Sherpa Equipment Company Rack Systems

[maxvert]

Ready to Buy

Ah, thanks for the clarification. Any idea when youll have a sale on racks like the Halloween one?
thanks

Damn I missed both sales . I'm ready to pull the trigger on a rack for my
3rd gen . How long is the wait time for a powder coated full length unit with the
light bar ?
Any discounts available for T4R members ?

Max

 

[SherpaEquipmentCo]

Damn I missed both sales . I'm ready to pull the trigger on a rack for my
3rd gen . How long is the wait time for a powder coated full length unit with the
light bar ?
Any discounts available for T4R members ?

Max

Sorry we missed your reply here on our thread. Right now we are sitting at about a 4-5 week lead time on powder coated orders.

We do have a discount code for forum members. Use "T4RORG" at checkout for 5% off of your order.

 

[busmup808]

Installed my Sunflare solar panel on your rack. Mother Nature is feeding my truck with power when the sun is out on the PNW. My MPPT controller is a REDARC BCDC1225.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[VernySanders]

debating on dropping the dough today on an MKII for my runner. Anything to consider? Any other main competitors? I've shopped around and I honestly believe this is the highest quality american made rack available for the 3rd gen. I automatically ruled out any other rack that involves cutting or installing anything additional onto the runner. I like that this is a no nonsense install. I've seen negative posts on this thread but honestly it seemed like the customer was at fault in all honesty. Since the MKII release I haven't seen any bad feedback. Any feedback is welcomed.

 

[tx_shooter]

Curb alert! Matterhorn is going to the scrapper this week. Looking forward to installing a Prinsu rack. It gets here Tuesday. I tried the Matterhorn; but the "first gen" was not overbuilt like advertised. I doubt I will get a couple bucks for the side pieces at scrap value. The cross bars will be held onto for some other project. An expensive reminder of the lesson learned.

 

[tx_shooter]

debating on dropping the dough today on an MKII for my runner. Anything to consider? Any other main competitors? I've shopped around and I honestly believe this is the highest quality american made rack available for the 3rd gen. I automatically ruled out any other rack that involves cutting or installing anything additional onto the runner. I like that this is a no nonsense install. I've seen negative posts on this thread but honestly it seemed like the customer was at fault in all honesty. Since the MKII release I haven't seen any bad feedback. Any feedback is welcomed.

Word of advice - the rack strength is in how they attach to the roof off your vehicle. Check it out. Which racks reuse the +20 year old stock mounting system (which is flimsy enough you can twist it in your hand) or use properly bent mount points? And uses all five mounting bolts to directly connect to the rack?

 

[SherpaEquipmentCo]

Word of advice - the rack strength is in how they attach to the roof off your vehicle. Check it out. Which racks reuse the +20 year old stock mounting system (which is flimsy enough you can twist it in your hand) or use properly bent mount points? And uses all five mounting bolts to directly connect to the rack?

Sorry to hear you are unpleased with our rack system. Reusing the stock roof track is actually quite smart... Push on your roof with your hand where your track isn't and you'll see why. A roof rack the holds hundreds of pounds shouldn't be attached by a few points into thin sheet metal with rivnuts. The OE rooftrack is the only thing adding any rigidity to the stock roof and even with that it still is able to flex under heavy point loads. The only way to combat this is to pull the headliner and reinforce it from underneath. There are lots of threads on this subject on here if you feel the need to do so. I personally carry close to 250 pounds on my roof on most trips and I drive the hell out of my truck and have no issues and I have not reinforced my roof.

I'll show you a picture showing why we reuse the stock roof track and some people even go the extra mile to upgrade their old ones with a Thule or Yakima track systems if theirs is damaged.

Though it is not the best picture, it is all I could find. You can clearly see the foot on this unnamed rack deforming the sheet metal right after install.

There is a method behind our madness and with over 20 years of combined experience working on 3rd gen 4runners and 4 working on racks specifically for them, this is the method we have settled on.

Thanks for bringing this subject to light, hopefully, this clears up our thinking on the ssubject and answers any questions for anyone else reading this.

Wash your hands and stay healthy everyone!

 

[SherpaEquipmentCo]

Installed my Sunflare solar panel on your rack. Mother Nature is feeding my truck with power when the sun is out on the PNW. My MPPT controller is a REDARC BCDC1225.

Awesome setup man! Solar is something we are all pretty interested in but have not had the time to dive into it yet.

 

[tx_shooter]

Sorry to hear you are unpleased with our rack system. Reusing the stock roof track is actually quite smart... Push on your roof with your hand where your track isn't and you'll see why. A roof rack the holds hundreds of pounds shouldn't be attached by a few points into thin sheet metal with rivnuts. The OE rooftrack is the only thing adding any rigidity to the stock roof and even with that it still is able to flex under heavy point loads. The only way to combat this is to pull the headliner and reinforce it from underneath. There are lots of threads on this subject on here if you feel the need to do so. I personally carry close to 250 pounds on my roof on most trips and I drive the hell out of my truck and have no issues and I have not reinforced my roof.

I'll show you a picture showing why we reuse the stock roof track and some people even go the extra mile to upgrade their old ones with a Thule or Yakima track systems if theirs is damaged.

Though it is not the best picture, it is all I could find. You can clearly see the foot on this unnamed rack deforming the sheet metal right after install.

There is a method behind our madness and with over 20 years of combined experience working on 3rd gen 4runners and 4 working on racks specifically for them, this is the method we have settled on.

Thanks for bringing this subject to light, hopefully, this clears up our thinking on the ssubject and answers any questions for anyone else reading this.

Wash your hands and stay healthy everyone!

No worries; I've handled the other "not named" roof rack and was unable to twist/bend/mess with it like the sides of the Matterhorn rack I used to have on my 4Runner. If I can get a few days of sunshine I will touch up my roof from where the pads from the rack slipped off (while you were working out the glue issue) and beat the paint off my roof. Sure - blame it on end user install errors again.

Either way - glad the rack is off my rig and will not recommend it to anyone I talk to. And 20 years combined experience is not something I would brag about. You could add another person and all of a sudden you could brag you have 25 years! LOL

Good luck on your future endeavors. :bigok:

 

[SherpaEquipmentCo]

No worries; I've handled the other "not named" roof rack and was unable to twist/bend/mess with it like the sides of the Matterhorn rack I used to have on my 4Runner. If I can get a few days of sunshine I will touch up my roof from where the pads from the rack slipped off (while you were working out the glue issue) and beat the paint off my roof. Sure - blame it on end user install errors again.

Either way - glad the rack is off my rig and will not recommend it to anyone I talk to. And 20 years combined experience is not something I would brag about. You could add another person and all of a sudden you could brag you have 25 years! LOL

Good luck on your future endeavors. :bigok:

The MKII was released because we saw where improvements could be made. We switched to a stronger aluminum (6061), completely redesigned the mounts (front and rear), and added even more crossbars to further strengthen the rack. In nearly every way, the MKII has been vastly improved over the MKI. To anyone else reading, the rack pictured above is one of our earliest racks shipped out. Having shipped out 1000+ racks since, we've improved quite a bit.

 

[mesooohoppy]

The MKII was released because we saw where improvements could be made. We switched to a stronger aluminum (6061), completely redesigned the mounts (front and rear), and added even more crossbars to further strengthen the rack. In nearly every way, the MKII has been vastly improved over the MKI. To anyone else reading, the rack pictured above is one of our earliest racks shipped out. Having shipped out 1000+ racks since, we've improved quite a bit.

you guys werent using 6061 to start with? what were you using?

 

[tx_shooter]

The MKII was released because we saw where improvements could be made. We switched to a stronger aluminum (6061), completely redesigned the mounts (front and rear), and added even more crossbars to further strengthen the rack. In nearly every way, the MKII has been vastly improved over the MKI. To anyone else reading, the rack pictured above is one of our earliest racks shipped out. Having shipped out 1000+ racks since, we've improved quite a bit.

So the first design was not over built and the end users ended up doing R&D for the company.


:jaw:



But I am sure you got it right this time.

 

[R3Z3N]

I believe both racks are aluminum, and both only use 2 of the 4 Bolts due to the sliding nature of the cross bars. You probably should drill 2 more holes per cross bar with weight for the underside of the crossbar, also use shouldered bolts so they do not bite into the side rail for both companies products. Personally I would prefer steel sides and the aluminum crossbars. Something has to give, and putting weight onto the threads into aluminum, no go.

 

[tx_shooter]

I believe both racks are aluminum, and both only use 2 of the 4 Bolts due to the sliding nature of the cross bars. You probably should drill 2 more holes per cross bar with weight for the underside of the crossbar, also use shouldered bolts so they do not bite into the side rail for both companies products. Personally I would prefer steel sides and the aluminum crossbars. Something has to give, and putting weight onto the threads into aluminum, no go.

The really long adjustment slots in the first design were too long for aluminum. Then bolt threads started gouging the material and widening the slots. Just did not work well. If the material were stronger (like steel) or reinforced with a brace or bend in the material then it would have been closer to good.

 

[SherpaEquipmentCo]

you guys werent using 6061 to start with? what were you using?

When we first started, we used 5052 1/4" for our side plate and mounting feet. Most companies were and some still are using 3/16" 5052 for their racks. 5052 aluminum takes to bends nicely so they use this to integrate the feet into their side plates. Though they do take to bends nicely they are not a very rigid material so it is more pliable.

Our racks do not integrate the feet into the side plates for strength purposes. As most of you know, we have feet that mount directly to the crossbars to reduce the load path. We use 6061 1/4" aluminum for our side profiles for rigidity, as 6000 series does not bend/flex like 5000 series does. We are one of few companies doing this because you can not bend 6061 to integrate mounts into the side plate. We're glad we made the switch about a year and a half ago.

I hope this clears everything up. We only want the best for our customers and do our best to make sure everyone is pleased with our products and team.

 

[rickashay]

So the first design was not over built and the end users ended up doing R&D for the company.


:jaw:



But I am sure you got it right this time.

Watching from the sidelines here and not trying to pick sides but I do not think this is a fair statement. I'd be concerned with a company that DOESN'T use end-users as R&D for their next iteration of product. Do you think Apple went from the original iPod (the starting point) to the current iPhone without improving upon failure points and issues brought forth by their end-user?

I'm on the side that if a company IS using product failures and issues to evolve and improve their product, then that's the product I want to purchase as it means they are improving, evolving, and hopefully adapting.

Now if you were to ask for my opinion on the racks specifically, (you didn't but I'm going to give it anyway lol) it's pretty obvious that Sherpa is out there frequently engaging their audience directly and creating product updates to coincide with their learning and evolution of the product. I actually didn't mind my Prinsu rack (yup, I've owned both) but I had issues with the mounting feet on my Prinsu causing it to sit misaligned placing an uneven load on the mounting points. I actually ghetto-rigged some thick rubber inserts on the mounts to attempt a more even distribution. (photos of this from years ago in my old build thread).

My 0.02.

 

[TwoToneT4R]

So the first design was not over built and the end users ended up doing R&D for the company.


:jaw:



But I am sure you got it right this time.

Yea this dudes trolling lmaooo

 

[tx_shooter]

Yea this dudes trolling lmaooo

Yeah... paid $800 for a rack and then ended up buying a different rack just so I could troll a small business.

 

[R3Z3N]

To be fair your trading 1 aluminum rack for another, both with very similiar designs, and for your use case removing and reinstalling bars often will most likely result in the same problem...

Also, as to the load path Sherpa is talking about...take a look at the competition you want to buy. It would not surprise me if the other unit you bought sags and folds further onto your roof with your requirements...You may try to make a piece that is perpendicular to the roof rails straight to the same type of cross bar sherpa makes...

I think both are stylish yet lightweight designs with compromises due to weight, cost of course. Again, your main problem is the cross bars, use shouldered bolts. Your statement about the bolts being too long is not the problem, it is the threads digging into the side rails.

PM me if you are interested in selling the entire thing with cross bars.

 

[JZiggy]

Button head bolts with a heavy washer do great. The only thing they mar is my crappy spraypaint job, not the metal.

https://www.toyota-4runner.org/3233991-post207.html