.

[Freebird32]

Those definitely look like spot welds. Adhesive/sealant was used on the plate to ensure no leakage. Structural adhesive on such a small area wouldn’t be sufficient to sustain design load.

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[604Bronco]

I do all my own DIY stuff and have made racks for friends rigs. Still playing with some super low profile designs for the Bronco. Any pics of your DIY rack?

https://www.bronco6g.com/forum/threads/my-diy-soft-top-roof-rack-build.76663/

Disclaimer: Please do not attempt this.

 

[jwysopal]

I would never do this for a soft top, or design anything like this

 

[cr117]

Good luck getting a warranty claim. If you do try taking it back to the dealership, whatever you do, do not mention anything about your diy roof rack.

 

[indio22]

Installed a 175Lb rooftop tent on top of my diy rack.
Bouncing through a hole, popped the plug welded plate off.
Someone had to find the limits

View attachment 544333

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View attachment 544335

Is it possible the area was contaminated by wax, hence the failure?

Seriously though, that concerns me, as I plan to have various boats mounted on top at highway speeds. For me the weight won't be an issue, but would not want a mount breaking loose and have the boats and all fly up or break loose.

 

[ZackDanger]

This might be a good place to start. Also a good way to summon @ZackDanger from the ashes.

https://www.bronco6g.com/forum/threads/roof-rack-100lbs-weight-limit.22665/

 

[tock13]

I think those mounting points were designed by the same team of 1st years that designed that genius rear hatch on the soft too.

Can’t wait to see other discoveries pop up to shake a head at.

 

[TomH]

Installed a 175Lb rooftop tent on top of my diy rack.
Bouncing through a hole, popped the plug welded plate off.
Someone had to find the limits

View attachment 544333

View attachment 544334

View attachment 544335

I see rust on the underside of the plate at the welds. Was it a part failure/fatigue?

 

[swamp2]

I've got a thread on the rack. Myn was too tall, wasn't sure on height clearance around the soft top at first. Will be going lower for less lever action.

Your rack design is the fundamental problem, very unlikely the vehicle. The lack of rear torsional support placed too much load into the front mounting points.

There are plenty of Broncos with racks and RTTs that combined weigh way more than the measly dynamic 100 lb load limit I have heard of. These folks wheel hard with no problems.

 

[cr117]

Your rack design is the fundamental problem, very unlikely the vehicle. The lack of rear torsional support placed too much load into the front mounting points.

There are plenty of Broncos with racks and RTTs that combined weigh way more than the measly dynamic 100 lb load limit I have heard of. These folks wheel hard with no problems.

Exactly. Way too much torque on those windshield mounting points. You can't just bolt on things and expect it to support all that weight swaying and bouncing back and forth and expect it to hold. The flaw was in the design of the rack.

 

[Malicar]

I see rust on the underside of the plate at the welds. Was it a part failure/fatigue?

This is a good possibility. I'll what Ford says, if it is, they'll be taking the other one off too.

 

[Malicar]

As far as I can see, Ford rated the racks, but nowhere does it specify what the actual mounting locations are rated for?

 

[indio22]

Your rack design is the fundamental problem, very unlikely the vehicle. The lack of rear torsional support placed too much load into the front mounting points.

There are plenty of Broncos with racks and RTTs that combined weigh way more than the measly dynamic 100 lb load limit I have heard of. These folks wheel hard with no problems.

Is there a photo of the rack in this thread? I didn't see one.

 

[Malicar]

Your rack design is the fundamental problem, very unlikely the vehicle. The lack of rear torsional support placed too much load into the front mounting points.

There are plenty of Broncos with racks and RTTs that combined weigh way more than the measly dynamic 100 lb load limit I have heard of. These folks wheel hard with no problems.

I agree on the problem.
The height of the racks front blocks were main issue though. Torque is increased further out you are.
Rear of the rack was fine, had turnbuckles installed. No sway/torsion.
Rear is what kept everything sturdy enough to drive home.

I've seen quite a few broncos with rtt as well. Haven't seen any of them wheel their's with the rtt and gear on though.

 

[swamp2]

I agree on the problem.
The height of the racks front blocks were main issue though. Torque is increased further out you are.
Rear of the rack was fine, had turnbuckles installed. No sway/torsion.
Rear is what kept everything sturdy enough to drive home.

I've seen quite a few broncos with rtt as well. Haven't seen any of them wheel their's with the rtt and gear on though.

I disagree on your view of the problem. No matter how stiff you tried to make it, a single center (and) hitch mount for a roof rack will permit too much torsion of the rack. That leads to the large tension and compression loads at the front corners, of which the tension clearly caused your issue.

Do you doubt a Bronco can wheel hard with a traditional multi-point roof rack and attachment system on a hard top? I've not personally seen one do so myself, but I have full confidence folks have and do so without issue.

His design....

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