Rhino Rack vs. Maximus-3

[Vom Hoko]

Very interesting to see this option too (but still only for 4door I think). Looking forward to hear what you think of the Yakima towers and LockNLoad Expansion system when it's all together. How does it look inside?

I think It's pretty clean inside.
You'll notice the two knobs that house the bolts for the middle two attachment points for each track/rail. I think those knobs are a pretty cheesy method of attachment. Too lean. It would be much better with a single plate spanning the two attachments for greater strength/distribution, which I will probaby fab on my own.
Minor whines: it would have also been nice if Yakima had provided a template for trimming the headliners, that one of those nice details would have been a nice customer service touch, but like I said, even their written installation instructions sucked. Without the video, it would have been a challenging install.

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[STW]

I think It's pretty clean inside.
You'll notice the two knobs that house the bolts for the middle two attachment points for each track/rail. I think those knobs are a pretty cheesy method of attachment. Too lean. It would be much better with a single plate spanning the two attachments for greater strength/distribution, which I will probaby fab on my own.
Minor whines: it would have also been nice if Yakima had provided a template for trimming the headliners, that one of those nice details would have been a nice customer service touch, but like I said, even their written installation instructions sucked. Without the video, it would have been a challenging install.

thanks for the interior photos. How does the fluted vertical rod attach to the fitting in the plate above, and then into the fixture on the rollcage? Looks almost like a ball joint but probably not because it does not need that kind of joint functionality. Does it thread in with with threaded adjustment such that a threaded interface is what is supporting the weight? Or does it thread into those knobs just for attachment and the weight is carried through the rod without the threads themselves carrying the weight?

You're up close there and so your impression counts, but that plate bolted to the underside of the hardtop that holds the knob, that plate looks like a strong 3D design for weight loading. Also the fluted rod itself looks like a strong design, so as long as the weight bearing interfaces on both ends of the rod are good design, then I'd expect it to be a strong design. Yakima is a big, long-standing company that doesn't like the liability of bad design, generally doesn't do things half-way, and with a history of well-engineered applications, so I wouldn't be surprised if their stated load limits are tested and worth trusting.

 

[Vom Hoko]

thanks for the interior photos. How does the fluted vertical rod attach to the fitting in the plate above, and then into the fixture on the rollcage? Looks almost like a ball joint but probably not because it does not need that kind of joint functionality. Does it thread in with with threaded adjustment such that a threaded interface is what is supporting the weight? Or does it thread into those knobs just for attachment and the weight is carried through the rod without the threads themselves carrying the weight?

You're up close there and so your impression counts, but that plate bolted to the underside of the hardtop that holds the knob, that plate looks like a strong 3D design for weight loading. Also the fluted rod itself looks like a strong design, so as long as the weight bearing interfaces on both ends of the rod are good design, then I'd expect it to be a strong design. Yakima is a big, long-standing company that doesn't like the liability of bad design, generally doesn't do things half-way, and with a history of well-engineered applications, so I wouldn't be surprised if their stated load limits are tested and worth trusting.

The fluted rod turns to adjust the length of the assembly, and that is indeed a ball joint which is a threaded insert to the fluted rod with lock nut tpo set final adjustment.
You can run "2 bars," which give you the 220lb static, or "3 bars" for the 330 static. I went for the 330lb rating. No actual "bars" are required in this assembly since the track tower+track support+platform is the new, alternative assembly to using bars. None of the installation manuals even mention the new track towers and hence need updating.
At this time, Yakima currently lacks any explanation of the entire assembly, which includes:
1 - Ribcage kit for JLU (they have a similar one for the JK)
1 - LocknLoad Platform B (54x60), which ships as a 2 bar system (220 lb static)
3 - TrackTower kits (2 towers/kit). Only 2 kits required if going light with the 220 lb/"2 bar" system.
6 - Same set keys/lockset for each of the towers
3 - SL Adapter kits (i.e., plate/spacer and barrel screw, which connect the top of each tower to the support tracks
1 - Expansion kit. This provides the two additional support tracks for the 3rd set of towers, which again give you the 330lb static weight. These support tracks connect the platform to the tower assemblies.
I'll send more pics after completing assembly.

 

[STW]

thanks for the info. That 330 lb. static load puts it right on the edge of what you need for a roof-top tent, and generally not enough if two are sleeping up there. My roof-top tent weighs 125 lbs., pretty lightweight, and subtracted from the higher limit 330 lbs you mention, that only leaves 205 lbs of static load. That could work for one guy but usually two people are going to weigh more than 205.

Not saying a roof-top tent was your use case--don't remember from the previous post--but it's a common reason people want to put a roof rack on a JL.

 

[pnwchris]

thanks for the info. That 330 lb. static load puts it right on the edge of what you need for a roof-top tent, and generally not enough if two are sleeping up there. My roof-top tent weighs 125 lbs., pretty lightweight, and subtracted from the higher limit 330 lbs you mention, that only leaves 205 lbs of static load. That could work for one guy but usually two people are going to weigh more than 205.

Not saying a roof-top tent was your use case--don't remember from the previous post--but it's a common reason people want to put a roof rack on a JL.

FYi the rack is rated at 330 dynamic off-road, not static. The static rating is 825 lbs.

This blows other racks like the backbone out of the water since that’s only rated at 191 on road or 138 off road and 720 static. I always wince a bit when I see a video of someone off roading with the backbone and 200+ lbs up top.

The only rack I have seen come remotely close to that kind of rating is the Maximus-3 one.

 

[STW]

FYi the rack is rated at 330 dynamic off-road, not static. The static rating is 825 lbs.

This blows other racks like the backbone out of the water since that’s only rated at 191 on road or 138 off road and 720 static. I always wince a bit when I see a video of someone off roading with the backbone and 200+ lbs up top.

The only rack I have seen come remotely close to that kind of rating is the Maximus-3 one.

Ah, thanks for the correction. Yeah, that's ample static load capacity that puts in in the top category with the Maximus-3.

 

[Vom Hoko]

Got'r Done!!!

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