Born and raised in Northern Michigan and do a lot of off road especially in the Upper Peninsula, on my 2018 JL I run a Pioneer Backbone with the Pioneer raised cross bars to handle my roof top tent, (yes) drilled my top, rubber washers and silicone no issues at all, spend the money do it right.
Danny Kay Nice. Nothing against crossbars, but the Thule system mounts into the rain gutters, which we didn’t think would be super stable in the long term (5+ years). We’re feeling very confident in the new system though!
Good videos, love them. Now what did you use to seal the holes to prevent water getting inside??? WOULD YOU DO A VIDEO AFTER THE FACT IN REVIEWING THE RACK AND TENT IE DRIVING NOISE, SIS IT HOLD ON TRAILS ETC.... THANKS NEW SUBSCRIBER
I live in Michigan and run ACE Engineering products on my Jeep. There awesome! I was looking into getting the roof rack and now I will be ordering it. Great video. Do a install of roof top tent on rack.
I have the same rack and it’s definitely been worth the money so far. I’ve purchased lights to mount all around the rack; however, I’m struggling with how and where to route the wiring to. With the expectation of removing my hard top when the weather warms up, I’m looking for suggestions on where to route the wiring to and quick disconnect ideas. Have you guys tackled this yet?
I haven't decided yet where I would want though wires to go. I've basically come to terms with leaving the hard top on all the time, so I think I will end up drilling a hole in the hard top and run the wires down and inside.
I'm a huge fan of these types of racks that mount to the roll cage through the hard top because I'm NOT a fan of the full exocage looking racks. However with that said I don't think I could ever give up taking my hard top off in the summer. Realistically how much time does it add to remove the hardtop with this rack? And could you remove the hard top with the rack still attached?
jharlow84 it’s definitely going to add some hassle. To take the top off, not going to add much more time. Getting it back on, however, will be a challenge. One of the bolts that goes through the top comes down right above the sound bar, and it’s pretty tricky to get the nut started on that one.
It worked great, it was low profile and help up the tent nicely. It was also nice being able to take off the freedom panels with the tent mounted. Cons, you had to drill into your hard top but that's about it.
How did you mount the roof tent as the cross bars look to be a lot lower so the tent won't fold out flat? Clamping to the outside rails would not look good or clean.
Are you concerned about the large number of bolts used to assemble the new rack and those coming loose? Did you use a product like locktite in the install? Thanks!
Atlas Overland any bolts that are crucial to the racks structural integrity are secured with lock washers and locking nuts. The bolts that go into all the cross bars can get really tight with a good driver. I didn’t use any extra product, but not concerned with them coming loose.
As i wait for my new '21 JL Sport to arrive, I've been exploring roof bar options. I already have Thule bars with gutter feet, so I'm thinking I can get the ACE brackets to support the roof from below, without actually drilling through it, for added weight capacity. Do you think this might work ok?
Do you have another video on how you like the roof tent with the new rack and do u have any pics on how the set up is now with roof top tent. Awesome video, I've been wanting to run a small rack for a rooftop tent and bot have to get the exotic skeleton one
I got barricade roof racks & it’s not that I regret it but I wish I saved for a rhino rack. I also rack my tent on it ! You live and you learn tho ! Love the build and content guys ! This is where I’ll be one day$$$ lol #builtnotbought
How much lift do you have on your JK The Stance of that thing just looks sweet I've been thinking of doing the three and a half inch metalcloak with flat fenders but I don't know if that'll be enough lift
Hey man, nice video. Interesting that you can (possibly) pull off a RTT without the hardtop. Would love to see a video (and your thoughts on that) if you ever do it. I, myself, got the Teraflex Nebo roof rack just cause of how low profile it is. But IF i had seen this video (and ACE engineering had a rooftop) before I made the decision, I would have been a mess trying to decide which one haha. Oh also, I just came across your channel. Can you please tell me where exactly is it that you filmed the 1st intro part of your video? Looks amazing, I'd love to add to that to my list. Thank you.
Hey, thanks for watching! I want to do the RTT with no hardtop someday but it's going to be a pain, haha. The intro was filmed on the Bonneville Salt Flats in western Utah near Wendover, NV!
aaaaahhhhh! You drilled into your hardtop! hahaha I could never do that. I know its really not that big of a deal, and i've drilled holes into the body of my jeep... so. Looks good!
Why not get the best rack in the business? Sure, with Gobi you have to wait 6+ months to get it but it's no drilling and is top notch quality. I ordered mine in August 2018 and still haven't got it but I have seen them in person on other Jeeps and after talking to many other people Gobi is who I went with. I'm not saying your rack is bad quality, but anything that ask for drilling into your hard top or the side of the jeep is a pass from me. Just my opinion, and obviously it's too late to ever change your mind. I was just curious what made you not go with Gobi?
Good question, and one that was answered somewhat in the video, but I’ll answer here too. “Best rack in the business.” Is an opinion, so I’ll set that off to the side. My objections to the Gobi rack would be that I don’t like the exoskeleton style racks. It’s a look that I’m not personally fond of. I also didn’t want a large rack that covered the entire length of the Jeep. Sure, you can remove the freedom panels with the Gobi rack, but it’s more hassle than the Ace rack and in the end, you still have a rack over you. Basically, my tastes are different than yours. I’m not adverse to drilling my vehicle, and I dislike the way large exoskeleton racks look on Jeeps. Those opinions are why I chose the Ace rack over Gobi. There are a few other rack systems that have features I like, such as Rhino Rack, but compatibility with our Rotopax mounts was important and the aesthetics of the Ace rack fit our build best in our opinion. Thanks for the question!
@@offroadrhino3063 I get that. I can understand not liking the exo look and something I didn't take into consideration when I watched your video. I'm sure you did state that in your video. Sorry about that.
@@offroadrhino3063 Just saying, Rhino is 100% compatible with Roto Pax as they work with them, the Backbone is complete internal and requires absolutely no extra hardware removal to remove your hard top. the Pioneer platform weighs only 63lbs, and the Backbone system can support the weight of the hard top when being lifted and hung by the pioneer platform. and the freedom panels are not affected by the pioneer platform.
Chris Coppa I might be! A buddy of mine was wanting to buy them off me but I haven’t heard back from him in a while. DM me on Instagram @offroadrhino and we can talk about it!
I have a hummer h3 right now that I love but because parts are limited I'm looking to get into a jeep later on. I'll drive my h3 till I can't repair. I live in West Jordan. Subscribing for future jeep mods
SaintNick71 haha! Measure twice, drill once! I’m not as hesitant to drill the hard top compared to say, any body panels (though we have drilled that too), because the hard top is pretty easily replaced. Both times I’ve drilled the hard top have been much easier than I built them up to be in my head though!
