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2 Door Roof Rack Options

cosine

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i've been looking at this post from time to time, seeing what options are out there for the 2 door jl. so far i've gathered that you cant or not suggested to run the front racks on the freedom panels. so my question is how am i suppose to carry my 13' kayak. it weighs 58 lbs. the bars i've seen looks to be too close together.
 

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i've been looking at this post from time to time, seeing what options are out there for the 2 door jl. so far i've gathered that you cant or not suggested to run the front racks on the freedom panels. so my question is how am i suppose to carry my 13' kayak. it weighs 58 lbs. the bars i've seen looks to be too close together.
I made a rack for my daughter so she can load and unload by herself. The rack slips into the hitch and is removable. (yea, I know it's a JK but the principle is the same for a JL)

The rack rotates down so she can strap the kayak in and rotate the whole thing up on top. No ladders or permanent racks needed. Now granted it's a cheap plastic 10' kayak, but it's fine for the short trips she'll do around here. Have to work on a better strap setup for the front though, there's not much to grab on.


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geem03

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Princess Auto van ladder rails (because of the gutter mounts)

Princess Auto roof basket

20191201_122820.jpg


20191126_134326.jpg
 

Jef

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Princess Auto van ladder rails (because of the gutter mounts)

Princess Auto roof basket

20191201_122820.jpg


20191126_134326.jpg
This is wonderful. Thank you for sharing. Rails and basket total under $300. That alone doesn't get you Thule rails. Awesome.
 

geem03

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This is wonderful. Thank you for sharing. Rails and basket total under $300. That alone doesn't get you Thule rails. Awesome.
Plus....i got the basket rack second hand so I was in it all and all for $150 ,i believe
 

Jef

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Plus....i got the basket rack second hand so I was in it all and all for $150 ,i believe
What all have you put on the rack rails? Are they pretty true to the weight rating? What about noise at speed? I'm really close to pulling the trigger, but want to make sure I'm not being to impulsive. Ideally looking to putty snowboards and miscellaneous camping junk.
 

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geem03

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What all have you put on the rack rails? Are they pretty true to the weight rating? What about noise at speed? I'm really close to pulling the trigger, but want to make sure I'm not being to impulsive. Ideally looking to putty snowboards and miscellaneous camping junk.
The rails are rated at 500lbs... are well made and are heavy duty. .. the rack is rated at 200lbs.

I use it for camping gear so other than a cooler and a duffle bag and other miscellaneous stuff.... the weight of the gear doesn't reach that....

Wind noise is minimal to what is normal for a hard top .

I especially like that i can mount my hi-lift jack there.
 

Jef

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The rails are rated at 500lbs... are well made and are heavy duty. .. the rack is rated at 200lbs.

I use it for camping gear so other than a cooler and a duffle bag and other miscellaneous stuff.... the weight of the gear doesn't reach that....

Wind noise is minimal to what is normal for a hard top .

I especially like that i can mount my hi-lift jack there.
Well it sucks to live in the USA. Struggling to find the same items here.
 

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Hope you don't mind my asking a related question in this thread. I am looking for a roof rack system for my 2 door that does not require drilling into the hardtop and is [somewhat] easily removable that will hold a RTT (~125 lbs.) or two kayaks. Ideally something simple like the Mopar roof racks but I'm not sure they will hold the weight. I see the post by @lucyl and that's what I'm after. I'm looking to only make use of the rear hardtop and leave the freedom panels able to be removed. Are the Thule (or Yakima) systems typically stronger than OEM? It looks like the feet are a separate buy in addition to the crossbars, is that correct? Thank you in advance.

I wanted to add that I like the look and idea of the external cage (like what Gobi offers) but it's my understanding that they're not simple to remove. Is that accurate?
 

AgentTML

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Hope you don't mind my asking a related question in this thread. I am looking for a roof rack system for my 2 door that does not require drilling into the hardtop and is [somewhat] easily removable that will hold a RTT (~125 lbs.) or two kayaks. Ideally something simple like the Mopar roof racks but I'm not sure they will hold the weight. I see the post by @lucyl and that's what I'm after. I'm looking to only make use of the rear hardtop and leave the freedom panels able to be removed. Are the Thule (or Yakima) systems typically stronger than OEM? It looks like the feet are a separate buy in addition to the crossbars, is that correct? Thank you in advance.

I wanted to add that I like the look and idea of the external cage (like what Gobi offers) but it's my understanding that they're not simple to remove. Is that accurate?
Check out SMS Auto Parts's Exposed Rack system for RTT that is easy to mount and take down w/ no drilling:

https://www.smsparts.com/product-pa...ack-3ppl-2018-2021-jeep-wrangler-jl-jlu-2-4dr

They are designed to spread the weight of the RTT evenly across the hardtop using rubber feet underneath the cross bars. They also have drop-in brackets for carrying kayaks:

https://www.smsparts.com/product-page/8-00-9844-offset-pin-y-kayak-mount

I ordered their 2 cross-bars system to start out and in the future if I want to do RTT, I can order another crossbar and supporting feet/bracket.
 

Boatbuilder88

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Hope you don't mind my asking a related question in this thread. I am looking for a roof rack system for my 2 door that does not require drilling into the hardtop and is [somewhat] easily removable that will hold a RTT (~125 lbs.) or two kayaks. Ideally something simple like the Mopar roof racks but I'm not sure they will hold the weight. I see the post by @lucyl and that's what I'm after. I'm looking to only make use of the rear hardtop and leave the freedom panels able to be removed. Are the Thule (or Yakima) systems typically stronger than OEM? It looks like the feet are a separate buy in addition to the crossbars, is that correct? Thank you in advance.

I wanted to add that I like the look and idea of the external cage (like what Gobi offers) but it's my understanding that they're not simple to remove. Is that accurate?
I'm in a similar situation. I don't think any gutter-mounted system is capable of holding a rooftop tent. Remember to consider both the static (include the weight of people in the tent) and dynamic weight limits of the gutter-mounted system. I definitely wouldn't mount any crossbars to the freedom panels since the aerodynamic lifting forces on cargo carriers and tents can be quite high.
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