Ah yeah, that makes sense. So far it doesn't seem like I need it for noise, but maybe it's there to stop scratching the hardtop.
Great write up. Was just about to post about this product and ask if anyone had it or something similar. Good thing I searched first. You wouldnt happen to have that coupon code would yah? If its shareableI wanted to get a cargo basket for my 4-door, and I saw there were several options out there ranging around $350-$700, but they didn't seem to cover the entire cargo area and I had to buy extra pieces to attach it to my Bronco (i.e. Molle Panels). I stumbled across a full-sized cargo basket for from Hooke-Road for under $200 (after coupon that I found online).
https://www.hookeroad.com/products/ford-bronco-4-door-hardtops-interior-cargo-rack-shelf-b8907s
My impressions so far:
Pros:
1. It seems very sturdy and doesn't squeak as I drive around.
2. It sits at the about 3 inches above the height of the tailgate and so it provides some security in the cargo area for when the top is off. However, if someone really wanted to get in, they could just fold down the back seats and crawl under it. But for the quick snatch-and-grab thief it is a great obstacle. In the picture, you can see there is about an arms width between the tailgate and the edge of the tray.
3. It has plenty of surface area to put things on and seems high enough, just at the tailgate level, to put coolers underneath with still some room to sneak some stuff in between.
4. It was packaged very nicely and shipped to me pretty quick.
5. Did I mention that I paid under $200!!
6. It seems to be black powder coated, so we'll see how long the finish lasts, but my initial inspection of the finish is great. The colors match the MIC color pretty good too so it looks OEM.
7. There's plenty of slots to tie things down to it. The basket comes with a cargo net (that I didn't install yet) to secure things on top of the basket - I am sure that will come in handy when I need it.
Cons:
1. It is heavy and sort of a pain to install (even if I had two people) given that it takes up the entire area. I found that if I stood up a piece of carry-on luggage underneath it, it was the perfect height to hold the basket while I screwed in all of the bolts and nuts.
2. I have to remove it each time I take the top on/off. So it will add an hour or so to your time if you plan on taking the basket out and back on again as you take on and off the top. I wonder if the other suppliers who use a molle attachment require the unit to be take out with each top swapping, I am thinking probably not.
3. I am not sure if it works with the soft top. I would think it would, you just need the HT bolts maybe.
It took me about 30 minutes to install after figuring out using to use my luggage to hold it up. I had to unscrew 3 bolts on each side where the hard top if screwed down to attach the mounts. Then I attached the tray to the mounts with 3-4 bolts on each side (again while using the luggage to hold it up). I had an old netting from my VW SUV that I attached to each side of the rack. It easily hangs there so that I can put things like sports equipment, groceries, etc that I don't want to roll around. I also plan to add an LED strip to the underside of the tray to go along with the LED strip that I'll be installing in the cargo flip-top door that several people on here have done. So I am sure the cargo area will then be lit nicely from above and down below. I'll be looking to find a piece of thin rubber or felt to cut out to size to put inside the basket to cut down on any metal-to-metal contact too.
Here's some pics....
I hope you all find this useful in your search for a cargo basket.
Oh yeah, I found it on a youtube video of some folks doing a review of the Hooke-Road Bronco Rack. The code is OBL5, and maybe they get a little something extra for people using it too, it's a win-win-winGreat write up. Was just about to post about this product and ask if anyone had it or something similar. Good thing I searched first. You wouldnt happen to have that coupon code would yah? If its shareable
You have about 12” of clearance on the top portion between the edge/lip of the shelf and the opening of the HT. You could fit more up there if you go from behind (from the 2nd row).
I checked their website and it says it is only for a HT, but who knows since they also said it fits a Bronco Sport. I attached some pix so that you can judge for yourself to see how the soft top would work.
Ah bummer! Check Amazon, I’ve seen lots of new cargo shelves come to market so maybe one of those will work. Good luck!Thank you. It doesn’t look like it will due to the bracket size.
22" is plenty to reach under.
It’s been great. It did add some extra time when I took off the HT, but after putting it back on (with the top off), it adds some extra security in the back and keeps stuff from flying around.
I was thinking a layer of weather stripping between the basket and mounts would be a good idea without ever seeing it in person.22" is plenty to reach under.
It does rattle / squeak; which has me removing it when I am merely commuting to and from work
