Low profile soft top roof rack - JcrOffroad

[Lakelife36]

Front fairing does not clear the top trying to fold up.

I don't have a soft top, but feel the same needs as the people asking for just the chase and front faring for canoe/kayak/etc. transportation with full soft top functionality. @JcrOffroad if you get to v2 with that functionality at any point then I'd suggest integrating a light bar into that modfiied front faring too. Lights, forward and rear mount points, and soft top functionality all at once? With the option of adding the platform when needed? That's a license to print money right there.

Sponsored

 

[Oneand0]

This looks like my only and best option to go camping and staying in a rooftop tent with my soft top, and my two dogs staying inside the Bronco. What am I waiting for!!??

I just put it in the cart and was hoping to see PayPal available. Not a deal breaker at all, especially with the holiday discount!

Any pictures or videos with a rooftop tent installed on one?

 

[WheelMe]

Just installed the side mounts and rear cross bar; I'm leaving the rest (platform) for later. My current priority is to mount a hi-lift, shovel, traction boards, and Rotopax onto this rear-only setup - not all will fit!

It took me about two hours to get this far, with lots of time spent installing some PPF to protect the paint under the side panel bracket. Re-inserting the side windows was a pain (until I discovered WD-40!). The actual installation of the system was pretty easy, thanks to the excellent installation video (is this Kevin a real person?). One problem that I ran into was a vertical plastic piece that needed trimming on the soft top's plastic corner support - it interfered with the tail-end of the bracket when it came time to close the soft-top; the trimming was easily accomplished with a pair of tin-snips.

The whole get-up looks a bit strange without the platform portion, but it's all that I need right now, and I'm out of time as it'll rain again tomorrow. If the rain holds off, I'll add a few pics of the soft-top lifted up, as well as the front portion opened up.

@JcrOffroad I see lots of holes laser-cut in the cross bar, as well as in the side mounts - are these holes meant to hold accessories such as ones I mentioned above? What adapters would I need for each? Thanks in advance for advice.

The cross-bar restricts the soft-top's opening angle to some extent... I'm guessing around 15% ~ 20%. I have IAG hydraulics installed, which I think lifts the top higher, as compared to the OEM prop. rod.

One can barely see the rack from the back.

This vertical plastic piece (on the soft-top's "corner") needed to be trimmed about 1/4 inch. from the bottom, so as not to interfere with the black bracket and allow the soft-top to close down and latch properly.

 

[JcrOffroad]

You can mount rotopax mounts or quickfist on the side of the rear halo.

 

[WheelMe]

You can mount rotopax mounts or quickfist on the side of the rear halo.

Rear "halo"? What's/where's that?

 

[JcrOffroad]

Rear "halo"? What's/where's that?

The larger part of the rear rack that wraps around the soft top rear windows.

 

[George Ellis]

How do you dissemble the rack to put the soft top down/up? It looks like you need to break it down in the reverse of installation including removing the rear towers, right? I was hoping you had that on your Youtube page, but I see the nice install video only. Good idea on the diagonal braces. No more Tacoma Narrows Bridge accidents.

 

[JcrOffroad]

How do you dissemble the rack to put the soft top down/up? It looks like you need to break it down in the reverse of installation including removing the rear towers, right? I was hoping you had that on your Youtube page, but I see the nice install video only. Good idea on the diagonal braces. No more Tacoma Narrows Bridge accidents.

This isn’t designed to work with the soft top folding up/down. I’d recommend removing the rack when it is not needed. Then you can have a fully functioning soft top when you are not needing the use of the rack.

 

[WheelMe]

@JcrOffroad I'm just beginning to mount accessories to the rack. What brand/type accessories are the holes (with specific layouts/patterns) on top of the rear "hoop" intended for? I noticed that my Rotopax mount doesn't fit any of those holes, but it does on the side. Quickfists, of course, mount anywhere there's a hole.

 

[JcrOffroad]

@JcrOffroad I'm just beginning to mount accessories to the rack. What brand/type accessories are the holes (with specific layouts/patterns) on top of the rear "hoop" intended for? I noticed that my Rotopax mount doesn't fit any of those holes, but it does on the side. Quickfists, of course, mount anywhere there's a hole.

Nothing specific. Just additional mounting locations for Tents and accessories.

 

[Lakelife36]

This isn’t designed to work with the soft top folding up/down. I’d recommend removing the rack when it is not needed. Then you can have a fully functioning soft top when you are not needing the use of the rack.

This is the problem with the softtop as well as the skyrider (not with the rack). We need a good sliding soft top option to get proper top less functionality without having to remove and reinstall roofrack all the time.

 

[Oneand0]

I watched that installation video three times! It's excellent. Just purchased it! I think it's the best looking one on the market.

 

[Oneand0]

Just installed the side mounts and rear cross bar; I'm leaving the rest (platform) for later. My current priority is to mount a hi-lift, shovel, traction boards, and Rotopax onto this rear-only setup - not all will fit!

It took me about two hours to get this far, with lots of time spent installing some PPF to protect the paint under the side panel bracket. Re-inserting the side windows was a pain (until I discovered WD-40!). The actual installation of the system was pretty easy, thanks to the excellent installation video (is this Kevin a real person?). One problem that I ran into was a vertical plastic piece that needed trimming on the soft top's plastic corner support - it interfered with the tail-end of the bracket when it came time to close the soft-top; the trimming was easily accomplished with a pair of tin-snips.

The whole get-up looks a bit strange without the platform portion, but it's all that I need right now, and I'm out of time as it'll rain again tomorrow. If the rain holds off, I'll add a few pics of the soft-top lifted up, as well as the front portion opened up.

@JcrOffroad I see lots of holes laser-cut in the cross bar, as well as in the side mounts - are these holes meant to hold accessories such as ones I mentioned above? What adapters would I need for each? Thanks in advance for advice.

The cross-bar restricts the soft-top's opening angle to some extent... I'm guessing around 15% ~ 20%. I have IAG hydraulics installed, which I think lifts the top higher, as compared to the OEM prop. rod.

One can barely see the rack from the back.

This vertical plastic piece (on the soft-top's "corner") needed to be trimmed about 1/4 inch. from the bottom, so as not to interfere with the black bracket and allow the soft-top to close down and latch properly.

How long was the installation to this point? I just got mine in and will probably open it up this weekend and start the installation. Did you ever get to finish the rest of it, if so, how long did the rest of it take? Thanks!

 

[WheelMe]

How long was the installation to this point? I just got mine in and will probably open it up this weekend and start the installation. Did you ever get to finish the rest of it, if so, how long did the rest of it take? Thanks!

Getting the rear supports erected and connected took me about two hours - half of which was spent installing the protecting film underneath the support feet, to protect the paint. The front supports and valance didn't take long, but again, more film installation time on the paint above the windshield. After that, things got tedious, as the bars needed installing one by one, and the cross-brace bolts were at times hard to reach with tools. Overall, another 2.5 ~ 3 hours. Not difficult, just time-consuming.

The end result is "good", but I must say that the modified aerodynamics wreaks havoc on the softop - the fabric flaps against the support bars incessantly and violently at anything greater than 60 mph, and the resulting noise, as well as the air/noise entering from the top of the rear plastic window panes (where the metal bracket to attach the rack supports to the inner roll bar enters into the interior) is deafening. My son keeps his headset on when he's sitting in the back - as noise suppressors.

Utility-wise, one major flaw, and easily remedied, there are not enough "insertion openings" to install tabbed bolts into the rails on the cross bars - rather than just on one side, the "openings" should be on both sides of the bar - also, same should be provided on the "vertical" sides of the bars, which some attachments use, such as my Sherpa high-lift brackets.

I'm still glad to have the rack, as it now carries my hi-lift, recovery boards, shovel, ax, Rotopax, ski racks, travel box, plus pretty much whatever else I might need to throw up there with some decent straps... all in all, still a much more affordable option than buying an aftermarket hardtop ($6K).

 

[Oneand0]

Getting the rear supports erected and connected took me about two hours - half of which was spent installing the protecting film underneath the support feet, to protect the paint. The front supports and valance didn't take long, but again, more film installation time on the paint above the windshield. After that, things got tedious, as the bars needed installing one by one, and the cross-brace bolts were at times hard to reach with tools. Overall, another 2.5 ~ 3 hours. Not difficult, just time-consuming.

The end result is "good", but I must say that the modified aerodynamics wreaks havoc on the softop - the fabric flaps against the support bars incessantly and violently at anything greater than 60 mph, and the resulting noise, as well as the air/noise entering from the top of the rear plastic window panes (where the metal bracket to attach the rack supports to the inner roll bar enters into the interior) is deafening. My son keeps his headset on when he's sitting in the back - as noise suppressors.

Utility-wise, one major flaw, and easily remedied, there are not enough "insertion openings" to install tabbed bolts into the rails on the cross bars - rather than just on one side, the "openings" should be on both sides of the bar - also, same should be provided on the "vertical" sides of the bars, which some attachments use, such as my Sherpa high-lift brackets.

I'm still glad to have the rack, as it now carries my hi-lift, recovery boards, shovel, ax, Rotopax, ski racks, travel box, plus pretty much whatever else I might need to throw up there with some decent straps... all in all, still a much more affordable option than buying an aftermarket hardtop ($6K).

It looks great! I appreciate the in depth information about the install and effects with the noise and soft top. If I can find some protective tape at a store locally today, then I will install it tomorrow. If I have to order the tape then next weekend.

Enjoy it!

Sponsored