Question about racks

[2020FRL]

I am considering getting a rack and putting a tent on it. The question is, are the Yakima type racks strong enough to support a tent? Or do I need to get a $1500 "adventure" type rack.

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[EJH]

Both the Outpost HD and Overhaul HD are great. I have the Overhaul, but will be replacing with the Outpost once it is back in stock at Yakima direct (I get a discount from them). I found the Overhaul too tall for my tastes. At the lowest setting, the Overhaul is 19" high. The Outpost is 13" high.

Both racks support 500 lbs on road (and parked) and 300 lbs off road. Most roof tents are 100-150 empty, plus the weight of the people and gear. You are unlikely to have more than 500 lbs up there when sleeping. Here is a pic of my Overhaul HD with the Yakima Skyrise.

 

[OFC Ranger]

RCI (the base building block of my custom platform rack) makes bed racks that use six supports and comes with panels for gear attachments for around $800.

I am assuming the yakima's work if you buy the extra supports.

Yakima charges about the same amount for less features.

https://rcimetalworks.com/product-category/all-bedracks/bedracks-ford/

 

[EJH]

Yakima charges about the same amount for less features.

Yes and no...the Outpost is $799. There are optional side bars if you wanted to add Roto attachments (I have no need). However, it is easy to get the Yakima product on sale. 20% off at REI, etc, is the norm, so let's say it is now $600-650. The thing I like about the two Yakima HD racks is they can be removed very easily. You leave the base plate clipped to the side of the bed, but remove the racks from a spring loaded plate.

Not saying the RCI racks aren't cool or worth it. I do like that style also. That said I get a ridiculous discout on Yakima, so I use their products.

 

[OFC Ranger]

Fair enough but you won't convince me Yakima is not one of those name brand companies using what I refer to as the "jeep pricing model".

 

[2020FRL]

I wouldn't leave the tent on the truck all the time. Is there any reason I couldn't just put the tent on the bed rails?

 

[Snow3d]

I own the Overhaul HD setup...I use it for a ladder rack. It is a beast, and the install is easy peasy. The quick dismount feature is also a plus. Easily the best quality rack I have ever had. Pricey, but well worth it in my opinion. I would have no doubt the the Overhaul would easily support it's claimed 500lbs...probably more...but you know how lawyers do.

 

[ProtonDecay]

This thread seems a reasonable place to post my experience so far with the Yakima Overhaul HD and the Ford Retractable Bed Cover (Retrax).....

I had to completely disassemble, heli coil and beef up my Yakima Overhaul HD after the first 100 miles offroad with my 23Zero 72" Walkabout RTT (150lbs), and as a result, can no longer recommend this rack, at least without modifications.

The Yakima is rated at 180 lbs offroad, and I think they did their best with the materials they used, but the inside of the uprights is just not big enough to support use of M8 bolts, so the hole drilled to capture them is open on the side for about 1/8 of the circumference (2" bolt depth), rendering the remaining soft aluminum threads no match for the stainless steel bolts when under load. All, or nearly all of them were stripped upon disassembly. In addition to inserting heli coils on all of them I added bolts through the cross bars to keep them from slipping.

In an effort to provide full transparency, I will also note that I had to beef up the Ford Retractable Bed Cover (Retrax) by removing the clamps that kept falling off and replacing with bolts shimmed with spacers. The bed cover is now quite stable and remains aligned and properly positioned (it used to get cockeyed and slip forward, allowing dust to enter in the gap between the cover and the tailgate and making it hard to open/close). I futzed with the clamps quite a bit before throwing in the towel and drilling, including adjusting them and even trying to glue them into place, but the limited friction of the clamps and the soft plastic threaded shims are no match for the bed/cover flex incurred when going over rocky terrain (e.g. Laurel Lakes, Bodie and a couple of others for those of you familiar with the eastern Sierra Nevada trails).

So, did the bed cover looseness cause the Yakima bolt holes to fail? Maybe. YMMV.

External examination of all of the above "enhancements" after 30 miles of moderate offroad last week shows no deterioration, but I'll pull and examine all the inside bits after our next trip this weekend.

This is the first time that Yakima have let me down after 40 years of different racks. I still like the company, but caveat emptor if you are going to go offroad with the Overhaul HD carrying a significant load.

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