Hi and welcome from a fellow Kansas person.
I do not know how to make the roof itself stronger without a complete rework of structure.
But, maybe you could make a frame from the Bronco body up to the rack that helps support some of the weight. You might check out Gobi racks to see their frame.
One other consideration is the load weight limit for the tailgate.
A SAS spare of the same brand and type is heavier than a Badlands standard size.
This may or may not matter to OP. On our SAS it has kept me from considering spare tire type fuel carriers due to the extra weight they add.
I'm weighing all this myself. One question. If a tie rod breaks, when and where will it happen?
On my drive way is fine. On a slow forest road is fine. On a narrow ledge at 9,500 feet as the sun is going down? Going down Black Bear Pass.....I' m dead. Wheeling with a group of young...
Has this problem with the bushing happened?
The post by jeff says it has the potential. Tie rods breaking is currently happening.
With the Bronco being 2 years old and the Bronc Bushing being younger it is still early.
Tyler at BroncBuster has a lot of miles on his.....so we shall see.
I do...
If you are one of the several non lifted sasquatch owners with 35 inch tires and you bust out your steering rack would you at that point pay $350 to not have the problem?
This issue is greater for lifted and larger tire Broncos. But it has happened to other just less frequently. They are...
Mine with the H with 6 quarts shows half way between the bottom and the top holes.
With 6.5 quarts it shows at the top hole. With 7 quarts it shows above the top hole up into the twist of the dip stick.
On the Alaska Haul road between Fairbanks and Dead Horse CB is the main truckers communication. They use marked call out areas and expect you to know they are coming round the bend or over the hill.
It should not be way early in the game.....but it is. Unfortunately Ford does release a replacement product for sale and then someday when they get around to it will figure out how to make it work.....somehow.
Can the front lower control arm be used as a jack point?
How about right under the shock mount?
Wanting to lift a front tire off the ground but not wanting to lift as much as the chassis rail "official" lift point requires.
Trust but confirm: Ducati1098 is posting good info.
I called service tech and he looked up and read SSM 50981 to me. It is 6 quarts, but the original 7 quart recommendation will not cause harm.