GX470/Prado 120 - Show me your rack! (3 Viewers)

[theferg]

Show me your rack! Roof rack, that is...

So, I'm trying to decide on which roof rack I want to get for my GX470. On my first GX build a few years ago, I went with the Eezi-Awn K9 from Equipt, and while I did like that rack, I really like the looks of the newer style low-profile racks with the kinda closed-side look. However, I've found there doesn't seem to be a good thread anywhere that really has a good breakdown of all the current available racks. There is the GXOR wiki with a list of racks here: GXOR Mods - Roof Rack, but its def a good bit out of date now--there has been a good handful of new manufacturers making racks and they are not listed on there, specifcally all the low-profile ones, only the Prinsu is on there and i know of at least 5 of them offhand. There's also some that really don't have that great of photos on their site, so I can't tell if I really like them for sure.

So if you have one, post up as many pics as you can of it. I think it would be most helpful if you have shots from the front, a good straight on side shot (that includes the *rear* portion of the rack), a pic from the back, and perhaps a pic from above if possible. Better if the rack is bare (nothing packed on it) if possible. I'm hoping we can put a good visual list together here (and then perhaps we can also update the GXOR wiki and get it up to date as well.)

I'll try to put a running list here of racks folks post up:
Eezi-Awn K9 full-length Prado 120 rack - Lexus GX K9 Roof Rack Kit
Victory 4x4 Roof Rack - GX Roof Rack | 470 & 460 (03+) - Victory 4x4
LFD Off Road GX470 Roof Rack - LFD Off Road - GX470 Roof Rack
JW Off Road GX470 Roof Rack - Roof Rack / Full Low Profile - GX470
Sherpa Equipment GX470 Qaundary Roof Rack - Lexus GX470 Roof Rack | Sherpa Equipment Co.
Prinsu GX470 Roof Rack - Lexus GX470 Prinsu Roof Rack | 2003-2009
Rokmen Rok Rax GX470 Roof Rack - ROKMEN ROK RAX Lexus GX470 Roof Rack
Southern Style OffRoad GX470 Roof Rack - Lexus GX470 Roof Rack | Southern Style OffRoad
Gobi Racks GX470 Roof Rack - GOBI Lexus GX470 Stealth Rack With Sunroof Lightbar Setup
Gamiviti GX Roof Rack - Lexus GX Racks — Gamiviti

And here's my old GX470 with the Eezi-Awn K9 (long-gone and I can't find any more pics... :-/ )

 

[Mahalol]

I have the victory rack and I am pretty happy with it. The following reasons why I picked this over Prinsu.

1. Price - $950 free shipping and no tax. I did pay extra for the black hardware. Right now it’s 10% off direct from their website.

2. I liked the finished style of the rear

3. Crossbars are powder coated

4. The mounting brackets are made out of steel and not part of the aluminum frame.

Some of the things I do not like are the adjustability of the crossbars. Very limited, about an inch forward or back. Prinsu has much more.

Because of this, there is wasted space towards the rear and I wouldn’t be able to mount anything really close to the back. For example I’m thinking about mounting a Baja Jerry can holder back there.

One other factor was Victory’s customer service. My box was delivered damaged at no fault to them. I ended up losing a separate box that included all of the hardware. They immediately shipping out another set no questions asked. That was awesome. I wouldn’t hesitate to buy from them again.

 

[yeos]

Here's an alternative to the full racks. LFD Off-road crossbars. They are made of steel and are offered in the standard width as pictured or wider bars. They also have a fairing available, but I have an Inno brand fairing that I trimmed down the edges to fit.

Currently I have it set up to carry a 4 gallon rotopax, shovel, treds, and a rhino rack batwing awning. They are also offering a full rack now: LFD Off Road - Lexus

 

[subspd]

I am thinking of this one...

Roof Rack / Full Low Profile - GX470

JW Offroad low profile roof rack mounts to existing holes in the roof of the Lexus Gx470. Using lightweight 1/8 steel and 1/4 aluminum this rack stays light weight by using sound engineering principles to hold everything together making it a solid structure once all tightened up. The sides can...

www.jwoffroad.com

 

[subspd]

I am also thinking about making my own using these... Sherpa also sells a full GX470 rack.

Mounting Feet — Sherpa Equipment Company

Estimated Lead Time - 2 Weeks The Crestone mounting feet do not work for making a load bar setup.

sherpaequipmentco.com

 

[ArBrnSnpr]

Nice to see JW offroad offering a rack.

I bought a tire carrier from Nick and he was great to deal with.

That said, I've been running a Prinsu rack for about a year and I love it.

I am running a Lenzdesign snorkel which required me to cut my roof rack to fit. Not difficult, but worth mentioning.

Some pictures of the evolution.

 

[McDuff123]

Prinsu here as well. Opted for the full-length version. Quite happy with it, as I wanted low profile, lightweight, and sharp looking. The adjustability of the crossbars is helpful too.
Install was easy, and I’m pretty impressed that everything lined up, including the mounting feet to the bolt holes in the roof.

 

[TahoeLX450]

Here's an alternative to the full racks. LFD Off-road crossbars. They are made of steel and are offered in the standard width as pictured or wider bars. They also have a fairing available, but I have an Inno brand fairing that I trimmed down the edges to fit.

Currently I have it set up to carry a 4 gallon rotopax, shovel, treds, and a rhino rack batwing awning. They are also offering a full rack now: LFD Off Road - Lexus

View attachment 2251074View attachment 2251075View attachment 2251077View attachment 2251078

I have been looking at these too. I am considering putting the same items upstairs and don't think I need a full dedicated roof rack. My question: Did you experience any noticeable increase in wind noise? If so did the fairing cure it?

 

[yeos]

I have been looking at these too. I am considering putting the same items upstairs and don't think I need a full dedicated roof rack. My question: Did you experience any noticeable increase in wind noise? If so did the fairing cure it?

There is noticable wind noise without the fairing on the highway. The fairing reduces it, but you can still hear some noise. Maybe their own fairing or a taller one might do better.

 

[TahoeLX450]

There is noticable wind noise without the fairing on the highway. The fairing reduces it, but you can still hear some noise. Maybe their own fairing or a taller one might do better.

Thanks for the information!

 

[ArBrnSnpr]

I ran a fairing and still had terrible wind noise and vibration.

It wasn't until that I added the rubber weather gasket strip that it completely went away.

 

[estoddart]

We’ve used Gobi racks on our 80 series and now GX470.

 

[theferg]

Well after studying as many pics as I could find of roof racks for the GX, I decided to go with the Prinsu. The main points that won out for me on it are:

• The back end of the rack. The style and the position on the body that the rack ends. All the other racks (from the pics I could find) do not end near as far back as the Prinsu does and they all seem to angle back in towards the rack (seemingly in an attempt to match the angle of the rear body) and it just doesnt look right to my eye. The Prinsu comes ALL the way back and doesnt have that same angled end.
• The number of crossbars, the uniform spacing of the crossbars, and the position of the rear-most crossbar. Most all the other racks (of this low-pro style) have non-uniform spacing between the bars. (This seems to be a result of the style of mount feet used--others use actual mount feet and the bolt positions on top of the GX are not uniformly spaced. The Prinsu mount feet are built into the sides and therefore the crossbar spacing is independent of the mount feet.)

Anyway, got it mounted up today and I'm really happy with the way it looks and how sturdy it feels. The only drawback I found was that the front-most mount feet were contacting the roof when bolted all the way down. I added some thin rubber separators that squished right down in between to help avoid scratching the roof with the feet.

 

[ArBrnSnpr]

I know there are longer spacers. My rack didn't come with directions so i put the longer spacers in front to avoid the rack contacting my roof.

 

[theferg]

I know there are longer spacers. My rack didn't come with directions so i put the longer spacers in front to avoid the rack contacting my roof.

Hmmm. Mine also didnt come with instructions. But I thought they were all the same length... perhaps I didnt look close enough.

 

[ArBrnSnpr]

I laid mine out before installing and I definitely had 2 sets of longer spacers. My buddy installed a Prinsu rack and asked me where the longer spacers go so I know his had them too. Might be worth calling and getting an answer. I'll call tomorrow and post back.

 

[theferg]

I laid mine out before installing and I definitely had 2 sets of longer spacers. My buddy installed a Prinsu rack and asked me where the longer spacers go so I know his had them too. Might be worth calling and getting an answer. I'll call tomorrow and post back.

Yep. You were correct. There were 4 longer spacers. Funny - During my original install, I actually checked lengths on all the bolts and all the crossbars, but I didn't check the spacers. I moved all 4 of them to the front mount spots and the spacing there is much better now. Thanks man!

 

[theferg]

So continuing on a related question.... Do all these racks use spacers under the mount feet? Are they all the same round-tube type spacers as shown above in my last reply? I feel a solid spacer "block" would be much better weight-wise and perhaps for helping keep water/debris out from under there. Obviously solid spacers would add some cost vs a bunch of little tube spacers, but benefit could outweigh the cost.

 

[d33kae]

Front Runner Slimline II 1/2 Rack

 

[b8bydesign]

I know there are longer spacers. My rack didn't come with directions so i put the longer spacers in front to avoid the rack contacting my roof.

Hmmm. Mine also didnt come with instructions. But I thought they were all the same length... perhaps I didnt look close enough.

Just a heads up for others, there is a install pdf available on their website, see page for 4 for the spacer diagram:

Install Guides

Do you need instructions on how to install your new accessories? Look no further, here are all of our product install guides.

prinsudesignstudio.com