Uneek or Gobi roof rack?

[Ozian]

After a 6+ hour trip in my 2014 JKUS with three adults, one 11 year old child, a rather large 10 month old Great Dane cross, luggage for 4 days and Christmas presents, I've decided it's time to get a roof rack to avoid future extended stays at a mental health facility.

I've narrowed down to the Uneek or Gobi Stealth racks, and with DBOR's current special that includes the ladder and wind deflector for free on the Gobi they are within a couple of bucks of each other. I like the look of the Gobi better than Uneek, but Uneek looks to have slightly stronger hoops and includes the quick release (use the soft top most of the year). I'm not planning on carrying massive loads, but will be adding an awning and mounts for shovel and possibly hi-lift jack.

So, just looking for people's experience with either/both products. Experience with either in relation to noise, versatility, quality issues would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks all!

[samft]

i think the gobi leans on the car for support
the uneek flexes a bit as part of how it's designed (it doesn't touch the car)

i think in the case of a malfunction/overload/big bumps, this means the uneek is less likely to cause damage

also check you can mount on whatever rear bar you have or might get in future




personally i have ordered the AEV rhino rack which mounts to the roll cage through the roof, the frontrunner rack is similar

more strength but at the expense of drilling the top and not being able to remove it easily, I want it for a roof top tent though so strength is more important

the rhino rack backbone looks decent if you don't like the outer-cage design but still want to be able to take the hard top off (probably less strong than a roll cage rack)

uneek and gobi are obviously compatible with the soft top though

I feel like the uneek will rattle less once it gets old!

[YamahaDOC]

I've done the reasearch a while ago and concluded the Gobi is the best available for strength, function, re sale and especially looks.

[samft]

Originally Posted by YamahaDOC

I've done the reasearch a while ago and concluded the Gobi is the best available for strength, function, re sale and especially looks.

care to post that research? not being a d*ckhead, I'm genuinely interested in why?

have you bought one?

another thing on the external cage style is i don't think they're great for roof top tents as they have the edge rail that stops the tent sitting flat

[Stressball]

Just doing a little match making....

http://www.ausjeepoffroad.com/forum/...d.php?t=147152

You're welcome!

[YamahaDOC]

Originally Posted by samft

care to post that research? not being a d*ckhead, I'm genuinely interested in why?

have you bought one?

another thing on the external cage style is i don't think they're great for roof top tents as they have the edge rail that stops the tent sitting flat

I do have a Gobi stealth, 2 years old not a squeak. By best roof rack I meant in the exo cage styles the Gobi is the best, but if I had the guts to drill into the hard top I wouldn't have gone with an exo. They cost a bomb, but I use it every weekend.

The build quality is excellent, two people can get on the rack while loading gear no problems and suits the JKs lines very nicely. Worth mentioning the ladder is a must have but it needs to be removed if you want to flip the rack backwards for hard top removal. You will also need the additional upper roof isolators at only $215 from DBOR, unless you don't mind the rack vibrating at 100 kays and over. Doesn't happen when loaded though, only empty. Front air deflector did nothing for me, so took i that off. The JK on Fast and Furious 7 had a Gobi stealth, so it must be good lol

[timbotrog]

I bought a Gobi Stealth from a mate 2nd hand, to be honest the "new" prices even when on special scare me!.

I researched the Gobi, Uneek and the Rhino Rack back bone.

Besides the use for loading up when going away, mounting the awning to it for day trip bbq's in the middle of nowhere was a big necessity which ruled out the Rhino Rack as in summer I run the soft top.

Researching between the Gobi and the Uneek I found them both to be made to very high standards and the quality was faultless between the two, (I'm a member of MJOC and it's easy to compare between them as several members have them).

I'm still disappointed with both of them that the front panel insert is an "optional extra", that IMHO is a load of crap.

The weight of the rack as well as the weight load bearing of them is a major concern as I can carry a decent amount up there.

Offroad performance was also taken into consideration as I wasn't going to be removing and reinstalling it every 5 minutes and it needed to be painless whilst driving up to and including double black tracks.

Mine came with the quick release brackets but it'll take and extra 2 minutes max with a spanner to remove the bolts to change roofs.

I ended up with the Gobi because it has a higher load carrying capacity, I like the one piece main section of the rack, (the Uneek rack main platform is a 2 piece unit held together with several bolts), the Gobi platform is slightly wider and comes with a rear mounting system that doesn't require drilling into your rear bar as standard.

One little thing that has helped a lot with the Gobi is they have drilled some holes and inserted small rubber grommets to allow you to run cable internally through the tubes of the rack for external lighting. This save having cables ties everywhere and just makes the finish a little nicer.

The Uneek is better in some areas such as it has pre-drilled holes for mounting an awning, (you don't need to buy extra mounts), is slightly lighter, (but has a lower carrying capacity) and is Australian designed and made to a very high standard.

The Gobi I bought came with the freedom panel insert, quick release brackets, LHS & RHS ladders, awning brackets and hi-lift jack mount, (which are quite expensive to buy even when on special).

I helped a mate install his Uneek rack a couple of months ago and they are good racks, very well made and work well but I'm still not sold on the main platform base material or the main platform coming in 2 halves and having to be joined with high tensile bolts.

If you do end up with the Gobi and are after a LHS ladder and a high lift jack mount at a good price send me a PM!