I bought the Yakima track system to install on my JKU hard top. At the store, Yakima's catalogue confirmed that it could be mounted on the Wrangler's hard top, as suggested here in the forum.

So, the installation manual has several cars listed and diagrams with dimensions and best positioning place, except for the Jeep. It says to call Yakima in the case a car is not listed.

I called Yakima and asked whether they had a diagram or recommendations on how to install it on a Wrangler. A really laconic customer service guy (I wonder about Yakima's quality and work environment) said that yes, the Wrangler was listed but he did not know how to install it. I should go to a dealership and ask them. I asked whether Yakima had ever installed it to check or that was just a guess, since it was a Yakima's product, not Jeep's. He replied he did not know. (what??)

So, before I return that thing I would appreciate if anyone who installed it has any photos showing where and how it is installed on the hard top. That is, close to the edges or more to the center? I am guessing it is close to the edges. But that's where the hard top has the reinforcement ribs inside.

I'm quite close to return the product, since I cannot tolerate crappy customer service. The guy did not even try.
Or, maybe I should try Thule's rails.

Thanks in advance!

 

I have the Thule rails. I mounted them close to the side by drilling through the top and running some bolts through. A little rtv silicone on the holes and tightened it down. No leaks and I've had the rack on for 3+ years now.

 

When you say close to the side you mean close to the roof's edge? I believe it would be ideal not only for load bearing but also to hide the screws and nuts inside the hard top. However, not sure they fit there, and the hard top is quite expensive for experiments.

 

There was a pretty good thread on how to do this awhile back.

https://www.jk-forum.com/forums/show...up-on-Hard-Top

I have the Yakima 60inch tracks and positioned mine slightly different than the above thread. The only issue I ran into was in the front, the hole I drilled came out on the slant of the hard top underneath and I made a slanted nylon spacer so the nut would sit flat. I also used a regular nut instead of the big plastic one that came with the kit as it was rubbing against the roll bar because of it's size. I'll try to get a couple pics for you so you can see what I am talking about.

Just double check check everything before you drill.

All and all pretty easy to do and works great. Haven't had any issues with it.

I'll work on getting you some pics.

 

Thanks much! Your Yakima came with standard nuts? Mine came with threaded rivets and a tool to install them. This should allow to install them inside that reinforcement cavity because I do not need to hold the nut while tightening the bolts.
This is what I tried to clarify with their customer support. Your photos will definitely help. I seems that installing the tracks close to the roof's edge is not an issue.

 

Installed mine on the outside most ridges. I only have one picture, sorry. Good luck

 

I did the same think with mine. I basically just lined them up where I thought they should go, made sure they were symmetrical and then started drilling. I really like the tracks. I hang my hardtop from the crossbars attached to the tracks in the summer. Sorry, I don't have any measurements off-hand.

 

Threaded rivets, interesting. Not sure if I like that as it would seem you would only be going through one layer of the roof instead of two.

I'll get some pics tomorrow for you so you can see where mine ended up.

 

Do not try to use the riv-nuts (threaded rivets) on your fiberglass top, you should have gotten the rails that came with bolts and large washers for use on fiberglass. You can use the rails but you will need the right hardware to mount them to the top.

 

What??? So, either Yakima cut costs and now makes only one type for both, or their literature is wrong. And to make things worse their lame customer service never said anything about this. The guy never mentioned there were two models and I should not use the riv-nuts on the Wrangler's hard top. He just kept pushing me to go to the Jeep dealer.

I totally agree that having washers would make it a lot more secure. So, back to the store to return it and then getting a Thule. I had the feeling something was not right since the installation photos I saw had bolts and nuts.

Thanks much!! I was planning to install it today. You saved my rooftop and I a lot of pain.