GOBI Racks is coming for the Bronco

[Lab00Rat]

This is sweet. Thank you, and I look forward to what you come up with.

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[Hemisfear]

Definitely interested in this.
Wanted a rack that can be utilized even without the roof, and a solution that not only requires no drilling but is designed to easily allow the roof to be removed/installed without completely removing the rack sounds almost too good to be true.

I’d keep looking, the Gobi is known to cause damage to your bodywork in soft top use, moves too much without the extra HT mounting!

 

[GOBI Racks]

I’d keep looking, the Gobi is known to cause damage to your bodywork in soft top use, moves too much without the extra HT mounting!

That's not fully accurate and happy to clarify. There has been one instance I am aware of from a YouTuber who I spoke with and researched his issue at length. To offer some background, our Wrangler rack systems utilize three "isolators" on each side of the rear of the vehicle: two around the tail light level, and a third on the hard top. These offer stabilization points instead of drilling into the vehicle. The isolators are essentially bolts with rubber feet which are tightened against wear plates that are adhered to the vehicle.

It is true the soft top loses the third stabilization point, but we've had hundreds of soft top customers who run significant weight on their racks over the past decade at least. This customer was the first I had ever heard of this issue so we immediately investigated.

After reviewing his install/uninstall photos that he shared with me, it was clear the isolators were never positioned/installed correctly from the beginning. The jam nuts were never tightened, which allowed the isolators to back out from their initial position not too long after the initial install. With significant weight on top of the rack, with the isolators slightly backed out, and lots of hard off-road driving as evident by his other videos, these isolators were never able to do their job, and instead banged against the wear plates during off-road driving. This was the cause of the denting underneath the wear plates that would have been either massively mitigated or avoided altogether had the isolators been set/locked correctly from the start.

TL;DR - One customer I am aware of who had body damage running a soft top but I confirmed through his photos he never properly installed the rack isolators. We will be looking to beef up the mounting solution on the Bronco so the lower isolation points will be sufficient for soft top customers carrying significant loads on their racks.

 

[Hemisfear]

That's not fully accurate and happy to clarify. There has been one instance I am aware of from a YouTuber who I spoke with and researched his issue at length. To offer some background, our Wrangler rack systems utilize three "isolators" on each side of the rear of the vehicle: two around the tail light level, and a third on the hard top. These offer stabilization points instead of drilling into the vehicle. The isolators are essentially bolts with rubber feet which are tightened against wear plates that are adhered to the vehicle.

It is true the soft top loses the third stabilization point, but we've had hundreds of soft top customers who run significant weight on their racks over the past decade at least. This customer was the first I had ever heard of this issue so we immediately investigated.

After reviewing his install/uninstall photos that he shared with me, it was clear the isolators were never positioned/installed correctly from the beginning. The jam nuts were never tightened, which allowed the isolators to back out from their initial position not too long after the initial install. With significant weight on top of the rack, with the isolators slightly backed out, and lots of hard off-road driving as evident by his other videos, these isolators were never able to do their job, and instead banged against the wear plates during off-road driving. This was the cause of the denting underneath the wear plates that would have been either massively mitigated or avoided altogether had the isolators been set/locked correctly from the start.

TL;DR - One customer I am aware of who had body damage running a soft top but I confirmed through his photos he never properly installed the rack isolators. We will be looking to beef up the mounting solution on the Bronco so the lower isolation points will be sufficient for soft top customers carrying significant loads on their racks.

No worries, I’ll ask Casey if this is true and get back to you, it was a lot of damage!
cheers

 

[GOBI Racks]

No worries, I’ll ask Casey if this is true and get back to you, it was a lot of damage!
cheers

You can see in the video thumbnail that the jam nut is backed up against the knob side on the left side of the threading. Casey confirmed he never set them correctly which was evident in the other photos he emailed me.

 

[Hemisfear]

You can see in the video thumbnail that the jam nut is backed up against the knob side on the left side of the threading. Casey confirmed he never set them correctly which was evident in the other photos he emailed me.

I’m sorry, is Epic Outfitters not an authorized Gobi dealer, they did the install didn’t they?

 

[HighVoltageCommando]

Any plans for a 2dr application?

 

[GOBI Racks]

I’m sorry, is Epic Outfitters not an authorized Gobi dealer, they did the install didn’t they?

They are not. I don't recall who he had do the install or if he did it himself.

 

[GOBI Racks]

Any plans for a 2dr application?

Yes sir! As soon as the 4 door is developed we will bring in the 2 door which shouldn't take too long.

 

[Herbie]

I’m sorry, is Epic Outfitters not an authorized Gobi dealer, they did the install didn’t they?

Why are you trying to pick a fight with Weston for crying out loud?

 

[Herbie]

Yes sir! As soon as the 4 door is developed we will bring in the 2 door which shouldn't take too long.

Per Max's question on page two of this thread, do you have a guess yet of how many inches this will add in approx height from the top of the hardtop (as far as I am concerned, not worried about soft) to the highest point (top rail) of the rack?
Thanks

 

[GOBI Racks]

Why are you trying to pick a fight with Weston for crying out loud?

I don't think he's picking a fight. That's a legitimate concern that I have no problem discussing. I believe manufacturers have an obligation to discuss things like this - especially when they're engaging on forums in an official capacity. I'm not here just to sell our racks, I want to be a resource for the community. The only way to do that properly, in my opinion, is to communicate and make sure you can address even the not so fun stuff. Doing that publicly gives the rest of the readers valuable information so they can be confident about their purchasing decisions.

Per Max's question on page two of this thread, do you have a guess yet of how many inches this will add in approx height from the top of the hardtop (as far as I am concerned, not worried about soft) to the highest point (top rail) of the rack?
Thanks

Obviously can't give anything exact, but I would think it will be in the neighborhood of the JL Wrangler racks - picture below. Those measurements are from the gutter, but from the top of the vehicle it's approximately 5". I plan on providing insights as we develop, so as soon as we are able to establish those specs I'll be sharing them.

 

[Hemisfear]

They are not. I don't recall who he had do the install or if he did it himself.

Well, you certainly didn’t try too hard…

 

[Hemisfear]

Why are you trying to pick a fight with Weston for crying out loud?

Who’s picking a fight?
A friend had issues with a Gobi product and I’m trying to figure out what the cause and I’m not liking the info I’m getting!
But thanks for asking! lol

 

[GOBI Racks]

Well, you certainly didn’t try too hard…

Who did the install wasn't pertinent to our investigation, I spoke to Casey and tried understanding the problem and looking at causes. Doesn't matter if it was him or a shop, it was why it happened in the first place.

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