which of the three racks?

[Uncle O]

hello everyone. its time for this year's additions to my 2014 JKURX. looking to add a roof rack this time around. I know this is a question that appears a lot on forums. I have done a ton of research, read many threads, and even personally looked at all three on my list. (stalked a few JKs around town) as everyone knows, you get tons of different answers about the same product. so before I pick and install, I wanted to ask just to make sure I get the right one for me. so any information such as wind noise, installation issues, freedom panel removal (one of my major concerns), strength, and accessories would be most useful.

My rack wishlist:
1) Kargo Master Lo-Pro
2) Frontrunner Slimline II 1/2 Rack
3) Rhinorack

How I would use:
1) Overlanding and Camping: need extra storage area
2) Will add a RRT in the near future
3) Hauling larger supplies

Thank you in advance for the help. having such a hard time picking one.

 

[forsakenfuture]

I have the AEV version of the rhino rack. I highly recommend it.

 

[Yuke]

hello everyone. its time for this year's additions to my 2014 JKURX. looking to add a roof rack this time around. I know this is a question that appears a lot on forums. I have done a ton of research, read many threads, and even personally looked at all three on my list. (stalked a few JKs around town) as everyone knows, you get tons of different answers about the same product. so before I pick and install, I wanted to ask just to make sure I get the right one for me. so any information such as wind noise, installation issues, freedom panel removal (one of my major concerns), strength, and accessories would be most useful.

My rack wishlist:
1) Kargo Master Lo-Pro
2) Frontrunner Slimline II 1/2 Rack
3) Rhinorack

How I would use:
1) Overlanding and Camping: need extra storage area
2) Will add a RRT in the near future
3) Hauling larger supplies

Thank you in advance for the help. having such a hard time picking one.

Hopefully I can help here. I for one love my Frontrunner rack. I will also give some insight on another rack not mentioned, but others may be considering.

I originally had a gobi rack. I loved the gobi aesthetically, and I still believe it to be the best looking racks on the market. For me the exo cage look, and the fact that I could still run a soft top with it in the summer was very attractive. If you want to run a soft top at any time the Gobi is the way to go. That being said, the rack was heavy, and was starting to show its age with peeling powdercoat and rust spots which was the first inclination I had to look at other solutions. There were other reasons as well including the difficulty of adding accessories to the gobi, and the added cost of the sunroof insert for a full rack.

The frontrunner is super light, wont rust, and the accessories they offer are unbeatable. taking my RTT off on the gobi was a tedious job of mashing my big hands between the rack and the hardtop with a wrench one 1/4 turn at a time. With the frontrunner system I am using their quick disconnects and the tent is off in 1 minute or less. The accessories were a big win for me and one of my deciding factors. I also wanted a full length rack so the rhino system was not considered.

One attractive aspect of the rhino rack is that you can take the rack and hard top off quite easily, with the Frontrunner setup it is possible but requires many more bolts.

Hope that helps. If you do decide on frontrunner PM me I can send you to a buddy who is a dealer here on the east coast.

 

[spagthorpe]

I have the Rhino. Without a platform on it, you wouldn't know it's there. With the platform, it make some noise, but not nearly like a Gobi or KMS. To me, the platform is a huge overkill for a RTT though, if that's the plan. Just do a couple of bars. Cheaper, and you won't have an extra 65lbs up top. Also, I find the Pioneer Platform a pain in the *** to take on and off. I plan to just make my own thing to fit the Rhino Backbone.

 

[Uncle O]

I have the AEV version of the rhino rack. I highly recommend it.

thank you for the reply. do you have any wind noise? also does it interfere with the freedom panel removal?

 

[Uncle O]

Hopefully I can help here. I for one love my Frontrunner rack. I will also give some insight on another rack not mentioned, but others may be considering.

I originally had a gobi rack. I loved the gobi aesthetically, and I still believe it to be the best looking racks on the market. For me the exo cage look, and the fact that I could still run a soft top with it in the summer was very attractive. If you want to run a soft top at any time the Gobi is the way to go. That being said, the rack was heavy, and was starting to show its age with peeling powdercoat and rust spots which was the first inclination I had to look at other solutions. There were other reasons as well including the difficulty of adding accessories to the gobi, and the added cost of the sunroof insert for a full rack.

The frontrunner is super light, wont rust, and the accessories they offer are unbeatable. taking my RTT off on the gobi was a tedious job of mashing my big hands between the rack and the hardtop with a wrench one 1/4 turn at a time. With the frontrunner system I am using their quick disconnects and the tent is off in 1 minute or less. The accessories were a big win for me and one of my deciding factors. I also wanted a full length rack so the rhino system was not considered.

One attractive aspect of the rhino rack is that you can take the rack and hard top off quite easily, with the Frontrunner setup it is possible but requires many more bolts.

Hope that helps. If you do decide on frontrunner PM me I can send you to a buddy who is a dealer here on the east coast.

thanks for the reply. I looked at the gobi at first but I like the half racks myself. the Kargo lo-pro was the only full rack that made my list. as for the frontrunner, beyond the look of the half rack it was the accessories that they have. seems to be a great system.

 

[Uncle O]

I have the Rhino. Without a platform on it, you wouldn't know it's there. With the platform, it make some noise, but not nearly like a Gobi or KMS. To me, the platform is a huge overkill for a RTT though, if that's the plan. Just do a couple of bars. Cheaper, and you won't have an extra 65lbs up top. Also, I find the Pioneer Platform a pain in the *** to take on and off. I plan to just make my own thing to fit the Rhino Backbone.

thanks for the reply. I hear great things about the rhino and how well it performs. though I like the platform, the idea of creating something that works with the backbone is interesting.

 

[LilPoppa]

I've had a Frontrunner full rack since shortly after I bought my Jeep. Installation was pretty straight-forward, although drilling holes in the hard-top is stressful. It's a pretty handy system with lots of accessories. I actually just put together my own brackets with whatever I can find at the hardware store and metric bolts. I feel like you could probably do that with the other brands as well. For noise, there's a bit of whistling sometimes.

 

[BigBad408]

Take a look at Maximus 3's version of the Rhino Rack. Higher dead and dynamic load rating. It's on my list....I just haven't got there yet.

 

[akpostal]

Another Rhino Rack here. No platform just the bars on mine. I mainly needed a place to haul my raft and maybe monoskis in the future. Ive got a Harbor Freight rack I can bolt up there if I really needed the extra capacity. The manufacturer told me the top can be suspended from the rack for removal and storage. I want to see if I can run the soft Freedom panel with the bar in place.

If I where to run a soft top in the summers up here I like the Rugged Ridge Exo-Top.

 

[GSP]

I have a Gobi ranger rack. It's not loud and its incredibly useful.... That said if you want a half rack AEV/Rhino is the way to go. I have a friend with the Rhino and its super nice. He puts a CVT Rainer on it and they look made for each other.

 

[larock1971]

I know it's not on your list but I have the Teraflex Nebo, I really like it. Cost, weight, wind noise and looks were what it came down to for me.

I had a Garvin Wilderness rack on the jeep. It was heavy and loud. But I could fit all sorts of stuff up there, which led to over packing.

So I began the search for an alternative. I looked at all the ones you have listed. The Teraflex looked more OEM to me. I picked it up for a little over $600 with two slats. Definitely weighs less than the Garvin I had. Fits my RTT perfectly. And no noticable wind noise.

 

[SoDakSooner]

Dude, you have all the forums covered....lol....

 

[Uncle O]

yes I do. never know which one people will answer on.

 

[yellowskeeter]

I chose kargo Master because I did not want a tubular cage around my Jeep and when not in use I wanted something stealth. Hate wind noise as well. Not a whisper comes from this rack. I Couldn’t be happier. Easy to take roof off as well only 4 extra bolts.