EVO MFG Trail Roof Rack Installation / Review

[digitalhobbit]

I just installed this rack yesterday. They made a couple improvements that don't show up in the online installation instructions yet. The bolts are now the proper length to engage the clamping blocks that hold it to the rain gutter, and the "crossbars" on top now have several openings to allow inserting T-bolts instead of having no openings. The instructions still show the parts with no openings. I was pleasantly surprised to see that they corrected these problems.

Great to hear they added openings to insert T-bolts. How large are these? Would they fit something like this, to mount a couple of Rotopax?

Are there any other T-bolts you would recommend?

Without the openings (e.g. in case I get an older version of the rack), how would you insert these bolts once the rack is mounted, in order to reconfigure things? Is there a way to loosen just one of the T-rail, insert the bolts, then tighten it again? Or would you have to take the whole rack apart again?

I'm about to pull the trigger on this one, just need to figure out a few details, to make sure I can mount 2 4-gallon Rotopax and a hi-lift jack.

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[gcdaz]

Great to hear they added openings to insert T-bolts. How large are these? Would they fit something like this, to mount a couple of Rotopax?

Are there any other T-bolts you would recommend?

Without the openings (e.g. in case I get an older version of the rack), how would you insert these bolts once the rack is mounted, in order to reconfigure things? Is there a way to loosen just one of the T-rail, insert the bolts, then tighten it again? Or would you have to take the whole rack apart again?

I'm about to pull the trigger on this one, just need to figure out a few details, to make sure I can mount 2 4-gallon Rotopax and a hi-lift jack.

I can help with the size of the openings. These are measurements from my presumably newer version.

The slots themselves are 3/8" wide. There are four wider openings per slat. They are about 7 1/2" from each edge, and about 13 1/2" from each other. Evenly spaced. The openings are about 15/16" square.

I don't have any particular recommendations for the T-bolts.

 

[digitalhobbit]

I can help with the size of the openings. These are measurements from my presumably newer version.

The slots themselves are 3/8" wide. There are four wider openings per slat. They are about 7 1/2" from each edge, and about 13 1/2" from each other. Evenly spaced. The openings are about 15/16" square.

I don't have any particular recommendations for the T-bolts.

That's perfect - thanks for the info!

Sounds like a lot of Rhino mounts should fit. I'm about to place my order for the Evo, along with the mounts that should allow me to install two 4-gallon Rotopax and a hi-lift jack.

 

[digitalhobbit]

I received my rack and am in the process of putting it together. Almost done, just need to attach the mounting brackets.

However, I'm not sure if I received the right hardware. See the photo below. I received 4 of the yellow bolts and 2 of the silver ones. The yellow bolts are very large and don't seem to fit any of the hardware. The silver bolts do fit the mounting brackets, but there are only 2, not 4.

Can someone confirm that the silver bolts are the right ones? In that case I suppose I'll just buy some replacements at the hardware store...

(I also emailed Evo and will see what they say, but I want to complete the installation tomorrow.)

 

[sportsguy]

I received my rack and am in the process of putting it together. Almost done, just need to attach the mounting brackets.

However, I'm not sure if I received the right hardware. See the photo below. I received 4 of the yellow bolts and 2 of the silver ones. The yellow bolts are very large and don't seem to fit any of the hardware. The silver bolts do fit the mounting brackets, but there are only 2, not 4.

Can someone confirm that the silver bolts are the right ones? In that case I suppose I'll just buy some replacements at the hardware store...

(I also emailed Evo and will see what they say, but I want to complete the installation tomorrow.)

What was the outcome here? Did they respond? Did they send more bolts? Did you just buy a couple replacements? Did the sun rise again?

We need to know!!!

 

[digitalhobbit]

What was the outcome here? Did they respond? Did they send more bolts? Did you just buy a couple replacements? Did the sun rise again?

We need to know!!!

No - Evo never responded.

I ended up buying two more of the silver bolts (which were slightly smaller than the yellow ones).

However, I ran into a number of other issues along the way, and have pretty much lost confidence in this roof rack. Given the already pretty high price, I regret not adding a bit more and going with a Rhino or Maximus rack instead. I'm going to try working with Northridge (where I ordered this) and Evo to see if we can work out a return.

When I first received the rack, one of the t-slot rails was bent (see photo). I emailed Evo (and didn't hear back about that either), but luckily was able to bend it back into shape, so I could proceed with the installation.

Today, I completed the assembly and tried mounting it on the Jeep. Unfortunately, it turned out that the rivet nuts in one of the mounting brackets was poorly set, so I was unable to tighten the bracket. But the brackets seem poorly designed as well. The rubber edge trimming doesn't stick properly, and the brackets grip at the edge of the rain gutter, causing me to worry about how much strain the rack will put on the gutter.

I really like the look of the rack, as well as its low profile and the fact that it doesn't require drilling through the hard top. But I'm pretty frustrated with the quality issues and lack of response that I've run into, and at this point I'm planning to go with a more widely proven roof rack option like the Maximus-3 instead.

 

[Mikeb16]

Added a colored back plate to mine recently. Let me know what works for you as far as hardware for rotopax ect goes. Got distracted with other projects so I haven’t executed on that front.

What did you use for the color back plate? About to pull the trigger on the Evo rack and love the colored plate

 

[CaptainJLU]

All right. 6 month are passed with the rack on my JLU and I was able to find some pros and cons with this Rack.

Pro:
no drill
low profile
t-slot channel

Con:
painful install
super heavy
not really a lot of static load because of gutter restrictions
paint peel asap after install *LOL*
rust all over the place
wind noise (vibration) when faster than 80mph

my guess is, if one only does light travel and want to keep the inside of the jeep need and clean... good option for a rack.
If one is looking for something more permanent and needs more options for mounting and load capacity AND doesn't want the rusty color... look further and find something else.

 

[Mikeb16]

All right. 6 month are passed with the rack on my JLU and I was able to find some pros and cons with this Rack.

Pro:
no drill
low profile
t-slot channel

Con:
painful install
super heavy
not really a lot of static load because of gutter restrictions
paint peel asap after install *LOL*
rust all over the place
wind noise (vibration) when faster than 80mph

my guess is, if one only does light travel and want to keep the inside of the jeep need and clean... good option for a rack.
If one is looking for something more permanent and needs more options for mounting and load capacity AND doesn't want the rusty color... look further and find something else.

Where did you have paint start to peel at? And what areas are starting to rust?
I’ve had mine on since November and haven’t had any paint issues. In my opinion the install wasn’t too bad was just repetitive and the vibration could be one of the bolts being loose after I installed mine I took it to some dirt roads and there were a couple that weren’t tight enough but since haven’t really heard them but it is a Jeep so the wind noise doesn’t really bother me.

 

[1996cc]

When Evo first dropped this, I asked if they will do an aluminum version. Answer was “probably”. Hopefully they do, that would get rid of 3 of your cons. The weight is a big one.

 

[gcdaz]

Where did you have paint start to peel at? And what areas are starting to rust?
I’ve had mine on since November and haven’t had any paint issues. In my opinion the install wasn’t too bad was just repetitive and the vibration could be one of the bolts being loose after I installed mine I took it to some dirt roads and there were a couple that weren’t tight enough but since haven’t really heard them but it is a Jeep so the wind noise doesn’t really bother me.

I have had mine for quite awhile, too, and agree with this. Install was easy, but I was glad I had a cordless ratchet instead of a regular ratchet. It’s a lot of bolts. I had no trouble with the rubber padding or the mounting points or the paint. It may make a big difference that I live in AZ, so take the lack of rust FWIW. I haven’t noticed any wind noise. My previous Gobi rack was great, but it made very noticeable wind noise.

i have been very pleased with this rack so far.

 

[CaptainJLU]

Where did you have paint start to peel at? And what areas are starting to rust?
I’ve had mine on since November and haven’t had any paint issues. In my opinion the install wasn’t too bad was just repetitive and the vibration could be one of the bolts being loose after I installed mine I took it to some dirt roads and there were a couple that weren’t tight enough but since haven’t really heard them but it is a Jeep so the wind noise doesn’t really bother me.

The paint start to peel everywhere I hook up the tie downs for the cargo net (rubberized). Also when washing my car the rack can`t handle the water stream and just flies off *LOL*
I was able to find the source of the wind noise... the front diagonal panel actually vibrates when approaching the wind in an angle.
will probably go with the pioneer rack in the future since I have my rack permanently installed

 

[digitalhobbit]

Great to see some long term reports.

As for myself: After my installation issues (see my earlier comment from October), I ended up returning the Evo rack. Northridge4x4 was super helpful in processing the return. I had to pay the return shipping fee (totally reasonable), but they created a shipping label for me so I could ship it using their discounted shipping rates.

After that, I got a Rhino rack with the pioneer platform. This required drilling, but overall the installation wasn't too bad. It was more expensive, but not that bad with the Black Friday discount. The quality difference tremendous, and definitely worth it to me.

 

[mmai]

Great to see some long term reports.

As for myself: After my installation issues (see my earlier comment from October), I ended up returning the Evo rack. Northridge4x4 was super helpful in processing the return. I had to pay the return shipping fee (totally reasonable), but they created a shipping label for me so I could ship it using their discounted shipping rates.

After that, I got a Rhino rack with the pioneer platform. This required drilling, but overall the installation wasn't too bad. It was more expensive, but not that bad with the Black Friday discount. The quality difference tremendous, and definitely worth it to me.

I had the same issue and ended up doing the Rhino rack platform with the Maximus 3 Brackets. Surprised they made you pay for shipping.

 

[mmai]

Where did you have paint start to peel at? And what areas are starting to rust?
I’ve had mine on since November and haven’t had any paint issues. In my opinion the install wasn’t too bad was just repetitive and the vibration could be one of the bolts being loose after I installed mine I took it to some dirt roads and there were a couple that weren’t tight enough but since haven’t really heard them but it is a Jeep so the wind noise doesn’t really bother me.

Paint was bubbling underneath and then it just peeled off.

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