Maximus-3 2door roof rack with Rhino-Rack Pioneer platform

[STW]

Installed the Maximus-3 roof rack for the 2door. It uses Rhino-Rack's Pioneer platform (52" long by 54" wide). Also installed the Maximus-3 SLP hoop with reinforcements, their winch plate, and D-ring loops. Great stuff. Big thanks to Maximus-3 for making an excellent 2door product!
It's a tricky fit inside the hardtop for the front internal rack supports, and you want to drill the hard top very accurately and only once There may be some differences in the way 2022 JL roll bars fit, so hit me up with a message if you're going to install one of these. I'll let you know what to watch for. Maximus-3 will probably be updating their instructions to reflect these changes. There are some videos on youtube that help too, but they mostly use earlier JL models so there are differences, and no 2door specific videos I found.

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[JLR_AEV]

Looks great! Running the same set up and I used 2 ladders to put on each side.
Agree with the install being a bit of a pain

 

[STW]

Looks great! Running the same set up and I used 2 ladders to put on each side.
Agree with the install being a bit of a pain

thanks!
I only used the one ladder and kept it on the driver's side, Defender 90 style. I'm not sure I'll use it very much, but if it makes the rack more useful to get up there and stow or lash things, then worth it. The ladder is an option and not part of the base price of the M-3 2door rack. So folks can decide 0, 1, or 2.
I'll have a roof top tent on there frequently and the ladder for that will be on the passenger side. The M-3 2door rack is rated at 300 lbs dynamic and 900 lbs static. That's a lot, and pretty much covers any need.

You can see the tight confines of the front interior supports. The JL roll bar has a big beefy platform there in the front corner of the roll bar with a threaded M8 hole ready to go, so it's the natural place to support the front of the rack. It just means you have to remove a lot of the sound bar to reach in there and even then it's not easy. Worth it, though.

 

[Swissswiss]

Wish they made a 40inch version trying to find something that pairs with my sunrider

 

[STW]

Wish they made a 40inch version trying to find something that pairs with my sunrider

So 40" in length so it doesn't interfere with the Sunrider folding back? If that's what you mean, then you might consider doing a search on the Rhino Rack Pioneer Platform page--they have lots of dimensions of Pioneer Platforms and might have one only 40" long. Maximus-3 can sell you their bracket kit without the 52x54 version of Rhino-Rack's Pioneer Platform, and you can source the size you want yourself. The Maximus-3 bracket kit is not cheap, and not listed on their website but ask customer service--when they answered my question about a bracket-only sale, it was close to $400.

A third and more fiddly option if Rhino-Rack doesn't offer a 40x54" Pioneer Platform: you could consider cutting down the length of the 52" long version that comes with the Maximus-3 kit. They are precision extrusions and it would mean squarely and cleanly cutting the two side pieces and the 5 longitudinal slats. You'd have to drill some new holes to join up the side rails to the corner pieces because those holes are pre-drilled. in the side rail ends. If I were going to try it and didn't already own the Platform, I'd see if Rhino-Rack would make a custom length one first.

The other two options for drill-through rack brackets that tie in the tub are Rhino-Rack's own that may have a version for the 2door roof length (?), and I think Front Runner has a drill through option that is supported on the tub inside too. Also don't remember if there is a 2door version of that. I preferred the Maximus-3 version because it's by far the lowest profile rack, and because tying into the roll bar seems like superior support compared to long brackets extending to the tub edge. A possible advantage of Rhino-Rack's own drill-through version is the hardtop is removed/replaced somewhat more easily.

 

[bydney]

looks great! I'm trying to figure out the difference between the roof rack system they sell versus just buying the platform separately. they don't have much info on their website as far as what is included.

 

[STW]

looks great! I'm trying to figure out the difference between the roof rack system they sell versus just buying the platform separately. they don't have much info on their website as far as what is included.

Yeah, the Maximus-3 website doesn't show a lot. Their system includes 1) the brackets I show in those photos. They seem precision made to exactly fit the JL roll bar and hardtop and be strong enough to support 900 lbs static load. Fiddly to install but the fit was right. 2) there is a antenna relocation bracket-simple and small--that moves your Sirius/Uconnect antenna from the roll bar to in front of the windshield frame because I suppose once you install the rack platform overhead the aluminum can block the signal in its OEM position. And 3) the Rhino-Rack Pioneer Platform. This is made by Rhino-Rack, branded as such, and arrives in Rhino-Rack packaging and instructions. You can check the Rhino-Rack website to learn more about it, and you can compare to their own BackBone (?) mount system that supports their Pioneer Platforms.

Maximus-3 options include the ladder and its tub bracket.
Rhino-Rack options include various rails for the platform and many other accessories for load carrying and mounting stuff up there.

I originally bought the system just for the low profile Maximus-3 brackets to fit a 2door and support the static load of a roof top tent. But it turned out I like the Pioneer Platform a lot too for it's quality and accessories, and its longitudinal slats.

(No connection whatsoever to Maximus-3 or Rhino-Rack, by the way. Just providing info on my experience with the stuff.)

 

[Paul19JLR]

Still loving the Maximus-3 rack. When we installed it, we lifted to hardtop a few inches. Actually used rolls of painters tape to hold it up about three inches. That gave room to get the brackets on the rollbar. Of course being the first, we didn't have any instructions.

 

[sourdough]

OP give a review after you've fully tested it please.
I've looked at this maximus-3 before. It looks like it will do the job very well and you are putting it to use. Jelly. Glad to see a company supporting our 2 doors. The mounts to the roll cage are way stronger than the gutter mounted stuff and the ladder looks very handy. I recognize the value of a well made product, just not sure I'm ready for the big leap into something as high dollar and permanent. My next road trip will be the tell.
I assembled my DIY rack from left over items I had kicking around in the shed. Haha

Parts assemblage. gutter clamps are recycled truck canopy hold downs with extension rod, scrap plywood and a recycled, resized RV roof rail. Empty weight about 20 lbs. My big expense was a $40 roof bag that will carry a bulky tent, tarp, adj. poles and traction mats. I'm keeping the carried items weight down to 50 lbs.,so under 80 lbs. for it all. This is not intended for long term use. Just an experiment as to my need of a roof rack.

 

[STW]

Still loving the Maximus-3 rack. When we installed it, we lifted to hardtop a few inches. Actually used rolls of painters tape to hold it up about three inches. That gave room to get the brackets on the rollbar. Of course being the first, we didn't have any instructions.

Great set up!
Lifting the top a few inches makes a lot of sense to do some of the fiddly work on the front brackets where there is not much room.

The difficult part of the install is drilling the holes accurately. The detailed instructions that came with the Maximus-3 showed an earlier model Pioneer Platform, and somehow the measurement between the front and rear holes was clearly different in instructions than what would be right on my Jeep.

I didn't use their measurements to drill my holes. Instead I installed the brackets first, put the hardtop back on and then marked with a pencil where the holes should be drilled. (for the front brackets I held a shortened pencil in a needlenosed vice-grip pliers to reach in there to put the pencil up through the bracket hole to mark the hardtop (got the idea from a photo in the Maximus-3 instructions).

Then removed the hardtop to drill 8 holes.

They fit exactly this way (I can can measure front-rear distance if anyone needs it.

Then test-insert the bolts from inside so you know every thing lines up. The two bolts that hold each tower/foot are inserted from the outside and it's a tight fit to reach into the front brackets to attach the front nuts on the inside of the hardtop. These bolts are sealed with rubber washers and I have had no leaks this winter since install.

Mount the bracket towers to the Pioneer Platform crossbars before you lower the bracket towers down on to the hardtop--lining them up with the drilled holes. There is very little clearance between hardtop and crossbar and it's way difficult to insert the bolts between the tower bracket and cross bar if you've bolted down the tower/feet first. Instead, get tower/feet positioned correctly over the holes (see paragraph below) and then tighten down the M10 bolts between crossbar and tower/feet before you bolt down the tower/feet.

The crossbars on the Pioneer Platform are infinitely adjustable forward-and-back so it's easy to adjust them so the tower bracket feet will go right down over the exposed bolts. Before lowering the platform/tower brackets on the the roof, measure the distance between the exposed bolts (fore-aft and left-right) so you can adjust the Platform crossbars fore-aft, and the left-right tower bracket position. This was easy enough that it was right on the first try for me when I lowered the platform. But if it needs adjustment the first time you lower it, just lift it off again and adjust fore-aft crossbars or tower left-right.

The 2-3 year old video I saw on Youtube of the Maxius-3 install showed a 4door so the distances didn't apply to our 2door. Also, they used the fore-aft distance in the Maximus-3 instructions to know where to drill the holes. Don't do that with the current Maximus-3 2door instructions because the distance was wrong in mine. Either follow what I describe above, or check on here for those us us with successful installs.

The Pioneer Platform is a time consuming build too, putting together the frame, slats, crossbars with lots of screws and bolts. All quality stuff and goes together well if you take the time.

edit: to correct my mistaken memory of how the tower/feet bolts attach towers to hard top.

 

[laraza2k1]

So happy with my Maximus-3 rack. The dual Roam 83L boxes fit nicely and free up needed storage inside the Jeep. Plans for the future include mounts for recovery boards and maybe a water storage system.

 

[JLR_AEV]

So happy with my Maximus-3 rack. The dual Roam 83L boxes fit nicely and free up needed storage inside the Jeep. Plans for the future include mounts for recovery boards and maybe a water storage system.

Plus one for the 83L Roam boxes
Fit perfectly

 

[laraza2k1]

Plus one for the 83L Roam boxes
Fit perfectly

So jelly of that AEV front bumper.... almost pulled the trigger on one last year but once optioned all out, price tag was $4K! Maybe one day.

 

[JLR_AEV]

So jelly of that AEV front bumper.... almost pulled the trigger on one last year but once optioned all out, price tag was $4K! Maybe one day.

Do it! You only live once
If you buy through AEV directly then there is no tax so that saves you some mula

 

[ZBRA]

Man that rack looks great, but how much more difficult does it make removal of the top?

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