LoD Destroyer Series Sliding Roof Rack

[BullMoose1776]

I received my 270 awning, Wraptor 4k 270, and installed it yesterday on my sliding roof rack. Need to adjust it forward a bit as the rear didn't need to overhang as much as I thought, but overall works pretty well mounting it to the crossbar like @lodoffroad mentioned several posts above.

This Jeep is straight rock and roll.

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[lodoffroad]

Yeah that was a good to see. I had not seen it. Only question I have left is how when you mount a rooftop tent and then fold the tent out (iKamper Skycamp 2.0). Does the side railing of the rack interfere with the floor of the tent flattening out?

Hi TxJeeper,
The you can move the cross members into any position on the rack that you like. For a roof top tent, you would move two of the cross members to the upper rail. This would allow the tent to open fully without interfering with the basket. The other cross members can be on the lower rail like normal.

 

[m3lover1]

This Jeep is straight rock and roll.

Hahahahahah thanks man.

Hi TxJeeper,
The you can move the cross members into any position on the rack that you like. For a roof top tent, you would move two of the cross members to the upper rail. This would allow the tent to open fully without interfering with the basket. The other cross members can be on the lower rail like normal.

Exactly! My tent folds out towards passenger side and folds out flat no problem!

 

[Gee-pah]

Yeah that was a good to see. I had not seen it. Only question I have left is how when you mount a rooftop tent and then fold the tent out (iKamper Skycamp 2.0). Does the side railing of the rack interfere with the floor of the tent flattening out?

Mark:

Two points. In fairness to @lodoffroad , the issues the poster had with his soft top not only, as I said, have NOTHING to do with the LOD rack, but there are not soft top issues likely to be experienced by JL owners: this poster a JK owner.

When the LOD sliding rack was binding on close in this video it had NOTHING to do with the rack but the simple fact that the soft top was NOT in its correct position--a situation BTW that was not realized only as a product of owner technique and not exacerbated by the rack.

I appreciate the poster taking the time to film this...and of course nothing goes smoothly once the record button is pressed.

A second thing. You mentioned the Top Lift Pro prior.

As I've mentioned elsewhere, IMHO the Top Life Pro may be a difficult device to use with the LOD rack, and IMHO, an impossible device to use with the Gobi rack's "back tilting" design.

I say this because the LOD rack requires the rear of the hard top to be lifted just a tad, to clear the tub but not exceed the height of the rack's rear cross member.



To hold a Top Lift Pro at a tiny height increase and move it (although the Top lift pro could remain stationary and somebody could move the Wrangler forward) could be hard. IMHO the Top Lift Pro is most stable when it's allowed, with the hard top on it, to be levered first to its maximum height and locked in that position, before activating its wheels.

Here, again, the Freedom Jack, https://www.freedom-jack.com/, in this unique situation--and not to disparage the Top Lift Pro, is IMHO a "better mousetrap" in its ability, albeit with a separately purchased and not too pricey 1 ton engine crane from Harbor Freight, etc., to get things done, in the engine crane's ability to lock height at an infinite number of positions between the crane fully up and down. It can be cranked up every so slightly to pull the a hard top which clears the tub, just "South" of the LOD rack's rear cross member, and then changed in height thereafter to whatever level, within its operating range, its owner desires.

The Gobi and LOD racks, as well as the Top Lift Pro and Freedom Jack are 4 excellent products. And like all excellent products they have their indications and contraindications that in no way detract from their worth, just not make them the "be all" for all situations.

 

[Gee-pah]

Hi TxJeeper,
The you can move the cross members into any position on the rack that you like. For a roof top tent, you would move two of the cross members to the upper rail. This would allow the tent to open fully without interfering with the basket. The other cross members can be on the lower rail like normal.

I'm wondering if I'm the one who misunderstood this question.

As I see it, Mark's question was a bit like, if you'll pardon the analogy, "how do I open the doors of this shed if stick it in the LOD sliding basket?

True @lodoffroad , without question, your basket's ability to move its
cross members forward or back would be awesome in positioning under that being transported ("shed" or roof tent), but it would seem that "elevating the shed" above the height of the basket, or opting for your awesome fixed panels without perimeter height might be solutions.

It looks like the rooftop tent pictured higher up in this thread opens such that your basket's slightly elevated confines don't pose issue.

Of course, the shed is just a metaphor.

 

[m3lover1]

I'm wondering if I'm the one who misunderstood this question.

As I see it, Mark's question was a bit like, if you'll pardon the analogy, "how do I open the doors of this shed if stick it in the LOD sliding basket?

True @lodoffroad , without question, your basket's ability to move its
cross members forward or back would be awesome in positioning under that being transported ("shed" or roof tent), but it would seem that "elevating the shed" above the height of the basket, or opting for your awesome fixed panels without perimeter height might be solutions.

It looks like the rooftop tent pictured higher up in this thread opens such that your basket's slightly elevated confines don't pose issue.

Of course, the shed is just a metaphor.

With the basket, the crossbars can not only be moved forwards and backwards, but also up and down, either attaching on the lower bar of the basket or the upper bar. So like in my case, I have two bars mounted on the upper basket bar, and the RTT is mounted on those two bars. The two crossbars are pretty much on the same plane as the outer bars that it is mounted to. With most tents having a channel on the bottom to slide the bolts to, that also elevates the tent by another inch or so. Opening up my tent fully I can still slide my finger between the bottom of my tent and the upper basket bar. I then have another two crossbars mounted on the lower basket bar, with the panels attached to that one, in order to mount my Roam storage box. That way the box sits lower and not as high.

Hope this helps, and hope I read your post correctly lol.

 

[Gee-pah]

With the basket, the crossbars can not only be moved forwards and backwards, but also up and down, either attaching on the lower bar of the basket or the upper bar. So like in my case, I have two bars mounted on the upper basket bar, and the RTT is mounted on those two bars. The two crossbars are pretty much on the same plane as the outer bars that it is mounted to. With most tents having a channel on the bottom to slide the bolts to, that also elevates the tent by another inch or so. Opening up my tent fully I can still slide my finger between the bottom of my tent and the upper basket bar. I then have another two crossbars mounted on the lower basket bar, with the panels attached to that one, in order to mount my Roam storage box. That way the box sits lower and not as high.

Hope this helps, and hope I read your post correctly lol.

Gotcha Ricky. By you affixing the cross members to the basket's highest altitude piping you've effected my analogy of raising my shed such that its lowest height is at the top of the cage.

Thanks.

P.S. no doubt this is what @lodoffroad meant when they said " For a roof top tent, you would move two of the cross members to the upper rail. "

That terminology just didn't register with me at first.

 

[TxJeeper]

Mark:

Two points. In fairness to @lodoffroad , the issues the poster had with his soft top not only, as I said, have NOTHING to do with the LOD rack, but there are not soft top issues likely to be experienced by JL owners: this poster a JK owner.

When the LOD sliding rack was binding on close in this video it had NOTHING to do with the rack but the simple fact that the soft top was NOT in its correct position--a situation BTW that was not realized only as a product of owner technique and not exacerbated by the rack.

I appreciate the poster taking the time to film this...and of course nothing goes smoothly once the record button is pressed.

A second thing. You mentioned the Top Lift Pro prior.

As I've mentioned elsewhere, IMHO the Top Life Pro may be a difficult device to use with the LOD rack, and IMHO, an impossible device to use with the Gobi rack's "back tilting" design.

I say this because the LOD rack requires the rear of the hard top to be lifted just a tad, to clear the tub but not exceed the height of the rack's rear cross member.



To hold a Top Lift Pro at a tiny height increase and move it (although the Top lift pro could remain stationary and somebody could move the Wrangler forward) could be hard. IMHO the Top Lift Pro is most stable when it's allowed, with the hard top on it, to be levered first to its maximum height and locked in that position, before activating its wheels.

Here, again, the Freedom Jack, https://www.freedom-jack.com/, in this unique situation--and not to disparage the Top Lift Pro, is IMHO a "better mousetrap" in its ability, albeit with a separately purchased and not too pricey 1 ton engine crane from Harbor Freight, etc., to get things done, in the engine crane's ability to lock height at an infinite number of positions between the crane fully up and down. It can be cranked up every so slightly to pull the a hard top which clears the tub, just "South" of the LOD rack's rear cross member, and then changed in height thereafter to whatever level, within its operating range, its owner desires.

The Gobi and LOD racks, as well as the Top Lift Pro and Freedom Jack are 4 excellent products. And like all excellent products they have their indications and contraindications that in no way detract from their worth, just not make them the "be all" for all situations.

Wow thank you so much for a very detailed response. And I agree....sometimes we are ahead of ourself in the order of which products we buy first. I might check into the new top lift pro motor lift attachment. Ordering the LOD Base and Slide Rack this week. I still have a few questions concerning the mattress of the iKamper Mini before I pull the trigger on that purchase.

 

[Gee-pah]

Wow thank you so much for a very detailed response. And I agree....sometimes we are ahead of ourself in the order of which products we buy first. I might check into the new top lift pro motor lift attachment. Ordering the LOD Base and Slide Rack this week. I still have a few questions concerning the mattress of the iKamper Mini before I pull the trigger on that purchase.

I was not aware of Top Lift Pro's motor lift attachment until you mentioned it Mark; thanks. In what I'll presume is its ability to hold the hard top, like the Freedom Jack, at an infinite number of height positions, it may not only be an addition that make people's lives easier who don't have a roof rack, but an all but essential tool to using the Top Lift Pro with the LOD roof rack.

Yeah, if only we could have the money back for purchase decisions make at point A in time, when hindsight would have revealed that we ultimately took a different direction!

 

[TxJeeper]

I was not aware of Top Lift Pro's motor lift attachment until you mentioned it Mark; thanks. In what I'll presume is its ability to hold the hard top, like the Freedom Jack, at an infinite number of height positions, it may not only be an addition that make people's lives easier who don't have a roof rack, but an all but essential tool to using the Top Lift Pro with the LOD roof rack.

Yeah, if only we could have the money back for purchase decisions make at point A in time, when hindsight would have revealed that we ultimately took a different direction!

I hear ya! Education can be expensive.

 

[mbaglole]

I'm following in the footsteps of @m3lover1 the Jeep looks fantastic. Once I get everything installed I'll provide some pictures here! I do appreciate everyone's responses.

 

[mbaglole]

@m3lover1 which limb risers did you go with? We have a lot of trees in Washington :D

 

[m3lover1]

@m3lover1 which limb risers did you go with? We have a lot of trees in Washington :D

Smittybilt! But they are for JK, and don't think it works with JL out of the box (they don't sell one for JL for some reason). The part that attaches to the hood latches works, but if you don't have the rack like I do, then the attachment that goes on the door side I don't think it works. I used some mounts from axia alloys to mount that side to the tubing of my rack.

 

[mbaglole]

Thanks, Ricky - I'll take a closer look at the smittybilt and see how it attaches to the hood latches - I have the base + sliding rack currently en route :D

 

[m3lover1]

Thanks, Ricky - I'll take a closer look at the smittybilt and see how it attaches to the hood latches - I have the base + sliding rack currently en route :D

Oh in that case then no problem. The part that attaches to the hood latches will work from the get go. For the part that attaches to the rack, then get two of these and then voila.

LED light Bar Mount End Mount 8 mm 5/16″ end mount – Axia Alloys

Get two of them with 1.25" clamp size and you're golden.

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