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Roof rack mounting points

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Couchsachraga

Couchsachraga

Member
Aug 3, 2025
5
7
I was removing the rack from my Ram 1500 yesterday and was reminded yet again how annoying the "clamp" style is, especially for those of us that are always taking the racks on and off (clearance above roof and wind noise being the main reasons; I suppose it impacts mileage but I'm not sure it is noticeable in a truck that size). What would be GREAT to see would be "roof tracks" like the Land Rover LR3 used (Yakima made "landing pads" that allowed their roof racks to be installed and removed quickly), or specific mounting points for for "landing pads" (the Honda Element and some VW's had these). Very robust system and made it easy to swap back and forth (and far reduced chance of paint scuffing / damage).
 
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Couchsachraga said:
I was removing the rack from my Ram 1500 yesterday and was reminded yet again how annoying the "clamp" style is, especially for those of us that are always taking the racks on and off (clearance above roof and wind noise being the main reasons; I suppose it impacts mileage but I'm not sure it is noticeable in a truck that size). What would be GREAT to see would be "roof tracks" like the Land Rover LR3 used (Yakima made "landing pads" that allowed their roof racks to be installed and removed quickly), or specific mounting points for for "landing pads" (the Honda Element and some VW's had these). Very robust system and made it easy to swap back and forth (and far reduced chance of paint scuffing / damage).
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Not one to put anything on the roof. But this sounds like a reasonable request for those that do.
 
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Couchsachraga said:
I was removing the rack from my Ram 1500 yesterday and was reminded yet again how annoying the "clamp" style is, especially for those of us that are always taking the racks on and off (clearance above roof and wind noise being the main reasons; I suppose it impacts mileage but I'm not sure it is noticeable in a truck that size). What would be GREAT to see would be "roof tracks" like the Land Rover LR3 used (Yakima made "landing pads" that allowed their roof racks to be installed and removed quickly), or specific mounting points for for "landing pads" (the Honda Element and some VW's had these). Very robust system and made it easy to swap back and forth (and far reduced chance of paint scuffing / damage).
Click to expand...
Welcome to the community.
 
Couchsachraga said:
I was removing the rack from my Ram 1500 yesterday and was reminded yet again how annoying the "clamp" style is, especially for those of us that are always taking the racks on and off (clearance above roof and wind noise being the main reasons; I suppose it impacts mileage but I'm not sure it is noticeable in a truck that size). What would be GREAT to see would be "roof tracks" like the Land Rover LR3 used (Yakima made "landing pads" that allowed their roof racks to be installed and removed quickly), or specific mounting points for for "landing pads" (the Honda Element and some VW's had these). Very robust system and made it easy to swap back and forth (and far reduced chance of paint scuffing / damage).
Click to expand...
I had my Acura wagon with an Acura badged Thule rack and bike rack and it was relative painless to get it on and off on the occasions I needed to. Should be relatively simple for SM to accomplish-especially for as much media about it being outdoor vehicles
 
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My recollection is manufacturers stopped manufacturing these points in as folks overloaded them and didn't appropriately tie long objects (touring kayaks, etc...) bow and stern to the vehicle and relied only on the rack mounting points. Not having any mounting points makes it the rack manufacturers liability, not the vehicle I guess. I'm hoping Scout Motors can create a robust system that functions well and removes easily whether they choose to partner with a rack manufacturer or not. Less than a minute to remove both racks (or even 20 seconds with two people - it takes a bit to walk around) vs 10-15 minutes on or off makes a big difference in terms of how often I find I remove them. If the towing capacity is 10k or higher for both vehicles I think they'll have something many will take a hard look at, especially with the Harvester option.
 
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Roof rack attaching varies vehicle to vehicle, year to year. Our Sienna had no options for quite a few years - and I never got a rack on it. Wranglers are almost as bad - with a fiberglass roof, there is no real strength to attach to. For a strong mount, you either need to go around their roof, through it (ultimately attaching to the roll bar), or replace it with a expedition strength roof (I did that on my LJ). 2015 Golfs did not have (or at least mine did not have) the roof tracks, so I had to use clamps. They can scuff paint and create a bit of wind noise (as the clamps go between the roof and the door gasket. My F250 uses clamps, and I have had those fail a few times (luckily at low speed). I have used rail riders on camper shells - those work great (and that is what the Expedition top on my LJ came with).

One thing I really like about rail riders is they distribute torque from the towers. Especially with white water kayaks, you tend to use "stackers" that keep the kayaks on edge rather than cradles. The problem with carrying a kayak on edge, it is essentially 2 ramps. As you tighten the straps, the kayak is pulled down and it presses the bars apart (torque). I saw a friend ruin the roof on his Land Cruiser the first trip - buckling the roof at the front and rear roof rack pillar attachments.

There are a lot of liability reasons manufacturers rarely make a premium rack. Mostly I suspect is people don't realize that the load is dynamic - so while you can put a lot on them, they can easily fail when you go bouncing down a trail. Plus I have seen plenty of kayakers not use front safety ropes - if the kayak catches the wind right and the front rack fails, as the boat rotates up it will catch a ton of wind. Of the group I paddled with, almost every paddler had a rack failure at one point or another - almost all would have been prevented or at least severely minimized with a front safety rope. But regardless, the vast majority of factory roof racks are really luggage bars - they are designed to keep a load on the roof from sliding, not carry the load above the roof.

I really like the looks of the platform on the new Terra. It looks a LOT like a Rhino Pioneer Platform. Using rail runners for attachment, I have had good luck with my Rhino Platform. Plus it shades the roof a bit.
 
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