DCH109
Adventurer
I do not review items very often or if ever so if this is a mess sorry for that. Also I have zero affiliation with TrailFX, I paid for this with my hard earned cash.
So I was looking for a roof rack for my JK that would not:
While there are some great install instructions and unboxing videos out there for this rack, I will skip that.
I paid $495 from amazon for this rack shipped directly from TrailFX. Took about a week to arrive by truck.
As I was changing my rear bumper anyways, I looked for one that would be compatible with the bolt on setup. For that I ended up with the Quadratec mid width rear bumper. While the Q&A said it would not work (the Smittybilt version) I was confident it would. It worked fine. The rack comes with the ability to bold the rear part to the body (you need to drill) or directly to the rear frame. I opted for the frame mount.
Install was easy enough, I took the recommendations from others and replaced the plastic knobs for some self locking nuts. As well I added silicone to the inside of all the tube joints before assembly.
The screws they give you for the rear rubber bumpers are a joke, but I had some self tapping screws available that worked. Other than that it went on without any drama and took me about 1.5 hours, but I was going slow and was by myself (it is recommended for the long bars to have another but you can do it alone)
Next was mounting my tent. This was a breeze and it mounted easily (for that I had help).
First drive and wind noise (Brutal). Yes it sounds like you are going through a wind tunnel it is so loud. So I bought a wind fairing from Amazon (for a different rack) set it to about 25* and it was about perfect, till 70MPH, then it starts to get a touch louder but nothing to bad. I have have not driven it without the tent and with the fairing yet, so I expect that noise to be gone once I do.
Squeaks. None at all. Lots of people complained they had squeaks from these types of racks. I think they did not take the time to setup the rack correctly. Leave all bolts loose and then start to tighten them up starting with the frame and windows frame bolts, then the tube nuts and bolts, this seems to have made all the difference in the world for this. I am sure the silicone also helped.
Stability. Very stable, I am 6'1 250+ lbs and the rack never moved when I was in the tent. While putting the cover on I used the rack for stability and somewhere to grab while I hoisted myself up and no movement.
I drove all over the alpine loop including Engineer pass. I also hit a few other passes (like cumberland and stony) in Colorado and spent 70% of my 4 days out there off of any paved roads. Some were nicer dirt roads, most were washboard, rough and high mountain roads.
The rack is as solid as when I installed it. If those roads are not letting it loose then I do not know what would.
It is for super tight trails? Probably not as it does stick out a little (nothing major), but then I like my jeep and trail damage is not something I see as a badge of honor, so I stay away from those. Is it great for a RTT or boat on your Jeep where you can remove it easy enough and use with the hard to soft top, Yes. Do you have to drill into your hard top or body, No. if you have a stock bumper or certain aftermarket ones ( the type that wrap around the side would either need to be modified or yes you would have to drill into the body)
What do I not like about it.
The cheap plastic knobs ($2.00 fix for new hardware from Tractor Supply (bought some extra bolts and nuts)
While I did not like the look of it when I installed it, it is growing on me.
Other than that nothing.
Would I buy it again. Absolutely.
So I was looking for a roof rack for my JK that would not:
- Cost a lot
- Require drilling
- Require modifications to my Jeep
While there are some great install instructions and unboxing videos out there for this rack, I will skip that.
I paid $495 from amazon for this rack shipped directly from TrailFX. Took about a week to arrive by truck.
As I was changing my rear bumper anyways, I looked for one that would be compatible with the bolt on setup. For that I ended up with the Quadratec mid width rear bumper. While the Q&A said it would not work (the Smittybilt version) I was confident it would. It worked fine. The rack comes with the ability to bold the rear part to the body (you need to drill) or directly to the rear frame. I opted for the frame mount.
Install was easy enough, I took the recommendations from others and replaced the plastic knobs for some self locking nuts. As well I added silicone to the inside of all the tube joints before assembly.
The screws they give you for the rear rubber bumpers are a joke, but I had some self tapping screws available that worked. Other than that it went on without any drama and took me about 1.5 hours, but I was going slow and was by myself (it is recommended for the long bars to have another but you can do it alone)
Next was mounting my tent. This was a breeze and it mounted easily (for that I had help).
First drive and wind noise (Brutal). Yes it sounds like you are going through a wind tunnel it is so loud. So I bought a wind fairing from Amazon (for a different rack) set it to about 25* and it was about perfect, till 70MPH, then it starts to get a touch louder but nothing to bad. I have have not driven it without the tent and with the fairing yet, so I expect that noise to be gone once I do.
Squeaks. None at all. Lots of people complained they had squeaks from these types of racks. I think they did not take the time to setup the rack correctly. Leave all bolts loose and then start to tighten them up starting with the frame and windows frame bolts, then the tube nuts and bolts, this seems to have made all the difference in the world for this. I am sure the silicone also helped.
Stability. Very stable, I am 6'1 250+ lbs and the rack never moved when I was in the tent. While putting the cover on I used the rack for stability and somewhere to grab while I hoisted myself up and no movement.
I drove all over the alpine loop including Engineer pass. I also hit a few other passes (like cumberland and stony) in Colorado and spent 70% of my 4 days out there off of any paved roads. Some were nicer dirt roads, most were washboard, rough and high mountain roads.
The rack is as solid as when I installed it. If those roads are not letting it loose then I do not know what would.
It is for super tight trails? Probably not as it does stick out a little (nothing major), but then I like my jeep and trail damage is not something I see as a badge of honor, so I stay away from those. Is it great for a RTT or boat on your Jeep where you can remove it easy enough and use with the hard to soft top, Yes. Do you have to drill into your hard top or body, No. if you have a stock bumper or certain aftermarket ones ( the type that wrap around the side would either need to be modified or yes you would have to drill into the body)
What do I not like about it.
The cheap plastic knobs ($2.00 fix for new hardware from Tractor Supply (bought some extra bolts and nuts)
While I did not like the look of it when I installed it, it is growing on me.
Other than that nothing.
Would I buy it again. Absolutely.
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