I already had some t-track brackets & bolts, and I used those to clamp the rack down on the roof. Part of me wishes that the backbone did something similar to distribute weight on the roof a little better, which might help with side-to-side loading. I will say that the factory rack seemed to be more solid under side-to-side load due to the way the bottom was formed to the shape of the roof. The steel isn’t overly heavy, but should hold weight well. With the backbone in place, it seemed reasonably strong. Once the 4 bolts are attached and torqued appropriately, the backbone is in place. Simply use the same mounting holes, apply the rubber “gaskets”, place the backbone, and then install using the included bolts with washers arranged appropriately. Installing the Rhino Backbone was easy, and the included instructions were sufficient. Apparently, the 2 screws at each end have a bracket holding each of them together, so it’s best to loosen them gradually to avoid stressing that bracket. I popped the factory end covers, then loosened the two screws at each end gradually. ![]() Note that with this system, no holes need to be drilled in the roof. First step is to remove the factory roof rack. ![]() With all the parts in hand, I proceeded with installation. $450 for the whole thing, which is quite a bit less than the full systems including the racks. I ended up with more than I needed - 10 - but the cost was about $16 for these.īackbone: $369, extrusions $13×3, t-slot cover $26, end covers $16. Cost $26.įinally, I purchased black end covers for the 15-series. I may also add to the bottom of the extrusions in the future. To help reduce wind noise, I also purchased 40 feet of 15 series t-slot cover, which I threaded into the top & front & rear of the extrusions. 80/20 Cross Bar Attachment to Rhino Rack Backbone They cost just over $13 each, plus shipping. I purchased 4, but ultimately only needed 3. I wasn’t certain exactly how I would mount to the backbone when I bought these, but I thought it likely that I could mount them directly to the top of the backbone - this is ultimately what I did. These are 1.5″ square extrusions, and I figured would be plenty strong. I also separately purchased 80/20 15 Series T-Slot aluminum extrusion 48″ long in anodized black. I bought the Rhino Backbone system from Rhino Adventure Gear. This is ultimately what we decided to pursue. However, we did discuss the possibility of me just buying the backbone system and I would fabricate my own cross bars to mount the tent on. The CVT bars would be half on/half off the Rhino bars. After some measuring, the standard Rhino rack (not the backbone, but the rack itself) bar spacing would be a bit awkward versus the bars on the bottom of the CVT tent. They called me back later in the day, and we discussed options. Toward that end, I called Rhino Adventure Gear, a Rhino dealer in California. I paid particular attention to Prinsu Offroad, and to the Rhino Rack solution. It provides a great overview of a number of different rack options. Oh yes, it cannot cover the sunroof.įirst, we read this article over at. I wanted something lower, something stronger, something that fits the look of the 4runner, and preferably something that doesn’t make a lot of noise. While strength is a primary concern, I also didn’t want a solution that would put me well above the $1k+ territory. So I considered it my mission to come up with a stronger, lower solution. While it seemed reasonably secure, it sat higher than I wanted and I thought it probably wasn’t as strong as it should be. ![]() When we bought the 4runner, the dealer had the rooftop tent installed on the factory rack, with Yakima aero bars bridging the gap between the factory roof rack and the CVT rooftop tent.
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