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JL Sliding Roof Rack

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voodoo11

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Following now. As a former owner of a Gobi rack on my JK, I have several things on my wish list :)

I almost never tilted back the quick release on my gobi because it was cumbersome. Because of that and the real world inability to service it, I hesitate to buy another bolt on rack but am intrigued with new designs.

I would be interested in the following:

  • Modular/easily broken down. I would like to maintain the functionality of my JL including putting the windshield down. I also want a way to remove my hard top/swap to my soft top in the warm season to take advantage of the safari feature. Even if i had to keep certain frame pillars on my JL i'm happy to spend the time to do this.
  • These racks all eventually rust. Following the above, a rack that is modular would make it easier to "service" the rack. Break it down, treat the rust, put back on.
  • Must have the ability to remove and reinstall freedom panels.
  • Be strong but lightweight. For overland purposes weight and balance became an issue for me.
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furrandchalk

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This is looks perfect, but I’m also wondering about the weight rating. I intend to install a rack for a rooftop tent, assuming Jeep ever ships my 2.0.

I’m also wondering if it’s a nondestructive installation? Why drill through the sheet metal instead of bolting to the frame under the the rear bumper?

Not criticizing the design or anything. I really like it & I’m really interested in the product. I’m just wondering if I’m missing an obvious advantage to attaching it there. @lodoffroad
 

xeon

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Looks interesting. If it works so as to allow me to put the soft top down I am sold.
 
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lodoffroad

lodoffroad

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This is looks perfect, but I’m also wondering about the weight rating. I intend to install a rack for a rooftop tent, assuming Jeep ever ships my 2.0.

I’m also wondering if it’s a nondestructive installation? Why drill through the sheet metal instead of bolting to the frame under the the rear bumper?

Not criticizing the design or anything. I really like it & I’m really interested in the product. I’m just wondering if I’m missing an obvious advantage to attaching it there. @lodoffroad
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 that :crying: We stuck to surfaces that will not leak into the interior if altered!
 
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lodoffroad

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Following now. As a former owner of a Gobi rack on my JK, I have several things on my wish list :)

I almost never tilted back the quick release on my gobi because it was cumbersome. Because of that and the real world inability to service it, I hesitate to buy another bolt on rack but am intrigued with new designs.

I would be interested in the following:

  • Modular/easily broken down. I would like to maintain the functionality of my JL including putting the windshield down. I also want a way to remove my hard top/swap to my soft top in the warm season to take advantage of the safari feature. Even if i had to keep certain frame pillars on my JL i'm happy to spend the time to do this.
  • These racks all eventually rust. Following the above, a rack that is modular would make it easier to "service" the rack. Break it down, treat the rust, put back on.
  • Must have the ability to remove and reinstall freedom panels.
  • Be strong but lightweight. For overland purposes weight and balance became an issue for me.
It is pretty easily disassembled. You will retain the ability to use your soft fop and freedom panels, but you may have to slightly re-configure the cross bars overhead. It will be plenty strong and should be able to handle tents+people with ease.

As for lightweight... Is under 200lbs lightweight enough? :like:
 

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Cwelroy

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What issue do you see with the soft top? If you drove over and let us use yours as a test vehicle, then we can discuss. Especially if you have the rear Safety Package sensors :)
Where are you guys located in Indiana? I’m in Indy and have a JLU Sahara with dual top (soft top currently on) and the Peking sensors/ safety package. I’d be happy to let you use my Jeep for testing in exchange for a rack.
 
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lodoffroad

lodoffroad

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Where are you guys located in Indiana? I’m in Indy and have a JLU Sahara with dual top (soft top currently on) and the Peking sensors/ safety package. I’d be happy to let you use my Jeep for testing in exchange for a rack.

My man!! PM me your contact info and we can make it happen! We are located an hour north, near West Lafayette, IN.
 

AP_Rubi_18

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This seems like the rack I’ve been looking for to put in my soft top JLUR!
 

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furrandchalk

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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 that :crying: We stuck to surfaces that will not leak into the interior if altered!
Wow, perfect response. This will be an amazing rack.

Not like this is a game-changer or anything, but how much weight do you expect it can safely hold while sliding out? I assume you'll have to remove anything really heavy (like a RTT).
 
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lodoffroad

lodoffroad

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Wow, perfect response. This will be an amazing rack.

Not like this is a game-changer or anything, but how much weight do you expect it can safely hold while sliding out? I assume you'll have to remove anything really heavy (like a RTT).
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 :devil::devil::devil:
 

furrandchalk

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That would be awesome! Thank you for getting back with me so quickly. Looking forward to following development!
 

mat071975

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Will I still be able to go though a standard garage door after installing the rack? How much height will it add to the soft top?
 
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lodoffroad

lodoffroad

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Will I still be able to go though a standard garage door after installing the rack? How much height will it add to the soft top?
Well, that all depends on how much lift you have/tire size/ and a some other things, so it's hard to say. I can't give out exact sizes until the product is finalized unfortunately.
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