Yakima Roof Rack Setup on TJ Hardtop

yep absolutely the best

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note the extra holes
these were on my YJ and I drilled holes in the same place but the TJ roof curves more at the back and to get things level, the rear pads need to mount closer together

I also build a third bar off the bumper since I carry ladders

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Hi EJD,
I am picking up a 14 cubic feet Thule for $150 locally. Wanted to know if our TJ’s can handle the weight of the rack, box and stuff in the box - I am thinking sometimes it’ll add up to upwards of 200 lbs. what do you think? Also do you know of any racks out there that can go on the hardtop without drilling holes? Thanks
Hey there!

I can tell you that "my particular setup" has held a rooftop tent, with me and my daughter in it directly on the hardtop. Thats 300lbs on the TJ's hardtop while parked. Mind you I have drilled my holes strategically to give the widest stance without jeopardizing anything and the longest crossbar spread possible which was 40" apart. You must distribute the weight you plan to put up there accordingly.

I can also tell you that in my roof cargo box fully loaded it was probably 150lbs up there and I drove across the whole USA from FL to WA and it didn't even feel like I had anything up there at all. It may be able to handle more but that will have to be your call, as I already feel like I was exceeding the recommended weight capacity.

There is no roof rack that I am aware of that mounts to the hardtop without drilling holes in it. Now there are metal roof racks that mount to the Jeep's tub and goes over the hardtop, but it sounds like your not interested in those. What do you plan on hauling up there?
 
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Hey there!

I can tell you that "my particular setup" has held a rooftop tent, with me and my daughter in it directly on the hardtop. Thats 300lbs on the TJ's hardtop while parked. Mind you I have drilled my holes strategically to give the widest stance without jeopardizing anything and the longest crossbar spread possible which was 40" apart. You must distribute the weight you plan to put up there accordingly.

I can also tell you that in my roof cargo box fully loaded it was probably 150lbs up there and I drove across the whole USA from FL to WA and it didn't even feel like I had anything up there at all. It may be able to handle more but that will have to be your call, as I already feel like I was exceeding the recommended weight capacity.

There is no roof rack that I am aware of that mounts to the hardtop without drilling holes in it. Now there are metal roof racks that mount to the Jeep's tub and goes over the hardtop, but it sounds like your not interested in those. What do you plan on hauling up there?
New guy here (2004 TJ Rubicon). Currently debating between a Yakima or Gobi style roof rack (after my Jeep’s third trip to the Canyonland’s Maze District). Have you off-roaded with Yakima under load? I’m eyeing the rail setup to carry traction boards, Gazelle T3 ground tent, and maybe a Clam 4-sided screened shelter. Wondering if the hardtop can handle the side loads/stress during minor rock crawling, such as the Doll House Trail...
 
New guy here (2004 TJ Rubicon). Currently debating between a Yakima or Gobi style roof rack (after my Jeep’s third trip to the Canyonland’s Maze District). Have you off-roaded with Yakima under load? I’m eyeing the rail setup to carry traction boards, Gazelle T3 ground tent, and maybe a Clam 4-sided screened shelter. Wondering if the hardtop can handle the side loads/stress during minor rock crawling, such as the Doll House Trail...
Well I can tell you i've since added a Yakima Skyrise HD Rooftop Tent to this rack on my hardtop directly which weighs 95lbs, and have done Jeep Badge of Honor trails with it up there. Furthermore, I have camped up there with my daughter and myself both in the tent on just this rack and the hardtop. That would be over 350lbs total weight up there and it has held up flawlessly.

I would absolutely love to have a Gobi Stealth rack personally as the looks and build quality are top notch but yes I can attest to the strength and low-profile versatility of my custom Yakima Roof Rack setup!

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The only thing I would note if moving forward with the Yakima rack into the hardtop, is the placement of the holes you drill are key. You do not want them too far in and there is not enough strength, but also don't want them too far out. There is a sweet spot and you should be able to find it based of off my pictures. You I could give you some specs based off of mine if you'd like.
 
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Well I can tell you i've since added a Yakima Skyrise HD Rooftop Tent to this rack on my hardtop directly which weighs 95lbs, and have done Jeep Badge of Honor trails with it up there. Furthermore, I have camped up there with my daughter and myself both in the tent on just this rack and the hardtop. That would be over 350lbs total weight up there and it has held up flawlessly.

I would absolutely love to have a Gobi Stealth rack personally as the looks and build quality are top notch but yes I can attest to the strength and low-profile versatility of my custom Yakima Roof Rack setup!

View attachment 122144View attachment 122145

The only thing I would note if moving forward with the Yakima rack into the hardtop, is the placement of the holes you drill are key. You do not want them too far in and there is not enough strength, but also don't want them too far out. There is a sweet spot and you should be able to find it based of off my pictures. You I could give you some specs based off of mine if you'd like.
Yes, send specs please. I just removed my swing out tire carrier after this last trip. It is excellent, but heavy. Shed approx 80 lbs. of steel. Trying a different approach for my next overland trip. I have a Morryde Tailgate Reinforcement on order to go along with a Rock Slide Engineering spare tire Rotopax holder (carry at least 6 gal minimum). Carry the traction boards, tent, and shelter topside and free up a lot of space/organization inside.

Jeep profile from my trip to Canyonlands a couple of weeks ago (most recent was the BellyUp mod just prior to this 6 night overland trip):
View attachment 122152
 
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Yes, send specs please. I just removed my swing out tire carrier after this last trip. It is excellent, but heavy. Shed approx 80 lbs. of steel. Trying a different approach for my next overland trip. I have a Morryde Tailgate Reinforcement on order to go along with a Rock Slide Engineering spare tire Rotopax holder (carry at least 6 gal minimum). Carry the traction boards, tent, and shelter topside and free up a lot of space/organization inside.

Jeep profile from my trip to Canyonlands a couple of weeks ago (most recent was the BellyUp mod just prior to this 6 night overland trip):
View attachment 122152
Pretty good looking Jeep you've got there. Are you considering a roof basket at all or what are you planning on putting on the crossbars?
 
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Pretty good looking Jeep you've got there. Are you considering a roof basket at all or what are you planning on putting on the crossbars?
Holy comoly, you off-roaded those trails with a RTT on your hard top mounted Yakima rack/rails?! Nice, attests to the hardtop strength. My planned load wasn’t going to be that heavy, maybe I can add a 2gal Rotopax or 2 to the upstairs load... Carried a tad less than 10 gallons last trip (Hanksville - Panorama Pt - The Wall - DH3 - DH2 for 2 nights - Sunset Pass - Hite gas pumps), siphoned both cans into the tank and arrived at Hite with just over 1/2 tank.

Thank you. I’ve had her new since ‘04 and she was bone stock until about 4 years ago. I watched a Mark Doiron YouTube and his TJ buddy has what looks like a Yakima with a basket attached to the crossbars. The basket is mostly below the bars, maintains a low profile. Standby for camp gear pic...
View attachment 122161
Doll House 2. My brother’s new-to-him 2015 JKUR Hard Rock in the background. The traction boards (we used these to get his Chevy 2015 (?) pickup thru what I call the “tank trap” and they flexed a lot - main reason why he acquired the Jeep, might get Maxtrax in the near future) and the Gazelle tent. My Clam 4-sided screened shelter is not pictured. The Gazelle just fits across the rear of the TJ on top of the wheel wells. Hoods up to deny critter safe haven.
 
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Holy comoly, you off-roaded those trails with a RTT on your hard top mounted Yakima rack/rails?! Nice, attests to the hardtop strength. My planned load wasn’t going to be that heavy, maybe I can add a 2gal Rotopax or 2 to the upstairs load... Carried a tad less than 10 gallons last trip (Hanksville - Panorama Pt - The Wall - DH3 - DH2 for 2 nights - Sunset Pass - Hite gas pumps), siphoned both cans into the tank and arrived at Hite with just over 1/2 tank.

Thank you. I’ve had her new since ‘04 and she was bone stock until about 4 years ago. I watched a Mark Doiron YouTube and his TJ buddy has what looks like a Yakima with a basket attached to the crossbars. The basket is mostly below the bars, maintains a low profile. Standby for camp gear pic...
View attachment 122161
Doll House 2. My brother’s new-to-him 2015 JKUR Hard Rock in the background. The traction boards (we used these to get his Chevy 2015 (?) pickup thru what I call the “tank trap” and they flexed a lot - main reason why he acquired the Jeep, might get Maxtrax in the near future) and the Gazelle tent. My Clam 4-sided screened shelter is not pictured. The Gazelle just fits across the rear of the TJ on top of the wheel wells. Hoods up to deny critter safe haven.
Yeah that super low-profile basket your talking about is or was called the Yakima "Basketcase" and is a discontinued product at this point...kind of a bummer cause it was the only basket that could be mounted below the bars to get that flush look.

I have a Yakima Loadwarrior + Extension which is really perfect for the TJ's roofline, gives you a great safari look. But they just came out with the "Skinny-warrior + Extension" which is brand new for 2019 and looks really cool, you might consider that one. I also have the Rooftop Awning on there as well so you can get an idea of what that all looks like.

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Yeah that super low-profile basket your talking about is or was called the Yakima "Basketcase" and is a discontinued product at this point...kind of a bummer cause it was the only basket that could be mounted below the bars to get that flush look.

I have a Yakima Loadwarrior + Extension which is really perfect for the TJ's roofline, gives you a great safari look. But they just came out with the "Skinny-warrior + Extension" which is brand new for 2019 and looks really cool, you might consider that one. I also have the Rooftop Awning on there as well so you can get an idea of what that all looks like.

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Nice Jeep and I’m liking your Yakima rack setup. I was just looking at that Yakima awning yesterday, ha!
I was leaning towards the rail mounts but it looks you and @billiebob are using the pads (?) and have not experienced cracking? Are the pad mounts specific to the Jeep hardtop or universal? Amazon-style purchase? Apologies for all the questions, just trying to dot the i’s and cross the t’s before purchasing and drilling into my hardtop. I also like the slim, low profile, lightweight design.
 
Nice Jeep and I’m liking your Yakima rack setup. I was just looking at that Yakima awning yesterday, ha!
I was leaning towards the rail mounts but it looks you and @billiebob are using the pads (?) and have not experienced cracking? Are the pad mounts specific to the Jeep hardtop or universal? Amazon-style purchase? Apologies for all the questions, just trying to dot the i’s and cross the t’s before purchasing and drilling into my hardtop. I also like the slim, low profile, lightweight design.
Specific to mounting to a hardtop, you'll need the Yakima Landing Pad (Size 6)
 
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EJD, when you have a spare moment...would you mind posting your landing pad measurements relative to the hardtop?

My Yak Rack project has begun with the recent acquisition & arrival of the landing pads.
 
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EJD, when you have a spare moment...would you mind posting your landing pad measurements relative to the hardtop?

My Yak Rack project has begun with the recent acquisition & arrival of the landing pads.
Excellent, So on any other day I would post a bunch of informative pictures to add to the thread for reference but I do not have wifi at the moment.Best way I can describe the placement I have of the Landing Pads are like this. The hardtop has 7 grooves on top of it, lets call "Groove #1" the one closest to the driver side and "Groove #7" the one closest to the passenger side.

Measurements for landing pads on the driver side are measured from (Groove #2), and measurements for landing pads on the passenger side are measured from (Groove #6).

Driver Front: 11" back from the front of Groove #2 (make a mark), then from the edge of groove #2 measure 1-5/8" outward towards groove #1 (make a mark) and that mark will be the centered outer edge of the Front Driver landing pad.

Driver Rear: 4-3/4" forward from the rear of Groove #2 (make a mark), then from the edge of groove #2 measure 1-5/8" outward towards groove #1 (make a mark) and that will be the centered outer edge of the Rear Driver landing pad.

Passenger Front: 11" back from the front of Groove #6 (make a mark), then from the edge of groove #6 measure 1-5/8" outward towards groove #7 (make a mark) and that mark will be the centered outer edge of the Front Passenger landing pad.

Passenger Rear: 4-3/4" forward from the rear of Groove #6 (make a mark), then from the edge of groove #6 measure 1-5/8" outward towards groove #7 (make a mark) and that will be the centered outer edge of the Rear Driver landing pad.

Mind you, these measurements may seem odd at first glance but for my hardtop these were sweet spots (thickest points) or were tweaked slightly because of seams on the underside of the hardtop. Also when I measured the holes I drilled, I measured the spots I was drilling not the edge of the landing pads. So I have to give you what may see like weird very specific measurements but it's all the same. Just place the landing pads at those designated spots and from there color in the holes in the landing pads and lightly trace the outline of the landing pad with a pencil so when you remove it there is an exact footprint of where it will be. So be mindful and adjust accordingly if your situation or hardtop is different in any way.

Keep in mind, I had my landing pads connected to the towers and those affixed to the crossbars already before drilling the holes for the landing pads. This may be slightly different if you are not doing it in that same fashion. This ensures symmetry for both front and both rear landing pads at the same time.

Also measure twice and drill once! ;) And ask questions if need be, i'm happy to help!
 
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I might be late in saying this but I'd also consider installing the track system for the landing pads.

Having the ability to move the crossbars whenever/wherever you like is a big plus. And you can also add more crossbars in the future. It also seems like the extruded aluminum tracks a little bit to the weight capacity.

This is the system that I use and I am very happy with it. I've moved the crossbars several times to get things situated correctly on my roof. If I wasn't going to add or change anything that I carry up there then the landing pad locations would be permanent.

I carry a yakima box and an awning on the back. I'm adding a side awning in a few days and am glad that I have adjustability.
 
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I might be late in saying this but I'd also consider installing the track system for the landing pads.

Having the ability to move the crossbars whenever/wherever you like is a big plus. And you can also add more crossbars in the future. It also seems like the extruded aluminum tracks a little bit to the weight capacity.

This is the system that I use and I am very happy with it. I've moved the crossbars several times to get things situated correctly on my roof. If I wasn't going to add or change anything that I carry up there then the landing pad locations would be permanent.

I carry a yakima box and an awning on the back. I'm adding a side awning in a few days and am glad that I have adjustability.
Yeah I pointed that out in Post #19. Tracks are certainly the more versatile option, but they weigh more, cost more, and require more holes to be drilled through the hardtop. The landing pad option is obviously for a fixed mounting point of crossbars and meant to be a permanent solution.

I have a 40" crossbar spread and luckily most things I mount up top have their own adustability, so I have had no issues mounting a Yakima LoadWarrior Basket, a Rocketox Pro 14, and a Skyrise HD RTT up there...which is as versatile as I need it to be. Not to mention I have a SlimShady Rooftop Awning up there as well.
 
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I’ve looked at both the tracks and pads but there is not a lot of info/videos about either with a hardtop TJ. My primary TJ fun is becoming trail riding (with minor rock crawling such as Doll House Trail) to camping so I installed a Rock Hard swing tire & jerry can carrier. That combo works well but also heavy (you can see in the profile pick she is pretty heavy in the rear with a week’s worth of gas & water), ~80+ lbs (swing out only) of steel perched on the back. I removed the carrier after last month’s trip and installed a Morryde hinge/tailgate reinforcement. The new Rock Hard bumper sans swing carrier items just arrived (the swing post prevents the tailgate from fully opening). The Rotopax mount is enroute too. I’ll see if a 3 gallon pax will fit, if not then go with a 2 gal pax. I’ve figured 6 gallons is good from the past experience and future planned week+ off-road trips (2H, 4H, 4L fun). Plan A is to carry a Loadwarrior w/extension (32lbs) to haul a Gazelle T3, traction boards, and 2x 3gal pax. Plan B is to carry a Loadwarrior (25lbs) to haul the previously mentioned items minus the tent (the T3 tent fits perfectly across the back of the Jeep). Carrying the same load as before but a lot lighter. And thanks to this thread and it’s info, I feel more confident to drill holes in my hardtop.
 
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I’ve looked at both the tracks and pads but there is not a lot of info/videos about either with a hardtop TJ. My primary TJ fun is becoming trail riding (with minor rock crawling such as Doll House Trail) to camping so I installed a Rock Hard swing tire & jerry can carrier. That combo works well but also heavy (you can see in the profile pick she is pretty heavy in the rear with a week’s worth of gas & water), ~80+ lbs (swing out only) of steel perched on the back. I removed the carrier after last month’s trip and installed a Morryde hinge/tailgate reinforcement. The new Rock Hard bumper sans swing carrier items just arrived (the swing post prevents the tailgate from fully opening). The Rotopax mount is enroute too. I’ll see if a 3 gallon pax will fit, if not then go with a 2 gal pax. I’ve figured 6 gallons is good from the past experience and future planned week+ off-road trips (2H, 4H, 4L fun). Plan A is to carry a Loadwarrior w/extension (32lbs) to haul a Gazelle T3, traction boards, and 2x 3gal pax. Plan B is to carry a Loadwarrior (25lbs) to haul the previously mentioned items minus the tent (the T3 tent fits perfectly across the back of the Jeep). Carrying the same load as before but a lot lighter. And thanks to this thread and it’s info, I feel more confident to drill holes in my hardtop.
Absolutely, there were no DIY threads on this setup when I started it so i'm glad it has helped others. Please do add any other relevant info to the thread and post up some pics when done, we'd love to see your finished products!

PS: The LW+Extension is a perfect profile match to the TJ's hardtop, looks fantastic up there.
 
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