Soft top OVER my bed rack

[Fpolanco]

I currently have a 2021 Mojave that I use for camping and light offroading. My first few purchases included the JCR mid-height bed rack for the roof top tent and an Access Literider tonneau cover. As I took more trips, I started getting pissed that I was losing so much space between the tonneau cover and the rack. I couldn't get a fridge slide as the fridge was already up against the cover so I was stuck dragging it out of the bed each time my wife or I wanted to eat/drink. So I tried to figure out a way to recoup that space at an economical price.

My biggest goal was to keep the tent as low as possible just to save on drag on longer trips. I thought about a cap but none were mid-height and I didn't bother figuring out a custom job as I'm sure the price would've been astronomical.

I set out to redneck engineer something out of high density plastic but it would've looked like that car we all drew in 3rd grade so I luckily scrapped that idea quickly.

Luckily, I came across a Toyota Hilux being used in Africa that had a soft top over a tube frame. Voila! I quickly researched to see if Bestop or any other company made something similar with no luck. I then started talking to a neighbor who had a boat and lightning does indeed twice!

I reached out to a local boat canopy maker and after 3-D measurement appointment and fitment a couple months later, here's the final product. I finally have access to to those 8-10 inches of additional space, which allowed me to build a platform with a fridge slide!

It does some gaps where the zipper pulls meet but the material itself is waterproof. I'll only need to apply a waterproofing spray once or twice/year.

Edit: as a shameless plug, I also have a tonneau cover for sale.

Edit: shameless plug continues. I updated my marketplace listing (https://www.jeepgladiatorforum.com/forum/threads/access-literider-tonneau-cover.63581/)

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[3VOLVE]

That is genius!

 

[Fpolanco]

That is genius!

haha. I’m glad I was able to brainstorm with the neighbor. It actually makes the bed and bed rack functional and still allows me to carry most things from Home Depot.

Although a 30” vanity gets tight!!

 

[Divided_Wood]

Really nice work! Love seeing out-of-the-box solutions to problems plenty of people have probably had before.

 

[Fpolanco]

Really nice work! Love seeing out-of-the-box solutions to problems plenty of people have probably had before.

Thanks! This is my second Jeep and between the minimal mods on this one and the ton of mods on my JKU, this is my favorite and most functional, by far!!

 

[BUZZHEAD]

Nicely done

 

[Fpolanco]

Nicely done

thanks!!

 

[ggdillon]

Nice work! I like this a lot. It's not exactly what I'm looking for at the moment, but it ticks many of the boxes.

I'd love to know ballpark cost (is this hundreds of dollars or thousands of dollars?) and also if there were any tricks to getting a watertight pass-through for the hardware for the tent rack.

 

[Fpolanco]

Nice work! I like this a lot. It's not exactly what I'm looking for at the moment, but it ticks many of the boxes.

I'd love to know ballpark cost (is this hundreds of dollars or thousands of dollars?) and also if there were any tricks to getting a watertight pass-through for the hardware for the tent rack.

All in it was $1000 (Keep in mind this includes PA pricing. Could be cheaper elsewhere). Not too much different than a normal soft top. But that includes me dropping off the truck for measuring with his laser 3D system.

As for the hardware, I went with the front runner quick release mount bc I didn’t want to deal with the usual on/off that comes with easy season. So the rack portion of the mount stays on permanently.

I mounted the tent and all the hardware prior to the final fit of the soft top. They essentially “burned” a small hole with a soldering iron big enough for the mounting bolts and sealed it with marine grade silicone (maybe 4200 or 5200. I’ll reach out to him if you want to know for sure).

I added some additional crossbars for support in the event of snow once the tent comes off for the season.

 

[ggdillon]

Thanks for the info! Gotta let this rattle around my head for a bit... might be something I can use there.

 

[93civej1]

I never understood why a company hadnt made a rack yet with something like this.

 

[PlayfulBird]

Awesome work. Have been looking for something exactly like it, but... no luck, and diy is not an option because we don't have the space.

 

[Fpolanco]

Thanks for the info! Gotta let this rattle around my head for a bit... might be something I can use there.

you’re welcome!! Let me know if you want/need additional pics/videos/info.

Just out of curiosity, what are you looking to accomplish?

 

[XJFanatic]

Very nice! How’s the top seal to the bed rails?

 

[Fpolanco]

Very nice! How’s the top seal to the bed rails?

There are tracks that were screwed and 3M taped to the plastic molding around the bed. Then one side of the zipper was run through that molding. The other side of the zipper is on the fabric itself.

The tracks are similar to what you’d find on an OEM soft top. You can see some of the track in the video towards the end.

In theory, you could unzip the entire thing and take it off for maintenance.

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