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Roof Rack + Bed Cover Static Load Rating

169 views 14 replies 8 participants last post by  SirJonathanCC  
#1 ·
Hey all, new member here!

I'd been sifting through the forum for some time while I contemplated my Frontier purchase and had a lot of fun seeing all the work you guys had done to your trucks, it's what tipped me over the edge to pick up my 2016 Pro-4X. It looks like the previous owner added a lot and really took care of the truck, so I'm hoping to do the same but am playing a bit of catch-up on the work that's already been done to it.

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Now that I have it, I'm looking to get a rooftop tent so my girlfriend and I can take it out to see the Southeast and beyond. It came with an A.R.E. bed cap with a universal Prinsu rack on top. I've tried to track down the static load info for the bed cap, since Prinsu defers to that rating for what the roof rack can be loaded with, but can't seem to find it.

I got in touch with A.R.E. via RealTruck, but they were unable to find any concrete info via the serial number of the bed cap and said they defer to the static load amount given by the roof rack manufacturer, which Prinsu does not provide. Any tips on figuring this one out? I guess I could always mount it to the rack on top of the cab.
 
#7 ·
Thank you, and thanks for the reply! When I spoke to the A.R.E. rep, she mentioned that the track on the roof with their rails had a max rating for 120-200 lbs., but since I have a roof rack installed that it is rated to carry whatever the roof rack is specified for. This didn't make sense to me, so I'm leaning towards just mounting it on top of the cab, especially since most bed caps aren't rated to carry that weight. Better safe than sorry!
 
#8 ·
Jonathan, be aware there are well known issues (and by Nissan as well)
Static Load Rating

These manufactures will tell you anything, they didn't design the vehicle. The bed mounts are cracking, it does goes back to gen 2 but they are frequently happening on the gen3 pro's. That is coming from
Static Load as in overload.

It's quite interesting you picked up on that, you a sharp cookie ain't ya. (y)
 
#9 ·
Thanks for the info. That's really crazy about the gen 3 bed mounts, what a shame. I knew it'd be easy to get excited and just start throwing stuff on the top of the truck, but I wanted to make sure I covered all my bases so I didn't pay for it down the line.

It's just a shame I couldn't find concrete info on the bed cover but like I said, better safe than sorry! (y)
 
#10 ·
Yah, I wouldn't discount what Grizzly said. Those fiberglass caps weight quite a bit. Some around 200 lbs. Then you'll add a RTT, which probably weighs 80 - 120lbs. Then you add two people. Probably another 300lbs.

I would check the state of your bed mounts. Like others have said there's been 2nd gens where have failed. They aren't very strong to begin with. Maybe consider installing the All Dogs Offroad Bed Mount Repair kit ahead of time to strengthen the mount.

You may want to add some bed stiffeners at the corners at your tailgate so the bed doesn't widen. That's a common problem with the tacomas, but with that much weight on the bed all the time you may want to try to keep ahead of any problems.
 
#11 ·
That truck is BEAUTIFUL! Make sure you stay on top of that white paint because I have seen so many Nissan vehicles and those regardless of year/make/manufacturer etc... in where the white paint starts flaking and peeling. Not to scare you... but stay on top of it. I had a 2011 Summit White Camaro I purchased new... the paint started flaking off just shy over the 36k mile bumper to bumper warranty and I got rid of it so fast. Not to say yours will... but be cautious. It looks like your truck was well cared for. Congrats and enjoy!
 
#12 ·
Thank you! Wow, that's super interesting. I'll have to give it a good lookover to check its current paint status. I looked it over really well at the dealership, but I will be more alert about this in the future. I wonder if there's anything that triggers it specifically? For the most part, it will be kept in the shade and hand washed, so I'm hoping that's enough to help things along where it won't be a problem. Really good info to know, though. I appreciate it!