Just Wondering

[freedomfly]

Has anyone had any experience with the cargo racks on top of a wrangler hard top.. i have been looking and i think that they are pretty nice.. anything would help.. thanks a bunch.. you guys on here are extremely helpful... thanks again...

Also do you guys think that i could do a 1 3/4 inch shackle lift at home... with just regular garage tools..

 

[jfrabat]

I dont know about cargo racks, but I would not recommend 1.75" of lift with shackles... I would not go more than 1" as you would ruin your pinion angles. Then again, a lot of people do go in that direction, but I dont recommend it.

 

[Dirk]

The racks are OK for light duty use, but a frame mounted type unit like the Garvin Wilderness systems would be much better.
More expensive, of course, but it depends on what you wanna use it for.

I'd also advise against the shackles.
As mentioned, it changes your pinion angles and also messes up your approach angle for off-road use.

Looks bad too...
I'd spend a little more and get a good set of leaf springs & shocks.
Old Man Emu makes nice stuff with about a 2" to 2.5" lift or so.

 

[jonsolbe]

In case you're interested, I have a KargoMaster Kongo Cage and Safarri Basket system. I like it because it works with soft top and hard top and with no top, and all you have to do is undo 2 bolts in the front and the whole thing flips back to remove your top. I've got 4 Hela's on top also. I've carried 5 tires and rims on top (estimating 300lbs) without damaging it. Drawbacks: at highway speed and carrying weight, if the road vibration is just right, it gets this harmonic vibration and rocks back and forth teribly. It's great, however, for carrying skiis, waterproof cargo boxes with light stuff, etc. I'd leave the high lift, spare tire, and any other heavy stuff inside the rig or on a bumper style carrier. Just a thought.

Also, I dislike the shackle idea.

Jon

 

[Dirk]

In case you're interested, I have a KargoMaster Kongo Cage and Safarri Basket system. I like it because it works with soft top and hard top and with no top, and all you have to do is undo 2 bolts in the front and the whole thing flips back to remove your top. I've got 4 Hela's on top also. I've carried 5 tires and rims on top (estimating 300lbs) without damaging it. Drawbacks: at highway speed and carrying weight, if the road vibration is just right, it gets this harmonic vibration and rocks back and forth teribly. It's great, however, for carrying skiis, waterproof cargo boxes with light stuff, etc. I'd leave the high lift, spare tire, and any other heavy stuff inside the rig or on a bumper style carrier. Just a thought.

Also, I dislike the shackle idea.

Jon

We used to carry the KM racks, but had problems with them- some of which you mentioned.
We've sold & installed both the KM and the Garvin/Wilderness racks.
I had the KM rack & congo cage set-up on my own jeep once upon a time.
The KM racks do move too much at speed.
They are also significantly taller than the Wilderness racks, which could be a problem on some lifted jeeps, as it might not fit in the garage.

The Garvin racks look better due to the more integrated, lower profile and they don't move around at speed.
If starting out, I'd go with that.