Adjustable car top carrier support

An adjustable car top carrier, operable for use on a car top having ledges at opposite sides thereof, comprising:

• A. a carrier container having a bottom surface attached to the top surface of at least one horizontally disposed carrier track;
• B. a pair of support members slideably positioned within said track, each support member having an outer end and an inner end;
• C. vertical support legs extending downwardly from each of said respective support members, and including car top engaging means, at the bottom of said each support legs, operable for engaging a car top proximate said ledges at opposite sides of said car top;
• and
• D. means to contract and extend the opposed inner ends of said support members, said means further including torque limiting means to limit the amount of contractive engagement force which may be exerted by said car top engaging means against a car top.

An adjustable car top carrier support, operable for use on a gutterless car top having ledges at opposite sides thereof, comprising:

• A. a first horizontal support tube, having an outer and an inner end, and including a first vertical leg means proximate said outer end;
• B. a second horizontal support tube, having an outer and an inner end, and including a second vertical support leg means proximate said outer end;
• C. crankshaft means interconnecting said support tubes for horizontally contracting and extending said respective support tubes;
• D. a carrier track, within which said first and second support tubes are mounted, in a horizontally slideable fashion, with their respective inner ends horizontally opposed, said carrier track having an upper surface adapted for support of the bottom surface of a superposed load;
• E. car top engaging means, extending from the bottom of each of said vertical support leg means, and operable for respective engagements with said opposite car top ledges, whereby upon contraction of said support tubes in a telescoping fashion into said carrier track, engagement forces will be transmitted to said car top only in the vicinity of said opposite car top ledges.