Baja Ladder fit

DesertCanyons said:
With the exhaust where it is you can't use the frame behind the right rear wheel for jacking or jack stands. Turning the exhaust gives you the flat, bottom side of the frame to use a cylinder jack, a jack stand or a floor jack. This could be critical if you're stuck and need to jack it up.

The frame is actually pretty thin material. I discovered this drilling holes for sheet metal and self-taping screws. It get's it's strength from the box shape. You have to be very careful about pre-heat if you're going to weld 1/2" plate to 12 gauge or whatever it is. Ideally both materials have the same thickness.

That's why I'd use the factory bolts in the existing threaded holes that match the left rear corner and weld a small line between frame and plate. Make the plate on whatever thickness base plate you want but weld it to the frame with a small, < 1/4" fillet weld.

Look at the OEM recovery/tie down hook. I seem to recall the base material is less than 1/4" and it's bolted and welded to the frame.

I'm just a structural engineer. I don't weld that well. But I know materials and weld strength.
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Dave,
Thanks for that info...maybe I'll just keep things as they are for now. I guess if I have any "materials" or "structural" questions I'll know where to look. My truck just went out of warranty last week so I'm on my own now. Just installed Techstream on my laptop yesterday so I have this in addition to my Autel bi-directional scanner I purchased a few weeks ago...I'm more "hands on" and rather be working on cars instead of inspecting aircraft for the airlines...most of the materials I deal with is 2024 T-3 Aluminum...LOL !!!
 
I'm considering buying a Baja ladder. I've got a FrontRunner SL2 rack installed. I've heard the clearance should be okay.

How heavy is the Bajarack ladder? I didn't find that info on their install pdf or the product description.

Has anyone had issues with the gas springs not being able to lift the gate after installing the baja ladder?

A friend was telling me he had to upgrade his springs when he installed the Gobi ladder, would like to avoid that if possible, but not out of the question.

Thanks
 
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It's not that heavy i could easily lift with one arm np. only problem i had was needing someone to stand on ladder while the bottom bracket screws got started. and use the supplied grease you dont want to freeze up those nuts they will be near impossible to get off if you dont grease the bolts...
haha dont ask how i know this :lmao:
 
SlipperyTaco said:
It's not that heavy i could easily lift with one arm np. only problem i had was needing someone to stand on ladder while the bottom bracket screws got started. and use the supplied grease you dont want to freeze up those nuts they will be near impossible to get off if you dont grease the bolts...
haha dont ask how i know this :lmao:
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Thanks for the reply SlipperyTaco. I'll get a friend to help when/if I do an install. Also, good to know on the grease usage. Are you running your Baja ladder with a Frontrunner rack by chance?
 
JoshPNW4x4R said:
Thanks for the reply SlipperyTaco. I'll get a friend to help when/if I do an install. Also, good to know on the grease usage. Are you running your Baja ladder with a Frontrunner rack by chance?
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Nope running it with Prinsu. and yes please use the grease i froze one up really:frusty: bad had to pull out the breaker bar and had to buy and extra bolt and nut
 
Can anyone with recent experience advise on realistic wait times for a Baja Rack ladder right now? Not a roof rack, just a ladder. It seems their site and a 3rd party retailer say 6-8 weeks for BR products in general. I read someone comment their rack only took a few weeks.

I know Gobi says 8 weeks for their ladder, but I saw one guy wait 8 months for just a ladder.
 
Did this correct the contact of the ladder and the edge of the spoiler?

rwrobs777 said:
Just got a call from Baja...they suggested I move the upper part of the ladder to 1 inch from the edge instead of 2...as far as getting the brackets together...EASY FIX....what I did was got one of my tie down straps and wrapped it around the left tie down ring underneath the bumper...wrap the strap around the left tube and with one hand push the ladder down while you tighten the strap with the other hand...I also opened up the hatch and propped it open a little with my 2 foot plastic step stool so I could install the hardware...worked like a champ !!...if you want I can post a pic of how I did it...also that shim they included in the kit is not needed...also instead of the 2 inches they recommend use the inch like they told me...let me know how it works...last week I installed a 20 inch Rigid LED lightbar...WOW, that thing really puts out some light...my last mod for a while !!
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Bajarack ladder scraping

I followed the instructions and still find the top rubbing. It’s the right corner that rubs and I’ve moved the ladder a bit over the the left and it rubs less but has not completely resolved.
 
yea, first the Baja ladder looks better than the GOBI. It follows the lines of the 4runner better. And forget the instructions for installing, just position it where it fits best. Following their directions did not put it in the right spot. A little tweaking and moving cleared everything fine. Just consider their instructions as a baseline to start from.

I was also happy later to find my C4 Fab rear bumper with single swingout cleared my ladder fine also.
 
Curious if anyone with a newer model year 5th gen has installed the ladder? There is a note on BajaRacks site that mentions something about Toyota using more adhesive and it being to thick at the top lip?
 
Running a Baja on my 16 Trail zero issues! People really overthink the installation, and go full retard. The key is having another person stand on the ladder while you clamp the longer lag bolt, then add the two shorter bolts at the bottom. Then on the top gap, I used a plastic shim and hammered down in between the gap to set the top plate flush against the hatch. I’m not running heavier struts, and I like the visibility as the Baja sits more to the left than traditional ladders. Total installation time was 20 minutes.
 

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