[Harsimran Cour]

Hello everyone,

I have Jeep Cherokee 2019 with moon roof. So we are wondering, if we could use Rhino rack cross bars to mount to the factory rails.

we are located in Vancouver - no dealer has an option to replace the factory rail and said that they have done the rhino rack cross bars many time before.

Does anyone knows would it be able to bear the weight? We are hearing the rails are rated for 150 pounds static. We had thought 150 pounds dynamic.

 

[Gary Kline]

Hi @Harsimran Cour , you're correct that the rails are rated for 150lbs (not sure if static or dynamic) but yes, you can add crossbars, from name-brand (e.g. Rhino) to generic Amazon Basics ones. The only thing I'm not clear is what you're asking about your moonroof. Any crossbars mount to the siderails, they don't physically mount to your roof (or sun/moonroof in your case). You would need a basket on top of the crossbars. If your question is, could I put on crossbars and then put my load/gear in between them on the roof, then no, you couldn't put it directly on the glass but then I'm not sure what you would be using the crossbars for in a setup such as that (since one could use tie downs directly to the siderails.

I put on crossbars and then ordered a basket on Amazon. I have the sun/moonroof so nothing is every physically against the glass. (see below)

 

[Harsimran Cour]

Thanks for the reply. My concern is that if I put Roofnest Falcon 2 RTT on the factory rails with crossbars would it be able to support the weight.

 

[Gary Kline]

Thanks for the reply. My concern is that if I put Roofnest Falcon 2 RTT on the factory rails with crossbars would it be able to support the weight.

Hi @Harsimran Cour , aah, I understand. Sorry for the misunderstanding.

Sooo.... I would think almost definitely the 150lbs is a DYNAMIC LOAD. For example, if I had three pieces of luggage that each weighed the general airline-maximum of 50 lbs each and put it on my roof. I probably would not want much more when I consider I need to strap that down to not fly off/affect car handling while going 75mph on an Interstate in a crosswind.

However as for a STATIC LOAD (when the car is at rest), the Cherokee's frame of course is strong... the roof rails are mounted directly to the steel of the car and the roof (and its pillar supports) are designed to support the car weight in the event of a roll-over and not collapse so I would think the car, car frame/pillars/roof rails could easily support far more than 150lbs. 150 lbs is the weight of, say, an average-sized person. If I stood on the roof of my car over one of the four roof rail mounting points (with the car at rest of course [static]), I would feel comfortable with 3-4 people on EACH of the four mounting points and the car pillar supporting it without a problem.

In fact, I went to the Roofnest website they also mention there:

"Remember, roof racks are rated for DYNAMIC loads (e.g., when you’re going 100 mph and slam on the brakes) – the load that the vehicle and rack can carry when you’re parked is a STATIC load an can be as much as 7x the dynamic rating. Any well-installed rack which is rated for the load of the Roofnest by itself will have no problem supporting you and others in the tent when your vehicle is parked."​

So, I can't imaging you'd have any issue weight/load wise (and especially on a vehicle like the Cherokee which is especially stressed for off-road use).

pss: The above is just regarding the Cherokee roof strength and factory rails. Now, if you add aftermarket cross rails (e.g. Rhinos), you'd need to make sure they're rated for not only the load [across the crossmember] but also that the clamps that hold them to the Cherokee roof rails are strong enough to hold the collapsed RTT while driving. I don't go camping so my crossrails are Amazon Basics. Definitely not what I'd put under a RTT! LoL!!! 😱

 

[Tomypop]

This Cherokee trim comes standard with an 8.4-inch touch screen, Nappa leather-trimmed seats, and Android Auto and Apple CarPlay smartphone integration. You'll also benefit from improved cargo space, and an available CommandView dual-pane panoramic sunroof lets you take your adventuring to new heights.

 

[Harsimran Cour]

Thanks; it makes sense. Hopefully, it works for us.

 

[sqenixs]

Yes people with the 2019 have done this. Not too many though. I had the same concerns as you so I purchased the gobi rack for over $2,000. The gobi rack has a static load of like 800 lbs.

Long story short, you are going over the manufacturers stated limits. So proceed at your own risk.

 

[sb3251]

Thanks; it makes sense. Hopefully, it works for us.

I use Yakima Jetstream crossbars attached to the factory rails on my 2019 with my RTT without issue.