roof rack questions TJ
- Thread starter Jakes01234
- Start date
TroutSafari
New member
I have the Garvin here also. I agree with what everyone has said so far. From kayaks to lumber, these things are great. Outstanding customer service from Garvin also.
Jakes01234
Explorer
u sir have what i would do to a jk that is perfect clean build
socaljeeper
Adventurer
I have the Warrior Products Safari roof rack. It is in the $500 range and it is not the sturdiest out there. It requires drilling of the tub for the rear supports. It removes easily with 4 quick pins on each corner. The powder coating has not held up and it is starting to rust. It is a good rack for the price and I plan on getting it powder coated again.
Jakes01234
Explorer
I have the Garvin here also. I agree with what everyone has said so far. From kayaks to lumber, these things are great. Outstanding customer service from Garvin also.
on a side not what jerry cans are those?
Jeepin Jason
Observer
Capt. I replaced the Torx with standard stainless bolts as I take off my windshield for the extreme trails. Makes life much easier.
Also, a long time ago I remember a company that made a roof rack mount that would attach to your roll bar through the soft top. You cut out 4 holes and they had a rubber boot to help keep the rain out. I can't find them anymore. I don't use mine for a daily driver so if it leaked a bit it would be OK. I would prefer this for the type of wheeling that I do in case I needed to keep the rack on I would not have to worry about the bars coming down to the windshield or back of the TJ. I have seen those get ripped right off before....
Also, a long time ago I remember a company that made a roof rack mount that would attach to your roll bar through the soft top. You cut out 4 holes and they had a rubber boot to help keep the rain out. I can't find them anymore. I don't use mine for a daily driver so if it leaked a bit it would be OK. I would prefer this for the type of wheeling that I do in case I needed to keep the rack on I would not have to worry about the bars coming down to the windshield or back of the TJ. I have seen those get ripped right off before....
TroutSafari
New member
I ordered them From Quadratec and had them painted to match the jeep. The holders are From Garvin. They attach to the swing away Garvin bumper. Behind the tire is the high jack, axe and shovel.
Jakes01234
Explorer
nice looks great
I mounted the Garvin Wilderness Rack on my 1999 TJ. It has lots of accessory mounts available including light brackets, tool mounts, etc. I also installed the brackets to mount the cross bars for the Yakima mako saddles and hully rollers for my kayak. I've had mine for about three years and have had no problems. I live about a half hour from Garvin so I bought it directly from them.
1stDeuce
Explorer
My TJ is running a modified "Dave's Rack" that I bought used from a friend's dad. It's for a normal TJ, but I cut the back down bars that went behind the body next to the taillights and have it mounted to angle that bolts to the bed rails on my extended TJ. The whole flip back thingy is kinda a big gimmick IMO, and the knuckle is pretty rattle prone... Too many bolted connections, and I have rewelded both windshield tubes where they cracked almost completely in two at the weld to the mounting plates. I don't think the rack ever did much hauling before me, so that's not so sweet.
I think you need to go almost fully welded if you want a really sturdy rack what doesn't rattle... Could weld the Smittybuilt one, or the similar one by BodyArmor. I think they all howl at higher speeds... Just the nature of the beast. Might be quieter if they're closer to roof height, or have a removable basket. ??
I do appreciate all the feedback in this thread, as I'm thinking it's time to replace my tired rack with something a little more sturdy. Having a jeep that's 5" longer than an unlimited worked well enough until I got a dog, and then a girlfriend... with a bigger dog. Now we have a jeep full of dogs, and a rack full of camping gear... But I wouldn't trade any of them anything!
From a trip to the Snowies in August:
Click on this one for short video...
I think you need to go almost fully welded if you want a really sturdy rack what doesn't rattle... Could weld the Smittybuilt one, or the similar one by BodyArmor. I think they all howl at higher speeds... Just the nature of the beast. Might be quieter if they're closer to roof height, or have a removable basket. ??
I do appreciate all the feedback in this thread, as I'm thinking it's time to replace my tired rack with something a little more sturdy. Having a jeep that's 5" longer than an unlimited worked well enough until I got a dog, and then a girlfriend... with a bigger dog. Now we have a jeep full of dogs, and a rack full of camping gear... But I wouldn't trade any of them anything!
From a trip to the Snowies in August:
Click on this one for short video...
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NOMADIC_LJ
Explorer
How is the noise from the Defender setup? I was wanting one of these before I got the Kargo Master, but they were a between production runs for a couple months at the time, and I needed the rack within weeks. My Kargo Master Congo and Bushman rack is extremely loud. I made a fairing and moved the rack back out of the wind from the windshield, which quieted it down a bit, but we still measured 96dB @ 50mph, and 103dB at 60mph. It's completely unbearable at 70mph.
Please post any pictures if you have them. I'm really considering changing to the Defender rack, or maybe doing a hybrid with the Defender basket and the Kargo Master cage.
My setup from a trip this summer.
Overlandexpeditionspecial
Observer
On my TJ I have had the Garvin wilderness, and the Kargo Master Congo Cage.
The Garvin worked great, and was strong enough to save my hardtop and windshield on a flop on its side in Clayton, Oklahoma. I later sold it to another guy when I was "shedding weight" and he had no problems installing it, so no torquing after the flop.
A few years later I needed a rack for back up ladder/lumber hauling, the Kargo Master has worked well for these purposes. I would say the Garvin mounting was a better system overall, so if it's your primary rack, I would spend the extra on the Garvin.
My JK rack is still in prototype stage but is completely frame mount and will most likely end up attaching on custom rock rails. And because it's modular, I got the assembly time down to 20 minutes even with only one person and a hoist raising the rack, which I can say is faster assembly than either of my other racks:ylsmoke:
The Garvin worked great, and was strong enough to save my hardtop and windshield on a flop on its side in Clayton, Oklahoma. I later sold it to another guy when I was "shedding weight" and he had no problems installing it, so no torquing after the flop.
A few years later I needed a rack for back up ladder/lumber hauling, the Kargo Master has worked well for these purposes. I would say the Garvin mounting was a better system overall, so if it's your primary rack, I would spend the extra on the Garvin.
My JK rack is still in prototype stage but is completely frame mount and will most likely end up attaching on custom rock rails. And because it's modular, I got the assembly time down to 20 minutes even with only one person and a hoist raising the rack, which I can say is faster assembly than either of my other racks:ylsmoke:
Overlandexpeditionspecial
Observer
The Kargo Master with out a basket, it does have nice lines, but I have never unbolted it to remove the top. Fast back top makes that unnecessary.
This is Garvin post flop, you can see where the hood is dented, and I didn't remember it being torqued but the photo does make it look like it might have dented the passenger rear.
This is Garvin post flop, you can see where the hood is dented, and I didn't remember it being torqued but the photo does make it look like it might have dented the passenger rear.