I imagine having the top down with the tubular rack would be a similar feel to having tube doors. More open than full doors, but with more functionality than no doors. I could see myself running my JL topless & doorless in the summer with this rack to haul kayaks and such.
I envision oversized drawer slides...the kind overlanding trailers use for their slide out kitchens and such. A small set I used on some large drawers in my house have a 100lb capacity and slide all the way out (back edge of drawer is even with front edge of cabinet).
I can envision that too @msujedi Jed. But the engineer in me wonders if it will actually be done with a similar heavy duty draw slide hardware type paradigm you describe (which usually has 3 telescoping pieces). The woodworker hobbyist in me makes me all too familiar with exactly what you are talking about.
Perhaps this is why an extremely bright, not to mention handsome man I know, who needed a rack before much choice was available in the JL market, also fearful of his better half's rath in buying a "Gobi," and wishing to open his soft or hard top, I'm to understand made this: https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/forum/threads/diy-no-hole-roof-rails.10580/
Guys, they already do with with their Jk version just to the rear instead of the side. That one is cantilevered even more than the JL version will be.I can envision that too @msujedi Jed. But the engineer in me wonders if it will actually be done with a similar heavy duty draw slide hardware type paradigm you describe (which usually has 3 telescoping pieces). The woodworker hobbyist in me makes me all too familiar with exactly what you are talking about.
First: it's out in the elements, which is tough on greased ball bearings that make such hardware glide. Second, the cantilever on that is going to be enormous given both the distance of the cantilever and its base weight: let alone the weight on top of it. But that cantilever stress won't change based on the hardware that ends up supports it.
We are going to have to see how they engineer it. It's my understanding that previous models slid back (and probably had significant overlap at full extension of the sliding element and the support element.) Here we need to clear the passenger's or driver's side of the roof.
Thanks. It's a stock Sahara, no lift, stock tires, etc. Hopefully it will be design so that I can still use the garage after installing it.
Also will depend on garage door height. Mine is 7'
Yup. That's exactly how tall mine is too.
I don't know (I say humbly) if the JK version (which I did reference above) is cantilevered more. In the nature of the JK's slide back version (as opposed to the JL's side slide version) it need not completely be in back of the rear most vertical support hardware of the rack, behind the rig's top, for opening of the soft top, to full, if not also the more vertically cumbersome Sunrider position to occur.
+1 For support legs. Would make a great awning and dry/shade area. Could sell aluminum panels to install on top of the cross bars and legs as an awning package. If it's designed with support legs that can support a RTT AND the weight of 2 people plus gear on top while it's deployed, that would be awesome. But I can also see how big of an engineering challenge that would be.Testing is not complete so the engineering dept has not given any definite numbers. The concept is to be able to slide it out under some load (potentially with an un-deployed tent/etc) to operate the soft top, or use it as an awning. I'm petitioning for support legs (as an add-on option) so that it can be deployed as a platform, and double your top surface area while also giving you a small roof that will provide a dry spot if you want to place something underneath/tent on top. But until this phase of the design/testing is not complete, the engineering dept will not have an answer for me. We have to break one first
I think what we have here, is an incomplete perspective. The JK rack, when fully extended, will be cantilevered out further than the JL version due to the fact that the rack is longer than it is wide and the way it slides vs the JL version. Irregardless of how much you need to slide it for your intended purpose (soft top in your example) the rack has to be rated at it max capacity with the weakest link taken into consideration (fully extended).
While we're at it, we might as well make some sort of extra accessories to go with it. A bug/screen room add on for camping? A hanging solar shower with shower curtain for camping/overlanding? Lots of possibilities!
That is an interesting point you bring up; there are more than few exoskeleton racks that attache to the front windshield/pillar area but also to the rear bumper bracket area for support in back. So you are saying those designs are bad designs that leave the vehicle dynamics potentially compromised and put extra stress on the exoskeleton framework?Thank you for the interest! We can certainly explain our reasoning, which is: Jeep's design is a body-on-frame type, which leaves the body shell floating on rubber or urethane "pucks" underneath, so while it is connected to the frame, it can still bounce or move. You don't want to make a solid connection between the two, and you want to keep the "free float" so your vehicle can flex and articulate, otherwise you'll get a lot of road noise and vibration. Since we connect to the body in the front, we don't want to connect to the frame in the rear, as the two move relative to each other and therefore the rack would be subject to more extreme stress during movement, and durability as well as safety could become an issue. Especially in scenarios where the vehicle tub moves on those pucks (during turns, braking/acceleration, or tilting when offroading). We did not want to create a system that could be jeopardize vehicle dynamics. We are trying to make ours as "integrated" as possible into the vehicle
The vehicle alteration during install is very minimal, nothing that drastically alters any portion of it. It will also not require that you drill holes through your hard top or anything crazy like thatWe stuck to surfaces that will not leak into the interior if altered!
As mentioned above, we will not be tying the body and frame together as they move independently of each other and this would potentially cause damage to your Jeep and the roof rack over time.
