kayakmike
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- Mike
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- Jan 23, 2019
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- Ramona, CA
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- 2020 Jeep Gladiator Granite Crystal Metallic Launch Edition
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- #1
Does anyone have experience with the Ram bed mounted racks, or looked really close at the bed rack on a JT at one of the auto shows?
I'm wondering when the aft bar is moved all the way back, how close it would be to the end of the bed. Bikes are not a problem, but concerned about carrying kayaks. While the early marketing photos show kayaks, they appear to be shorter playboats and the roof is always removed (so kayak can stick into passenger compartment). I'm wondering how the JT will REALLY handle kayaks on a bed rack. If the aft bar can only be moved back to say 6" from the tailgate, that means the aft bar is ~4.5' from the rear window. My usual downriver kayak is 7'9", but most buddy boats are closer to 9'. At 9', that would mean half the kayak is hanging off the aft bar, so this may only be useful for shorter playboats. Advantage of this I could still put my receiver bike mount off the back of the truck when carrying both kayaks and bikes.
Because I'd probably go with the bed rack, I wouldn't get the non-locking, soft tonneau cover. I kind of liked the look of this bed mount system below in one of the Mopar ads instead. Looks like this system is made by Decked (https://decked.com/products/decked-toyota-tacoma). Assuming the Decked JT price would be similar to the Tacoma, $1150 buys a lot of Rubbermaid bins that can be thrown in the bed (but not locked). Guess you could still stack plywood/gear on top of this, but would be higher than the tailgate at the intermediate position (which I think lines the top of the tailgate to the wheel wells).
I guess the other option is to forego the rack and bed storage and just throw kayaks in the bed with the tailgate down. Lose some storage space for the rest of the paddling gear. Lose the ability to put a receiver bike mount on the back.
Not looking for a roof mount solution, or bed rack that lifts kayaks above roof height. I'm tired of climbing on top of my Grand Cherokee to tie down kayaks...
I'm wondering when the aft bar is moved all the way back, how close it would be to the end of the bed. Bikes are not a problem, but concerned about carrying kayaks. While the early marketing photos show kayaks, they appear to be shorter playboats and the roof is always removed (so kayak can stick into passenger compartment). I'm wondering how the JT will REALLY handle kayaks on a bed rack. If the aft bar can only be moved back to say 6" from the tailgate, that means the aft bar is ~4.5' from the rear window. My usual downriver kayak is 7'9", but most buddy boats are closer to 9'. At 9', that would mean half the kayak is hanging off the aft bar, so this may only be useful for shorter playboats. Advantage of this I could still put my receiver bike mount off the back of the truck when carrying both kayaks and bikes.
Because I'd probably go with the bed rack, I wouldn't get the non-locking, soft tonneau cover. I kind of liked the look of this bed mount system below in one of the Mopar ads instead. Looks like this system is made by Decked (https://decked.com/products/decked-toyota-tacoma). Assuming the Decked JT price would be similar to the Tacoma, $1150 buys a lot of Rubbermaid bins that can be thrown in the bed (but not locked). Guess you could still stack plywood/gear on top of this, but would be higher than the tailgate at the intermediate position (which I think lines the top of the tailgate to the wheel wells).
I guess the other option is to forego the rack and bed storage and just throw kayaks in the bed with the tailgate down. Lose some storage space for the rest of the paddling gear. Lose the ability to put a receiver bike mount on the back.
Not looking for a roof mount solution, or bed rack that lifts kayaks above roof height. I'm tired of climbing on top of my Grand Cherokee to tie down kayaks...
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