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Bed rack/storage for kayaks

Bobzdar

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So I finally got to drive a Gladiator today and got to look at the bed and try and answer this nagging question.

In regards to the back rack, the aft most position on the trail rail is 4’6” from the inside edge of the front of the bed. The last 6” is used by the framing for the tailgate, etc. So in theory, with the Mopar cross bars (if/when they are available), would limit to <9’ kayak.

The other interesting thing is with the trail rail installed, Yakima style racks can’t mount to the bed since they clamp around the bed frame (unless the trail rails are removed).

3CC27FBF-C290-4D90-AB4B-B50A17F492D3.jpeg
2016+ Tacoma mounts can be made to work, both yakima and thule (shown), but need slight modification.

20190630_161853.jpg
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kayakmike

kayakmike

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2016+ Tacoma mounts can be made to work, both yakima and thule (shown), but need slight modification.

20190630_161853.jpg
I'm really hoping I don't need an over-cab rack for my Gladiator...then I'm no better off than my Grand Cherokee. I've got the Mopar cross bars sitting in my shop. Just need my Granite LE to be built/delivered to start trying it out.
 

Bobzdar

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I'm really hoping I don't need an over-cab rack for my Gladiator...then I'm no better off than my Grand Cherokee. I've got the Mopar cross bars sitting in my shop. Just need my Granite LE to be built/delivered to start trying it out.
You don't, both Yakima and Thule make lower or adjustable racks, I was just pointing out that for mounting you can adapt the 2016+ tacoma kit from either manufacturer (they're different but both have been shown to work on here). I wanted above cab so I could fill the bed with stuff underneath the rack and also carry stuff that could extend over the cab. The xsporter pro from thule can be lowered - the amount of adjustability isn't huge due to the wheel well placement on the gladiator limiting how much the front can adjust, but you if you know how high you want it you can cut the front telescoping legs to hit that minimum height and still be able to raise it 6" or so from that. In actuality you could make it so it was only a few inches above the bed. It has a 450lb capacity, which is a lot higher than the mopar rails I'm sure. The non-adjustable rack I have has a an 800lb limit, and the 'pro' version has a 1000lb limit. So one of the other benefits of these rack is that they have a MUCH higher weight limit than either the roof rack or bed rails do.

Here's the Yakima setup another forum member put together, using their tacoma mounting kit. Probably what you're looking for as it's only about half height to the cab.

https://www.jeepgladiatorforum.com/forum/threads/thule-xsporter-pro.18303/
 
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kayakmike

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You don't, both Yakima and Thule make lower or adjustable racks, I was just pointing out that for mounting you can adapt the 2016+ tacoma kit from either manufacturer (they're different but both have been shown to work on here). I wanted above cab so I could fill the bed with stuff underneath the rack and also carry stuff that could extend over the cab. The xsporter pro from thule can be lowered - the amount of adjustability isn't huge due to the wheel well placement on the gladiator limiting how much the front can adjust, but you if you know how high you want it you can cut the front telescoping legs to hit that minimum height and still be able to raise it 6" or so from that. In actuality you could make it so it was only a few inches above the bed. It has a 450lb capacity, which is a lot higher than the mopar rails I'm sure. The non-adjustable rack I have has a an 800lb limit, and the 'pro' version has a 1000lb limit. So one of the other benefits of these rack is that they have a MUCH higher weight limit than either the roof rack or bed rails do.

Here's the Yakima setup another forum member put together, using their tacoma mounting kit. Probably what you're looking for as it's only about half height to the cab.

https://www.jeepgladiatorforum.com/forum/threads/thule-xsporter-pro.18303/
Yep, I've seen the posts Xsporter and Overhaul systems and like them. My point with the original post that started this thread is that ideally I'd like bed height rails so I can still put gear underneath the rails in the bed, and hopefully still put my Kuat hitch mount bike rack on the back. How well my whitewater kayaks fit on the bed rails is still TBD. The more I start seeing folks setups, the more I may end up caving in on an above roof line rack. I have an idea to adapt the Overhaul system to still work with the roll up tonneau cover & trail rail system, but in reality something will probably have to give.
 

Bobzdar

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Yep, I've seen the posts Xsporter and Overhaul systems and like them. My point with the original post that started this thread is that ideally I'd like bed height rails so I can still put gear underneath the rails in the bed, and hopefully still put my Kuat hitch mount bike rack on the back. How well my whitewater kayaks fit on the bed rails is still TBD. The more I start seeing folks setups, the more I may end up caving in on an above roof line rack. I have an idea to adapt the Overhaul system to still work with the roll up tonneau cover & trail rail system, but in reality something will probably have to give.
Gotcha. I had similar internal debates, they're all a compromise in some way. Given it's a truck with a fairly small bed, I didn't want to reduce bed storage at all, hence the high rack, but it does sacrfice some fuel mileage when stuff is put up there. When nothing is on it, it doesn't make any noise or reduce fuel mileage at all (and is easy to take off/put on), so it's pretty low compromise.
 

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Gobi Wan K

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I'm really hoping I don't need an over-cab rack for my Gladiator...then I'm no better off than my Grand Cherokee. I've got the Mopar cross bars sitting in my shop. Just need my Granite LE to be built/delivered to start trying it out.
I have been reading through this and understand your dilemma However having had pickups and SUVs I think a roof line rack on the Gladiator will be much easier than a Cherokee. You can stand on the tailgate/in the bed where as a Cherokee tailgate blocks access to the back. I still agree that it wont be as easy as a bed height rack but I don't think it will be bad and will offer more flexibility.
 

Malarkey21

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Sorry guys. Forgot about this thread. I Ended up making my own kayak rack for my truck. It’s all aluminum and I made inserts so it mounts to the bed rail system. It’s high enough to fit action packers underneath. For size the red kayak is 8ft. And the green is 9ft. The last picture is the bracket that I made to make it work. If you guys want more info let me know. I’ll take some more pics and share more details.

B6B833B3-6180-4019-B432-175AE07B018D.jpeg


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A9C1CE0F-4224-4D51-B598-979A70F5B39C.jpeg


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uplandgunner

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My solution until more aftermarket stuff comes online. I don't want to commit to first gen things so I went this way utilizing what I had and and some things that have other uses down the line. I used some Thule parts from the rack I used on my 2016 JKU and a receiver rack for hauling long stuff like boards and such
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conenopka

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I just put the J mounts up to haul the kayak and it works great! This is the ROLA rack for the tacoma frontier. Had no issues and made no modifications to mount it to the Gladiator.

IMG_0806.JPG
 

conenopka

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Works great for the kayak using the add on J hook kayak racks I bought from amazon.

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Sorry guys. Forgot about this thread. I Ended up making my own kayak rack for my truck. It’s all aluminum and I made inserts so it mounts to the bed rail system. It’s high enough to fit action packers underneath. For size the red kayak is 8ft. And the green is 9ft. The last picture is the bracket that I made to make it work. If you guys want more info let me know. I’ll take some more pics and share more details.

B6B833B3-6180-4019-B432-175AE07B018D.jpeg


5B77909D-D386-4DCF-BDBB-9AF96E0E1C79.jpeg


A9C1CE0F-4224-4D51-B598-979A70F5B39C.jpeg


E5E83F3E-1D35-4803-AFF7-5F1F073CA36C.jpeg


8C6355F6-9B5C-4014-AEC6-567320C64279.jpeg
Did you make those?
 

Gladiatorsurfergirl

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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.
2020-Jeep-Gladiator-Pickup-Truck-Release-Review.jpg


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).
18-3137_0403.jpg


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...
IMG_2821.jpg

I'm not sure how well this will work with a kayak (or even a longboard), but I'm thinking about getting a bed extender and then sticking my 9'4 longboard tail first in the back of the bed and securing the tip of the board to the bed extender. Some of the board will still stick out of the back of the truck even with the extender, but that's the best I've been able to come up with since I don't want a roof rack, and still not sure if it will do the trick.
 
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kayakmike

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I'm not sure how well this will work with a kayak (or even a longboard), but I'm thinking about getting a bed extender and then sticking my 9'4 longboard tail first in the back of the bed and securing the tip of the board to the bed extender. Some of the board will still stick out of the back of the truck even with the extender, but that's the best I've been able to come up with since I don't want a roof rack, and still not sure if it will do the trick.
Well, you're responding to my original post was from February, months before we could touch our first JT.

You can see real world results of mounting kayaks on the Mopar bars in my build thread in this post:
https://www.jeepgladiatorforum.com/...-crystal-metallic-le-build.22811/#post-354028

Bed extender is another option I had thrown out, but right now AMP is the only ones offering one and not a fan of the limited span at the tailgate edge.
 

Gladiatorsurfergirl

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Well, you're responding to my original post was from February, months before we could touch our first JT.

You can see real world results of mounting kayaks on the Mopar bars in my build thread in this post:
https://www.jeepgladiatorforum.com/...-crystal-metallic-le-build.22811/#post-354028

Bed extender is another option I had thrown out, but right now AMP is the only ones offering one and not a fan of the limited span at the tailgate edge.
Thank you for all of this info! Since your yellow kayak is longer than my board, it was very helpful to see all the different configurations you tried.
 
 



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