Help with rack + RTT?

[lastchapter]

Hey all, finally got myself into the Jeep life after having driven family members for too long. I have a 2021 JL 4-door and am itching to get a RTT as we're always out camping, hiking.

I've been trying to figure out which option is going to work, safely and securely. After reading a handful of posts on here, it seems like I'm trying to decide between the DeeZee 60" (front and back) rack [https://www.deezee.com/home/productdescription/14622/Roof-Rack] or the Rhino Rack heavy duty [https://www.rhinorack.com/en-us/pro...heavy-duty-rl110-black-3-bar-roof-rack_jb0105] - learning more toward the DeeZee.

I don't have an exact RTT in mind right now but have been looking at the CVT Pioneer, I believe medium which is 145lbs. I guess with that information, is there any concern for weight, security, etc? Or anything else I should know that may not be often noted beforehand?

Thanks in advance!

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[Av8Chuck]

I have the Rhino rack on my JL, and both an UpTop rack for the RTT and Front Runner cargo rack on the trailer.

The Rhino rack is very good. Had an iKamper 2.0 on the JL worked great. I just decided to go with a trailer as a base camp.

 

[AndySpill]

I'm sure the Rhino is first rate. Unlike Chuck @Av8Chuck I can't comment as an owner of either.

I just want to point out though that the Dee Zee rack doesn't bare its weight solely on the rain gutters: which some may see as a good or bad thing, but something to consider.

Weight is also placed on the hard top as per that circled in the picture below

 

[Av8Chuck]

The Rhino rack has a “backbone” inside the hard top that transfers the load to the body.

 

[AndySpill]

The Rhino rack has a “backbone” inside the hard top that transfers the load to the body.

Please educate me Chuck, I honestly don't know, does this imply that the Rhino racks requires hard top drilling? If so I'd imagine the Rhino far stronger, but the Dee Zee of course is not modifying the hard top from its factory configuration for what, if anything, that's worth to the owner.

e.g.

 

[lastchapter]

Please educate me Chuck, I honestly don't know, does this imply that the Rhino racks requires hard top drilling? If so I'd imagine the Rhino far stronger, but the Dee Zee of course is not modifying the hard top from its factory configuration for what, if anything, that's worth to the owner.

e.g.

This is exactly what I was curious about - does the backbone have to be installed? I was turned away from the Rhino rack after seeing that originally but was unsure if it was a necessity.

 

[Av8Chuck]

With the Rhino rack you can choose either to mount it to the roof and backbone or attach it to the gutter rail. I’ve owned five Jeeps with the intention of removing the top during summer and only did it for one summer.

Also with the RTT, 270 awning and accessories- about $4K worth of stuff, I wanted it to be safe and SECURE.

So I decided to hard mount it. No matter how well you mount something people can steal anything but at least I made it as difficult a possible…

 

[Av8Chuck]

This is exactly what I was curious about - does the backbone have to be installed? I was turned away from the Rhino rack after seeing that originally but was unsure if it was a necessity.

It’s not required. It just depends on how much weight you want to mount to the rack, what kind of off roading you do and how fast you drive.

The backbone increases the limits on all of those.

 

[Reinen]

Personally, I do not trust DeeZee's weight capacity claims. I don't doubt that the rack can support that weight, it looks sturdy. I highly doubt that the hard top can support that weight without additional support.

Maybe the weight claim is valid if you only consider on-road conditions but off-road is a different story. You can get rather violent side-to-side rocking off road and the HT doesn't have much ability to control additional weight in strong side-to-side rocking.

HTs have been known to crack in the upper corners of the rear window from off-road side-to-side rocking when additional weight is added to the roof without additional support. The rear roof of the hard top wags like dog's tail and it eventually cracks where the roof meets the sides. From what I can see the DeeZee rack has nothing to reinforce the HT from this kind of movement. Therefore, I wouldn't trust those weight claims.

 

[lastchapter]

This is all helpful information. At this point, I'm really not looking to do any serious off-roading, the vehicle is bone stock as of now with plans really only for bigger wheels + tires. The camping I'm looking to do will be at campgrounds or at least easier to get to locations.

With that being said, I'm wondering if I should be looking at a different option for rack then? Possibly in that same price range. I just became overwhelmed with the sheer amount of options and then the reviews on each.

 

[AndySpill]

HTs have been known to crack in the upper corners of the rear window from off-road side-to-side rocking when additional weight is added to the roof without additional support.

..which is not far, interesting enough, from the very places, I imagine, that the Dee Zee rack places additional pressure with its rubber feet that supplement the rain gutter connection....

Having no horse in the race, at least with the Rhino, the possibility of supplement its weight bearing capacity with roof drilling, as Chuck @Av8Chuck points out, is a "down the road" option and not initially mandatory.

Over time I'd reason that more people add weight to a RTT setup, with the acquisition of additional gear, than reduce that weight with the passage of time.

 

[Reinen]

Over time I'd reason that more people add weight to a RTT setup, with the acquisition of additional gear, than reduce that weight with the passage of time.

Not to mention stress on fiberglass is cumulative. Break a fiber here, a fiber there, which leads to more fibers breaking. Next thing you know you've started a tear point that wants to keep on tearing which you'll never truly fix.

 

[Ratbert]

This is all helpful information. At this point, I'm really not looking to do any serious off-roading, the vehicle is bone stock as of now with plans really only for bigger wheels + tires. The camping I'm looking to do will be at campgrounds or at least easier to get to locations.

With that being said, I'm wondering if I should be looking at a different option for rack then? Possibly in that same price range. I just became overwhelmed with the sheer amount of options and then the reviews on each.

Check your owner's manual. Mine says the limit is 100 pounds. The weight of the cross bars comes out of that piddly 100 pounds.

If you're wanting to put a RTT up there it'll need to connect solidly beyond just the rails (e.g. bolt through the roof) or be an exoskeleton. The better exoskeletons don't touch paint and don't require drilling through the roof.

 

[Whaler27]

My brother and I both have the Rhino systems. It‘s a great solution. His gets twisted and bumped every which way, and he developed a tiny leak, so he removed the bolts, applied more RTV, and the thing has been perfect for the last three years. Mine has been too, and I take my top off a lot.

Ease of top removal is part of the appeal, as it’s just two more bolts.

On roof top tents: everything is a tradeoff. I ultimately went with Roofnest latest low-profile falcon-pro. Even that low profile cross section adds wind noise and significant drag. It’s also quite a bit heavier. Two points matter here:

My two cents:
1) Don’t pick a rack system which will eliminate half the tent options due to dynamic weight rating limitations and,
2) If the tent will be up there a lot, and you’re on 37s or 38s and debating 488 or 513 gearing, go with the 513s. The 488s were the right gear for me until I added weight and the RTT.

 

[dpike]

I've been very happy with my Gobi rack and ikamper hardshell rtt. They both might be a bit pricier than your original choices but they work great for me

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