Any good rooftop racks that mount to the BACK of the roof (leave the freedom panels "free"?

[jlg]

Folks, I have 12' and 10' kayaks that I would like to get a roof rack for.
I have the Thule Hull-a-port PROs that I used to use on my old Honda element (mounts to the cross bars on the roof rack).
I'd like to re-use these, so looking for a rack that has cross bars, but far apart, that mount to the BACK roof and don't interfere with removing the freedom panels.

BTW, I have a hard LOMAX tonneau cover, so something that would go in the bed won't work...

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[jlg]

I had looked at a BUNCH of different places for a couple of weeks before posting this, but I never saw the MOPAR removable roof rack

https://www.quadratec.com/p/mopar/removable-roof-rack-kit-jeep-wrangler-jl

Anyone have good/bad experience with this?

 

[RatZer0]

The Mopar rack won't work with the OPs requirements:

"Not recommended for water sports, canoe or paddle board carriers. "

Personally, I've never really trusted the racks that grip onto the 'rain gutter' on Hard Tops. Seems like a climber holding ontoa ledge with just his fingertips, LoL.

I'd be interested in finding something as well, especially something that would work with my Sunrider Bestop. Problem being, unless it's bolted through the hard top I would question how secure it really would be.

 

[Kch]

Maximus 3 has a rooftop rack that bolts through the hardtop onto the roll bar. It will hold 1000 pounds static weight. Don't remember the off road weight. But it would definitely handle a couple of kayaks. You can still remove the freedom panels with it mounted. It's not cheap, but from what I can tell they make premium stuff.

 

[Screamineagle]

I have my kayaks rack on the Leitner rack I installed but I also have a gutter rack mount on the cab of JT.

If you look at the pics the one showing the kayak on it is the spacing of my Rhino gutter racks the spacing is the max you can distance them and still maintain front tops removal.

I, as seen in other pic, moved the rack a little forward as I installed a Rhino Pioneer rack on it and had to maintain a little more clearance for the front of the kayaks.

I had a different gutter mount on my Wrangler but didn't like the way it mounted.

The Rhino gutter mounts are a lot more secure and along with the HD crossbars its a lot more capable of holding heavier weights. Which obviously depends on the weight capacity of the cab of the JT.

I bought mine from etrailer.com they carry several types. The Rhino system is a little more expensive but great quality.

The issue you may have is are you going to get enough spacing between the racks to securely hold your kayaks, trial and error. And obviously how much weight you are going to carry on them vs cab capacity.

If you go to Rhino on the etrailer site you can see the different types they make as well as the Rhino HD crossbars.

Hope this helps.

 

[bheath-atx]

I went with the Thule gutter feet and bars. Bought it for my SUP to get it to the lake

 

[JeepHouse]

The Mopar rack won't work with the OPs requirements:

"Not recommended for water sports, canoe or paddle board carriers. "

Personally, I've never really trusted the racks that grip onto the 'rain gutter' on Hard Tops. Seems like a climber holding ontoa ledge with just his fingertips, LoL.

I'd be interested in finding something as well, especially something that would work with my Sunrider Bestop. Problem being, unless it's bolted through the hard top I would question how secure it really would be.

Where is the warning for the Mopar rack against water sports? I may be looking at the wrong product

https://store.mopar.com/accessories..._side_rails/removable_roof_rack_82215387.html

 

[Screamineagle]

Where is the warning for the Mopar rack against water sports? I may be looking at the wrong product

https://store.mopar.com/accessories..._side_rails/removable_roof_rack_82215387.html

Jeephouse
This is a quote from Quadratec on the weight issue of these racks, not mine!

"Unfortunately, that data has not become available yet. This will not be able to hold a lot of weight, because it attaches directly to the hardtop. The JK hard top could not hold more than about 150lbs of evenly distributed weight. You can expect similar results from this rack, but an exact weight rating has not been published. Mopar has stated this is not recommended for canoes or kayaks. A rooftop tent is out of the question for any hardtop mounted rack."

 

[JeepHouse]

Jeephouse
This is a quote from Quadratec on the weight issue of these racks, not mine!

"Unfortunately, that data has not become available yet. This will not be able to hold a lot of weight, because it attaches directly to the hardtop. The JK hard top could not hold more than about 150lbs of evenly distributed weight. You can expect similar results from this rack, but an exact weight rating has not been published. Mopar has stated this is not recommended for canoes or kayaks. A rooftop tent is out of the question for any hardtop mounted rack."

Thanks for setting me straight, I see it on the quadratec listing now.

 

[TheStig]

How is the wind noise with either the Rhino or Thule racks on top of the hard top?

 

[Screamineagle]

How is the wind noise with either the Rhino or Thule racks on top of the hard top?

It’s there but it’s a Jeep there’s always wind noise.
The value of its use and purpose outweighs the wind noise in my opinion.

 

[MojaveJohn]

I had looked at a BUNCH of different places for a couple of weeks before posting this, but I never saw the MOPAR removable roof rack

https://www.quadratec.com/p/mopar/removable-roof-rack-kit-jeep-wrangler-jl

Anyone have good/bad experience with this?

It received some poor reviews, unfortunately. Most of what I read talked about irritating whistling that requires some troubleshooting. I'm looking for a good rig rack for toting my 18 ft kayak now too.

 

[Frank...]

I bought a pair of exposed racks crossbars, 300 Lb dynamic load rating.
They appear to be flexible as far as positioning goes and have access to the front freedom panels. No drilling required, I plan on putting 2 kayaks up there. They also sell adapters for use with a soft top. I had rhino racks for my car & they can only be placed in an exact spot. Quadratec sells the exposed racks.

 

[Jeefo]

I bought a pair of exposed racks crossbars, 300 Lb dynamic load rating.
They appear to be flexible as far as positioning goes and have access to the front freedom panels. No drilling required, I plan on putting 2 kayaks up there. They also sell adapters for use with a soft top. I had rhino racks for my car & they can only be placed in an exact spot. Quadratec sells the exposed racks.

I'm considering the same. Will have two <50lb kayaks and really don't want to drill into the hard top for how infrequently we'd actually be using the kayaks. Just want this to be secure enough since my bed will be taken by 10" voodoo rack and Roofnest.

 

[Frank...]

Exposed racks go on tomorrow, I’ll put some pics up.

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