Are there racks that fit the painted hardtop?

[stom_m3]

Interested to hear from @TrailRax if they're working on different roof brackets that fit the painted tops flush.

I emailed @TrailRax and asked if they're racks were compatible with the Bronco OEM painted roof and they confirmed that it is compatible. So good news!

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[TrailRax]

I'm shopping around for a roof rack for my '25 Big Bend with a gloss black top. I'm mostly interested in carrying the cargo box I already own for family road trips, but I certainly wouldn't mind having more functionality. However, there seem to be fitment issues with the OEM painted top. There have been reports that some racks, including the ever popular Trailrax, will not mount flush (pics of a couple of examples I found below). RCI goes as far as to say their rack is not compatible with the painted top. Does anyone out there know of a rack that fits as intended? I hope the OEM rack is a safe bet, but I've yet to find an example to verify.

Apologies for joining the thread late - the TrailRax Bronco rack works on painted hard tops! See the rack here - https://trailrax.com/collections/ford/products/trailrax-modular-roof-rack-for-the-ford-bronco-4-door

 

[Surge]

Apologies for joining the thread late - the TrailRax Bronco rack works on painted hard tops! See the rack here - https://trailrax.com/collections/ford/products/trailrax-modular-roof-rack-for-the-ford-bronco-4-door

What about the gap seen in the photos shared? Any plans to address those? Thanks.

 

[TrailRax]

What about the gap seen in the photos shared? Any plans to address those? Thanks.

Just confirmed with our team that the photos shared in the thread are not our roof rack, it appears to be Frontrunners.

Here is what we suggest when installing our rack on painted hardtops.
The rear clamshell clamps are intentionally designed to be a very snug fit within the OEM mounting slots. The foam padding on the clamps is meant to compress over time (to approximately 3mm) and helps protect the roof while maintaining proper clamping force.
During installation, it’s not uncommon for some pressure to be required to fully seat the clamps into the OEM mounting locations. For best results, we recommend loosening all clamps first, positioning the rack and clamps into place, and then gradually tightening everything down evenly. This helps pull the rack into center and ensures proper alignment with the vehicle. In some cases, a bit of additional pressure is needed to get a clamp fully seated before tightening.

 

[3 Pedal Ronnie]

Just confirmed with our team that the photos shared in the thread are not our roof rack, it appears to be Frontrunners.

Here is what we suggest when installing our rack on painted hardtops.
The rear clamshell clamps are intentionally designed to be a very snug fit within the OEM mounting slots. The foam padding on the clamps is meant to compress over time (to approximately 3mm) and helps protect the roof while maintaining proper clamping force.
During installation, it’s not uncommon for some pressure to be required to fully seat the clamps into the OEM mounting locations. For best results, we recommend loosening all clamps first, positioning the rack and clamps into place, and then gradually tightening everything down evenly. This helps pull the rack into center and ensures proper alignment with the vehicle. In some cases, a bit of additional pressure is needed to get a clamp fully seated before tightening.

You are correct that the first picture I posted is of a Frontrunner rack, but the second is of a TrailRax half rack that I got from this thread.
https://www.bronco6g.com/forum/thre...-position-and-fit-on-painted-oem-roof.116074/
I see you guys have been active on that thread as well, which is awesome. Thank you.
Was there ever a solution identified? The second picture you posted there looks like the rack brackets are mounted flush, but the first and third seem to show the same issue described above. It is difficult to tell for sure from the angle.

 

[TrailRax]

You are correct that the first picture I posted is of a Frontrunner rack, but the second is of a TrailRax half rack that I got from this thread.
https://www.bronco6g.com/forum/thre...-position-and-fit-on-painted-oem-roof.116074/
I see you guys have been active on that thread as well, which is awesome. Thank you.
Was there ever a solution identified? The second picture you posted there looks like the rack brackets are mounted flush, but the first and third seem to show the same issue described above. It is difficult to tell for sure from the angle.

We have installed a few more racks on painted hardtops since our last post in that thread, and have not dealt with fitment issues. As long as the clamps are tightened slowly and evenly, the clamps sit flush, like they do on the MIC hardtops. So at this time, we don't see a need to create a new clamp since the rack performs the same.

 

[Noel0800]

So....... I was on the phone with TrailRax yesterday and a rep has now told me there is an issue with the MIC roof. He said that ford has confirmed a different depth where the clamp attaches, and TrailRax is trying to get a new one developed in the next couple of weeks. Not sure it could be done that quickly but either way I will have to wait. Sucks having a tent sitting in the garage and not be able to mount and use it.

 

[BuckinBronco69]

So....... I was on the phone with TrailRax yesterday and a rep has now told me there is an issue with the MIC roof. He said that ford has confirmed a different depth where the clamp attaches, and TrailRax is trying to get a new one developed in the next couple of weeks. Not sure it could be done that quickly but either way I will have to wait. Sucks having a tent sitting in the garage and not be able to mount and use it.

Do you mean for the painted hardtop?

 

[Noel0800]

Do you mean for the painted hardtop?

Yes that is correct

 

[3 Pedal Ronnie]

So....... I was on the phone with TrailRax yesterday and a rep has now told me there is an issue with the MIC roof. He said that ford has confirmed a different depth where the clamp attaches...

Yes that is correct

@TrailRax This is the issue that started this whole thread and appears to be why other manufacturers say their racks aren't compatible with the painted top. At the risk of sounding combative, how were you able to get your rack to work with a painted top as you mentioned previously?

 

[TrailRax]

@TrailRax This is the issue that started this whole thread and appears to be why other manufacturers say their racks aren't compatible with the painted top. At the risk of sounding combative, how were you able to get your rack to work with a painted top as you mentioned previously?

The TrailRax Modular Roof Rack works on most painted hardtop Broncos. To ensure proper fitment, measure the rear OEM mounting slots to confirm a depth of 1.1". As long as each clamp is tightened slowly, evenly, and with some additional pressure to compress the foam, clamps will sit as they are supposed to.

 

[stom_m3]

The TrailRax Modular Roof Rack works on most painted hardtop Broncos. To ensure proper fitment, measure the rear OEM mounting slots to confirm a depth of 1.1". As long as each clamp is tightened slowly, evenly, and with some additional pressure to compress the foam, clamps will sit as they are supposed to.
In regards to the painted hardtops that are not fitting, we did come across a 2026 painted hardtop that only measured .5" at the mounting point, and have contacted Ford about the change in depth that was not previously reported by them.

Thank you for the clarification.

 

[JSW377]

https://www.hookeroad.com/products/...-4-door-hardtop-b8906s?variant=43873130021086

2025 Badlands SAS

Bonus!! Yes! You can remove the front and middle roof panels while rack is on. I’ve done it alone, not difficult. Really easy if you don’t give a shit about your paint I do!
DM me if you have ??

 

[B. Walker]

The TrailRax Modular Roof Rack works on most painted hardtop Broncos. To ensure proper fitment, measure the rear OEM mounting slots to confirm a depth of 1.1". As long as each clamp is tightened slowly, evenly, and with some additional pressure to compress the foam, clamps will sit as they are supposed to.

TrailRax, I want to buy your 4 door roof rack, But the 1.1" depth is the problem, I have a 2025 Badlands SAS with the gloss black painted roof and my rear slots (4 slots, 2 per side) are only .5" deep (bottomed out in slot to the upper - out board edge to slot), that's the problem and what's stopping me from pulling the trigger until I get a good answer or a fix or I'm just SOL.

 

[TrailRax]

TrailRax, I want to buy your 4 door roof rack, But the 1.1" depth is the problem, I have a 2025 Badlands SAS with the gloss black painted roof and my rear slots (4 slots, 2 per side) are only .5" deep (bottomed out in slot to the upper - out board edge to slot), that's the problem and what's stopping me from pulling the trigger until I get a good answer or a fix or I'm just SOL.

Hi Bill,
At this time our roof rack will not fit your 2025 Badlands based on your measurements. We are also waiting on a resolution on this issue from the painted hard top manufacturer, since these slots should not be this shallow.
If we redesigned our rack to fit the .5" slots, our weight rating would dramatically decrease, resulting in a product we can not confidently put out. I understand this is not the answer you would like at this time.

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