ARB Flat Roof Rack

Updated to add pix of the ARB Steel Flat Rack on my 2014 Trail.

I was unable to find any photos of this rack online, so maybe this will help anyone else trying to make a decision on this particular rack. Install was not crazy difficult, although the installation bolts already have threadlocker on them, and when adding a bit of grey permatex it can feel like the bolts don't want to thread properly, but they are.








Has anyone seen ARB's new flat rack(s) in person yet? The pricing point doesn't look too crazy, even with a $200 fit kit added in.

 

The longer racks won't fit the 5th gen 4runner fit kit according to a tech I spoke to at ARB last night. I went ahead and ordered the 70x44 non mesh rack this afternoon.

I couldn't find a single photo of the non mesh rack online. I mentioned to the ARB guy that they should really do a better job of getting their product info out there.

 

Overall, the price of the parts to mount various accessories on these racks is crazy. I understand that the demand is not really high for them, so they have to be priced accordingly, but wow. I'll stick with my quick fists and normal tie downs, lol. Rotopax mounts are a good example. I ended up making my own mount using stainless hardware and pvc piping on my FJ. If I had a ton of disposable income for toys that would be one thing, but I try and pinch my pennies where I can.

 

The guy I talked to was great. When he didn't have the answer to my question regarding the mounting points, he went and found out.

 

I updated my original post with installed pix of the rack. Not too shabby and will keep me from having to drag a trailer to lowes everytime I need lumber, lol.

 

It's not too shabby. ARB did a shitty job packaging it. There is a nearly continuous rub/scratch line down the passenger side in the paint and there is a ding/scrape in the paint on the drivers side of the rear of the rack. I didn't notice the passenger side one when we took it out of the box at the local 4Wheel Parts store...I did notice the drivers side ding though. If I had saw and mentioned the long passenger side one I would have expected a couple of bucks off. Meh. It's gonna be used, I am not too pressed by it, but I do prefer to put my own scratches in stuff, lol.

There is more wind noise than without it, but I expected that. The rear shark fin JUST clears the bottom of the rack. There might be 3/16" worth of clearance, if that.

ARBs instructions also leave a bit to be desired. It mentions only one bolt size in parts list, but at one point in the process it advises to use an entirely different length of bolt that is not included. It is a typo, but does lend to confusion. I think that the mounting feet on the side rails, at least on the front, could have been engineered a bit better to give better clearance for the bolts.

Overall it looks pretty good and fits the truck fine. I see no reason why it will not do what I expect out of it (haul lumber occasionally, carry spare fuel and my bridging ladders from time to time, etc).

 

The box in came in was beat up pretty decent on one end, so that was the end I paid attention to when we checked it. No big deal. It's gonna get scratches from use. Did you use any additional sealant on yours during installation?

 

Hmm. I used grey permatex on the bolts on the advice of a arb install video I found on youtube. Did your bolts already have blue threadlocker on them? Mine did, and the addition of the permatex made installation a bit of a pain, lol.

 

Love the low profile look and I think it looks much better and steel rack option is much cheaper than Prinsu or SSO racks. How is the rack so far since purchase back in June 2018? Would you choose a different rack?

 

Thanks, you guys for posting that, and great discussion. I am looking for a rack, and I really like the versatility of the platform style racks like this one. I’m surprised to hear about noise, because it fits so tight to the roof line, but I agree, hey, it’s a roof rack. Anything that isn’t an air foil and drags wind is going to potentially make some sound. My focus seems to come down to Front Runner, but this one looks good as well. And yes, all those accessories are money makers, haha.