[rich67]

I have a 4 door JK with a hard top. I'm looking for a nice, versatile roof rack that I can use for both my mountain bikes and also for kayaks. Anyone out there have any recommendations for this application? I take 4 bikes with me when I go out to ride; I have a two bike hitch carrier already. Found some stuff on Quadratech, but I am curious as to what others on here have had experience with that work well. Thanks..

 

[Potts]

Hmmm, The roof rail systems seem nice for folks with hardtops but I know they aren't rated for a ton of weight...so when you throw in hauling kayaks that throws me off. I went with the garvin adventure rack and it's awesome for hauling kayaks but I don't have any attachments for hauling bikes on it. I am pretty positive there are adapters though to get thule or yakima racks attached to it.

 

[dorman40802]

Off Camber Fabrications by MBRP makes a tube rack system that bolts to the tub:

Off Camber Fabrications by MBRP

Costs a pretty penny but will hold a lot of weight

 

[rich67]

Potts, I was looking at the Garvin as well, very reasonable and seems versatile enough. I will have to research to see if they offer Yakima adapters for bike hauling, but I think that is gonna be my best bet. Thanks for the responses, guys.

 

[Tdog02]

Po installed a garvin on my TJ and I really like it. Properly loaded gives me 325 lbs. (that's conservative weight from the company) I just added the wind deflector and really quieted the rack. Much better, empty costs me around 1 mpg.

 

[3TimeOwner]

gobi racks
Gobi Racks

fully compatible will all round adaptors. From there you can use whatever carriers you prefer. went with the stelth for the lower profile. Best thing, you can take the sunriders out without having to tip the top up

 

[Phishe]

gobi racks
Gobi Racks

fully compatible will all round adaptors. From there you can use whatever carriers you prefer. went with the stelth for the lower profile. Best thing, you can take the sunriders out without having to tip the top up

This is where I'm leaning. Do you have any pics of yours?

My biggest concern is whether it's practical to take off/put on the hard top with the Stealth. Although I did just score a used OEM softop on craigslist for $200, so I suppose that's not as critical of a concern any longer. How easy is it to raise/lower the soft top with the Stealth?

 

[Potts]

I couldn't justify the price of the Gobi.

As for wind noise... Try this. Take some black 550 paracord, and in a spiral pattern, wrap the front bar from where it mounts all the way across to the other side. It really quieted down my rack and cost me about $1. And I actually kind of like the look. AND in an emergency I have some paracord should I need it. I do still get a little wind noise with the rack but with the paracord it makes a world of difference.

Oh and on the plus side, the way the front bar mounts to the A pillar really reduces the amount of wind the buffets in your face when you have the windows down in a normal JK. That was an added bonus for me.

I've been meaning to put a detailed post up about my garvin but haven't had the chance. Did the install by myself too over a 6-pack.

 

[RalphTomaccio]

For those of you looking for a simple roof rack installation for one or two kayaks and/or bicycles (simply add Thule's accessories for bicycles), this is the way I chose to do it. It was installed by Rack Attack. It works beautifully, requiring lifting the kayak to waist level. Much better that trying to get it all the way to roof level.

Basic Thule rack & crossbars with the mounts attached for the Hullavator:

Hullavator mount close-up attached to cross bar:

Hullavator attached to mounts:

Some of the inside thumb mounts, 6 on each side:

Kayak loaded on driver side, ready to be lifted into position. Very simple to do:

View from front. 4" clearance from fenders when loaded:

View from rear. 4" clearance from fenders when loaded:

Overall installation from the side:

Overall Installation from the rear: