Trailrax Real World Reviews?

[Tilzbow]

I agree the t-slot not having a bigger end milled is annoying, but these will save your frustration. Track nuts that you can put in place without removing the bars. They are not cheap, and I have seen and ordered some on Amazon as well, but they were the wrong size. These ones from UpTop are perfect but expensive.

https://www.uptopoverland.com/collections/dz-mounts-brackets/products/uptop-tracnut

Thanks! I’ll check those out.

Sponsored

 

[BostonSasquatch]

I have had it on my Bronco for a bit now and have taken it on a few trips. It's a great rack and very well made. I don't think there is a better option available at the moment.

Installation is a pain because you have to put the rack on top and align the front mount brackets, then take it off, install the windscreen, and put it back on. But, other than that, it's pretty straightforward.

The issue I have found is with the 4-door; if you want to mount recovery boards on the PakRax, you have to stagger them off the back end to clear the back door because the 4-door rear section is shorter than the 2-door rear section. This is why they made the new Maxtraxx mount that you can slide. But, of course, this is more of a Bronco design limitation vs. a Trailrax issue.

The company is fantastic, and their service is second to none. Here's a few pictures with nothing mounted on it.

Handsome rig, good shots, and fantastic location shots!
Where were you--I love expansive desert vistas like that.

 

[DangerMTBBronco]

Handsome rig, good shots, and fantastic location shots!
Where were you--I love expansive desert vistas like that.

Thanks for the kind words! I also love getting the Bronco out in the desert. These were taken in Ocotillo Wells, CA. A really fun offroad park in our area.

 

[JimEaton]

Thanks for the kind words! I also love getting the Bronco out in the desert. These were taken in Ocotillo Wells, CA. A really fun offroad park in our area.

Thanks for the kind words! I also love getting the Bronco out in the desert. These were taken in Ocotillo Wells, CA. A really fun offroad park in our area.

I just installed my full length rack on my 4-door this weekend. I will go into the install details a little later.

The first annoyance was the rack crossmembers do not come with milled T-slot access points. I have a Front Runner slimline on my F-350 cap which has them. JCR's roof rack has them. Shame on me, but I thought they were pretty standard in the industry.

Regarding the install, the biggest challenge I found was attaching the rack with the rack's wind screen in place. Instructions go over centering the the screen first and attaching to the first cross member. There is very little room to get two nuts on the front attachment bolts when the screen is in place. I removed two pairs of attachment bolts from the T-nuts on one side of the track. This gave me enough room to gently lift the wind screen to get access to the front attachment bolts. Care was taken not to move the T-nuts so the wind screen could be reattached at the same place as the original location. The process was repeat for the other side to secure the front of the rack to the bronco. There is enough flexibility in the screen to slightly lift it during this process without warping or damaging the paint.

My other issue was they sent two pairs of rear attachment brackets, instead of a pair of front and rear. If you watch Trailrax's installation video, you will see the presenter belabor the correct bracket orientation. Unfortunately, the shipping staff hasn't seen the video.

Went to the off-grid cabin in Maine for the holiday.

 

[FellowM3]

Regarding the install, the biggest challenge I found was attaching the rack with the rack's wind screen in place. Instructions go over centering the the screen first and attaching to the first cross member. There is very little room to get two nuts on the front attachment bolts when the screen is in place. I removed two pairs of attachment bolts from the T-nuts on one side of the track. This gave me enough room to gently lift the wind screen to get access to the front attachment bolts. Care was taken not to move the T-nuts so the wind screen could be reattached at the same place as the original location. The process was repeat for the other side to secure the front of the rack to the bronco. There is enough flexibility in the screen to slightly lift it during this process without warping or damaging the paint.

My other issue was they sent two pairs of rear attachment brackets, instead of a pair of front and rear. If you watch Trailrax's installation video, you will see the presenter belabor the correct bracket orientation. Unfortunately, the shipping staff hasn't seen the video.

Went to the off-grid cabin in Maine for the holiday.

How is the light bar attached and which light bar did you end up with?

I am thinking of going with a Baja designs light bar and I am wondering if I need brackets. Of if thel light bar attaches to the rack itself

I assume it attached to the rack, seeing that the roof rack uses the bolts on the windshield

 

[JimEaton]

How is the light bar attached and which light bar did you end up with?

I am thinking of going with a Baja designs light bar and I am wondering if I need brackets. Of if thel light bar attaches to the rack itself

I assume it attached to the rack, seeing that the roof rack uses the bolts on the windshield

I bought the Heretic 40 inch through Trailrax when I purchased the rack. They give a pretty good discount when purchased together.

The light bar comes with two L-shaped mounting brackets that bolt to T-slot nuts that you slide into first cross member during assembly.

 

[BobRandall]

i love mine. i did NOT enjoy the install at all. the roof panels come out fairly easy, just need a little patience.
im looking to replace the stainless bolts on side racks.
i ordered some recovery boards that are too long, as another poster mentioned, so im going to look at ordering some shorter ones.

Question for you @inkd6973 on this. When the rack is installed and the first and second row roof panels are removed, how does the Trailrax inpact your open air experience? Do you look up and feel like you are in jail? I really want the best rack out there for my overlanding experience but sometimes I wonder if i should just get the factory rack since my roof box, ski rack, and other stuff would work with that fine. If my wife ever lets be buy my rooftop tent I would be screwed though.

 

[inkd6973]

Question for you @inkd6973 on this. When the rack is installed and the first and second row roof panels are removed, how does the Trailrax inpact your open air experience? Do you look up and feel like you are in jail? I really want the best rack out there for my overlanding experience but sometimes I wonder if i should just get the factory rack since my roof box, ski rack, and other stuff would work with that fine. If my wife ever lets be buy my rooftop tent I would be screwed though.

ha. i didnt have any problems. sounded a litlle different is about all. i researched a couple of months, and i love this choice. im in construction and its been perfedt for ladders and full sheet goods. im hoping to have a roof top tent this winter, but then ill have to haul my kayak differently

 

[IceMountainForever]

Yesterday I assembled a full TRMR rack and put it on my 4 door. Here is my honest assessment:

• Extremely durable, well-made quality piece of equipment.
• Every instructional video on YouTube severely understates the time it takes. Took two of us over 5 hours. There are a few steps that are completely downplayed that created a lot of frustration (see below for solution).
• It would be nice if the manufacture labeled the hardware better, or gave a list of tools needed (I had to figure this out from multiple YouTube videos)

What I wish I knew before I installed the TRMR

• I am never getting my full roof off again. Had I known that I would have purchased the half rack.
• The process of bolting the front of the rack to the Bronco was the absolute worst part of the job. I will never, ever get this thing off and thus, will never get the back shell of my roof off again
• You can get the front and middle roof panels off relatively easy. Yes, you will get a zebra tan line but I can't see this taking away from the open air experience

Worst part of the project

• Bolting the rack to the front of the Bronco. The instructions are useless, the videos online mention it's challenging but don't provide a solution.
• In my opinion, total design flaw here. You have to screw on 2 bolts on each side, with about 3/4" of space to work with. Not even a child's hand could get in here. This took me an hour to screw in 4 bolts. The entire time all I was thinking about was selling or returning the rack.
• In the end, I ended up rigging a wrench with a magnet to hold the bolt, dropped it into place and used tiny pliers to get the magnet out. Then tightened the nut with a chopstick a few times before jamming a small wrench in there to finish the job. Complete sh*tshow.
• This is why I'll never get the rack off the car. I would have to do this every time I want the rack on/off.

Bottom Line

• I don't see a better quality rack on the market
• I drove straight up to the mountains after and the rack is solid, with no wind noise
• Give yourself a half day, a wingman and a lot of beer to get this done.
• If you want to remove the back shell and go full topless, do not buy the full rack
• Pay a professional to do it if you don't have magnets or chopsticks

 

[BobRandall]

• Pay a professional to do it if you don't have magnets or chopsticks

Best line ever.

 

[FellowM3]

Yesterday I assembled a full TRMR rack and put it on my 4 door. Here is my honest assessment:

• Extremely durable, well-made quality piece of equipment.
• Every instructional video on YouTube severely understates the time it takes. Took two of us over 5 hours. There are a few steps that are completely downplayed that created a lot of frustration (see below for solution).
• It would be nice if the manufacture labeled the hardware better, or gave a list of tools needed (I had to figure this out from multiple YouTube videos)

What I wish I knew before I installed the TRMR

• I am never getting my full roof off again. Had I known that I would have purchased the half rack.
• The process of bolting the front of the rack to the Bronco was the absolute worst part of the job. I will never, ever get this thing off and thus, will never get the back shell of my roof off again
• You can get the front and middle roof panels off relatively easy. Yes, you will get a zebra tan line but I can't see this taking away from the open air experience

Worst part of the project

• Bolting the rack to the front of the Bronco. The instructions are useless, the videos online mention it's challenging but don't provide a solution.
• In my opinion, total design flaw here. You have to screw on 2 bolts on each side, with about 3/4" of space to work with. Not even a child's hand could get in here. This took me an hour to screw in 4 bolts. The entire time all I was thinking about was selling or returning the rack.
• In the end, I ended up rigging a wrench with a magnet to hold the bolt, dropped it into place and used tiny pliers to get the magnet out. Then tightened the nut with a chopstick a few times before jamming a small wrench in there to finish the job. Complete sh*tshow.
• This is why I'll never get the rack off the car. I would have to do this every time I want the rack on/off.

Bottom Line

• I don't see a better quality rack on the market
• I drove straight up to the mountains after and the rack is solid, with no wind noise
• Give yourself a half day, a wingman and a lot of beer to get this done.
• If you want to remove the back shell and go full topless, do not buy the full rack
• Pay a professional to do it if you don't have magnets or chopsticks

Maybe a stupid question, but can you send a pic of how you rigged the wrench with the magnet?

This could help a lot of people

Also, do you still have a list of all of the tools needed?

 

[IceMountainForever]

Maybe a stupid question, but can you send a pic of how you rigged the wrench with the magnet?

This could help a lot of people

Also, do you still have a list of all of the tools needed?

Hi, I don’t have pictures or the list of tools because I’m up at the cabin for 2 weeks and left it at home.

Here’s a Google image though, but imagine a small magnet on the top holding the nut in place. Once I placed it on the screw I pulled the magnet off with pliers and the nut was in place. There’s such little room to torque it you have to be really precise to get a few small turns and get it to thread. Then you torque it.

Here are the two videos I watched to get a list of tools.

Middleton Motorsports he tackles the worst part at the 14:11 mark

Trailrax Official

Hope this helps

 

[fitterhappier]

• The process of bolting the front of the rack to the Bronco was the absolute worst part of the job.

Couldn't agree more - it was dreadful. I used painters tape to tape each nut to my 10mm wrench and slowly dropped each one onto each bolt and then carefully tore the tape off MacGyver style while exerting enough pressure so the nut didn't fall off. Took an hour for all four nuts. Almost lost my mind in the process!

 

[BobRandall]

Another Trailrax question for you guys. With this rack can I still use my existing Yakima ski rack on the cross bars or do I need an adapter for that? I assume I CAN use the rack but I wanted to see if anyone else was doing that. Also anyone using regular roof top boxes, etc ... any good experience with those on this rack?

 

[Delli555]

This thread is bumming me out. I am awaiting my Bronco any day now and have the full rack unopened waiting in my basement.

Thisis making me almost want to sell or return it before I open it. It hurts doubly to know the install sucks so much I will never want to take it off and put back on again. I don’t know yet if I would want it on full time or not.

The full rack can’t be used as a half rack right? All one piece so you either buy fulk or half, so full isn’t modular in that sense, right?

Sponsored