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Finished installing the ZROADZ rack on my 2-door Bronco, and here it is!
Ordered the rack during the Memorial Day sale for 10% off. It was at my door just 4 days later.
Incredible shipping, packaging, and customer order support.
Looks:
10/10. A better looking rack does not exists in my opinion. The round tubing works well with the Bronco's retro styling, and almost looks factory. Most of the bolts are hidden from view, making it streamlined and professional looking. The low-profile, completely flat-top design is very useful. Better looking than the OEM rack (in my opinion). Tons of built-in mounting points for light bars (front and rear) and other accessories, which you don't get with the OEM rack.
Quality:
9/10. The rack build quality is simply fantastic. Steel welds and reinforced brackets are all top notch and carefully engineered. Absurdly solid, with no squeaks, rattles, or wobbles. No scuffs or shipping damage. The included hardware works great. Wind noise inside the cabin is better than I thought it would be, just a slight humming above 50mph. Panels removable.
Installation:
8/10. Ideally, this is a two man job. The rack is assembled on the ground, and lifted onto the roof. I used my garage rafters as a hoist. Fitment was nearly perfect. I did add additional spacers/washers to the rear roof clamps to relieve some stress from the fiberglass. I suspect the thickness of the new rubber padding was causing the clamps to apply too much pressure to the fiberglass. Given that the rack is full steel design.. no surprise, it's got some weight. The shipping box was marked 93lbs. The rack is about ~87lbs. The two removable cross-rails weight 13lbs together. So ~74lbs if you don't need to install the cross-rails. I suspect the front steel bar could also be removed without sacrificing too much structural integrity, that would save another 10lbs or so.
Overall:
This rack looks AMAZING, and is definitely the visual touch my Bronco needed. The built-in accessory mounts are really convenient. And the low-profile design is perfect. I'm very happy with the purchase! The only con I see is that it is made of heavy steel when lighter aluminum could have worked well. Steel is a bit overkill for how much weight the roof of the Bronco might handle. The OEM rack is made of cheap plastic and can only handle 110lbs dynamic and 450lbs static, but it weighs only ~40lbs itself. I’ve seen plenty pictures of broken OEM racks, they are truly a poor quality part. By the books, the roof is likely only rated at ~150lbs dynamic and ~490lbs static by Ford unfortunately. During installation those limits became more clear to me. The front mounting bolts are tiny, and the rear mounts to only fiberglass. All that said, the bronco is my daily driver, and something like the Gobi rack is too excessive. OEM rack doesn't include all the light mounts, and subjectively other racks just don't look as good
I plan to use it mainly for kayaks, gas cans, and might grab a lightweight roof top tent. Some tents weight as little as 87lbs, for a total of ~170lbs. Should work great. For peace of mind, I would mount steel cables from the rack to the trail-sights. That should reduce the possibility of the rack becoming detached.
To ZROADZ: Any plans for a "Pak Rax" style extension? The extra storage and weight distribution would be fantastic.
Update: I see several manufacturers making hardtop reinforcement brackets, which attach from the inside roll bar. These brackets will definitely reduce hardtop flex/sway, if running heavy rooftop tents. No 2-door versions available yet unfortunately. I might even consider drilling my hardtop if it means adding more rigidity and strength to my roof.
Update 2: Rack has been awesome.
Ordered the rack during the Memorial Day sale for 10% off. It was at my door just 4 days later.
Incredible shipping, packaging, and customer order support.
Looks:
10/10. A better looking rack does not exists in my opinion. The round tubing works well with the Bronco's retro styling, and almost looks factory. Most of the bolts are hidden from view, making it streamlined and professional looking. The low-profile, completely flat-top design is very useful. Better looking than the OEM rack (in my opinion). Tons of built-in mounting points for light bars (front and rear) and other accessories, which you don't get with the OEM rack.
Quality:
9/10. The rack build quality is simply fantastic. Steel welds and reinforced brackets are all top notch and carefully engineered. Absurdly solid, with no squeaks, rattles, or wobbles. No scuffs or shipping damage. The included hardware works great. Wind noise inside the cabin is better than I thought it would be, just a slight humming above 50mph. Panels removable.
Installation:
8/10. Ideally, this is a two man job. The rack is assembled on the ground, and lifted onto the roof. I used my garage rafters as a hoist. Fitment was nearly perfect. I did add additional spacers/washers to the rear roof clamps to relieve some stress from the fiberglass. I suspect the thickness of the new rubber padding was causing the clamps to apply too much pressure to the fiberglass. Given that the rack is full steel design.. no surprise, it's got some weight. The shipping box was marked 93lbs. The rack is about ~87lbs. The two removable cross-rails weight 13lbs together. So ~74lbs if you don't need to install the cross-rails. I suspect the front steel bar could also be removed without sacrificing too much structural integrity, that would save another 10lbs or so.
Overall:
This rack looks AMAZING, and is definitely the visual touch my Bronco needed. The built-in accessory mounts are really convenient. And the low-profile design is perfect. I'm very happy with the purchase! The only con I see is that it is made of heavy steel when lighter aluminum could have worked well. Steel is a bit overkill for how much weight the roof of the Bronco might handle. The OEM rack is made of cheap plastic and can only handle 110lbs dynamic and 450lbs static, but it weighs only ~40lbs itself. I’ve seen plenty pictures of broken OEM racks, they are truly a poor quality part. By the books, the roof is likely only rated at ~150lbs dynamic and ~490lbs static by Ford unfortunately. During installation those limits became more clear to me. The front mounting bolts are tiny, and the rear mounts to only fiberglass. All that said, the bronco is my daily driver, and something like the Gobi rack is too excessive. OEM rack doesn't include all the light mounts, and subjectively other racks just don't look as good
I plan to use it mainly for kayaks, gas cans, and might grab a lightweight roof top tent. Some tents weight as little as 87lbs, for a total of ~170lbs. Should work great. For peace of mind, I would mount steel cables from the rack to the trail-sights. That should reduce the possibility of the rack becoming detached.To ZROADZ: Any plans for a "Pak Rax" style extension? The extra storage and weight distribution would be fantastic.
Update: I see several manufacturers making hardtop reinforcement brackets, which attach from the inside roll bar. These brackets will definitely reduce hardtop flex/sway, if running heavy rooftop tents. No 2-door versions available yet unfortunately. I might even consider drilling my hardtop if it means adding more rigidity and strength to my roof.
Update 2: Rack has been awesome.
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