Meet The TrailRax Pak Rax System

[TrailRax]

@TrailRax

I see a while back it was mentioned that you are working on a locking mechanism for this. is that available?

We are still working on that accessory. It is something we want to get to but with the current priorities of products to design, we have had to hold off on it. We are really invested in this Ford Bronco Pak Rax design right now.

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[Whaler27]

These look great. They’re also pretty expensive for a few CNC steel panels, so I want to make sure they will work and last as well as other steel components on my Jeep.

I have several questions based upon my needs and a couple complaints and concerns expressed on other forums. I hope you can help:

1) I have a rotopax container on my Warn Elite rear bumper. I don’t want to juggle three or four identical Rotopax keys when I want to release a container from one of the locations. Oddly, Rotopax doesn’t allow you to buy three or four same-keyed locks. What is the solution?

2) One of your customers from Michigan has posted pictures of his 9 month old rack which is rusting badly. I have no visible rust on any of the steel parts I’ve added to my Jeep over the last three years, so I assume this is a paint problem. Have you come up with a better paint solution that’s good enough to warranty/guarantee?

3) If I only want to mount a single 4 gallon container on each side is it possible to mount Max Trax on the racks Too? (Do you have an adaptor/mount that makes that possible?)

4) One reviewer claims the rack works back and forth against the top, cuts into it, and then becomes loose. Is this a weight/adjustment problem, or does this happen with most of them if they’re carrying as intended?

Thanks!

 

[tehkayd]

These look great. They’re also pretty expensive for a few CNC steel panels, so I want to make sure they will work and last as well as other steel components on my Jeep.

I have several questions based upon my needs and a couple complaints and concerns expressed on other forums. I hope you can help:

Trailrax is an amazing crew with a great product, I cannot speak enough on their solution. (this post is not a paid endorsement by Trailrax!!)
I am one year in and keep these on year round.

1) I decided not to use any locks on mine. Those locks have a rep for just rusting out so I run the risk.

2) I am one year in and have no rust. The powder coating is amazing. I even drilled into one side for traction boards and it is holding up.

3) I imagine you could build your own traction mount on the top with an angle over the Rotopax.

4) The attachment points are firm. I did learn from others that adding a pad or buffer helps prevent any rub on the paint but vibration happens so there is a little risk with the product.

 

[TrailRax]

These look great. They’re also pretty expensive for a few CNC steel panels, so I want to make sure they will work and last as well as other steel components on my Jeep.

I have several questions based upon my needs and a couple complaints and concerns expressed on other forums. I hope you can help:

1) I have a rotopax container on my Warn Elite rear bumper. I don’t want to juggle three or four identical Rotopax keys when I want to release a container from one of the locations. Oddly, Rotopax doesn’t allow you to buy three or four same-keyed locks. What is the solution?

2) One of your customers from Michigan has posted pictures of his 9 month old rack which is rusting badly. I have no visible rust on any of the steel parts I’ve added to my Jeep over the last three years, so I assume this is a paint problem. Have you come up with a better paint solution that’s good enough to warranty/guarantee?

3) If I only want to mount a single 4 gallon container on each side is it possible to mount Max Trax on the racks Too? (Do you have an adaptor/mount that makes that possible?)

4) One reviewer claims the rack works back and forth against the top, cuts into it, and then becomes loose. Is this a weight/adjustment problem, or does this happen with most of them if they’re carrying as intended?

Thanks!

Great questions! We will answer in the same order you asked them!

1. This question is for Rotopax. We do not key their products, that is up to them. As far as we have been informed from them, it is not something they do anymore. Short solution is to not use the LOX with keys. Sorry we had to be blunt with this answer.
2. We do not want to comment on this customer’s experience behind his back, but we attempted to work with him and try to come to a compromise to help his situation and he would not work with us. Our powder coat is the highest quality you can purchase. Our powder coat is run through a 5 stage iron phosphate (average or most common is 3-4 stage) then applied with a high quality satin black finish. Now due to different situations and uses, situations are different and have different outcomes. We have a lifetime limited warranty that can be view on our website. Unfotunately you cannot make every customer happy. We do our best to make sure our customers are extremely happy with our product and that we continue to serve them past just the date of their purchase.
3. You cannot mount a MaxTrax on top of a 4 gallon can. It will unfortunately be one or the other. We are currently in the process of making a Maxtrax bracket.
4. This cutting incident you mention is created when the rack loosens and is not re-torqued to snug up against the hardtop which then allows play and if not fixed, the rack could have movement, hence resulting in improper installation.

 

[Whaler27]

Great questions! We will answer in the same order you asked them!

1. This question is for Rotopax. We do not key their products, that is up to them. As far as we have been informed from them, it is not something they do anymore. Short solution is to not use the LOX with keys. Sorry we had to be blunt with this answer.
2. We do not want to comment on this customer’s experience behind his back, but we attempted to work with him and try to come to a compromise to help his situation and he would not work with us. Our powder coat is the highest quality you can purchase. Our powder coat is run through a 5 stage iron phosphate (average or most common is 3-4 stage) then applied with a high quality satin black finish. Now due to different situations and uses, situations are different and have different outcomes. We have a lifetime limited warranty that can be view on our website. Unfotunately you cannot make every customer happy. We do our best to make sure our customers are extremely happy with our product and that we continue to serve them past just the date of their purchase.
3. You cannot mount a MaxTrax on top of a 4 gallon can. It will unfortunately be one or the other. We are currently in the process of making a Maxtrax bracket.
4. This cutting incident you mention is created when the rack loosens and is not re-torqued to snug up against the hardtop which then allows play and if not fixed, the rack could have movement, hence resulting in improper installation.

Thanks!
I'll keep the same numbers for a few follow-up questions.
1. Blunt is always best! Since Rotopax won't meet our needs, do you know of alternative fuel containers that mount on your system that have functional locks? (I'm not worried about losing them on the trail, but Rotopax containers and locks are extremely expensive, and we don't want to worry about having $1000 worth of stuff removed from the Jeep because we stopped to grab a burger near Crimeville, USA {Portland}.)
2. Understood. I didn't mean to solicit comment on that case. I just wanted to confirm that any problem was fixed. It sounds like it was.)
3. Do you have an ETA on your Maxtrax mount?
4. Are your racks designed be mounted permanently and stay in place, like Rhino products, or do they require regular fussing and readjusting?

Thanks again for the information!

 

[TrailRax]

Thanks!
I'll keep the same numbers for a few follow-up questions.
1. Blunt is always best! Since Rotopax won't meet our needs, do you know of alternative fuel containers that mount on your system that have functional locks? (I'm not worried about losing them on the trail, but Rotopax containers and locks are extremely expensive, and we don't want to worry about having $1000 worth of stuff removed from the Jeep because we stopped to grab a burger near Crimeville, USA {Portland}.)
2. Understood. I didn't mean to solicit comment on that case. I just wanted to confirm that any problem was fixed. It sounds like it was.)
3. Do you have an ETA on your Maxtrax mount?
4. Are your racks designed be mounted permanently and stay in place, like Rhino products, or do they require regular fussing and readjusting?

Thanks again for the information!

Hey! We will respond in the same way as last time…

1. As for alternatives, that is tough, they really have the market cornered. As an alternative we have seen work, buy the DLX or standard mounts and use a bike cable lock or similar to wraparound the cans.
2. Our powder coat has always been the same. We have always tried to advise customers not to use power tools or over tighten hardware as it can cripple or crack the powder coat underneath, if that happens, salt and water can be introduced and then spreads like wildfire underneath the powder coat. As long as there is no exposed metal and the product is taken care of just like the rest of your Jeep, you will not see issues.
3. At this time, we are hoping to have that bracket produced and ready for purchase by end of March.
4. The great part about our Pak Rax is it will cater to the user. This means it is removable to offer the ability to quickly remove the rack for daily driving or when not in use. This is great for a situation for you being in “crimeville” if you work in the city or are doing daily driving things and do not need the Pak Rax, it can be removed. Other situations do arise if you are on the road for your adventure and you stop in the city, that is when LOX on the rotopax are nice. Otherwise park in a public area where there is good foot traffic. Just like anything else on a car (even those catalytic converters) given the moment, it can be messed with, so try not to park in areas that would allow that behavior. Others and the majority of our customer base seems to love running the Pak Rax on the vehicle year around for that awesome look. We leave it up to the user for the modular and customizable fit and finish. Just like lug nuts on your wheels, after installing/reinstalling, check the torque spec after 100-200 miles of driving just in case of bolts coming loose.
Let us know if you have anymore questions!

 

[Whaler27]

Thanks!

 

[Whaler27]

Introducing our Pak Rax for the Jeep JL wrangler. This accessory is a substitute or add-on to an existing roof rack to maximize storage space by taking advantage of dead space on the wrangler. This rack allows for easy access to tools, fuel, and much more.

Our Pak Rax system is sold in PAIRS! meaning one for each side of your vehicle.

• Designed for Jeep Wranglers 2018 both 2-door and 4-door (MUST have hardtop)
• Powdercoated satin black
• Holds up to 60 lbs per side.
• Easily removable
• Minimal installation time

For more information please visit our website at https://www.trailrax.com/products/pak-rax-jl-2018-current

Use code "JLforum" for 10% OFF our Pak Rax kit.

The code didn’t work. Has it changed?

 

[TrailRax]

The code didn’t work. Has it changed?

The code does not work on items that are on sale. For instance, this weekend we are having 10% off TrailRax products and more. The discount code does not work while it is on sale.

 

[niJL]

I had an issue with my horizontal panels rusting after about 18 months(In the desert of SoCal), they replaced them very quickly and the new ones still look great after about 4 months.

Any emails I’ve sent have always been quickly answered. After about 22 months with them I still recommend them to people who want a good storage solution for their Jeep.

 

[GRAK]

January 2022 we will be releasing the single side Pak Rax for all those who are asking.

Gib link

 

[TrailRax]

Gib link

Sorry about the delay. We ran into a delay due to the extremely high demand of our Pak Rax kits and had to focus on making full kits before the single side models. We are expecting to get inventory in at the beginning of March. Presales will start by early March for them to ship around Mid-March.

 

[IQ_imbalance]

Any updates on a traction board that fits on the 4-door Jeeps (w/out an overhang) or a mount for one of the folding track boards?

 

[TrailRax]

Any updates on a traction board that fits on the 4-door Jeeps (w/out an overhang) or a mount for one of the folding track boards?

Unfortunately no. We are in the making of our own mount but it will still overhand the hardtop for 4 doors by a good 8-12 inches. Here is the image of the MaxTrax accessory plate that we are working on.

 

[Whaler27]

I bought your racks and installed them last weekend. They were well packed. They are also heavy and appear to be strong and well made. I'm glad I made the purchase, but I have a couple thoughts to share:

I think you'll have happier customers if you provide some instructions and/or provide a link to an installation video. The assembly is not complicated, but it's still helpful to see a diagram of how the parts interact, because some of the parts can be reversed. (I did have a single piece of paper with a written explanation of the order of the "bolt-rubber-washer-arm".)

I went to YouTube and found three longer-than-necessary bla-bla-bla installation videos, one of which wasn't helpful at all, as they guy and his wife were basically complaining about fit and lack of instructions. That video included no closeups showing the relative orientation of the support arms and the main plates, or even whether the sliding piece of the adjusting brackets on the bottoms go over or under the flange on the arms. Again, in retrospect this is an extremely straightforward assembly and installation, and enough staring at the parts made the assembly obvious, but most of us are used to following instructions or a video, as opposed to staring at the pieces long enough to figure out how they have to go together.

I also found myself second-guessing my choices, in part because the design of your center mounting panel is on it's third evolution since the JL model first came out, so my panel looked different from what I was seeing online. My kit also came with a bunch of nylock nuts and extra washers that have no role in the assembly (because the bolts on the latest version thread directly into the support arms instead of requiring nuts on the back). Finally, the rubber spacers/bumpers on my top arms are nowhere near contacting the top or the window glass, which seems odd. In fact, as I write this I find myself wanting to go back to the jeep and take another look.

Anyway, for those of us who are too dumb and impatient to just intuitively slap stuff together, a simple diagram that also included a parts list and a "tools required" section would be great. (The tools required piece tell guys like me that the nut I guess at 10mm is really 3/8th. It's nice just to take the tools list to the box, grab what you need, match the parts to the list to make sure it's all there, and assemble to match the diagram.

p.s. Thanks for the Overland Journal -- I really enjoyed looking through it!

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