Haggis
Appalachian Ridgerunner
I've been wanting a rack. Just something I could throw a stepladder on for work or to throw a canoe on top for a days paddle. I didn't need one for an RTT or to haul tons of gear. For two people the Mouser (our Jeep) has plenty of room inside and when it's the whole gang we press the Tundra into service. So I've been looking around at various racks for awhile trying to pick the right one. But I had a couple of requirements to meet before I chose one.
*RUST: When you live in the rust belt and have salt on the roads 5 months out of the year, rust is always a concern. So I didn't want to drill holes in the Mouser (our Jeep). Holes lead to rust, no matter how well you take precautions against it. Add to that the fact that powdercoated items do not hold up well in this enviroment and you see many popular racks on Jeeps around here succumb to rust.
*WEIGHT: No matter what I add to the Mouser I always consider how the weight of the item will affect the Jeep. I try to keep the Mouser as road friendly as possible so I didn't want extra weight up high tweeking the handling or sucking more gas out of the tank.
*ADAPTABILITY: Another aspect I was looking for was the ability to adapt the rack to my needs at any given time. Sometimes set up for paddling trips, sometimes for work, sometimes I don't want the rack on at all. I was looking for a rack that was strong and stable but could be easily removed if I wanted it gone. Plus it should be easily stored if removed.
*NOISE: I hate listening to racks that whistle. The rack on my truck was chosen for it's lesser wind noise and even then it can drive you bonkers. So a rack for the Jeep had to be quiet.
Well, I looked at all the options and really couldn't find exactly what I was looking for. Then one day we had an ExPo East meet where we were heading out on a river float. A new guy showed up with a JK Unlimited with a sweet roof rack. It was a Rockyridge rack made of aluminum and stainless steel, with cool aluminum slotted rails. It seemed like it would fit the criteria I was looking for. Well that gent was the maker of the rack but only had them setup for the JKs. But I wanted one for an LJ. So after a couple of discussions and a few more ExPo trips I got a new rack.
The bases are made of heavy aluminum, while the uprights are stainless steel. The connecting rails are aluminum and are slotted on both sides and the top to ease the mounting of whatever you want. I'll probably use a couple of Quickfists with some capture nuts in the rails to mount trail tools on the rails.
Thule and Yakima accesories slide and mount easily in the connecting rails. I had some Thule risers and rails in the garage and they worked sweet. The main rails are held to the windowfairing by a couple of knobbed bolts. Remove those two knobbed fasteners and the rack tilts back 90*, is held in place there and allows you to put the softtop down. The whole rack can be easily removed as a whole or in pieces. The fairing can stay in place without the rack and has mounting holes for lights. I won't use those but it'a nice that they are there. Taken apart, the rack can store flat on the garage wall.
This whole sytem is pretty light in weight and with the oval tubes is super quiet. The softtop makes way more noise than the rack. But when you put the square Thule bars on it howls pretty good. I just run without the rails when not hauling something plus without them the Jeep (3" lift, 33" tire) still fits in the 7' tall garage door. You hardly notice the rack is on there other than seeing the downtubes at the back edge of the mirrors. I'm pretty happy with this setup but look forward to the hardtop brackets that are still being prototyped. I really prefer my hardtop.
So it's quiet, adaptable, lightweight, stable and the most important it's not going to rust. And with all the rustmites in this area the rack will probably outlast the Jeep..
*RUST: When you live in the rust belt and have salt on the roads 5 months out of the year, rust is always a concern. So I didn't want to drill holes in the Mouser (our Jeep). Holes lead to rust, no matter how well you take precautions against it. Add to that the fact that powdercoated items do not hold up well in this enviroment and you see many popular racks on Jeeps around here succumb to rust.
*WEIGHT: No matter what I add to the Mouser I always consider how the weight of the item will affect the Jeep. I try to keep the Mouser as road friendly as possible so I didn't want extra weight up high tweeking the handling or sucking more gas out of the tank.
*ADAPTABILITY: Another aspect I was looking for was the ability to adapt the rack to my needs at any given time. Sometimes set up for paddling trips, sometimes for work, sometimes I don't want the rack on at all. I was looking for a rack that was strong and stable but could be easily removed if I wanted it gone. Plus it should be easily stored if removed.
*NOISE: I hate listening to racks that whistle. The rack on my truck was chosen for it's lesser wind noise and even then it can drive you bonkers. So a rack for the Jeep had to be quiet.
Well, I looked at all the options and really couldn't find exactly what I was looking for. Then one day we had an ExPo East meet where we were heading out on a river float. A new guy showed up with a JK Unlimited with a sweet roof rack. It was a Rockyridge rack made of aluminum and stainless steel, with cool aluminum slotted rails. It seemed like it would fit the criteria I was looking for. Well that gent was the maker of the rack but only had them setup for the JKs. But I wanted one for an LJ. So after a couple of discussions and a few more ExPo trips I got a new rack.
The bases are made of heavy aluminum, while the uprights are stainless steel. The connecting rails are aluminum and are slotted on both sides and the top to ease the mounting of whatever you want. I'll probably use a couple of Quickfists with some capture nuts in the rails to mount trail tools on the rails.
Thule and Yakima accesories slide and mount easily in the connecting rails. I had some Thule risers and rails in the garage and they worked sweet. The main rails are held to the windowfairing by a couple of knobbed bolts. Remove those two knobbed fasteners and the rack tilts back 90*, is held in place there and allows you to put the softtop down. The whole rack can be easily removed as a whole or in pieces. The fairing can stay in place without the rack and has mounting holes for lights. I won't use those but it'a nice that they are there. Taken apart, the rack can store flat on the garage wall.
This whole sytem is pretty light in weight and with the oval tubes is super quiet. The softtop makes way more noise than the rack. But when you put the square Thule bars on it howls pretty good. I just run without the rails when not hauling something plus without them the Jeep (3" lift, 33" tire) still fits in the 7' tall garage door. You hardly notice the rack is on there other than seeing the downtubes at the back edge of the mirrors. I'm pretty happy with this setup but look forward to the hardtop brackets that are still being prototyped. I really prefer my hardtop.
So it's quiet, adaptable, lightweight, stable and the most important it's not going to rust. And with all the rustmites in this area the rack will probably outlast the Jeep..
