Questions on FrontRunner from rack owners

[pchLC]

Aside from the generic, "how do you like the rack" question...

Thanks in advance!

1. Is it a one person job to install or better for a shop to order/mount?

2. Are you able to sit/stand on the rack/slats (or maybe 1 foot per slat)?

3. Without a "gobi" rear ladder, how do you get up there? Bring a small ladder ?

4. Does it impact the antenna/reception?

5. Can you use the tilt-up on the sunroof or will it make contact on a slat?

6. It appears to only have slats.. not any bars... How do you go about mounting a roof box, surfboard/SUP?

7. Doesn't appear to come with a wind deflector vs Rhino/others.. has this led to noise/oscillations/vibrations? ( I saw a 4runner other day with cables running from the front corners of the rack to the front of the hood/bumper!)

8. I didn't seen any tie downs/notches on the slats..how do you go about actually securing cargo up there?

Thanks again!

 

[sleak]

Aside from the generic, "how do you like the rack" question...

Thanks in advance!

1. Is it a one person job to install or better for a shop to order/mount? Not a one-man job; you can do everything yourself right up to lifting the assembled rack up onto the base rails.

2. Are you able to sit/stand on the rack/slats (or maybe 1 foot per slat)? No idea; I have no need to walk on it.

3. Without a "gobi" rear ladder, how do you get up there? Bring a small ladder ? At home, setting things up, I use a small step stool; in the field I can reach everything standing in the doorways.

4. Does it impact the antenna/reception? A bit, I think, with the Sirius XM.

5. Can you use the tilt-up on the sunroof or will it make contact on a slat? Yes.

6. It appears to only have slats.. not any bars... How do you go about mounting a roof box, surfboard/SUP? Frontrunner sells hundreds of things to attach and to attach other things.

7. Doesn't appear to come with a wind deflector vs Rhino/others.. has this led to noise/oscillations/vibrations? ( I saw a 4runner other day with cables running from the front corners of the rack to the front of the hood/bumper!) The wind deflector that comes with it is a real whistler (at least mine was). I replaced it with their other, larger one sold separately. I thought about brush cables, but they'd interfere with opening the hood.

8. I didn't seen any tie downs/notches on the slats..how do you go about actually securing cargo up there? There are slots on top and bottom of each slat, as well as all around the frame. Things are attached with either an M8 bolt or nut put into the slat or side rail.

Thanks again!

 

[Rigger]

You’ll need help installing it.

I have stood on mine. Very strong.

I have a Slee rear bumper

No impact to antenna

Sunroof does not conflict

I used bolts to install my Yakima box.

mine has a wind deflector

I’ll post pics of tie down system.

 

[Rigger]

 

[Rigger]

 

[pchLC]

Thanks for all the info!

Forgot several more default Questions!

What is the height from roof to top edge? Or the delta from stock rails to top edge?

It looks like it uses the 3 stock anchor points, no further drilling required?

Something something gas mileage difference you noticed?

Are all the slat positions adjustable, or just the front one for moving around sunroof?

thanks again!

 

[1world1love]

All slats are adjustable as far as I can remember. You can even order extra slats to make a fully closed platform.

No difference that I ever noticed in MPG.

No drilling is required, but it actually uses the 4 stock attachment points. Before you undertake this, look for the thread on here about how to safely remove the stock mounting bolts as it is easy, but tricky if you don’t know how ahead of time.

I am not near the truck so can’t answer the height questions.

As for the previous questions, I agree entirely with the other posters but would add:

You can definitely assemble the rack by yourself, but it will go faster with two. You will absolutely need another person to actually get it mounted on the truck. Still though, it is pretty easy to install.

For access, I just carry an aluminum telescope ladder or a lightweight folding step stool. I actually find that I rarely need to actually get on top of the rack.

As far as attaching things, Rigger shows the standard tie downs from Frontrunner, which I also use. I actually have them mounted on the underside of the rack to keep the rack clear on top. In addition, the tracks are standard metric bolts (the size escapes me at the moment), so it is pretty easy to fashion your own solutions for things. I do recommend the eye bolts from FR though.

I actually ordered the Thule aero mounting setup from FR which I use for a Thule box and other Thule accessories, but this is not strictly necessary. There are many ways you can work with the rack to accomplish what you want.

 

[Rigger]

I like the way you can drop/slide a bolt into the track then tighten a nut on it to anchor something.

There are numerous racks available for the 200, but I like what I have.

Good luck!

 

[razzyrazz]

If you have any strength at all, it can be one person job start to finish.

 

[sdnative]

Best rack on the market IMO. No experience with the 200 but I had one on the 80 and 100. My biggest complaint is you really can't use the sunroof while driving at speed due to the wind noise. Maybe the updated fairing helps not sure.

I have to disagree with the no MPG hit. All racks will affect mileage to some extent, even the factory rack.

I use a Racor lift. Makes installing and removing the rack a one person job. And provides a convenient way to store when not in use.
Amazon product ASIN B0009I8AO6

 

[1world1love]

If you have any strength at all, it can be one person job start to finish.

I’m not sure, but I might be offended by this

 

[molanginaeda]

As mention, Front Runner make lots of accessories for the roof rack. You can buy a telescope ladder to attached from the side to climb up. The roofrack is light weight yet strong to hold for you to jump/walk on it. Front runner also has larger wind fairing/deflector to minimize wind noise (stock come with a tiny wind deflector). The slab is not adjustable but you can remove a slab if needed.

 

[catastrofe]

Aside from the generic, "how do you like the rack" question...

Thanks in advance!

1. Is it a one person job to install or better for a shop to order/mount?

2. Are you able to sit/stand on the rack/slats (or maybe 1 foot per slat)?

3. Without a "gobi" rear ladder, how do you get up there? Bring a small ladder ?

4. Does it impact the antenna/reception?

5. Can you use the tilt-up on the sunroof or will it make contact on a slat?

6. It appears to only have slats.. not any bars... How do you go about mounting a roof box, surfboard/SUP?

7. Doesn't appear to come with a wind deflector vs Rhino/others.. has this led to noise/oscillations/vibrations? ( I saw a 4runner other day with cables running from the front corners of the rack to the front of the hood/bumper!)

8. I didn't seen any tie downs/notches on the slats..how do you go about actually securing cargo up there?

Thanks again!

Adding to the comments:

You can mount the side rails yourself. Getting the platform up on the roof is a two person job. If you’re vertically challenged like me, three people are even better!

FR sells a telescoping, portable aluminum ladder, and they also have brackets that mount to the side rail that keep it from sliding when you’re climbing.

The rack comes standard with an under mount wind deflector. The larger/better wind fairing is an accessory at additional cost. You cannot run the rack without some type of deflector (even a light bar) on the front as wind flowing under the rack will cause harmonic vibration.

 

[OregonLC]

You can install it yourself no problem. You just build the rack on the truck rather than on the ground. Get the rails mounted, then mount the slats that attach. Then the sidebars. Add then missing slats. Add the front and rear pieces. Don't tighten the hardware until the rack is complete and square.

 

[Bullgump]

Highly recommend FrontRunner rack and accessories. Can be done by one, but recommend two people. Be EXTRA careful removing factory rack/rails. One of my factory "nuts" fell as i was removing last bolt. That is a serious PITA to drop headliner and find it. Use your silicon to seal but not so much to lose contact with the roof. You will lose grounding contact which is essential for any lights you add to the rack.

I purchased the larger wind fairing and it makes a difference. Again, great rack, great accessories for anything you will carry. Note that you may want to test the grooves/channels on each slat prior to mounting. I am talking about the channels that run the length of the slats. I ran into metal "spurs" in some that i had to knock down before the bolt head would slide.

 

[OregonLC]

While you can use the rack as a ground, I would recommend that all circuit be run with a dedicated ground leg. Having used chassis as ground in the past, it's not the best method. It's a bugger to troubleshoot.

 

[pchLC]

thank you all for the great information!

 

[razzyrazz]

Adding to the comments:

You can mount the side rails yourself. Getting the platform up on the roof is a two person job. If you’re vertically challenged like me, three people are even better!

It can be a 1 person job. The rack is not that heavy to lift onto the rails. 1 other person to help would be great, but please stop telling this guy he may need 2 other people to get his rack installed.

 

[IOPTURBO]

Put on rails, assemble


It can be a 1 person job. The rack is not that heavy to lift onto the rails. 1 other person to help would be great, but please stop telling this guy he may need 2 other people to get his rack installed.

Yeah I did mine solo as well. It really wasn't a big deal and I didn't have to share my beer.

 

[sdnative]

Probably a good idea to build it on the ground to make sure everything is square and aligned properly. If you have another person or a lift this is preferred. If not, well you got to do what you got to do...