BajaRack ordered. Thanks to those of you who recommended it. The custom look of this piece is pretty amazing as it was made specifically for the 3rd Gen. I have attached some photos which were sent to me from the manufacturer as you wont find them on their site. Hope to have mine by Friday. I did get authorization to return the Surco to autoanything, however if anyone wants to buy it before then let me know. Will ship back in 1-3 days.

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Thanks for the pics, that does look much better then the racks you mount on top of the original hardware. Please post some pics when you get yours installed, would like to see this rack at multiple angles and further away from the vehicle. So far though, thumbs up!!

$$$?

I was one of the first ones to get one and I love mine, and the cargo net that comes with it is top notch as well. I think you will be very happy with yours. Let me know when you get it and I can give you some tips that will make install a breeze. Why wait here you go.
1. Carefully remove the end caps of your rails and remove the factory crossbars
2. Take the rail mounts/ brackets from the new Rack and assemble lossely and slide into place, paying attnetion to the ones that say middle go in the midle. Snug them but still able to slide with little pressure.
3. Set the new rack on top and finger tighten all remaining hardware, position as desired then go back and tighten down all hardware. Took me about 40 minutes trying to find tools in someone elses shop otherwise could have been 30min or less.

It can be done by one person but I do recommend two people.

$450 plus freight. Comes with cargo net as well. a little pricier than most out there but form the looks of it and the 1 piece construction I think it will be worth it.

Awesome! Now that you've owned a Surco (for at least a few days anyway), you'll appreciate the Baja Rack even more! As you can see from the photos alone, the Baja rack oozes quality.

Glad you took our advice on the Surco...IMO, any basket currently on the market is better than a surco.

Looking forward to the install pics.

It is worth every penny. Also once you price all the parts to mount a Yakima or Thule basket it is just as expensive. The only inexpensive one I have seen on here that looks good and for the price is the Coleman one.

Thanks for the install tips, I greatly appreciate that. This was great timing too because we are going to be hauling a ton of sh*t for my wiofe's new veterinary practice shortly.

has anoyne had one long enough to determine the long-term durability of this piece?

my coleman rack is starting to rust out from the inside out, granted it was only $75, i'd still want something that'll outlast the truck

That rack looks good. Im really really wanting to get a slee roof rack. I love that thing. Now it is pricey..In the 1000's. It covers the whole roof. Make sure to get some pics when you get it put on!

This particular rack (3rd gen specific) is the first of its kind being offered from Baja...therefore, it's probably too early to tell what the longevity is of it (all racks look great right out of the box). However, I'm sure its quality is just as good as the other racks Baja offers.

IMO, the rack looks like it would last forever...but to get a real world answer to your question, you'd need to find someone who's actually owned a similar baja rack for quite some time and ask them.

I was the first consumer to get one and it was in April so no, have not had it long enough to determine a quantitative longevity value for you. I do know that I am 225 and have been up standing in the rack loading gear and everything and the few months i have had it still looks brand new, all the welds are high quality and the powder coating is top notch aslo.

Jesus at Bajarack said there were 4 in stock ready to ship, someone else buck up and get it and we can compare contrast performance. i have no doubt this thing is going to perform perfectly for all of us perfectionists.

is it stainless? steel? aluminum?

are there any pockets where water can get inside the pipes?

Steel, and no pockets that I see that anything can get into. I just got new tires the other day so I might walk around the truck with my video cam and post a new thread and will make sure to get good shots of the Rack. I have a few if you search for threads I started with Baja Rack as the title.