GenRight Off Road Lock & Load Tub Rail Tie Down System - Install write-up and review
04-26-2017, 09:54 AM
#1
JK Super Freak
Thread Starter
GenRight Off Road Lock & Load Tub Rail Tie Down System - Install write-up and review
Once in a blue moon you run into a product that makes you wonder "why didn’t Jeep just make it that way in the first place." That was my first thought when I saw GenRight Off Road's new Lock & Load tub rail tie down system. I really can't believe nobody thought of it earlier, but I'm glad GenRight did, because they got it just right.
The Lock & Load rails and fasteners
The Lock and Load system consists of two flat rails that fasten to the top of the rails of your JK's tub. The rails are precisely cut from 3/16" aluminum (this IS GenRight, after all). If you run a soft top or no top you just bolt them directly to the top of the tub rails with the included hardware. If you have a hardtop you'll install the rails over the lip of the hardtop (so, from top to bottom you'll have rails <> hardtop <> JK tub).
Once they're installed your Jeep will have 6 new tie-down points to help you keep items from moving around or, if you're like me, let you fill your Jeep up with waaay more stuff than anyone should ever need on an adventure. The tie-down points are smartly located so that they aren't blocked by the bars of the roll cage.
Installation was simple. The two rails are identical, so I just grabbed one, aligned the inboard edge with the inboard edge of the tub, and clamped it down through the three holes in the tub rail using the included fasteners. Repeat on the other side. One note: I didn't think the included washers had a large enough OD to get a secure grip on the underside of my tub rails, so I replaced them with wider washers I had laying around (see photo). I don't know if different year JKs have different sized holes, so I'm not sure this will apply to you.
Larger replacement washer on left, included washer on right
Once installed the Lock & Load rails look great. One side benefit is that they cover up most of the nicks and scratches on my tub rails. More importantly, the fit and finish of the rails is top notch. You can see from the image below that all the edges have been ground to make sure there are no sharp corners or pokey bits.
Nicely finished edges won’t abrade rope or cut into cargo
Before I'd received my Lock & Load rails I was concerned that the tie-down loops looked too small to accommodate the hooks on some of my ratchet straps. I'm happy to say that even the hooks on my largest cargo straps fit. I was able to pass a 10mm (.14in) hook through the loops with no issues.
A tie-downs work with most strap ends including a 10mm hook
Another point worth mentioning is that the Lock & Load rails are stronger than the thin steel that makes up the tub rails. Be careful when ratcheting down a load because I'm sure your tub will deform before the GenRight rails do.
The GenRight Lock & Load tie down system fastened in place
Aside from the most likely use of the Lock & Load tie down system, securing your items inside the tub of your Jeep, I discovered another possibility. I'm not sure I'll ever need to do it, but I found that, since my OR-Fab corner armor has what I like to call towel bars, I can secure chairs, tents, or other oblong loads outboard of the tub, resting on the towel bar and secured with a Lock & Load rails and a bungie cord. On one trip I was so overloaded I strapped two camp chairs and a tent to my stinger, so who knows, this could come in handy.
A camp chair lashed to my towel bar with Lock & Load tie downs
What I like:
I’m glad GenRight designed such a useful and inexpensive way to improve the cargo handling in our Jeeps, and I’m happy to recommend the Lock & Load tie down system. It’s simple, well designed, and priced right. If it keeps my cooler lid from flying out of the back of my Jeep it’s worth every penny.
If you've read this far you deserve a treat. How about 10% off ANY GenRight Off Road Product! Use code GRCHRISH on checkout!
JK (2dr) Lock & Load tie down system - $59.99:
Jeep JK Lock & Load Tub Rail Tie Down System (2 Door) | GenRight Jeep Parts
JKU (4dr) Lock & Load tie down system - $49.99:
Jeep JK Lock & Load Tub Rail Tie Down System (4 Door) | GenRight Jeep Parts
The GenRight Lock & Load system is also available for TJ, LJ and CJ models. You can find them at genright.com.
The Lock & Load rails and fasteners
The Lock and Load system consists of two flat rails that fasten to the top of the rails of your JK's tub. The rails are precisely cut from 3/16" aluminum (this IS GenRight, after all). If you run a soft top or no top you just bolt them directly to the top of the tub rails with the included hardware. If you have a hardtop you'll install the rails over the lip of the hardtop (so, from top to bottom you'll have rails <> hardtop <> JK tub).
Once they're installed your Jeep will have 6 new tie-down points to help you keep items from moving around or, if you're like me, let you fill your Jeep up with waaay more stuff than anyone should ever need on an adventure. The tie-down points are smartly located so that they aren't blocked by the bars of the roll cage.
Installation was simple. The two rails are identical, so I just grabbed one, aligned the inboard edge with the inboard edge of the tub, and clamped it down through the three holes in the tub rail using the included fasteners. Repeat on the other side. One note: I didn't think the included washers had a large enough OD to get a secure grip on the underside of my tub rails, so I replaced them with wider washers I had laying around (see photo). I don't know if different year JKs have different sized holes, so I'm not sure this will apply to you.
Larger replacement washer on left, included washer on right
Once installed the Lock & Load rails look great. One side benefit is that they cover up most of the nicks and scratches on my tub rails. More importantly, the fit and finish of the rails is top notch. You can see from the image below that all the edges have been ground to make sure there are no sharp corners or pokey bits.
Nicely finished edges won’t abrade rope or cut into cargo
Before I'd received my Lock & Load rails I was concerned that the tie-down loops looked too small to accommodate the hooks on some of my ratchet straps. I'm happy to say that even the hooks on my largest cargo straps fit. I was able to pass a 10mm (.14in) hook through the loops with no issues.
A tie-downs work with most strap ends including a 10mm hook
Another point worth mentioning is that the Lock & Load rails are stronger than the thin steel that makes up the tub rails. Be careful when ratcheting down a load because I'm sure your tub will deform before the GenRight rails do.
The GenRight Lock & Load tie down system fastened in place
Aside from the most likely use of the Lock & Load tie down system, securing your items inside the tub of your Jeep, I discovered another possibility. I'm not sure I'll ever need to do it, but I found that, since my OR-Fab corner armor has what I like to call towel bars, I can secure chairs, tents, or other oblong loads outboard of the tub, resting on the towel bar and secured with a Lock & Load rails and a bungie cord. On one trip I was so overloaded I strapped two camp chairs and a tent to my stinger, so who knows, this could come in handy.
A camp chair lashed to my towel bar with Lock & Load tie downs
What I like:
- They're a useful upgrade you can do even if you're pretty broke.
- The rails fit the curve of the tub perfectly, and they don't have any sharp edges that might cause cuts or tears or abrade rope.
- They take all of ten minutes to install.
- I think the fasteners ought to come with slightly larger washers to better span the holes in the tub rails. It's only 30 cents worth of hardware, but if you don't have them handy it could slow down your install.
- As with all smaller metal products, I like to see manufacturers offer a powder-coated option, even if they have to charge for it. No matter how small a piece I take them my local powder-coating place is going to charge me at least $30, and this particular item is going to see a lot of action, so a rattle-can finish just isn't going to hold up. If a manufacturer can get a small part coated for ten bucks with volume pricing, they're welcome to pass that cost onto me (I'd still be up $20!).
I’m glad GenRight designed such a useful and inexpensive way to improve the cargo handling in our Jeeps, and I’m happy to recommend the Lock & Load tie down system. It’s simple, well designed, and priced right. If it keeps my cooler lid from flying out of the back of my Jeep it’s worth every penny.
If you've read this far you deserve a treat. How about 10% off ANY GenRight Off Road Product! Use code GRCHRISH on checkout!
JK (2dr) Lock & Load tie down system - $59.99:
Jeep JK Lock & Load Tub Rail Tie Down System (2 Door) | GenRight Jeep Parts
JKU (4dr) Lock & Load tie down system - $49.99:
Jeep JK Lock & Load Tub Rail Tie Down System (4 Door) | GenRight Jeep Parts
The GenRight Lock & Load system is also available for TJ, LJ and CJ models. You can find them at genright.com.
Last edited by DesertJeep; 04-26-2017 at 10:08 AM.
05-03-2017, 09:34 AM
#5
JK Jedi
Not sure how I missed this post before. Handy little product. Sure wish it was a bit more compatible with a hard top. My hard top is off most of the time, but when it needs to go on, it needs to do so quickly.