Last weekend I installed RRO's adventure roof rack and this weekend test fit some of the accessories.
Below are a few photos and comments on my RRO Roof Rack experience:
This is how the roof rack main piece and steel side rails came. Some of the ends of the rails and cross members had paint chipped off
before it was packaged like this as while carefully opening the packaging and inspecting each item, I found multiple areas where the paint was chipped. Disappointing, as the packaging seemed to very well protect the product during shipment.
The loose parts, accessories and fasteners. I was more fortunate than wolverine as my box arrived intact.
I was one of the first to buy and install RRO's Rock Rail Sliders and, although I'm pleased with how they've held up offroad and how they look, the lacking instructions and quality issues were a disappointment. Unfortunately, the RRO Roof Rack isn't any better. It came with zero instructions and had fit-up issues:
The side rail mounting plates didn't fit well in the KK's roof rail channels. These photos show the best they fit -- it is even worse if you swap rails to the opposite sides. Although the rails were stamped "A" and "B", without any instructions I wasn't sure which they intended for which side so I had to test fit everything to figure out how it was intended to go together. I really like the fact that RRO supports the KK aftermarket and was pretty much one of the first and is pretty much one of the only options presently available for KK slider rails and roof racks. However, I am still dissapointed with some of their lacking quality. Gonna stop now before I get on a vent session.....
Close-up of the steel roof rail mounting after installation. The roof rails are (apparently) just suppossed to bolt directly down to the steel of the KK roof channel, but I cut and installed some thin gasket material to go between the two. Again, am I crazy in thinking that before you bolt a piece of steel to your painted steel KK that maybe it would be a good idea to have a little buffer material in between? Seems like anything you can do to minimize risk of paint chips on your OEM paint job, even if just during installation of a non-moving part, is a good thing, cuz once the paint is penetrated, you've exposed your vehicle's body to begin the oxidation / rust process. To get the side rails to fit as well as I did, I had to ream out 2 (of 8 total) mounting holes and bend 3 (of 4) inner ends of rail plates. The plates do also suck down when tightening down the nuts on the studs welded into the KK's roof.
The roof rack proper comes with hex head bolts to secure the cross member / rack "deck" to the end assemblies which u-bolt to the side rail. Because of the length of the hex head bolts, they wind up sticking up 1/2" or so. Seems like just another catch point when you're trying to use your roof rack. I replaced these hex head bolts with set screws which sit a little below flush in the top of the end cap assembly.
Here's how the back end looks. Were someone going to make a roof rack just for the KK, I would certainly encourage Boiler, I mean whomever
, to maximize the length of the rack deck surface. This was something that RL's racks for the KJ seemed to do well IIRC.
Clearance is about the same as the Jeep crossmembers I had before I installed the RRO Roof Rack.
See what I mean about the rack deck could easily extend further back were the side rails built as part of the rack and the rack designed just for the KK?
This weekend, I test fit some of the attachments:
Hi-Lift mounting.
Long-handled tool mounting (sorry didn't have hockey stick
).
With the Hi-Lift mount installed, I can just
barely drive in and out of my garage. I'll have to install the Hi-Lift out in my driveway before heading off to wheel.
I'm glad to have an aftermarket roof rack to facilitate hauling items up on my KK's roof.
MtnLuvr wrote:
I ordered one this weekend so I can get it installed before going to
LOST's GTG in Moab in April.
P.S. Boiler, I'll still be interested in your aluminum roof rack when you get a version ready for the KK.
Boiler wrote:
Boiler, I'm serious, I'd still spring for a version of your aluminum roof rack design, adapted for the KK, in a heartbeat. I like that it is aluminum, that you have an attention to detail and quality, that your rack has built-in siderails, etc. Let me know when you're ready to sell some racks to KK owners and we'll get you a test mule.