Heavy Rooftop Tent on 2-Door w/ ZROADZ Rack Worked Great!

[Julz670]

Finally got the tent up and took the Bronco out for her first, and long overdue camping trip!

Zroadz rack and the Bronco roof held up great to the 141 lbs tent, felt very stable and never felt like we were overloading the roof or the rack. With me and my wife and our bags and bedding, we had probably 530 lbs sitting on the rack.

While driving, you barely even notice the tent up there, maybe a little more body roll when going around a highway clover. I kept speed down to about 65 mph max just to be safe since it was my first time driving with it up there. Wind noise seemed pretty much the same as having just the rack with no tent, I expected it to be a lot worse with that up there. Didn't do any offroading this time but the gravel roads did get a little bumpy and the roof didnt make a peep about it, handled the jostling just fine at about 25 mph. Also, I expected my mileage to be a lot worse but I was getting the same mileage with or without the tent, about 20.2 mpg. Without the tent I definitely drive faster and harder, so makes some sense that I was getting the same mileage driving like my granny with that up there.

Two tips I have for anyone considering the Zroadz rack for a RTT:
1. If you can't use brackets around the crossbars and have to install the tent using bolts through the holes in the crossbars, I would suggest taking the rack off the Bronco, install the tent and tighten the nuts, then install the rack back on your Bronco with the tent already on it. The space between the roof and the underside of the crossbars is so tight that it was hard to get the nuts tightened down. Also, due to the shape of the rear crossbar, you can get about 1/20th of a turn each time, so even with a ratchet wrench it took me forever to get the nuts tightened down. Which leads to my next point.

2. I should have replaced the bolts that came with my tent with shorter bolts. With how hard it was to get my hands in there, it was really a bummer to have to tighten the nuts almost 2 inches up the bolt getting tiny turns each time because they were locking nuts and were too tight to spin by hand. Also, the ones that came with my tent stick down a little farther than I would like. When removing the front panels, I have to be really careful to not drag the sharp end of the bolt across the roof panel.

Overall, I'm very happy with the rack and how it handled a 141 lbs tent. Very glad I sold the OEM rack and got the @ZROADZOFFICIAL rack!

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[Scape Goat]

Thanks for the review! I used my brother in law's roof top tent once and it sold me on the concept. I don't think I could go back to a traditional tent.

 

[BottleShark]

Finally got the tent up and took the Bronco out for her first, and long overdue camping trip!

Zroadz rack and the Bronco roof held up great to the 141 lbs tent, felt very stable and never felt like we were overloading the roof or the rack. With me and my wife and our bags and bedding, we had probably 530 lbs sitting on the rack.

While driving, you barely even notice the tent up there, maybe a little more body roll when going around a highway clover. I kept speed down to about 65 mph max just to be safe since it was my first time driving with it up there. Wind noise seemed pretty much the same as having just the rack with no tent, I expected it to be a lot worse with that up there. Didn't do any offroading this time but the gravel roads did get a little bumpy and the roof didnt make a peep about it, handled the jostling just fine at about 25 mph. Also, I expected my mileage to be a lot worse but I was getting the same mileage with or without the tent, about 20.2 mpg. Without the tent I definitely drive faster and harder, so makes some sense that I was getting the same mileage driving like my granny with that up there.

Two tips I have for anyone considering the Zroadz rack for a RTT:
1. If you can't use brackets around the crossbars and have to install the tent using bolts through the holes in the crossbars, I would suggest taking the rack off the Bronco, install the tent and tighten the nuts, then install the rack back on your Bronco with the tent already on it. The space between the roof and the underside of the crossbars is so tight that it was hard to get the nuts tightened down. Also, due to the shape of the rear crossbar, you can get about 1/20th of a turn each time, so even with a ratchet wrench it took me forever to get the nuts tightened down. Which leads to my next point.

2. I should have replaced the bolts that came with my tent with shorter bolts. With how hard it was to get my hands in there, it was really a bummer to have to tighten the nuts almost 2 inches up the bolt getting tiny turns each time because they were locking nuts and were too tight to spin by hand. Also, the ones that came with my tent stick down a little farther than I would like. When removing the front panels, I have to be really careful to not drag the sharp end of the bolt across the roof panel.

Overall, I'm very happy with the rack and how it handled a 141 lbs tent. Very glad I sold the OEM rack and got the @ZROADZOFFICIAL rack!

Glad to hear because we will be doing our first RRT camping trip at the end of the month.

 

[dejones64]

Finally got the tent up and took the Bronco out for her first, and long overdue camping trip!

Zroadz rack and the Bronco roof held up great to the 141 lbs tent, felt very stable and never felt like we were overloading the roof or the rack. With me and my wife and our bags and bedding, we had probably 530 lbs sitting on the rack.

While driving, you barely even notice the tent up there, maybe a little more body roll when going around a highway clover. I kept speed down to about 65 mph max just to be safe since it was my first time driving with it up there. Wind noise seemed pretty much the same as having just the rack with no tent, I expected it to be a lot worse with that up there. Didn't do any offroading this time but the gravel roads did get a little bumpy and the roof didnt make a peep about it, handled the jostling just fine at about 25 mph. Also, I expected my mileage to be a lot worse but I was getting the same mileage with or without the tent, about 20.2 mpg. Without the tent I definitely drive faster and harder, so makes some sense that I was getting the same mileage driving like my granny with that up there.

Two tips I have for anyone considering the Zroadz rack for a RTT:
1. If you can't use brackets around the crossbars and have to install the tent using bolts through the holes in the crossbars, I would suggest taking the rack off the Bronco, install the tent and tighten the nuts, then install the rack back on your Bronco with the tent already on it. The space between the roof and the underside of the crossbars is so tight that it was hard to get the nuts tightened down. Also, due to the shape of the rear crossbar, you can get about 1/20th of a turn each time, so even with a ratchet wrench it took me forever to get the nuts tightened down. Which leads to my next point.

2. I should have replaced the bolts that came with my tent with shorter bolts. With how hard it was to get my hands in there, it was really a bummer to have to tighten the nuts almost 2 inches up the bolt getting tiny turns each time because they were locking nuts and were too tight to spin by hand. Also, the ones that came with my tent stick down a little farther than I would like. When removing the front panels, I have to be really careful to not drag the sharp end of the bolt across the roof panel.

Overall, I'm very happy with the rack and how it handled a 141 lbs tent. Very glad I sold the OEM rack and got the @ZROADZOFFICIAL rack!

Awesome! Glad you got it all put together and out camping. I can’t wait, end of the month.

Where’d you camp at?

 

[Julz670]

Awesome! Glad you got it all put together and out camping. I can’t wait, end of the month.

Where’d you camp at?

Camped at Savanna State Park. Never been there before, it was a great park. They had canoes for rent on three different lakes and we never saw a single person all day while canoeing on Wolf Lake, surprising for 4th of July weekend! Some great hiking trails there too.

You get yours end of the month?! Super pumped for you!

 

[MJBbase22]

Thanks. Couple Q's:
Did you opt for ZRoadZ rack over factory because of something like strength/durability? Big price point difference there but perhaps because you need it for RTT.

What hitch cargo carrier did you go with and any recommendations on steel vs. aluminum?

Thanks!

 

[azuano3654]

Thanks. Couple Q's:
Did you opt for ZRoadZ rack over factory because of something like strength/durability? Big price point difference there but perhaps because you need it for RTT.

What hitch cargo carrier did you go with and any recommendations on steel vs. aluminum?

Thanks!

Same question on the hitch basket - I just ordered a Rough Country hitch/Curt basket but curious any takeaways on the use of the hitch basket.

 

[Climber]

Thanks, Julian, this really helps! I have a two door Bronco and the exact same tent that I used on my ZR2. I was going to sell the tent and move to a Gazelle ground unit. After seeing how good it looks, I may keep the Alpha II. It’s a great tent price to performance.

Now the rack, it’s between the zroadz and the TrailRax. Can you give me insIght as to why you chose the zroadz?

 

[rmanecke]

That's cool! Thanks for the review.

Question.... How do you store the tent when it is not on the roof of your bronco?

 

[Julz670]

Thanks. Couple Q's:
Did you opt for ZRoadZ rack over factory because of something like strength/durability? Big price point difference there but perhaps because you need it for RTT.

What hitch cargo carrier did you go with and any recommendations on steel vs. aluminum?

Thanks!

Same question on the hitch basket - I just ordered a Rough Country hitch/Curt basket but curious any takeaways on the use of the hitch basket.

The OEM rack had a dynamic weight limit of 110 lbs and the tent I had weighs 141 lbs. The Zroadz dynamic weight limit is 240 lbs and also had a much higher static weight limit at 570 lbs. It even listed an offroad weight limit of 195 lbs. There wasn't much to the OEM rack, it just isnt very useful for anything big or heavy.

For the cargo carrier I went with the Ironton Steel Hitch Cargo Carrier from Harbor Freight. I only use it for firewood so I didn't need anything crazy, it was on sale for $50 so I just grabbed it. It seems a little shakey on there but once you have weight on it it doesn't move. No extender on my hitch so the spare tire would be in the way if I tried to put a bigger item on there like a cooler or something.

 

[Julz670]

Thanks, Julian, this really helps! I have a two door Bronco and the exact same tent that I used on my ZR2. I was going to sell the tent and move to a Gazelle ground unit. After seeing how good it looks, I may keep the Alpha II. It’s a great tent price to performance.

Now the rack, it’s between the zroadz and the TrailRax. Can you give me insIght as to why you chose the zroadz?

Never had a rooftop tent before this one and I absolutely love it!

I went with the Zroadz rack simply because it was available for the 2door before the Trailrax one was available. But, after I got it and put it together and saw more pictures of the Trailrax one, I was glad I got the Zroadz rack. It feels VERY robust! The steel tubing all the way around feels super strong and is a great grab spot when climbing up on the sides to setup the tent. The Trailrax one just looks flimsy kind of. The sides look really thin on that one, but I'm sure its still pretty strong. I really like the look of the Zroadz rack.

 

[Julz670]

That's cool! Thanks for the review.

Question.... How do you store the tent when it is not on the roof of your bronco?

I wish I could say I had a great system for that, but it just sits on the garage floor lol

 

[dejones64]

The OEM rack had a dynamic weight limit of 110 lbs and the tent I had weighs 141 lbs. The Zroadz static weight limit is 240 lbs and also had a much higher static weight limit at 570 lbs. It even listed an offroad weight limit of 195 lbs. There wasn't much to the OEM rack, it just isnt very useful for anything big or heavy.

For the cargo carrier I went with the Ironton Steel Hitch Cargo Carrier from Harbor Freight. I only use it for firewood so I didn't need anything crazy, it was on sale for $50 so I just grabbed it. It seems a little shakey on there but once you have weight on it it doesn't move. No extender on my hitch so the spare tire would be in the way if I tried to put a bigger item on there like a cooler or something.

Wonder if the OEM side rails limit is 110 or the crossbars (or both). I was going to get just new crossbars that could handle weight. Dang didn't think I would need to change out the whole rack. Tent I'm looking at is about 125lbs.

 

[Julz670]

Wonder if the OEM side rails limit is 110 or the crossbars (or both). I was going to get just new crossbars that could handle weight. Dang didn't think I would need to change out the whole rack. Tent I'm looking at is about 125lbs.

I almost decided to chance it with my 141 lbs on the OEM rack. My logic was that lawyers probably set the weight limit, not engineers lol meaning they played it safe and went low. You might be fine at 125 lbs.

One other thing I like about this rack vs the OEM rack was it has a good spot for mounting a light bar and some rear facing lights whenever I get to it

 

[ZROADZOFFICIAL]

Great pictures and thank you for the feedback!

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