Delta Vehicle Systems Roof Rack (1 Viewer)

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Dirty Koala

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A few weeks ago I drove my 80 down to Flagstaff for Overland Expo West to have my LX placed in the @Delta VS Booth to display all the cool products that Delta has produced that I already own. During this trip we put the brand spanking new Delta rack on my truck and I proceded to spend the next few days talking to tons of folks about the build, the Delta parts and Wits’ End turbo brought a LOT of attention. It was also interesting to see how many folks wanted my personal opinions of all the products I have used, probably because I am just a guy that spends a lot of money as a client on parts from Delta, Wits end, etc. etc.

The trip was great, and after messing with the new Delta rack for a few days, I had decided I wanted to keep it. At this point pricing on the rack hadn’t been figured out yet, so I asked Dave on the trip back north, “I want to keep the rack” how much do you want for it?” I was not expecting the answer I got… “You took time off of work, drove 1000+ miles and spent 3 days talking to people, I want you to have the rack”

Since I am about to give my thoughts on the new rack, I wanted to be upfront about how I acquired the rack. I have no agreement to provide a glowing review or any agreement at all frankly.

That said, onto the review.

Design:
I was pleasantly surprised to see the production version of the rack have a very low profile design that I believe compliments the natural angles of the 80 roofline, but adds in a bit of modern flare…just like the delta bumpers that I have been running for years do. The rack definitely looks like it was designed specifically for the 80 vs other racks out there that are generic with just gutter rail brackets designed for the 80.

I have now had a Gamiviti, a Bowfin and now a Delta rack on my 80, and all have been great racks for me. The Gamiviti was a custom spec steel rack, the Bowfin and Delta are both production spec models. I have enjoyed all of the racks I have had, but I find the lines of the new Delta rack to be the most attractive of the 3…my opinion. As with most other Delta products, the use of carriage bolt slots are all over the rack on almost every face. This makes mounting items very easy with all the flexibility the design offers.

Another factor that may be important to some is the ability to run just the rear half rack, or the whole rack. I personally will be running the whole rack, but it’s a nice touch for those that may not need a full rack all of the time.

Weight:
One of the biggest differences I noticed right off the bat when comparing to other racks I have had or at least handled, was the weight. The Delta rack is only 44lbs including hardware, this is significantly lighter than any other full-size rack on the market. Putting the rack on was super easy to do, and as long as you have a step to step up onto the tailgate, it can by done single handed. A major plus for those that don’t have or like to call in favors to help with your truck.

Strength:
When you look at how the rack is designed it’s immediately apparent that this was designed to be structurally efficient. While the rack only weighs 30lbs, the way that 30lbs is engineered with compound structural bends is impressive. While we were at Expo, Dave climbed up on top and started to bounce in the middle of one crossbar on one foot with his full 250lbs. There was very little deflection at all. Knowing how much deflection there is/was on my other racks when being super careful with foot placement, let alone bouncing, was really impressive. Subsequent to that demonstration, I have been all over my rack mounting my awning and tent, and it doesn’t matter where you stand, the rack doesn’t move. It’s very very stout.

Awning:
I have had an Eezi-Awn Bat 270 for the past 3-4 years, and it has now been mounted to three different racks. Delta is still working on their awning brackets, but I didn’t want to wait for those since I already had a set of brackets that I figured would work. I was able to mount up my awning nice and tight (about 1/2” clearance from the new tent passenger side). I am only using two mounts at the moment, which is a departure from the 3 that I typically use, but it it not moving or flexing at all…so don’t really see a need to add another bracket.

Roof Top Tent:
The modular design has already been very useful to me. After getting the rack I went on the hunt for a suitable RTT that would compliment the sleek rack design and not stick out the sides like a mini wing. I landed on a 50” CVT Mt Hood tent, and quickly got to work mounting it. I wanted the tent at low as possible, which is about 1/2” or less above the cross bars. With as low profile as the delta rack is, I knew it would be a challenge to get man sized hands underneath to fasten the tent. Instead, I unbolted two cross-bars (there are 8 3/8” carriage bolts per cross-bar), measured and bolted those bars to the tent on the ground and then lifted the tent with pre-installed cross bars up as one unit, dropped it into place and put the bolts back in. Those bolts are all accessible from the side and sunroof making it super easy. If I were to do it again I wouldn’t bother removing the front cross bar as you can bolt on the tent hardware through the sunroof very easily.

This weekend I got the family out into the mountains to go camping, and everyone was up and down the ladder all day. Zero creaks or rattles whatsoever. I am thoroughly impressed with yet another awesome Delta product.

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This might be a giant PITA but is there any way you could post up some pictures of just the rack without the tent mounted? This is by no means a pressing request, as I already have a roof rack....oh, who am I kidding, this is MUD and we all want to see it. Pictures, man. Moar pitchers! :bounce: :hillbilly:
 
Anybody have a pic of just the half rear rack installed? I'm wondering if you order the half unit what the front facing looks like?
 
This might be a giant PITA but is there any way you could post up some pictures of just the rack without the tent mounted? This is by no means a pressing request, as I already have a roof rack....oh, who am I kidding, this is MUD and we all want to see it. Pictures, man. Moar pitchers! :bounce: :hillbilly:
Have you looked at the DVS website? They have pics
 
This might be a giant PITA but is there any way you could post up some pictures of just the rack without the tent mounted? This is by no means a pressing request, as I already have a roof rack....oh, who am I kidding, this is MUD and we all want to see it. Pictures, man. Moar pitchers! :bounce: :hillbilly:

Anybody have a pic of just the half rear rack installed? I'm wondering if you order the half unit what the front facing looks like?
Instead of Morgan taking things apart, I'll add some here.

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@Delta VS , so much better than my Prinsu. Have you started on an adapter for an Alu Cab Shadow awning? It would require both halfs of your rack mounted.
not yet. plan is more of a universal type thing that has vertical slotted holes so it fits a wide variety of awnings.
 
Thanks for the additional pics and I did check out the website. I just was unclear if the rear standalone half-unit shipped like this without a front facing:
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Or like this with a front facing:
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Thanks for the additional pics and I did check out the website. I just was unclear if the rear standalone half-unit shipped like this without a front facing:
View attachment 2815376

Or like this with a front facing:
View attachment 2815377
Your red arrows are actually pointing at the same piece of metal. It gets used on both the half rack and the full rack. Just uses different holes.
 
not yet. plan is more of a universal type thing that has vertical slotted holes so it fits a wide variety of awnings.
That sounds like a good thing except for an issue that might surface with 270* awnings, like the Alu Cab Shadow. The rear awning mount on the Shadow needs to be extremely stout since it will support the awning as it pivots during opening and is the main support when awning is deployed. It (for the most part) is a free standing awning and the rear mount will also sustain severe stress with wind gusts. One other consideration is the front to back axis placement has a very narrow window for alignment. My Prinsu rack could not adequately support my Alu Cab awning when I attempted to mount it, where other awnings had no problem. If the 270* requirements can be incorporated into a universal awning adapter, that would simplify the option for buyers.

I added a 4' X 8' diamond plated sheet of aluminum, cut to length to my Prinsu (pics provided). It is also cut to allow the section above sunroof to be removed if desired. I find myself leaving it on though to give weather protection to the aging sunroof weather stripping..lol. You might consider a sunroof protection cover option.

If you look closely, you can see the sun roof section joint:
IMG_1867a.JPG


The full sheet left attached also gives the roof protection from the sun and with the darker paint color, makes a difference in cooler interior temps when parked & locked.
IMG_1868a.JPG
 
That sounds like a good thing except for an issue that might surface with 270* awnings, like the Alu Cab Shadow. The rear awning mount on the Shadow needs to be extremely stout since it will support the awning as it pivots during opening and is the main support when awning is deployed. It (for the most part) is a free standing awning and the rear mount will also sustain severe stress with wind gusts. One other consideration is the front to back axis placement has a very narrow window for alignment. My Prinsu rack could not adequately support my Alu Cab awning when I attempted to mount it, where other awnings had no problem. If the 270* requirements can be incorporated into a universal awning adapter, that would simplify the option for buyers.

I added a 4' X 8' diamond plated sheet of aluminum, cut to length to my Prinsu (pics provided). It is also cut to allow the section above sunroof to be removed if desired. I find myself leaving it on though to give weather protection to the aging sunroof weather stripping..lol. You might consider a sunroof protection cover option.

If you look closely, you can see the sun roof section joint:
View attachment 2815407

The full sheet left attached also gives the roof protection from the sun and with the darker paint color, makes a difference in cooler interior temps when parked & locked.
View attachment 2815408
Don't know about that particular awning, but @Dirty Koala hasn't mentioned having issues with his. Are you saying the Alu Cab awning is significantly different than other 270 awnings?
 

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