Sponsored

ARB BASE Rack Installation on JLU Wrangler

TylerDurden7

Member
First Name
James
Joined
Feb 7, 2022
Threads
0
Messages
12
Reaction score
7
Location
Beaverton Oregon
Vehicle(s)
2021 JLUR XR
Hey Tyler,

Don't know if I ever responded to you. Due to my intentions of being more extended overland stints, I've prioritized the comfort and need for quick setup and faster leaving a place, especially in inclement weather. I had settled in on a James Baroud Evasion XXL (anticipating 2 adults w/ pets, and assuming will be doing lot work inside the tent. I ended up finding a new JB Grand Raid for an insane deal from a private party, so that settled the RTT.

I have seen the "new" adapter mounting brackets from ARB, and they really are of no use for a large RTT with vertical T-Slot rails. With the Base Rack slats being so wide, I have come up with an scheme. It would be very easy to cut the top clamps and make longer bottom clamps from aluminum, but given the size of the RTT and the need to navigate rocky trails, I wanted something more sturdy & stable, but it requires drilling holes in the rack slats and using the base rack mounting plates at the bottom. I'm ok with that, as the rack choice was always single use; for the RTT. I'm in the process of doing that, so once I finish, I'd be happy to share my thoughts.

BTW, just saw your install...EXCELLENT stuff, as was Art's. Knowledge sharing "Rocks"!!!

Thomas
Very cool, looking forward to seeing the RTT mounting solution you end up with. I have a couple emails out to RTT vendors asking them if they make wider mounting brackets that are compatible with ARB base rack. If they don't I was thinking along the same lines as you with a custom solution ... perhaps making custom mounts that attach via additional stud plates and bolts to underside of the rack which shouldn't be too hard since RTT usually has two long rails.

Also I'm planning on getting an awning, not sure which one yet, was happy to see that they have universal heavy duty awning brackets, expensive though!

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09HNDGT2...colid=M1S7DAYDR4IT&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it
Sponsored

 

ArtC

Active Member
First Name
Art Closson
Joined
Jun 29, 2019
Threads
1
Messages
35
Reaction score
33
Location
Pleasanon, CA
Vehicle(s)
2021 Rubicon 4xe, 2009 Dodge Ram 2500
James:

Please be sure to post your build progress, I am looking at doing something similar.

Art
 

theox05

Member
Joined
Oct 4, 2018
Threads
1
Messages
13
Reaction score
11
Location
CO
Vehicle(s)
Former:18 JLUR, 18 BMW M4, 981 GT4 Now: 21 JLUR XR
@Boondoggler I installed the 61x51 rack last week and your instructions were a lifesaver. Thank you!
 

theox05

Member
Joined
Oct 4, 2018
Threads
1
Messages
13
Reaction score
11
Location
CO
Vehicle(s)
Former:18 JLUR, 18 BMW M4, 981 GT4 Now: 21 JLUR XR
Let me add a quick tip of my own. The "BASE RACK" aluminum plates on either side may be peeling off when the kit arrives. I had one that was nearly half pulled off. I removed the name plate, used Goo Gone and razor blade to remove the adhesive on the back, and applied contact cement to both surfaces. The Goo Gone pulled the plastic coating off the front, but I think it's better without it anyway. Reapplied name plate, no issues so far and holding tight.
 
OP
OP

Boondoggler

Well-Known Member
Joined
Apr 3, 2021
Threads
2
Messages
51
Reaction score
20
Location
Maryland
Vehicle(s)
2021 JLUR 4xe
Let me add a quick tip of my own. The "BASE RACK" aluminum plates on either side may be peeling off when the kit arrives. I had one that was nearly half pulled off. I removed the name plate, used Goo Gone and razor blade to remove the adhesive on the back, and applied contact cement to both surfaces. The Goo Gone pulled the plastic coating off the front, but I think it's better without it anyway. Reapplied name plate, no issues so far and holding tight.
You know, that brings up a really good question; for such a large successful company, why can't ARB properly pack their products for shipment? My BaseRack Fit Kit came completely jumbled up and my Platform came ripped and nearly opened. As such, there were definitely powder coat damage to many of the pieces including the platform (which is more visible than the support structures inside the vehicle).
 

Sponsored

theox05

Member
Joined
Oct 4, 2018
Threads
1
Messages
13
Reaction score
11
Location
CO
Vehicle(s)
Former:18 JLUR, 18 BMW M4, 981 GT4 Now: 21 JLUR XR
You know, that brings up a really good question; for such a large successful company, why can't ARB properly pack their products for shipment? My BaseRack Fit Kit came completely jumbled up and my Platform came ripped and nearly opened. As such, there were definitely powder coat damage to many of the pieces including the platform (which is more visible than the support structures inside the vehicle).
Mine also came scraped up a bit. I touched it up with GM black paint pen, but yea, you kinda expect better from them in terms of install instructions and shipment protection.
 
OP
OP

Boondoggler

Well-Known Member
Joined
Apr 3, 2021
Threads
2
Messages
51
Reaction score
20
Location
Maryland
Vehicle(s)
2021 JLUR 4xe
Mine also came scraped up a bit. I touched it up with GM black paint pen, but yea, you kinda expect better from them in terms of install instructions and shipment protection.
Luckily, all I need to touch up is the rack itself; I had elected to paint all the interior pieces white to match my 4xe interior frames.
 

ahmedroyce

Member
Joined
Jan 16, 2022
Threads
0
Messages
18
Reaction score
3
Location
charlotte
Vehicle(s)
bmw
Following! Looking at the same rack
Are there anyone out there that have installed the ARB BASE Rack mounting kit on a JLU? (mine is 2021).
Would like to hear other's experience (and perhaps pick your brain on lessons learned) before biting the bullet.

Need/Want a Roof Rack mounting system that uses frame structure to support weight. Narrowed down to several; Rhino Rack Backbone & ARB BASE Rack. For many reasons, prefer the BASE Rack. However, the installation instructions is pretty LACKING (and that's being nice, given the need to drill through the roof).
Showbox jiofi.local.html tplinklogin
 
Last edited:
OP
OP

Boondoggler

Well-Known Member
Joined
Apr 3, 2021
Threads
2
Messages
51
Reaction score
20
Location
Maryland
Vehicle(s)
2021 JLUR 4xe
Following! Looking at the same rack
Depends on your needs and requirements. If your needs are similar to mine, there really is no other good options out there unless you go with an exoskeleton type (like Gobi). If your needs are more utility, you'll have less anxiety in the install process if you go with the other low profile racks out there (i.e. Front Runner or Rhino)...

Thomas
 

mnicho29

Active Member
First Name
Matt
Joined
Jan 2, 2022
Threads
3
Messages
34
Reaction score
12
Location
Australia
Vehicle(s)
JL 2.2 Rubicon
Are there anyone out there that have installed the ARB BASE Rack mounting kit on a JLU? (mine is 2021).
Would like to hear other's experience (and perhaps pick your brain on lessons learned) before biting the bullet.

Need/Want a Roof Rack mounting system that uses frame structure to support weight. Narrowed down to several; Rhino Rack Backbone & ARB BASE Rack. For many reasons, prefer the BASE Rack. However, the installation instructions is pretty LACKING (and that's being nice, given the need to drill through the roof).
Not sure if anyone has gotten back to you about your question. But base rack is excellent. Makes the rhino racks looks like flimsy junk. And I think it looks far better then the Front Runner which is probably the other got to rack of your looking for something tough.
The weight is distributed into the roll cage and rear tub. It’s absolutely solid as. Highly recommended. I can’t see any rack being lighter and more sturdy.
 

Sponsored

jeronimo

Well-Known Member
Joined
Feb 17, 2018
Threads
17
Messages
82
Reaction score
30
Location
Krazysphere
Vehicle(s)
2018 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon JL
Occupation
On the trail :+)
I finally got around to doing my install, in summary I'm pleased with the overall look. The install was however quite the project as ArtC had mentioned earlier, and frankly a real pain in some of the tight spaces. My install spanned over several partial days mostly due to rain and some uncertainty from things I encountered during the install (details farther below).

FR_1.jpg


FR_2.jpg


FR_3.jpg



Installation Notes:
14-15. Once blades are positioned equally on both sides, tighten the nuts to provide some tension on the blade.

- An issue I ran into on this step is that the blade has a good amount of play to it (even with the 3 forward bolts tight), so there is some uncertainty about the precise place to mark the holes in the back for drilling. The solution I came up with was to put the rack on the top and attach to both blades to guarantee precision for remaining hole marking. This was a good deal of extra work but worked out well.


17. Loosely assemble rear mount bracket and welded tube assembly using clamp and M8 hardware supplied in kit.

- An issue I ran into here was that the rear mounting bracket corner intersects with the fiberglass top seam and is not flush with the roof. My concern was that the resulting uneven roof contact will crack my top when the bolts are torqued down to the specified high torque value. So I purchased some 2 inch by 1/8 aluminum bar, to make some spacer shims for flush contact. I measured by using a piece a paper to trace the shape outline. Additionally, I wrapped the shim in black fabric tape for looks and more grip.

IP_7.jpg


IP_8.jpg


- A tool that really helps with these rear brackets is a post jack.

IP_9.jpg



22. Put blades back on and fasten with SS M8x35mm button heads along with m8 nylocks. Make sure to put the button head side on the interior side.

- I found masking taping the underside of the bolts to keep them in place until nuts are were applied at the top was useful.


- You can only get so much torque with a box wrench, in order to torque these bolts to specific amounts in tight spaces this torque extender tool is the perfect tool.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09D9PN4Q7/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

TE_1.jpg



- The install document lists 57 lb ft of torque for the top bolts, which IMO is a scary amount of torque. I'm woried that it might crack the hardtop, so I have an email out ARB tech support to confirm, hopefully they will get back to me. In the meantime I just have them at less than 57.


Wind Deflector

- I could not get the from surface screws to catch the backing brackets, so what I did is use a mirror, flashlight and a toothpick to line up the holes (with stud plate & bracket piece unattached) before attempting the screw, once screw was caught, I then re-attached the stud plate this was a bit of fun.

FR_4.jpg



FR_7.jpg



FR_8.jpg


IP_1.jpg


IP_2.jpg


IP_3.jpg


IP_4.jpg


IP_5.jpg


IP_6.jpg


IP_10.jpg


IP_11.jpg


IP_12.jpg
@TylerDurden7 @Boondoggler @ArtC

Guys first of all thank you for providing your experience with the installation. I just worked on removing the top, mounting the front brackets and reinstalling the top as a first step. After putting the top back on there is gap between the mounting brackets and the top - 6mm on driver side and 11mm on passenger side. I have a headliner that will go in-between but that is not nearly as thick to provide the needed support.

I see some of you suggested to alleviate this with washers. My concern here is that the entire top would be resting on six washer points in the front versus resting on the entire mounting brackets. This for me creates a weak point and potential for overloading the fiberglass and breaking it.

My idea is:

Option 1: Additional washers on top of the long tube crush 60mm inserts to raise the bracket to the desired level. That might need replacements of the M10 80mm bolts.
Option 2: Some sort of square bracket to go between the top and the brackets.

Probably option 1 would be cleaner. Any suggestions?
 
Last edited:

TylerDurden7

Member
First Name
James
Joined
Feb 7, 2022
Threads
0
Messages
12
Reaction score
7
Location
Beaverton Oregon
Vehicle(s)
2021 JLUR XR
@TylerDurden7 @Boondoggler @ArtC

Guys first of all thank you for providing your experience with the installation. I just worked on removing the top, mounting the front brackets and reinstalling the top as a first step. After putting the top back on there is gap between the mounting brackets and the top - 6mm on driver side and 11mm on passenger side. I have a headliner that will go in-between but that is not nearly as thick to provide the needed support.

I see some of you suggested to alleviate this with washers. My concern here is that the entire top would be resting on six washer points in the front versus resting on the entire mounting brackets. This for me creates a weak point and potential for overloading the fiberglass and breaking it.

My idea is:

Option 1: Additional washers on top of the long tube crush 60mm inserts to raise the bracket to the desired level. That might need replacements of the M10 80mm bolts.
Option 2: Some sort of square bracket to go between the top and the brackets.

Probably option 1 would be cleaner. Any suggestions?
I think I also had a gap on the front mounting brackets (albeit negligible gaps) I didn't add any custom spacers like I did to the back ones which were just egregious. if your concern with the washers is that too little surface area would need to handle contact load, you might consider getting some aluminum bar at any Ace Hardware, or Home Depot etc. and cutting a custom spacer shape, it's pretty easy to do with aluminum bar. Hopefully that helps.
 
OP
OP

Boondoggler

Well-Known Member
Joined
Apr 3, 2021
Threads
2
Messages
51
Reaction score
20
Location
Maryland
Vehicle(s)
2021 JLUR 4xe
Not sure if anyone has gotten back to you about your question. But base rack is excellent. Makes the rhino racks looks like flimsy junk. And I think it looks far better then the Front Runner which is probably the other got to rack of your looking for something tough.
The weight is distributed into the roll cage and rear tub. It’s absolutely solid as. Highly recommended. I can’t see any rack being lighter and more sturdy.
No arguments from here!! Although, if you do not need the dynamic load & rough trail capability of a rack (fitted with a large RTT such as the James Baroud hardshell tents), the other options (Front Runner, Rhino) may be a better option.

I have had to fashion tools just to secure the platform/RTT to the rails; as ARB even suggested, many large tents will require you to first mount the platform to the upside down RTT then install the combined unit onto the rails. As you can imagine, with the low profile, this was near impossible (since your only access to do that is the height of the rails from the roof).

All that said, the ARB Base Rack is the strongest, lightest and least visually noticeable rack to host my RTT and allow me to take all that onto rough back-country trails without fear of "incidents".
 
OP
OP

Boondoggler

Well-Known Member
Joined
Apr 3, 2021
Threads
2
Messages
51
Reaction score
20
Location
Maryland
Vehicle(s)
2021 JLUR 4xe
@TylerDurden7 @Boondoggler @ArtC

Guys first of all thank you for providing your experience with the installation. I just worked on removing the top, mounting the front brackets and reinstalling the top as a first step. After putting the top back on there is gap between the mounting brackets and the top - 6mm on driver side and 11mm on passenger side. I have a headliner that will go in-between but that is not nearly as thick to provide the needed support.

I see some of you suggested to alleviate this with washers. My concern here is that the entire top would be resting on six washer points in the front versus resting on the entire mounting brackets. This for me creates a weak point and potential for overloading the fiberglass and breaking it.

My idea is:

Option 1: Additional washers on top of the long tube crush 60mm inserts to raise the bracket to the desired level. That might need replacements of the M10 80mm bolts.
Option 2: Some sort of square bracket to go between the top and the brackets.

Probably option 1 would be cleaner. Any suggestions?
In my case, I ended up not adding additional washers on the crush tubes, as it raised the mount points of the hardtop, and I didn't want the hardtop bolt to bend the fiberglass. I was lucky that I was doing an intricate healiner design & install that used both sound deadening material under the headliner using thermal insulation on 5mm underlayment boards (cheap and better than MDFs). The dense sound deadening material also acted as leveling of the many non-uniform fiberglass depths of the hardtop.

BaseRack_Headliner - 1.jpeg


BaseRack_Headliner - 2.jpeg


BaseRack_Headliner - 3.jpeg


BaseRack_Headliner - 4.jpeg


BaseRack_Headliner - 5.jpeg


BaseRack_Headliner - 6.jpeg
 

TylerDurden7

Member
First Name
James
Joined
Feb 7, 2022
Threads
0
Messages
12
Reaction score
7
Location
Beaverton Oregon
Vehicle(s)
2021 JLUR XR
No arguments from here!! Although, if you do not need the dynamic load & rough trail capability of a rack (fitted with a large RTT such as the James Baroud hardshell tents), the other options (Front Runner, Rhino) may be a better option.

I have had to fashion tools just to secure the platform/RTT to the rails; as ARB even suggested, many large tents will require you to first mount the platform to the upside down RTT then install the combined unit onto the rails. As you can imagine, with the low profile, this was near impossible (since your only access to do that is the height of the rails from the roof).

All that said, the ARB Base Rack is the strongest, lightest and least visually noticeable rack to host my RTT and allow me to take all that onto rough back-country trails without fear of "incidents".
Would you mind posting some photos of the custom tools and tent mounting? I've really been struggling with how to mount a tent can't find any examples anywhere. So far the potential solution I've come up with is to combine 8 ARB narrow bridge plate sets with 4 front runner quick mounts. Curious to hear what other solutions have been employed.

Jeep Wrangler JL ARB BASE Rack Installation on JLU Wrangler 1653408863864


Jeep Wrangler JL ARB BASE Rack Installation on JLU Wrangler 1653408885916


https://arbusa.com/roof-racks/arb-base-rack/roof-rack-accessories/
https://www.frontrunneroutfitters.com/en/us/quick-release-tent-mount-kit-mkii.html
Sponsored

 
 



Top