?

I didn’t see any risk of it coming loose. I actually used the handle of the case itself to pull myself up onto the rock slider so I could reach everything. Pulling on the case it literally moved the whole truck. It took some thinking but I eventually figured a way to turn the mounts so that the case was totally secured. I could have easily reversed it and May reverse it in the future but right now the front mount only needs a few turns with a tool to allow leverage to tilt the mount forward enough for easy removal of the case. My lights are in the way right now. I may reverse the ends in how they’re mounted so that I can have easier access for removing the cases. Basically mounting the rear mount like the front is currently mounted and the front like the rear is mounted. Hope this makes sense. But yes it firmly secured the cases on my rack anyways, no straps. I would take some measurements because I am sure that every roof rack is different but some have adjustable cross bars. Mine just happened to be the exact length needed without modifying.

 

[Toyotimothy]

Found em!

https://www.harborfreight.com/9800-weatherproof-protective-rifle-case-long-black-64520.html

I have a small case for my drone and it's great! I'm going to keep an eye on them to see when they go on sale!

Yes That’s it. Sorry I couldn’t get the link to copy earlier. Might not have been holding my mouth just right. Lol

 

[bsquaredMTB]

I didn’t see any risk of it coming loose. I actually used the handle of the case itself to pull myself up onto the rock slider so I could reach everything. Pulling on the case it literally moved the whole truck. It took some thinking but I eventually figured a way to turn the mounts so that the case was totally secured. I could have easily reversed it and May reverse it in the future but right now the front mount only needs a few turns with a tool to allow leverage to tilt the mount forward enough for easy removal of the case. My lights are in the way right now. I may reverse the ends in how they’re mounted so that I can have easier access for removing the cases. Basically mounting the rear mount like the front is currently mounted and the front like the rear is mounted. Hope this makes sense. But yes it firmly secured the cases on my rack anyways, no straps. I would take some measurements because I am sure that every roof rack is different but some have adjustable cross bars. Mine just happened to be the exact length needed without modifying.

Thanks for the detailed write up!!! This is super useful.

 

[Toyotimothy]

Thanks for the detailed write up!!! This is super useful.

You’re welcome. I hope everything works well for you.

 

[KaliKrop]

So I thought I would share this. I have run a Pelican vault 700 case on my roof rack and loved it. But it was not large enough to hold everything that I needed. So when the Apache cases at Harbor freight went on sale, I snatched one up. I had already attempted a harbor freight case by doing the usual drilling through the bottom, using bolts and attaching it to the roof rack in the manner which everybody else has done according to numerous YouTube videos that’s available.

With the vault case, however, pelican now offers mounting brackets. And while many people complain that they don’t work for their cases or they’re off by a few millimeters That requires extra bolts or some kind of wedging, etc. I personally had no issues whatsoever.

So I attempted to use the Pelican brackets on my Apache case. To my surprise, it worked perfectly. Perfectly that is if you turned it a different direction and bolt it different than how it’s intended. I have a Westcott design’s roof rack and while I could’ve probably moved the bars around, I found that the very front position for the crossbar, and the very rear crossbar essentially matched the ends of the Apache case. So instead of mounting the brackets horizontally, I mounted them vertically. This required some finagling, but ultimately it holds the Apache cases perfectly in place. So I did not have to drill any holes whatsoever on my new Apache case. I even purchased a knock off brand on Amazon for the mounting brackets. From what I can tell, they are identical to the actual pelican brand and about half the price. I used these on my old Apache case which I had drilled holes through in multiple locations in attempts to mount onto the roof rack and also attempts to install struts.

Next time the cases go on sale I’ll probably get another one. Regardless thought I would share this because the brackets run about 40 bucks or less on Amazon and while you may not have a Westcott designs roof rack it might be possible to mount your case in a similar manor. So I hope this helps someone. I was just excited that it actually worked. Best of luck with your mounting situations.

Are you using 3 brackets per case? So you ordered 3 sest of brackets for the 2 cases ? Or is 1 set good for 1 case? Thanks

 

[Toyotimothy]

Are you using 3 brackets per case? So you ordered 3 sest of brackets for the 2 cases ? Or is 1 set good for 1 case? Thanks

One set of brackets per case. One on each end.

 

[KaliKrop]

If anyone is still interested i went with these TEMU brackets $16, I bought a Pelican vault V800 and ill post pics of them when they arrive.

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