Trailrax roof rack installed. Initial thoughts.

[Cutthroat0826]

Clean bro, what lightbar is that? It’s pretty low profile

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[pmontague1968]

It's just the way it's mounted. I used carriage bolts in the track and it sits flush with the top bars. You have to order the rack with the cutout fairing to do it. Otherwise you'd need to mount above the cross bar

 

[MidnightSpecial]

So if you want to mount the light bar I think you just just mount it to the rail with a carriage bolt. I had to use the Trailrax mounting bracket in order to attach my Baja Designs lights.

https://trailrax.com/products/light-bar-mount?variant=46274822799527

 

[Doc]

I got mine installed and added a lightbar.

Love the wheel well Fit !

 

[bbrptr]

I got mine installed and added a lightbar.

Looks awesome. How's the increase in wind noise?

 

[rangerblack95]

I got mine installed and added a lightbar.

Which wheels are those?

 

[pmontague1968]

Which wheels are those?

XD Raid
17 x 9
0 offset

 

[GordonR]

TrailRax Installation & Quality Review
I recently installed the TrailRax system on my truck. While the overall design of the rack is excellent, I was significantly disappointed by the quality control (QC) and the subsequent customer service experience.

Installation Experience
The installation process was time-consuming, totaling about 2.5 hours. The installation video provided was highly helpful, but I strongly recommend having a second person assist. Many steps require two people, and a partner easily makes the job twice as fast.

Major Issue: Quality and Manufacturing Defects
My primary disappointment lies with the poor quality of the main components, suggesting a complete lack of quality control during manufacturing.

1. Poor Powder Coating: The powder coat finish on the main parts was inadequate. The coating exhibits a thick, uneven, and bumpy texture, especially along the long cuts, indicating that proper part preparation and application standards were not met. Given my experience, I am not confident this coating will hold up long-term. TrailRax attempted to blame the issue on the component hangers, but this explanation fails to address the widespread, fundamental application defects.
2. Manufacturing Flaws: Several holes were not properly cut and required me to drill them out myself to complete the assembly (see attached photo). This is a critical manufacturing oversight that should never reach the customer.

Customer Service and Resolution
I contacted TrailRax regarding the defects. While they acknowledged the parts were not up to standard and offered to "make it right," we could not agree on an acceptable solution. The offered resolutions were either a $20 credit for spray paint (which is not a fix for faulty powder coating) or requiring me to pay for shipping the faulty parts back to them.

I was extremely disappointed that TrailRax expected me to incur additional cost or settle for a minimal credit after receiving flawed product. I have spent years modifying trucks and have dealt with coating issues from other vendors (specifically BAMF and M2M). In both instances, those vendors immediately corrected the situation, with M2M going as far as proactively shipping replacement parts because they decided the original batch's coating was subpar.

This experience suggests that TrailRax is not as committed to customer focus and product quality resolution as other premium parts vendors in the industry.

Missing Parts & Pro Tip
On a positive note, I was missing the logo backing plates, and TrailRax promptly sent them out without issue.

Pro Tip: For anyone still planning to purchase this rack, I highly recommend sourcing your own nylock nuts for securing those backing plates. The rack ships with standard nuts that are likely to work themselves loose over time, and it will be difficult to access and replace them once the wind deflector is fully installed.

Final Verdict: The rack design is functional and looks great once installed, but be prepared for a frustrating installation due to manufacturing defects, and expect minimal support if you encounter quality control issues.

Rack installed!

Holes punched with laser but not fully cut

Each slit in the rails has a large build up of powder which is raised/bumpy. Concerned this will flake off at some point. Trailtax says this is from hanging the parts (this is true for some other defects) but this isn't the problem here. It looks like either poor application of the powder, or poor part prep before coating. Maybe both.

More coating defects on the top side of the rails. Both parts look like this, all over.

 

[John E Davies]

GordonR, that powder coating looks terrible. OTH many aftermarket manufacturers here and overseas send out their parts to a sub-contractor for powder coating, and so in reality they have zero control over the outcome. But I agree they should have sent you replacements free that look right.

For example, from American Adventure Lab:
"Powder coating costs CANNOT be refunded, as the fee is for the service rendered by a 3rd party contractor. This applies after the product has been sent to be powder coated, which typically is done within 2-4 days after ordering the item."

John Davies
Spokane WA USA

 

[GordonR]

GordonR, that powder coating looks terrible. OTH many aftermarket manufacturers here and overseas send out their parts to a sub-contractor for powder coating, and so in reality they have zero control over the outcome. But I agree they should have sent you replacements free that look right.

I appreciate the solidarity. It's frustrating when quality control fails at the subcontractor level, but it's worse when the main manufacturer refuses to budget for remediation.

They offered to fix the parts, but only if I paid the return shipping upfront. Since these are large, heavy pieces, I declined unless they provided a prepaid shipping label, which they flat-out refused, alternatively offering to pay for a can of spray paint?

This is the core of the issue: I shouldn't carry any of the remediation costs for a mistake that was 100% within their supply chain control. By refusing a return label, they are simply shifting the cost of their quality control failure onto the customer.

As someone who does my own fabrication, I know issues can happen. However, a reliable manufacturer mitigates this risk (surface prep and find a quality coater) and bakes remediation costs into their pricing. Their policy essentially tells customers to absorb their production errors. Buyer beware I guess — I suspect other racks are similar. I'll likely just blast and recoat this set at my own expense down the line, oh and pick a more customer focussed manufacturer next time.

 

[kranzeh]

Just wondering if anyones mounted a rooftop tent to this trailrax roof rack. I am looking at purchasing and installing one myself, but my intentions of use are to keep the bed of the truck clear for other purposes.

 

[TrailRax]

Just wondering if anyones mounted a rooftop tent to this trailrax roof rack. I am looking at purchasing and installing one myself, but my intentions of use are to keep the bed of the truck clear for other purposes.

Hi Shawn,
Here is our short list of roof top tent brands we have tried on the Ranger roof rack that we would vouch for. If you would like to build out your ideal with an expert, you can submit a request for a build consultation and we will call you!
1. Intrepid
2. Ikamper
3. Free Spirit
4. 23Zero

 

[nikkdoes]

Hi Shawn,
Here is our short list of roof top tent brands we have tried on the Ranger roof rack that we would vouch for. If you would like to build out your ideal with an expert, you can submit a request for a build consultation and we will call you!
1. Intrepid
2. Ikamper
3. Free Spirit
4. 23Zero

Now that's customer service!

 

[ShadowDragon24]

I got mine installed and added a lightbar.

How'd you run the wiring? down the back of cab, or down the a pillar and use the cover thing you can buy.

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