- Thread starter
- #1
Hi all!
I've been looking at solutions to get skis on the outside of my Bronco to fit more people, and I just put together a kit that works pretty well! It's not the cleanest setup, but it gets the job done on a budget, keeps the camera clear, and keeps full access to the tailgate.
I have a stock OBX non SAS, and while I originally had the hard top and hitch in my build, I changed to a soft top with no hitch to speed up the build. This left me without many options for a ski carrier.
I looked into exo-racks for soft tops, but they are way more expensive, and I wouldn't be able to fit in the garage with one installed.
I also looked into bolting a hitch on, but between the cost of the hitch and a hitch mount ski rack, the price added up there as well. If I wanted to keep full access to the tailgate too, the price shot up even further.
This left me looking at tire-mounted options. There are really three options that I found. There is the Thule Tram (adapter for a bike rack), the Yakima Hitch-ski (also just an adapter), and the Quadratec Ski Rack (couldn't find it in stock anywhere).
The Pieces:
Hollywood Rack SR1 ($200)
Thule Tram (Used - $250)
Hollywood Rack SR1 Extra Long Adjustment Bolt Set ($30, but hasn't arrived yet).
I decided to go with the Thule because the cross bars are closer together, so I wouldn't have to get a 6 bike rack to hold it like I would for the Yakima. I paired it with the Hollywood rack because the bike bars stick out straight, as opposed to most others where the bike bars are offset from the center of the Bronco.
The Hollywood Rack and the Thule don't line up perfectly, and I ended up interlocking the two, where the Hollywood was against the tire on top, and the Thule was against the tire on the bottom.
The front crossbar of the Thule (closest to the tire) does not sit inside the bike mount, it sits above it. I was still able to pull the rubber locking strap over the crossbar and attach it. The rear crossbar does sit in the bike mount, you just have to move both bike mounts back a bit to line them up. They are friction fit, so you can move them to where they need to be with a bit of elbow grease.
I also did not like that two bolt heads from the Thule rack were sitting on the sidewall of the spare, so I added a temporary piece of mitered plywood so that they wouldn't be rubbing on the tire. This is just a temporary fix until the Hollywood Racks SR1 Extra Long Adjustment Bold Set shows up, as it comes with two rubber bumpers that I will be putting over the bolt heads. I did attach the wood to the Thule with some screws so that it wouldn't fall out if I hit a big bump.
If you have a SAS build, or upgraded your tires, you will need the long adjustment bolt set to even get it set up. If you have stock tires, the Hollywood rack will fit over your tire, but I recommend the longer bolts anyways.
Overall, I'm very happy with the performance, it handles highway speeds with zero issues, and watching it in the rear view it doesn't look like it moves much at all when I hit bigger bumps in the road. I am slightly less happy with the looks, but I do plan on drilling new holes in the Hollywood to raise the bike bars to allow it to fit together without interlocking, which means that the entire rack will sit flush with the tire.
I feel comfortable putting up to four pairs of skis or two snowboards in the rack, as it's rated to over 70 lbs, but if you have multiple oversized skis or more than four pairs, I would add a tailgate reinforcement plate to the build.
Hopefully this helps someone who is looking for a solution this ski season, and I'd love to hear feedback or suggestions you have for a cleaner look!
Side note: I do have ski sleeves to keep the road grime off my skis/bindings, I just threw some thrift skis in for the photos.
I've been looking at solutions to get skis on the outside of my Bronco to fit more people, and I just put together a kit that works pretty well! It's not the cleanest setup, but it gets the job done on a budget, keeps the camera clear, and keeps full access to the tailgate.
I have a stock OBX non SAS, and while I originally had the hard top and hitch in my build, I changed to a soft top with no hitch to speed up the build. This left me without many options for a ski carrier.
I looked into exo-racks for soft tops, but they are way more expensive, and I wouldn't be able to fit in the garage with one installed.
I also looked into bolting a hitch on, but between the cost of the hitch and a hitch mount ski rack, the price added up there as well. If I wanted to keep full access to the tailgate too, the price shot up even further.
This left me looking at tire-mounted options. There are really three options that I found. There is the Thule Tram (adapter for a bike rack), the Yakima Hitch-ski (also just an adapter), and the Quadratec Ski Rack (couldn't find it in stock anywhere).
The Pieces:
Hollywood Rack SR1 ($200)
Thule Tram (Used - $250)
Hollywood Rack SR1 Extra Long Adjustment Bolt Set ($30, but hasn't arrived yet).
I decided to go with the Thule because the cross bars are closer together, so I wouldn't have to get a 6 bike rack to hold it like I would for the Yakima. I paired it with the Hollywood rack because the bike bars stick out straight, as opposed to most others where the bike bars are offset from the center of the Bronco.
The Hollywood Rack and the Thule don't line up perfectly, and I ended up interlocking the two, where the Hollywood was against the tire on top, and the Thule was against the tire on the bottom.
The front crossbar of the Thule (closest to the tire) does not sit inside the bike mount, it sits above it. I was still able to pull the rubber locking strap over the crossbar and attach it. The rear crossbar does sit in the bike mount, you just have to move both bike mounts back a bit to line them up. They are friction fit, so you can move them to where they need to be with a bit of elbow grease.
I also did not like that two bolt heads from the Thule rack were sitting on the sidewall of the spare, so I added a temporary piece of mitered plywood so that they wouldn't be rubbing on the tire. This is just a temporary fix until the Hollywood Racks SR1 Extra Long Adjustment Bold Set shows up, as it comes with two rubber bumpers that I will be putting over the bolt heads. I did attach the wood to the Thule with some screws so that it wouldn't fall out if I hit a big bump.
If you have a SAS build, or upgraded your tires, you will need the long adjustment bolt set to even get it set up. If you have stock tires, the Hollywood rack will fit over your tire, but I recommend the longer bolts anyways.
Overall, I'm very happy with the performance, it handles highway speeds with zero issues, and watching it in the rear view it doesn't look like it moves much at all when I hit bigger bumps in the road. I am slightly less happy with the looks, but I do plan on drilling new holes in the Hollywood to raise the bike bars to allow it to fit together without interlocking, which means that the entire rack will sit flush with the tire.
I feel comfortable putting up to four pairs of skis or two snowboards in the rack, as it's rated to over 70 lbs, but if you have multiple oversized skis or more than four pairs, I would add a tailgate reinforcement plate to the build.
Hopefully this helps someone who is looking for a solution this ski season, and I'd love to hear feedback or suggestions you have for a cleaner look!
Side note: I do have ski sleeves to keep the road grime off my skis/bindings, I just threw some thrift skis in for the photos.
Sponsored
Last edited:
