Does this look safe? Bed rack mounting.

[superj]

thats their reply to the pics of the mounting points? wow, that sucks

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[gtistiffler]

That looks much safer to me. How are you liking your top?

I like better than the Softopper I had on my last truck. I got it with camping in mind but have yet to had the chance to camp since

 

[pablo94sc]

Not necessarily. The structure holding the rooftop tent is the actual bed side. The clamping force used to attach the rack to the bed keeps the rack in place while the bed structure carries the load. The plastic caps are simply decorative and play no part (positively or negatively) in the structure. It's simply physics......

I'm still trying to make sense of this. I want to believe you, but I'm not bridging the gap from how the load is transferred to the bed rails without the plastic cap (and shims) coming into play.

 

[pablo94sc]

thats their reply to the pics of the mounting points? wow, that sucks

Yup. My reply included stiffler's pic, saying this is how I expected mine would sit. How do we fix this? Work together or start a return.

Honestly, it's like they aren't even trying. If my concern is frivolous, then ask one of your engineering team to explain why. This just seems dismissive, if not AI generated. I dunno. I'm kinda miffed.

 

[pablo94sc]

I got a reply that the Nomad used to be bolted to the bed rails. My reply.

I want to make sure I have this right.

The Beast was upgraded to use clamps, so now the bottom rail no longer is able to be supported fully by the spacer shims. The early models (Nomad), were bolted to the bed rail directly, so they were able to fully sit on the spacer shims?

It sounds like I understand how and why it changed. The rack can support the weight. The bed rails can support the weight. Has this been tested to be able to safely support the weights in the new configuration? What percentage width of the bottom N-S rails need to be over the shims for them to effectively support and transfer the load to the bed rails?

I'm not trying to be an ass here, so I apologize if I'm coming across as one. Your instructions specifically mention centering the rack onto the bed rails in step 7, and step 7.1 specifically mentions using spacer shims (which I've installed, along with J-braces for the bed itself). Safety is my utmost concern. I'm not maxing out the rack, but with tent, gear, and two people, I approximate 600-650lbs of static weight over the bed rails at night, and 250-300lbs dynamic (including canopy).

Another issue cropped up yesterday. Last evening I measured the E-W rails to be approx 1008mm (39 11/16"). I then decided to check the length of the top hoops and discovered that they are 1/8 - 3/16" too long to fit between the N-S rails without squeezing them into place. Is this correct, or do I need to allow for a gap between the E-W rails and corner elbows (they are currently snug to the rails)?

Finally, is any trimming of the rail caps supposed to be done for fitting the clamps? There is a gap between the rail cap and bed rail, and I have had to trim in the past for tonneau clamps to work. Your clamp has enough clearance for no trimming, but I want to verify which way is correct.

I am honestly trying to make this work. Please advise.

 

[superj]

it seems like if it used it be bolted, they would have made adjustments. just saying it used to be bolted and expecting you to magically know what to do to fix it is not good.

i kind of hope they give your money back and send you a label to ship it back. i feel like this is not going good

 

[pablo94sc]

it seems like if it used it be bolted, they would have made adjustments. just saying it used to be bolted and expecting you to magically know what to do to fix it is not good.

i kind of hope they give your money back and send you a label to ship it back. i feel like this is not going good

At this point, if I don't get some kind of satisfactory response after this last email, I'm boxing it up in whatever packaging I have left and getting an RMA.

Not sure what the plan is if that happens. Maybe I'll install some 15 series rail bolted through the shims, like discussed earlier, install a yakima clone rack to that, and a gator soft roll up tonneau. It's not what I wanted, but I have a month to get this tent on the truck and ready to hit the road.

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