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Yellow Cake Kid

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...there is an adjustable tension in our clips we use at the bottom of the rack that allows for adjustability and versatility.
Thanks for the response. FWIW, I am interested in using these racks and not just asking rhetorical questions etc. :) I am looking for ways to carry gear without using a roof rack and your racks seem like a clever solution.

I watched this video a while back:

The question I am trying to learn the answer too is if there some sort of threaded tension device that pulls along the long axis of the rack rail and pulls the two clamping fixtures towards each other, or does this system rely on pressing the assembly together and tightening it before it loosens?

It's not a direct comparison but Yakima, and Thule rack towers have clamps that squeeze down when you turn a thread, so I am wondering if the TrailRax has a feature that allows you to nurse it into a secure position using some sort of threaded adjuster.

Thank you.
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I’m new to attaching things to hold tools, fuel canisters, etc to the outside of vehicles. If the canisters are secured with a lock or something, how about the security/obstacles to preventing them from taking off a couple of bolts and removing the whole thing? I know it’s a minor concern for some but some people can get pretty inventive and desperate for things they want. lol Special bolts?
 
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TrailRax

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Thanks for the response. FWIW, I am interested in using these racks and not just asking rhetorical questions etc. :) I am looking for ways to carry gear without using a roof rack and your racks seem like a clever solution.

I watched this video a while back:

The question I am trying to learn the answer too is if there some sort of threaded tension device that pulls along the long axis of the rack rail and pulls the two clamping fixtures towards each other, or does this system rely on pressing the assembly together and tightening it before it loosens?

It's not a direct comparison but Yakima, and Thule rack towers have clamps that squeeze down when you turn a thread, so I am wondering if the TrailRax has a feature that allows you to nurse it into a secure position using some sort of threaded adjuster.

Thank you.

Great question, Hopefully I am understanding this correctly, if not let me know. To answer this question, our top portion of the rack is tightened down with a carefully machined aluminum block that grabs the top of the rain gutter and threads into the vertical arm of our Pak Rax. This creates a bit of tension and allows for the precise amount of grip/tension for mounting to the rain gutter.

The center mounting plate mounts directly to the vertical arms. You would preassemble most of the rack then place it on the vehicle and tighten it all down.

Let me know if that all makes sense and answers your questions. If not feel free to email us at [email protected] or PM us.
 
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TrailRax

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I’m new to attaching things to hold tools, fuel canisters, etc to the outside of vehicles. If the canisters are secured with a lock or something, how about the security/obstacles to preventing them from taking off a couple of bolts and removing the whole thing? I know it’s a minor concern for some but some people can get pretty inventive and desperate for things they want. lol Special bolts?
Great question! So we promote our product as a "weekend warrior" centered product. What I mean by this is that we encourage our customers to remove the Pak Rax when they are not in use. This means, no extra weight, no wind drag, and etc for around-town driving. Once you are gearing up for a trip for a weekend or week-long adventure, this is when you attach the Pak Rax to your wrangler.

We also are working on "keyed" bolts for the top of the rack. In essence, this will allow you to have a key for the top bolts where only you as the owner can remove them from your Jeep.
 

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...Let me know if that all makes sense...
Thanks for the reply. I don't think I conveyed my question effectively, so I prepared a sketch that highlights my interest:

Jeep Wrangler JL Meet The TrailRax Pak Rax System TrailRax_01A


What has not been clear when watching the videos ( I looked for a download link to install instructions and did not find any ) is if the bottom mount could be secured and then somehow the top mount could not only clamp on the rain gutter but somehow draw the leg assembly upwards to create the tension between the upper and lower mounts.

It has also occurred to me that the system may simply be clamped securely at the top while gravity provides the tension and the bottom mount merely holds the rigging at a state of repose.

On the roof racks I referred too, the rack towers are each clamped securely to a fixing point on the vehicle. Ideally they are positioned on the cross member so that tension is introduced between the two mounting points when the clamping mechanisms are brought into the final position. This affects a typical tension and compression scheme.

Perhaps I am projecting an expectation upon the TrailRax design that does not need to apply?

I am curious about the design intention and the results of the choices made. I look forward to seeing one of these racks first hand to get a sense of how secure the installation feels.

These racks seems like a useful solution for carrying gear so I have been very interested in understanding better how they fit to the Jeep.

Thank you.
 
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Great question! Yes it will fit the Sky touch Hardtop. The measurements are the same as a standard hardtop.
That's good news that it will fit the SOT top. My question is; Is their a load rating difference between the standard hard top and the SOT top? Basically, is there a difference in rain gutter strength between the two tops that I should be concerned about? (I'll be honest, I should probably check the owners manual but since it's for my wife's Jeep, I'm not always in it)
 

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If you need a brand ambassador met me know. I can get some great marketing pictures with my Jeep all over Colorado. 😄
 
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..


Thanks for the reply. I don't think I conveyed my question effectively, so I prepared a sketch that highlights my interest:

Jeep Wrangler JL Meet The TrailRax Pak Rax System TrailRax_01A


What has not been clear when watching the videos ( I looked for a download link to install instructions and did not find any ). I imagined that perhaps the bottom mount could be secured and then somehow the top mount could not only clamp on the rain gutter but somehow draw the leg assembly upwards to create the tension between the upper and lower mounts.

It has also occurred to me that the system may simply be clamped securely at the top while gravity provides the tension and the bottom mount merely holds the rigging at a state of repose.

On the roof racks I referred too, the rack towers are each clamped securely to a fixing point on the vehicle. Ideally they are positioned on the cross member so that tension is introduced between the two mounting points when the clamping mechanisms are brought into the final position. This affects a typical tension and compression scheme.

Perhaps I am projecting an expectation upon the TrailRax design that does not need to apply?

I am curious about the design intention and the results of the choices made. I look forward to seeing one of these racks first hand to get a sense of how securely the installation feels.

These racks seems like a useful solution for carrying gear so I have been very interested in understanding better how they fit to the Jeep.

Thank you.
"What has not been clear when watching the videos ( I looked for a download link to install instructions and did not find any ). I imagined that perhaps the bottom mount could be secured and then somehow the top mount could not only clamp on the rain gutter but somehow draw the leg assembly upwards to create the tension between the upper and lower mounts."

Great drawing! So I have quoted one of your pieces to reinforce what the tension is. We recommend installing the bottom portion of the rack (clips that clip under the hardtop) then use the top portion of the Pak Rax to tighten down and get tension. So yes there is tension but there is no heavy pull-down tension on the rain gutter. Hopefully, this makes sense. Our product is designed to have a bit of tension vertically between the top and lower mounts that help build strength on our Pak Rax. We also have the rubber bumpers as you pictured to press up against the body of the Jeep so that there is also tension there holding it in place.

To better explain the mount again, the bottom is a slotted clip that just clips under the hardtop, this allows for vertical adjustability on the clip so that you can adjust it up and down (due to the hardtop being rounded off, we have to allow for adjustability for the slight variations in mounting locations on the gutter) Once the clips are snuggly mounted to the hardtop, You then go to tighten the top portion of the Pak Rax to bright the rack closer to the hardtop as well as build that little bit of tension you are talking about.

I hope this helps. We did not design the rack to specifically only use tension to build strength. WE allowed for tension to be present to be used to hold everything in place, but we also use specifically engineered parts to clamp down on parts of the hardtop that have clamping strength of their own.
 
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TrailRax

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That's good news that it will fit the SOT top. My question is; Is their a load rating difference between the standard hard top and the SOT top? Basically, is there a difference in rain gutter strength between the two tops that I should be concerned about? (I'll be honest, I should probably check the owners manual but since it's for my wife's Jeep, I'm not always in it)

Another great question. I cannot provide a for sure or fact on these hardtops due to us not ever getting our hands on one. From what I can tell, the strength and structure of the rain gutter, as well as those corners of the Jeep, are most likely around the same strength as the Jeep's normal hardtop. The structure pieces still are there and the only difference is the soft top on top and the side panels being removed.

It may be possible that this hardtop has less capacity but it will not affect our Pak Rax due to the corner it is mounted in. I think it would only affect a full roof rack's capacity.
 
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TrailRax

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If you need a brand ambassador met me know. I can get some great marketing pictures with my Jeep all over Colorado. 😄

We could look into it. What is your Instagram, Facebook, Youtube?
 

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... We recommend installing the bottom portion of the rack (clips that clip under the hardtop) then use the top portion of the Pak Rax to tighten down and get tension. So yes there is tension but there is no heavy pull-down tension on the rain gutter. Hopefully, this makes sense. Our product is designed to have a bit of tension vertically between the top and lower mounts that help build strength on our Pak Rax...

... Once the clips are snuggly mounted to the hardtop, You then go to tighten the top portion of the Pak Rax to bright the rack closer to the hardtop as well as build that little bit of tension you are talking about...
Hi,
Thank you so much for considering the question and sharing the detailed explanation. This is the info that I hoped to have a better understanding of. The simplicity and effectiveness of the design is admirable.

Thank you!
 
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Hi,
Thank you so much for considering the question and sharing the detailed explanation. This is the info that I hoped to have a better understanding of. The simplicity and effectiveness of the design is admirable.

Thank you!

Perfect! I am glad we got that answered. If you have anymore questions, do not hesitate to ask! We are here to help and better the experience of your off-road adventure.
 

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If you’re worried about damage to the hardtop you can place self adhesive Velcro to any part that touches the paint which is what I did and I couldn’t be happier
I've had these on my Jeep since July. As Ray mentioned, I do recommend putting some sort of soft tape(I used Tessa tape) on the parts that will touch the paint. Before I put the tape on there(About 2 weeks) it left a black line on my white painted hardtop. No issues after the tape, but I did sell my painted top and now have a black top.

Overall the quality is top notch and I would buy them again in a heartbeat!
 

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can you please clarify if these have been designed and tested to work with the 3–Piece Hard Top (a.k.a. 'Freedom Top') as opposed to just the painted hard top?
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