DanoPhelps

Checking out the Garvin rack versus the Kongo Cage. I can see the Kongo Cage looks very straightforward to tilt back to put down a soft top. Does anyone have experience with the Garvin rack? It shows an ample pivot point, but I have not been able to find out if you have to remove and re-install screws to lower your soft-top. I like being able to lower on the fly. Happy for opinions.

-DP

owntmeal4life

I have a Kongo cage love it it's high enough on my two door were I don't have to pull it up to put the soft top up and Down

TexasChopper

FYI...spoke to a guy recently who stated he did a lot of research on racks prior to purchasing one and was told the Garvin rattled a lot. He had one where the name also started with a G (gigo? gygo?...something like that) looked like the Garvin, even had the ladder in the back I believe and tilted back as well.

...hope Annapolis finds you well, I used to live there too

GeoJeep33

Gobi. They are very nice.

Phantasm

Check out my sig block for a link to the JC Whitney one, no tilting needed, soft and hard top compatible, cheaper then the rest and stronger than most.

DanoPhelps

Bill,

This is interesting. I saw that you had a few photos with 4 installed crossbars. I would assume that these need to come off before you are putting the top down. Can you leave them off full time? Any worries about water getting in the holes and it rusting from the inside-out? Also, was there much drilling required to install it?

The thing looks bulletproof though. One last question. What is the total height of the rack. One bitch of modifying my Jeep is that I park in a garage with a 6'6" clearance. Thus, I have to be careful about how high things are.

Thanks for the detail though - of course now you have made my decision harder

-DP

DanoPhelps

LOVE Annapolis!! BTW your profile picture is perfect

DanoPhelps

What's the total height to the top of the crossbars?

Phantasm

For the rack alone the added height is NMT 2 inches: I can't see the top of the soft top under the bottom of the rack rail looking across horizontally. The cross bars add another 2-3" so really NMT 5 " total height with the crossbars. I run without crossbars all soft top season. With the hard top I usually run 2 or 3 of the rear crossbars so I can still remove the front panels easily.
No drilling required IF you get an aftermarket bumper that is compatible, Otherwise you need to drill the plastic in your rear bumper. The beuty is with a new bumper and the rack you're still cheaper than the Garvin. Any bumper that A)doesn't wrap around to the rear fenders and b) shares the bolt holes for the rear frame is Good. I believe the Body armor bumper works fine and is $300 ish.
There are holes on the bottom as well as top ( not dead bottom though) but water would drain down the tubes to the front and back vertical supports if it did. I can honestly say I've never even considered it 'holding water' I can't imagine that it would.

owntmeal4life

Extra 3-4 inchs