Anyone figure out a good way to mount maxtrax to the outside utility track? Thinking the Rhino Rack Pioneer MaxTrax Side Mount Bracket might work mounted to the tent portion of the utility track but I’d love to hear other suggestions. Thanks!
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I used two (2) GFC universal brackets and a set of Axia Alloys MaxTrax mounts (NO CLAMP OPTION). They will mount along the side of the tent, but they will have to ride super high/tall in order for the side door to open fully. That is not an option for me because I want to park in the garage so I DIY’d an extenstion piece so the boards extend out in front making clearance for the door. I plan on doing a Youtube Video Disillusioned1811on how I did it in the future, but want to make sure it is safe mount first. I’ll be putting to the test this weekend. Check out the photos I attached.
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Looks great! Did you look into the Rhino Rack Pioneer MaxTrax Side Mount Brackets at all? Curious if you think those could be mounted on the side similar to how you mounted yours.
I took a look at the Rhino Rack Pioneer Max Trax Side Mount Part #43159, it will not mount to the side of the Roof Top Tent.
The other option I was looking at was the K9 Maxtrax Mount Set, but I could not find dimensions anywhere to determine if it would fit into the Roof Top Tent Extrusion. These are nice because they give some clearance away from the body of the tent. Whatever option you go with, you will need something mounted to the tent that pushes the maxtrax (and the maxtrax mounting pin bolt) away from the tent to clear it opening and closing , also the side doors can open and close, and in my mount example I need to open the vehicle doors. The simplest solution I came up with was the GFC brackets and Axia Alloys. I have a metal piece I ordered off Amazon to make my DIY extension. You will need some MaxTrax Mounting pins also. All of these other brands, K9, RhinoRack, Frontrunner, etc, seems to be out of stock. Both GFC and Axia Alloys are making there products in the USA. I had no issues getting those products.
Here are photos, maybe it explains it better. First photo is GFC Bracket and Axia Alloy mounted to the lower 1/2 extrusion of the tent. Second photo is the DIY extension I used for my application.
Link to the extension you used?
I had to drill one hole to make it work. Once I test this out in the real world, assuming it works, I did a test drive across the Columbia River in high winds last night, there is a little vibration on the extension but seems to be holding well. I will post my DIY YouTube Video to this thread. I also threaded a coated cable through the back of the bracket and then around the maxtrax and padlocked it together. Theft prevention and in the event of a catastrophic failure of the extension it keeps the boards attached to the rig and not flying down the highway.
Thanks. I’ve been staring at my MaxTrax, GFC mounts, and Axia mounts thinking of which way to go. This seems like a good solution. Let us know how it goes this weekend.
Saw this pic on FB. Looks like they may be using the rhino rack pioneer mount attached to the tent T-slots.
So on my previous RTT setup, I refused to pay $60 for the maxtrax pins, and then the Axia mounts were over $100. With a little ingenuity and some scrap steel, i used 4 universal clevis pins, some hitch pins, and stainless steel wire to make my own. Im sure this can be adapted to the gfc.
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Way to DIY it! The Axia Mounts I went with are only $69 with the NO CLAMP option. I am not impressed with the MaxTrax Mounting Pins, they are a pain to twist. Just need a spacer to push the maxtrax & pins away from the rooftop tent so it can open/close.
The mount held up just fine. I did some highway driving with higher winds and a bunch of driving on Forest Service dirt roads. There is some vibration on the forward (front) facing mount with the extension when driving, especially on the dirt/forest roads.
Anyone know if the Rhino-Rack Pioneer Bracket solves the seemingly mutual exclusivity of both mounting Maxtrax on the side of the tent and also being able to still fully open the door below the mounted Maxtrax? This really is the issue at hand. Also looks like it would need some modification to mount it to either the track or onto a GFC mount. Maybe if we band together @jedgar will whip up something entirely custom and save the day.
Ha thanks for the mention @dbortz. I haven’t felt the need to get traction boards so I have no way to play around with any ideas, but I like the idea of a cool way to mount them.
Just chatted to the guy that owns the red truck that I posted a pic of earlier in this thread. He was kind enough to give me the details of how he mounted the brackets. They are front runner recovery device brackets.
Super straight forward install.
I set the bracket on top of the GFC shown in the picture (maxtrax mounting bar was removed) then marked the center of the tracks on the bracket. Sketch shows rough concept with the marked lines. I drilled 3 1/2 inch holes and mounted with gfc 1/4 x 20 track nuts with some washers I picked up at the hardware store. Dark holes in sketch represent existing and drawn represent where I drilled.
Can you open the side camper door with that mount?
The height is adjustable so I think so. May not open completely but pretty damn close.
For what it is worth, here is my Youtube Video detailing on how I was able to mount the MaxTrax to the GFC and still open all my doors and fit the truck into my garage. Hopefully it will help you come up with a solution on how you want to approach mounting the boards.
How I Mounted MaxTrax to the GFC
Good Luck.
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Great video! Thanks for all the info!
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If anyone in this thread is still searching for options, I’ve linked my topic below. I’d appreciate any feedback or dm if interested in a set.
Cheers
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