Teach me about Jeep roof racks - discussion

[gunner1982]

Hey there,

I am looking for any and all jeep roof rack information:
Cost?
Style? I know there are the ones that mount directly to the roof and those that mount to the body and have the four posts that support it so its not mounted to roof.
Brand?
Issues? quality, rust
Dealers? Local accessory dealers vs jeep dealers
Installation? DIY vs having dealer do it
Weight limits? For rack and roof?
Leaks? Not sure how I feel about drilling/bolting anything into a roof.
Accessories - such as lights? Straps? Bolts?

Anyone have one or know of a used one for sale?

It's my second jeep and I have never mounted a roof rack before.
I have always thought they were a great idea.

Thanks!

 

[shootin4fun]

YJ, CJ, TJ, WJ, JK, WK, ZJ? What kind of Jeep? I'm building one for a 01 Grand Cherokee.

 

[gunner1982]

Sorry,
I have a 2012 4 door saharra.

Hard top stays on 80% of the time and I have a bikini soft top for it.

 

[lostgeorge75]

Teraflex just came out with a nice low profile rack.

 

[galvatron]

Great idea until you load or unload it. If you're afraid of standing on your hood and scratching your paint don't buy one.
Try this before you spend any money.
Take a full 5 gallon gas can and put it in the middle of your roof, not between the seats, the middle of the roof. It's roughly 40lbs but will make you seriously reconsider a roof rack.

 

[gunner1982]

Teraflex just came out with a nice low profile rack.

Thanks checking those out now online.

 

[gunner1982]

Great idea until you load or unload it. If you're afraid of standing on your hood and scratching your paint don't buy one.
Try this before you spend any money.
Take a full 5 gallon gas can and put it in the middle of your roof, not between the seats, the middle of the roof. It's roughly 40lbs but will make you seriously reconsider a roof rack.

THANKS!!
That was one of my concerns exactly - weight.

So I was looking at the ones that don't attach to the roof, but instead have the 4 corner supports attaching to body.

As far as the scratches - it's a 2012 so it's got a few of those already, not a big deal.

I am thinking its a pain to load and unload - but I wouldn't be doing it daily.

Maybe once or twice a month I would use it - road trips, hunting, camping, couple 2x4s from LOWES, etc.

 

[blake]

I think 95% of roof racks I see are never used and are only installed to get "the look."

If you just want a few lightweight items like you listed and want a truly functional system, and don't care about scratches, install a couple of Yakima roof bars on the hard top. You can secure all kinds of stuff that way with ratchet straps and have the option of adding a roof rack basket later on.

That would be a small fraction of the cost of the purpose-built "safari" roof racks that look so cool in those internet HDR photos loaded with a Hi-Lift jack, fuel cans, rooftop tent, etc.