Hi-Lift on Gobi Stealth Rack - Which side do you have up?

[Okki]

So I installed my Hi-Lift on my Gobi Stealth rack this weekend and ended up curious about what other have done.

When I face the block upwards (the round handle at the bottom), the base of the hi-lift makes contact with the rack. because I figured this would rub the crap out of the rack, I flipped the hi-lift over.

The directions that come from Gobi show the hi-lift in both positions.

With the round handle op top, the base no longer makes contact with the rack, but:
1) the base and block stick out lower along the side of the truck and appear to be a head hazard when getting in the driver passenger door (it's not; it just looks that way).
2) When driving, the base moves when hitting uneven pavement and it makes a nice reverberation noise throughout the entire rack that's transferred really well into the truck.

So who do you all carry your hi-lift? Right now I'm thinking of putting the handle back at the bottom and using some electrical tape and wire loom cover to protect the rack from the base. With the base being pressed against the protected rack I'm hoping to both keep the rack in good shape and eliminate the rattle noise from the hi-lift.

Thoughts?

Handle Down:

Handle Up:

Okki

 

[mrvandelay]

Try turning it around? The clunky part closer to the back.

 

[phillyd2]

Passenger side. Make sure you keep it oiled / clean as they do rust. On mine nothing rubs and its rock solid.

 

[jangoforhire]

You could get the rubber cover for the bottom of the hi-lift to protect the rack as well.

 

[Okki]

Passenger side. Make sure you keep it oiled / clean as they do rust. On mine nothing rubs and its rock solid.

Hi Philly,

Looks like you have the base sticking behind the rack. Do you get any noise from the base rattling inside the truck? inside mine currently sounds like someone is shaking a sheet of metal when I hit a bump just right, or some washboard pavement.

Okki

 

[Okki]

Try turning it around? The clunky part closer to the back.

Front or back makes no difference in this case; it's got to do with the fact the the base is shaped like an L with one longer side. the longer side makes contact with my rack if I have it facing up. the shorter side facing up does not contact the rack, but creates a highly annoying noise inside the cab when it rattles because it transfers the noise through the rack and into the cab.

Okki

 

[Okki]

You could get the rubber cover for the bottom of the hi-lift to protect the rack as well.

Hi Jango,

I have the neoprene cover for the block; what cover do you have for the base? I also tossed a can of WD40 in my truck bag to keep it lubed and protected.

Okki

 

[MeBe4running]

Personally it all depends/how clumsy you are. If you have it facing down there are better chances of you hitting the side of your truck when lowering it down, making it face up, its going to hit the rack before the truck.

Noise... I always took the bottom plate off. That rattling gets very boring, very quickly. This certainly helped. Its almost impossible to get it completely rattle free up there because of the moving mechanism of the lift itself.

I now store mine underneath the rear seats and it's quiet as mouse.

Here is an old pic of my old set up:

 

[phillyd2]

Better pix. No noise whatsoever. If its a issue for you I guess you could you use a plastic cable tie from the base to the L part hole to keep the base from moving.
But honestly, it's so solid I forget it's there.

 

[Okki]

I guess I'll pull the base off before my commute home and see how that works. It's mounted solidly, so that's not the concern. it's just the noise factor. As Mebe4Running already indicated... it gets old quick when it sounds like you're driving around with a hand full of independently suspended sheets of metal in the rear.... :noidea:

To be continued.... thanks for the input guys!

Okki

 

[jangoforhire]

Hi Jango,

I have the neoprene cover for the block; what cover do you have for the base? I also tossed a can of WD40 in my truck bag to keep it lubed and protected.

Okki

My fault, I thought that cover would protect the base, but I see now that it does not. I have the Gobi Hi-lift mounts, but have yet to get a jack and mount it. I'm reluctant because I will lose one of my side lights on the rack as the jack will cover it. Hope you get it figured out!

 

[RiDE]

I have mine on the passenger side. I ended up using a couple zip ties to prevent the rattling. Worked like a charm.

 

[Okki]

So I checked everything and I think I have it figured out. When I flipped the hi-lift over so the carrier is at the rear of the truck, the noise moved with it. It's not rattling against the rack, it's the carrier rattling on the hi-lift bar and that noise being carried through the brackets and rack.

So the new question is, how are you guyskkeeping the carrier from rattling. Sounds like Ride is using zip ties. Where/how did you zip tie it?

Any other suggestions?

Thnx!

Okki

 

[mikey's2010SR5]

I have mine on the passenger side. I ended up using a couple zip ties to prevent the rattling. Worked like a charm.

I just spotted myself. LOL

Mine is on my rear bumper so I am no help with the whole rack and hilift thingy.

 

[Okki]

I just spotted myself. LOL

Mine is on my rear bumper so I am no help with the whole rack and hilift thingy.

Not so fast mikey... Is the carrier rattling on your set up? And if it was, how did you stop it?

Okki

Ps: skinny jeans /leggings... What were you thinking!! LOL

 

[mikey's2010SR5]

Not so fast mikey... Is the carrier rattling on your set up? And if it was, how did you stop it?

Okki

Ps: skinny jeans /leggings... What were you thinking!! LOL

No rattling at all on my set up. I actually thought about putting the HiLift on the GOBI when I get it just to put more weight over the passenger side. But we will see. It is just a lot easier taking it off the current spot then holding it over head off a rack.

I was told leggings were the new thing. :flipoff:

 

[Moving Chicane]

I now store mine underneath the rear seats and it's quiet as mouse.

Can you post a quick shot of how you are laying this thing under the rear seats (and what parts may be detached (e.g., base plate))? TIA.

 

[Okki]

Looks like it's been well discussed on the FJ Cruiser forum:
Hi-Lift Rattle Fix (2 Articles) - Toyota FJ Cruiser Forum

I'll be following a number of the suggestions there and will see how things go.

Okki

 

[RiDE]

I just looked at the hi-lift and wiggled it around and just zip tied the base until it would no longer wiggle. Just get up there and play with it. It'll all make sense once you start.

 

[mikey's2010SR5]

I just took the base off and put it in a drawer so that would not rattle or get stolen.