Installed Front Runner Rack / Awning and Quick Release Mounts! (1 Viewer)

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.

Joined
Oct 29, 2018
Threads
34
Messages
142
Location
Herndon VA
So I bit the bullet and got a real rack rather than lug that tent on the factory rack. Quick summary:

1. Front Runner install was very straight forward and easy. I did follow the guidelines for removing the bolts and i did not have any issues. There are 4 total hidden bolts at the center of the rack... you need to pry the plastic cover off to gain access... that took awhile for me to find (shown below):(

2. In hind sight, the factory rack is more than capable of supporting that behemoth tent... but I wanted to mount the awning I impulsively bought... so i needed a rack.

3. The quick release system (I bought the supports as well) worked out great but i am having trouble securing 1/4 of the latches. I think i just need to adjust the attachment point on the tent a little bit so they all latch...

4. Even with the supports installed I dont see how the load of the tent is evenly dispersed I do think they will minimize the flex in the tent but i think the wood solution was much better!

5. Final thoughts on the rack / tent stuff: Very well made and very customizable. I do not regret making the purchase at all... I added a few inches of height so i wont be going into any parking garage anytime soon but the ease at which the tent can be removed is well worth it.... now i just need to make a jig so it becomes a one man job

Car 1.jpg


Car 2.JPG


Car 3.jpg


Car 4.jpg
 
I've been looking at those quick release latches for awhile now... really wanted to a) see if they maintained the spacing between the rack amnd the tent (yours appears to do so) and b) to see if they were really that easy to use. they are pricey!

in my experience not having the gap between the tent and the rack cause the rack to howl in speeds above 40 MPH... so I went and changed to the raised mounts which eliminated it. I've done the math and the quick laches seemed to have the same height - so thanks for posting it so I could visually confirm.

Now on to the stability of this vs the factory rack - it might appear as though there isn't much advantage, but you're spreading the 4 attachment points of the tent across the whole structure of the FR rack, which has more attachment points to the roof, so in essence, it's less dynamic force per attachment point. couple that with the fact that the factory rack attachment material isn't the same gauge of materials, its not hard to see how it was limited in overall static and dynamic loading.

trust me - I broke my factory rack on the 100 using an ARB simpson and know of a guy that got taco'd in his when the rack broke...
 
I think the tent is very well supported on the truck... my concern was having adults rolling around in it... the fiberglass is strong so i am sure it is fine. I would say the quick release latches (while expensive) really do make this thing a breeze to install / remove. You can install the mounts on the bottom of the support rails if you want a more flush look but then you lose the ability to get some accessories attached to it. And everything with Front Runner just seems to work...

There is a forum member selling his quick release mounts at a discount right now... might be worth looking into. I bought new only because i was ordering the rack at the same time.
 
First...great color...blue onyx pearl is the best. :)

Did you have to do anything during installation of the rack to ensure there will be no leaks when it rains? I've read in other threads that people are using copious amounts of silicone and other material to keep water out...to be honest, this might deter me from adding an aftermarket rack and move towards modifying the OEM? Opinions on that?
 
Well when installing the rack it’s pretty obvious where the potential leak points are. Front Runner is pretty clear where to put silicone. Making sure you follow instructions and I don’t think you would run into any issues. I recall someone on the forum talking about leaks but after installing this I can’t imagine how they would occur. My truck has been through some heavy DC rains over the last few weeks and I haven’t had any issues.

As for the OEM rack I think someone here added some T Slot Aluminum and given the strength of the rack I think it would work out great!
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top Bottom