Yet he told me that I was the bad influence!
The LFD Off Road Thread
- Thread starter jafrush
- Start date
Yet he told me that I was the bad influence!
007Tacoma
New member
My wife says the same thing... but she isn't really complaining as much as making an observation.
:naughty:
007Tacoma
New member
:rofl:
LFD_Off_Road
New member
I installed my LFD 3/4 rack late November 2019. I removed it this past weekend due to concerns regarding the metal spacers and use of silicone as a water seepage preventative (concerns really developed after seeing a recent thread regarding rust development at the mounting points on a member's 4Runner).
Thread can be found here. Looks like he fixed his issues.
Destroyed Factory Roof Mounting Locations
The vehicle is my daily driver, is parked outdoors (no garage), non-salty climate, etc. Rack had very minimal use. Is this something to be concerned about? I'm no designer/engineer, but perhaps a revised, better alternative to the provided metal spacers should be considered? a la Sherpa Equipment Company's use of chloroprene rubber spacers that are fully enclosed.
edit: This post is not in any way a bash on LFD. I love their products and their communication is absolutely topnotch. I just wanted to express some long-term use concerns and see if there is any potential revisions to the spacers. I absolutely believe that these can be improved upon. But please let me know otherwise.
Thread can be found here. Looks like he fixed his issues.
Destroyed Factory Roof Mounting Locations
The vehicle is my daily driver, is parked outdoors (no garage), non-salty climate, etc. Rack had very minimal use. Is this something to be concerned about? I'm no designer/engineer, but perhaps a revised, better alternative to the provided metal spacers should be considered? a la Sherpa Equipment Company's use of chloroprene rubber spacers that are fully enclosed.
edit: This post is not in any way a bash on LFD. I love their products and their communication is absolutely topnotch. I just wanted to express some long-term use concerns and see if there is any potential revisions to the spacers. I absolutely believe that these can be improved upon. But please let me know otherwise.
Last edited:
LFD_Off_Road
New member
I installed my LFD 3/4 rack late November 2019. I removed it this past weekend due to concerns regarding the metal spacers and use of silicone as a water seepage preventative (concerns really developed after seeing a recent thread regarding rust development at the mounting points on a member's 4Runner).
Thread can be found here. Looks like he fixed his issues.
Destroyed Factory Roof Mounting Locations
The vehicle is my daily driver, is parked outdoors (no garage), non-salty climate, etc. Rack had very minimal use. Is this something to be concerned about? I'm no designer/engineer, but perhaps a revised, better alternative to the provided metal spacers should be considered? a la Sherpa Equipment Company's use of chloroprene rubber spacers that are fully enclosed.
edit: This post is not in any way a bash on LFD. I love their products and their communication is absolutely topnotch. I just wanted to express some long-term use concerns and see if there is any potential revisions to the spacers. I absolutely believe that these can be improved upon. But please let me know otherwise.
The spacers are not just something we do, multiple other rack companies use the same thing. We didn't invent that part ourselves.
My 2012 Trail has had aftermarket racks (ours and other brands) on it for most of its life and has no rust issues in the roof. It actually did have a leak with the previous rack though (which used rubber spacers) that we fixed when installing our rack.
A side note, I've actually seen threads in the past here where people have had leaks from stock side rails as well.
I think what it boils down to is anytime you have a hole in the roof (and every one of our 4Runners do from the stock side rails) there is the potential for a leak to occur. Every leak I've seen has been pretty obvious, either from wet carpet, wet headliner, or water behind the plastic interior trim (and I could even smell a difference when water leaked into mine following a rainstorm). When you notice a leak, fixing it promptly is the best bet.
LFD_Off_Road
New member
We got the first set of bumpout sliders installed today! We added these to the website, and also added some .120 wall DOM options for all the sliders as well in addition to the .185 wall DOM sliders.
007Tacoma
New member
We got the first set of bumpout sliders installed today! We added these to the website, and also added some .120 wall DOM options for all the sliders as well in addition to the .185 wall DOM sliders.
I love this so much!!!
We got the first set of bumpout sliders installed today! We added these to the website, and also added some .120 wall DOM options for all the sliders as well in addition to the .185 wall DOM sliders.
There is something about the bumpout w/ top plates that is really appealing to me... Maybe it's because I've stepped "through" my current sliders before...
Definitely not being influenced by Mr. Bad Influence above me though... Really, I'm not...
LFD_Off_Road
New member
:wow: I hadn't looked at that number lately!
MidniteTRD
Member
for you guys looking for a good long term rack sealant, i would encourage giving Loctite PL Marine sealant a look. comes in a 10oz. tube that requires loading it into a caulk gun. you can find them at big box hardware stores. i used this sealant when building my teardrop camper and its SERIOUS stuff - extremely viscous, sticky, and dries to an almost solid, but slightly flexible set. the only drawback is that it'll be a PITA to deal with if you ever need to remove the thing you sealed with it....thus the recommendation for long term use only.
gdvan01
New member
What prompted added this sliders made form .120 DOM as opposed to the .185 DOM tubing? Trying to decide why and how I would choose one over the other.
I don't plan on serious, hard core rock climbing at this time, but do what a fully capable, protected vehicle capable of handing the moderate off road stuff on the trails of western North Carolina and to know the protection there for the few times I get into the serious rough stuff. I also want sliders for easy step access to the roof.
Thanks
I don't plan on serious, hard core rock climbing at this time, but do what a fully capable, protected vehicle capable of handing the moderate off road stuff on the trails of western North Carolina and to know the protection there for the few times I get into the serious rough stuff. I also want sliders for easy step access to the roof.
Thanks
I'd wait for an actual answer from LFD, however, my lay person understanding is that the .120" DOM tubing is what many (most? all?) other manufacturers make their sliders out of, so if you want them to "only" be as durable as the other's, get the thinner wall tubing.
007Tacoma
New member
What can I say? ...I'm a fan of great products. :biggrin2:
Besides, my SSO sliders are great (I got them back 3 years ago), but I'm that guy - the one that wishes everything on his truck was from one place... That place just happens to be LFD Off Road.
...but I am saving up for the compressor mount first. I have got to get my compressor out of my storage area.
LFD_Off_Road
New member
Basically adding a cheaper option. .120 is basically standard for sliders for the most part. They'll handle everything, but when you have the entire weight of one side of the vehicle on them, they will flex a lot more than the .185. The .185 is basically the heavy duty option, and has practically no flex while under load.
Our recommendation is if you're planning on lots of rock crawling and/or lots of hi-lift use with the sliders, its worth it to get the .185. If you're not planning on rock crawling often, and want them more for "just in case" protection or occasional hi-lift use, .120 is the way to go.
Reading what you're looking for in your question, you'd be fine with .120. We've been all over western NC, north Georgia, etc for years (long before we even started this company) with only .120 wall sliders.
gdvan01
New member
Yea, I'm with you there.
tylertenny
Member
Installed the 3/4 rack last night and I'm really happy with how it turned out. I was a little paranoid about installing an aftermarket rack but with some research and suggestions from other members I feel pretty confident that everything is sealed up and done properly.
LFD_Off_Road
New member
Installed the 3/4 rack last night and I'm really happy with how it turned out. I was a little paranoid about installing an aftermarket rack but with some research and suggestions from other members I feel pretty confident that everything is sealed up and done properly.
Looks great!
