roof racks..

J

jeepgeek2002

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Jax FL
which ones are better .. which ones arent worth it..

I d like one that goes the entire length of the jeep..
with spare tire holder and hilift jack mounts..
Light bracket not necessary but always a good option

Gobi racks are sweet but expensive
Garvin racks are also sweet but expensive
Safari racks seem ok
WP racks.. i m not fond of them to begin with..

What do you all have.? Pros and cons?

thanks
mark
 
I run rack less I personally don't like em. I think they are just a big weight for the roof. If your going with a tire up there careful b/c if you wheel with it up there it can cause a flop. Also think about having to change that tire if its big enough your not going to want to lift that thing off the roof. I have 33's and I wouldn't want to lift that thing up on top of my jeep. The can also get snagged when driving though low limbs my buddy ripped his off doing that, it was attached to his factory rails.
 
I had a Surco. IMO it was a flimsy pos. Thats the only one I've ever bought. The one I had on my Samurai I made out of 3/4" HREW tubing. It was tough...
 
Has anyone built a lower-profile, lighter-weight solution to put your spare on top?
 
After wheeling with "thechief86" last night and needing to spot him with a partially-downed tree, so that it wouldn't rip off his stock roof rails on his Grand Wagoneer, I for one have decided to go without a roof rack. The last thing I want to do is rip stuff off or bend it up.

Let's just say I'm glad that I had a $13 WalMart CB radio antenna on because I forgot to take it off the roof and mount it on the hood... and it got torn into 3 pieces by low hanging limbs!

:gee:
 
I used to run a full-roof Garvin/Defender. It held a 33" tire, hi-lift and 2 people with no issues. The drip rails would be damaged long before you hurt the rack, but I never had any problems. It was massive though, although I kinda like the Camel Trophy look.
 
Slick top is the way to go. I have seen too many racks(and rain gutters) get peeled back by tree limbs and grape vines. Its kinda funny when it happens as long as it is "the other guy".

I carry my spare 35 where the back seat use to be, it keeps it low and away from thieves.
 
Destroyer said:
I used to run a full-roof Garvin/Defender. It held a 33" tire, hi-lift and 2 people with no issues. The drip rails would be damaged long before you hurt the rack, but I never had any problems. It was massive though, although I kinda like the Camel Trophy look.
Click to expand...


Like this?

15541_656933752628_29716073_38084315_5754629_n.jpg


If I were to run a basket and do alot of wheeling, I would get one with the "roof sliders" like the Top-hat or JCR. Leaning up against a tree and catching a mount isn't fun.
 
The main reason was a place to put that 33" spare .. its taking up so much space back in the trunk.. maybe i should get a bumper mounted tire carrier instead?

Mark
 
jeepgeek2002 said:
The main reason was a place to put that 33" spare .. its taking up so much space back in the trunk.. maybe i should get a bumper mounted tire carrier instead?

Mark
Click to expand...

The spare will impede vision in the rear and if you mount it low to allow better vision then you loose departure angle. There really is no good place for a large spare on a XJ besides the back seat area.
 
Well maybe you just shouldn't have a spare at all Mark. At least that's what Im getting from this thread... haha. Hell, why do we even run tires at all??? Maybe we should all start driving hover crafts instead???

Mark, in my honest opinion, I would do a rear bumper with swing away tire carrier/high lift mount. They don't make the jeep top heavy and they won't get ripped off by a tree. And trust me... what these guys are saying about tree limbs and racks is completely true. The tree limb will win 9 times out of 10.
 
well damm .. maybe i ll do what the guys with 39s do.. they carry an inner tube.. and a sewing kit ...lol

Mark
 
I had a surco in my jeep. Took it off before the crawl to save Mileage. Then as I was driving around last week I saw a new beetle in town with a roof basket on it. I can't have that going on so I sold it to a guy down the street for more than I paid for it.
 
I had an olympic top hat rack. Absolutely loved it. Took off the extra stuff for the basket on top, and just used the base portion of the rack. Used it a lot in the trees up in the NW to slide around to avoid body damage and broken glass.
 
i ve looked at those Top Hats... are they rugged?

mark
 
jeepgeek2002 said:
i ve looked at those Top Hats... are they rugged?

mark
Click to expand...

extremely rugged. you'd end up ripping off drip rails before you tore one of these apart, dang neared. word of advice if you get one....assemble it ON the jeep.
 
ladywolf said:
word of advice if you get one....assemble it ON the jeep.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I had to use 2 ratchet straps and a utility pole to get my "2nd hand" Olympic rack to fit on my jeep. :shhh::rolleyes::D
 
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