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BuiltRight Industries Bedside Racks - Any Interest?

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BuiltRight

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So I made a set of these for my own truck recently and posted in my build thread. I got enough interest via reply and PM that I thought I should start this thread separately, to discuss bringing these to market and hopefully get some feedback from the community regarding features and such.

Jeep Gladiator BuiltRight Industries Bedside Racks - Any Interest? {filename}


Introduction:

First, a little background. I originally designed the Bedside Rack System for use in my own F-150. I was needing to load/carry/unload full pallets of product but didn't want to unload the gear I was using in the truck on the weekend. The unused space above the wheel wells was a perfect fit for most of that stuff, so I designed a set of panels and began manufacturing them.



It really picked up some steam quickly and I ended up winning the SEMA Launch Pad competition last year with the product.

Anyhow, our business still revolves around the Ford platform, but I recently bought my JT as a new daily driver and am really loving it. I've been tinkering with it after-hours but if there's enough interest in these panels, I'd really like to manufacture them and add the JT to our list of supported platforms.

To get to that point, though, I'd really value feedback from you guys regarding what attachments will be useful and how the panels can best interface with the truck.

Purpose:

The purpose is to make the space above the rear wheel wells useful by providing a modular mounting surface that gear, tools and accessories can be attached to. My proposed requirements include:

  1. Must be bolt-on and require no permanent modification to the truck
  2. Must be strong enough to support equipment like a hilift jack or 3gal gas can
  3. Must hit the $300ish price point for a set of four panels
  4. Must have an OEM-like fit and finish
  5. ?

I Need Your Help!

Here's where you guys come in. I want to be sure that panels don't just work for my uses, but for yours as well. Below are a couple items that would be helpful in refining my existing custom set (which I just made for myself) into a more complete product.

  1. Should we mount to the trail rail system or below it? Mounting to it simplifies installation, but does it occupy the rail space unnecessarily? If we mount below the rail, so we prevent fixed-width accessories from fitting by effectively moving the rails closer together?
  2. What accessories or gear would you be wanting to mount? Typical things are hilift jack, axe, shovel, tow straps, rotopax cans, fire extinguisher and so on. We have solution for all of those items, but is there anything else I'm missing?
  3. Should we make a panel to fit across the front of the bed as well?
  4. ?

Timing, Pricing, etc:

I really want this thread to be technical in nature but at some point, we'll begin taking payment and shipping these. In order to get to that point, I'm going to keep a list of users that are interested in a set of these, so that we can get an idea of how many people might be interested if we do a run of them. I think I'll do that in the next post. The more people we can get interested, the lower we can get the pricing. As we narrow in on a design, we can nail down pricing. That said, our existing kits are around $300 and I'd like to keep these around that. I base pricing very strictly on actual cost to manufacture, so it's just a matter of give and take.

As far as timing is concerned, once we've got some of these design issues sorted out, we'll run some more prototypes and maybe work with a couple members to do some testing and evaluation. I'd like to have that phase of the project complete in the next three weeks so that we can be shipping completed kits in early August.

Thoughts? Interest? I'd love your feedback! In any case, thanks for welcoming me into this great group!

Matt
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BuiltRight

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List of Interested JT Owners:

1. BuiltRight
2. Stoney15
3. 2020 SCRAMBLER
4. TheITGuy
5. G8R
6. Pion
2. steffen707
8. JeepDreams
9. Mjolnir
10. quetscoatl
11. ScaleRCCrawler
12. Cproch32
13. Gtlamans
14. Heathsrow
15. kenszel
16. ralphjjr
17. Rupicon
18. SleepyJeep
19. bgenlvtex
20. TJ Mitchell Films
21. techteacher
22. dangerousone
23. TampaJLU
24. kayakmike
25. EPTJ
26. DenverGladiator
27. sad85XD
28. Archie Bunker
29. pokerbob
30. Daddiator
31. STINGRAY92
32. Gren71
33. BlackDog
34. jeepncrowd
35. OneTraveler
36. Magnus Rudis
37. sbetts
38. MotoBrad
39. Gdavis
40. Bremen
41. BRD1941
42. jsyn
43. BK_Yeti
44. J33P3R
45. Sladecm
46. fitchottie
47. BeeeCeee
48. gmc1000_1965
49. TSOSGLAD8R
50.
51.
52.
53.
54.
55.
 
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BuiltRight

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Misc Photos from Design and Development

Jeep Gladiator BuiltRight Industries Bedside Racks - Any Interest? {filename}

I threw together an embarrassingly rough 3D model of the contours in the bed and got to work after work one night last week. My JT doesnt have the trail rail system (although I pre-ordered the mopar kit, which will hopefully arrive soon) so I made them interface with the threaded features in the bed. Once I've got the rails, I'll revise and maybe make some adapters so they'll work for both. Anyway, to verify my model, I cut a test panel from thin aluminum and bent it up.
Jeep Gladiator BuiltRight Industries Bedside Racks - Any Interest? {filename}

Made a couple of quick adjustments and frantically sketched up a full panel to test out. From there, I 'flatten' the part in CAD, export a DXF file and bring it into a program called sheetcam, where I can generate the gcode for the plasma table. In this case, we're cutting the prototypes from 11ga mild steel.
Jeep Gladiator BuiltRight Industries Bedside Racks - Any Interest? {filename}

Then into a program called commandcnc, which is what actually drives the table. As you can see, I decided to live a little and cut driver and passenger side simultaneously.
Jeep Gladiator BuiltRight Industries Bedside Racks - Any Interest? {filename}

Lots of cut time on the plasma table, but it went smoothly. My table has automatic torch height control, so as the plate deforms with the heat of cutting, the torch head maintains a proper distance and keeps the cut clean.
Jeep Gladiator BuiltRight Industries Bedside Racks - Any Interest? {filename}

I didn't snap a picture of the least pleasant part, which is deburring the parts and cleaning them up, but these cut pretty well, so it didn't take much. Went ahead and bent them up using our little SWAG offroad finger break. This picture shows the cut quality we're getting from this Starlab table - pretty impressive for a plasma cutter.
Jeep Gladiator BuiltRight Industries Bedside Racks - Any Interest? {filename}

Finally, shot it with some paint and let it cook in the driveway before installing.
Jeep Gladiator BuiltRight Industries Bedside Racks - Any Interest? {filename}

I finished the other side as well as some front panels and got them installed and attached some gear. I'll put some miles on them to make sure everything is good, but I'm super, super happy with how they turned out. This post juuuust might be the unofficial introduction of our first product for the JT platform. I'm excited to revise them for the trail rail system and refine the lower mounting point a bit, but for a first revision, these are super close. I took some 'installed' photos this afternoon, so I'll pull those off of my camera tonight.

Update: Those installed photos as promised

Jeep Gladiator BuiltRight Industries Bedside Racks - Any Interest? {filename}

On the driver's side, I've got a fire extinguisher and my Krazy Beaver Tools shovel, secured using a pair of our Riser Mounts.
Jeep Gladiator BuiltRight Industries Bedside Racks - Any Interest? {filename}

On the Passenger's side, I've got a pair of our Super Clamp Riser Mounts securing a tie down strap and our Rotopax Adapter Bracket along with a Rotopax mount and gear can.
Jeep Gladiator BuiltRight Industries Bedside Racks - Any Interest? {filename}
 
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Stoney15

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Interested, especially if a rack across the front of the bed is included also for $300. And use the rail system for install.
 

2020 SCRAMBLER

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This is awesome @BuiltRight !

Yes, please make these bed side storage to work both with and without the Jeep Trail Rail system. While many are getting the rails, I don't think the Sport/Sport-S guys can factory order the rails. And frankly I was too cheap to pay $995 to FCA for rails on my Rubicon...but I'd gladly pay $300 for your system!

Another part to consider is a bed side tire mount...a lot of guys are adding 37"+ tires and while some 37s fit underneath, they will be needing a solution. A bed tire mount could be a viable alternative.

For fuel carriers, I like the idea of Rotopax in the side locations as they are thin. But I already have a few military grade Sceptre (poly) tanks that I'd like to continue to use, so maybe some form of jerry can bracket?

Absolutely create a panel that goes across the front panel of the bed. This would be a good place to secure my Sceptre cans or a water supply tank.

Another area to think about...storage system for the rear seat (folded down or removed) and rear window (hard top) area. Many of us may not always use the rear seat (or all of the rear seat), so a system to organize stuff inside would be nice (not Hi-Lifts and axes...more Molle bag type gear).

And one last suggestion...and I know we are chatting about a canvas canopy framework in another thread. But since your bed rack is in the first photo and you clearly have the ability to make that too...if you were to study the Jeep Easter Wayout concept bed rack and replicate that as close as possible, I bet you'd sell every single one of those racks you could make! I'd have a hard time choosing between a canvas canopy and Wayout rack. But I'd likely do the rack as I can attach a rooftop tent to it. I'd be willing to sign-up for beta testing on that one! :)
 
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I Need Your Help!

Here's where you guys come in. I want to be sure that panels don't just work for my uses, but for yours as well. Below are a couple items that would be helpful in refining my existing custom set (which I just made for myself) into a more complete product.

  1. Should we mount to the trail rail system or below it? Mounting to it simplifies installation, but does it occupy the rail space unnecessarily? If we mount below the rail, so we prevent fixed-width accessories from fitting by effectively moving the rails closer together?
  2. What accessories or gear would you be wanting to mount? Typical things are hilift jack, axe, shovel, tow straps, rotopax cans, fire extinguisher and so on. We have solution for all of those items, but is there anything else I'm missing?
  3. Should we make a panel to fit across the front of the bed as well?
  4. ?
Count me in! I'm very interested in a product like this, even though I won't be getting a JT until sometime next year.

  1. I can see both use cases as being marketable, as not everyone will have the trail rail. Having both mounting options and several sizes of panels would be ideal.
  2. MaxTrax, ammo cans, 5 gal buckets, flashlights (thinking D cell Maglites), cargo tie downs, fishing rod holder
  3. Absolutely! Great place to store a 4 gal Rotopax, high lift, or an axe.
  4. Perhaps you could come up with something that makes use of the space outside the bed behind the rear fenders for mounting rotopax, like the wayout concept but not set into the body:

Jeep Gladiator BuiltRight Industries Bedside Racks - Any Interest? {filename}
 

G8R

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I'm in. I like your ideas.

For me I need to install a hard shell topper at some point as I have dogs that need to be protected and I prefer the weather protection of a full hard shell. However, having a rack system such as yours that can be installed inside the shell and hooked to the trail rail system would be very helpful, I need to carry shovel, axe, Hi-lift, rotopax, maxtrax. extinguisher, etc. and placing these on the racks is far better than loose in the bed. I am still planning to get a decked bed system so i would need to ensure that these racks did not extend below that level (12.1 inches from the bed). Also, adding a rack across the top but still under the shell would add to the options available.
 

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I'm in. I like the height being such that the tent is at roof height - better for gas mileage. Rotopax, fire extinguisher, Powertank, shovel where you have it is fine. Maybe Maxtrax (or the cheaper X-Bull) could be mounted on the underside of the tent and attach to the rack there?

As for the trail rail - I think using it is important. Saves drilling and such. Also, you can make a thing that goes across the front of the bed and attaches to that rail. When you have the roof top tent and rack there, I don't know what else you'd be able to use the rail system for if it wasn't for the side mounted organizers. I guess Maxtrax could mount to the front area. Make sure the outlet is accessible. I know I plan on using it not only for a fridge, but for other low power accessories.

Edit: I thought I'd add that the only competition from my purchase is the Leitner sytem that allows for storage containers on the rack (although it does shove the tent above the roof line). I know your post isn't so much about the rack than the bed storage, but as I build my overland rig, a place to sleep is kind of important, so a bed rack is a high priority for me.
 

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4. Perhaps you could come up with something that makes use of the space outside the bed behind the rear fenders for mounting rotopax, like the wayout concept but not set into the body:
Jeep Gladiator BuiltRight Industries Bedside Racks - Any Interest? {filename}
@BuiltRight

Similar to the Wayout's rack system, you might consider making a fuel storage solution that fits into the bed body. It's basically a shallow box with a modest width lip around the perimeter that could be bolted or riveted to the truck bedside with a steel brace on the underside. This would support the weight of the fuel and return rigidity to the bed section that was cut out. I'd be willing to bet a lot of guys would cut the hole into the bed to mount such a fuel storage system. After all we have people hacking up JT's to lift, Hellcat swap, and convert into ExtraCabs...the fuel can cutout is minor in comparison.

Your CNC setup is giving me all kinds of ideas!
 

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Very interested... but unsure.
 

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@BuiltRight

Similar to the Wayout's rack system, you might consider making a fuel storage solution that fits into the bed body. It's basically a shallow box with a modest width lip around the perimeter that could be bolted or riveted to the truck bedside with a steel brace on the underside. This would support the weight of the fuel and return rigidity to the bed section that was cut out. I'd be willing to bet a lot of guys would cut the hole into the bed to mount such a fuel storage system. After all we have people hacking up JT's to lift, Hellcat swap, and convert into ExtraCabs...the fuel can cutout is minor in comparison.

Your CNC setup is giving me all kinds of ideas!
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Completely in on this! Just what i was searching online for. This coupled with the Leitner Rack will be incredible.
 

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So I made a set of these for my own truck recently and posted in my build thread. I got enough interest via reply and PM that I thought I should start this thread separately, to discuss bringing these to market and hopefully get some feedback from the community regarding features and such.

Jeep Gladiator BuiltRight Industries Bedside Racks - Any Interest? {filename}


Introduction:

First, a little background. I originally designed the Bedside Rack System for use in my own F-150. I was needing to load/carry/unload full pallets of product but didn't want to unload the gear I was using in the truck on the weekend. The unused space above the wheel wells was a perfect fit for most of that stuff, so I designed a set of panels and began manufacturing them.



It really picked up some steam quickly and I ended up winning the SEMA Launch Pad competition last year with the product.

Anyhow, our business still revolves around the Ford platform, but I recently bought my JT as a new daily driver and am really loving it. I've been tinkering with it after-hours but if there's enough interest in these panels, I'd really like to manufacture them and add the JT to our list of supported platforms.

To get to that point, though, I'd really value feedback from you guys regarding what attachments will be useful and how the panels can best interface with the truck.

Purpose:

The purpose is to make the space above the rear wheel wells useful by providing a modular mounting surface that gear, tools and accessories can be attached to. My proposed requirements include:

  1. Must be bolt-on and require no permanent modification to the truck
  2. Must be strong enough to support equipment like a hilift jack or 3gal gas can
  3. Must hit the $300ish price point for a set of four panels
  4. Must have an OEM-like fit and finish
  5. ?

I Need Your Help!

Here's where you guys come in. I want to be sure that panels don't just work for my uses, but for yours as well. Below are a couple items that would be helpful in refining my existing custom set (which I just made for myself) into a more complete product.

  1. Should we mount to the trail rail system or below it? Mounting to it simplifies installation, but does it occupy the rail space unnecessarily? If we mount below the rail, so we prevent fixed-width accessories from fitting by effectively moving the rails closer together?
  2. What accessories or gear would you be wanting to mount? Typical things are hilift jack, axe, shovel, tow straps, rotopax cans, fire extinguisher and so on. We have solution for all of those items, but is there anything else I'm missing?
  3. Should we make a panel to fit across the front of the bed as well?
  4. ?

Timing, Pricing, etc:

I really want this thread to be technical in nature but at some point, we'll begin taking payment and shipping these. In order to get to that point, I'm going to keep a list of users that are interested in a set of these, so that we can get an idea of how many people might be interested if we do a run of them. I think I'll do that in the next post. The more people we can get interested, the lower we can get the pricing. As we narrow in on a design, we can nail down pricing. That said, our existing kits are around $300 and I'd like to keep these around that. I base pricing very strictly on actual cost to manufacture, so it's just a matter of give and take.

As far as timing is concerned, once we've got some of these design issues sorted out, we'll run some more prototypes and maybe work with a couple members to do some testing and evaluation. I'd like to have that phase of the project complete in the next three weeks so that we can be shipping completed kits in early August.

Thoughts? Interest? I'd love your feedback! In any case, thanks for welcoming me into this great group!

Matt
very interested
 

ScaleRCCrawler

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Yes, Yes, and Yes! Count me in too!

Some thoughts ...

  1. While I would use a mounting system for the trail rail as that is what I have, I would have it designed to be installed without to meet the needs of the gladiator as a whole. (I am curious what the ratio is for with/without the trail rail system)
  2. I would absolutely use it for the Hi-lift, the rotopax, shovel, and maybe a CO2 Air tank for airing up after a day on the trail.
  3. Not sure if you should have a panel across the front, but the Overland crowd may want it.
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