Baja Rack vs. Gobi Stealth Rack

[Dlak]

^^^ To all those asking about a full length Bajarack with sides, When I go for the test fitting, I'll ask them about it unless Harper beats me to it with a phone call.

Both Harper and I basically went this route with no sides so we can still fit in most garages. Harper basically wanted something low profile with a mesh floor so He can stand on it, I basically wanted a full length rack so I can haul around larger flat items, like lumber and etc. be able to park in my grandmas garage when I visit and I'm sure at some point I'll climb up there as well. We are both planning on someday getting some LED light bars, basically what magaca has on his and we opted for no light tabs so we can use the round bar mounts that are available. When that time comes, I'm just gonna remove the wind deflector and mount the LED bar right in front.

I really cant say about accessories yet, Hi-Lift mount, Shovel, Tire, etc. but I'll ask as well. I don't think what they have currently will mount up so they will have to design something new. I think ARB offers a front Bull bar mount for Hi-Lifts, so perhaps something like that will work since this rack has only one tube on the side. Edit: The ARB mounts are 1-7/8" Inside Diameter so those will not work. Hi-Lift does make a 1-2" adjustable mount, kinda fugly though.

Nice job guys, I'm in!

 

[sp8ball]

Obviously I favor GOBI since I have one, but since my GOBI and a car with a Baja are next to each other a fair amount, below are some additional points.

- GOBI has a metal grate on the bottom (moonroof is open, but you can have them build you a grate if you want to go over the moonroof section), Baja just has bars and an open floor
- GOBI has 2 cross bars that are compatible with yakima and thule boxes and bike carriers. If you wish to carry a rocket box for example up top, you would need to add thule/yakima bars and the connectors for another $150-200. I will post a picture next week as I am about to put my box up top for a ski trip.
- GOBI has 4 light tabs in the front, I do not beleive Baja does
- GOBI is slightly shorter in height than the Baja
- GOBI is made in the USA, Baja is made in Mexico
- both GOBI and Baja you can attach a shovel, hi lift, ax to it. I attach just a shovel and ax on mine and put my hi lift in the car

Ice Nomad - did you take pictures with the Rocket Box installed? I would lean towards the Gobi option if it looks good with a Thule carrier!

 

[sgsymon]

Thanks Gary and iDRiVaT4R, can't wait to see!

 

[muddyYota]

Will the flat rack essentially be the same height as the factory roof rack? My guess is thats the aim. I think this is a great idea w/o the sides. I'm definately getting one, can't wait for pics. I bet shipping would be high being so big. $90 bucks is my guess.


What's yalls thoughts on this and its me thinking out loud and rambling really:

I carried two kayaks on my Honda Fit back before the 4R.
So this summer I'm going to need to carry them on the 4Runner.

I'm going to figure out how to do it with this flat rack. Price would be about the same to setup a yakima rack & accessories like I had. With the Yakima It would be huge and I definately couldn't fit in any garages so I can't do that. (w/o taking it off everytime)

Simple thoughts are to use straps to fix the kayaks onto the rack. Or figure something out, etc.

My question is with the front two feet not affixed to the roof and just the back 4, I should start the straps in the middle and rear of the 4runner's rack so the force of the wind doesn't bend the flat rack up?

 

[Dlak]

mounting

Hi guys, so how will the two front legs mount to the vehicle?

 

[iDRiVaT4R]

^The front two "legs" do not mount to the vehicle, they are basically just brackets with pads on the bottom. I believe the GOBI rack is the same. They both just mount at the 4 locations behind the sunroof and rest on the roof up front.

 

[MrGrimm]

^The front two "legs" do not mount to the vehicle, they are basically just brackets with pads on the bottom. I believe the GOBI rack is the same. They both just mount at the 4 locations behind the sunroof and rest on the roof up front.

After long term use, would they rub enough to rub through the paint?

 

[IceNomad]

^The front two "legs" do not mount to the vehicle, they are basically just brackets with pads on the bottom. I believe the GOBI rack is the same. They both just mount at the 4 locations behind the sunroof and rest on the roof up front.

Correct - GOBI is the same. If the Baja is made the same way, it will not rub through the paint since it sits flush on the weather stripping. You need these brackets up front for any weight you put forward of the roof rack mounting location.

SAM I AM posted a picture of my rig with my rocket box on the top in the ARB bumper thread.

 

[Dlak]

Correct - GOBI is the same. If the Baja is made the same way, it will not rub through the paint since it sits flush on the weather stripping. You need these brackets up front for any weight you put forward of the roof rack mounting location.

SAM I AM posted a picture of my rig with my rocket box on the top in the ARB bumper thread.

Do you get any vibration noise with the gobi' front front two legs hitting the roof (weather stripping?)

 

[SeattleMike]

Do you get any vibration noise with the gobi' front front two legs hitting the roof (weather stripping?)

I have a similar set-up on my custom rack and there is no vibration. The feet sit on the weather stripping and, when the rack is bolted into place, the arc of the frame puts some pressure onto those feet by design.

 

[Dlak]

I have a similar set-up on my custom rack and there is no vibration. The feet sit on the weather stripping and, when the rack is bolted into place, the arc of the frame puts some pressure onto those feet by design.

That is the answer I was hoping for. Some sort of arc in the frame to have a "spring" type effect in order to hold the legs down. Thanks. I'm guessing that is what gobi is doing aswell.

 

[magaca]

Do you get any vibration noise with the gobi' front front two legs hitting the roof (weather stripping?)

i have the gobi rack and no vibration what so ever i have take my 4 runner off road, hunting, in the dunes etc and you cant even tell its up there im very pleased with it, im sure baja rack will also come out with an excellent product like gobi

 

[iDRiVaT4R]

Bajarack had one ready for trial fit the other day. Overall it looks really good. As you can see the front kinda sticks up a little too high, they are gonna find a solution to that. I'm guessing maybe raise the rear mount some, but I'm not 100% sure. They will modify a few things, then bring it back to their Vista office for another test fit. After that, we should be good to go. Overall I am very pleased with it. It its very stout!

It will have a Wind Deflector (not shown) and will have 4 light tabs up front above the deflector.

Also, since there is a lot of talk about the front mounts in recent posts, as you can see in the pic, it's currently a two piece setup. I am not sure if they will make it a one piece or not, I'll probably find that out at the next trial fit. Obviously they need to get the height up front and in the rear right before they can attempt a one piece, that is if they choose to go that route.

 

[TheSentinel]

Very cool. I'm looking forward to seeing their setup with side bars. I wonder if I ordered one from them when they go into production if I'd be able to swing by and just have it put on at their shop. Its always nice to not have to pay for shipping of big items.

 

[iDRiVaT4R]

TheSentinel, yeah you should be able to pick it up here in Vista, no problem. When I bought my first Bajarack I picked it up and John whom works there helped me install it. I literally work across the street, so when that time comes for you, I could even swing by and help you out with it.

 

[SeattleMike]

The problem we ran into with my rack was exactly that sort of teeter-totter problem of front and back heights. The solution we chose was to allow the front half of the rack to follow the curve of the roof, while keeping the top rail flat which made the curve less obvious. When you are walking up there, you can barely tell.

 

[NYRunner]

The problem we ran into with my rack was exactly that sort of teeter-totter problem of front and back heights. The solution we chose was to allow the front half of the rack to follow the curve of the roof, while keeping the top rail flat which made the curve less obvious. When you are walking up there, you can barely tell.

Mike, I love your setup and remember when you put it on, though I couldn't put my finger on what was different that worked so well. Well, after reading this post and taking another look it became quite clear-

I think it looks SO much better to follow the roofline's contour because it looks like the rack was made specifically for the 5th gen, visually speaking that is

Nathan and Gary- might it be possible to get a set made that follows the roofline?

 

[magaca]

[

It will have a Wind Deflector (not shown) and will have 4 light tabs up front above the deflector.

\.

i think it looks very nice, congrats, is that part in the front that bends down for the wind deflector?, i think that if you were able to hang the lights there it would look awesome and give you better performance of them, less reflection in hood, if you look at most racing cars (baja) lights on roof they kind of hang in front of the windshield, i know this is not the case but is as close as it gets

 

[Dlak]

Lighter

[

It will have a Wind Deflector (not shown) and will have 4 light tabs up front above the deflector.

\.

i think it looks very nice, congrats, is that part in the front that bends down for the wind deflector?, i think that if you were able to hang the lights there it would look awesome and give you better performance of them, less reflection in hood, if you look at most racing cars (baja) lights on roof they kind of hang in front of the windshield, i know this is not the case but is as close as it gets

There is also a light cage attachment that will work with the rack. That may bring the lights forward a few inches.

 

[iDRiVaT4R]

Nathan and Gary- might it be possible to get a set made that follows the roofline?

I'm not sure if its possible on this particular one, but I did mention to them perhaps the ones that follow, maybe they can arch the side bars before welding anything to them. As stuff gets welded up, the arch will flatten some and by the end hopefully will follow the roof line a little better. But then again its a "Flat Utility Rack" so they might opt to keep it as flat as possible.

i think it looks very nice, congrats, is that part in the front that bends down for the wind deflector?, i think that if you were able to hang the lights there it would look awesome...

Yep that little section up front is for the deflector. There was only about an 1" of clearance under that section and the 4Runner roof. If they raise the rear some, most likely they will have to adjust the angle on the deflector so its more flat, or maybe they will just make the future racks a little longer.