Topper Roof Rack - Galvanized steel (mini review)

[ASD Dad]

I dont know if I ever posted a photo of our Topper rack in use.  I've been using it for quite some time now and overall am pretty happy with it.  I was going to do the DIY route with superstrut channels from Lowe's (or similar anywhere else) but found the Topper and went with it.  I wasnt sure how much weight I could put on the channels as the main reason.  

 

http://www.toppermfg.com/products/van-racks/ you can see it on the NV mid page

 

This rack is fully galvanized steel, supports 450 lbs with the standard feet or you can add two more for 700+ lbs.  It was pretty inexpensive at around $450 shipped.  Installation was not hard at all, I just needed a helper to actually get it mounted to the roof.  Once mounted there was a LOT of wind noise at any speed above 35 mph.  To solve that I simply did the old Yakima rope trick of wrapping some all weather rope around the front bar.  That spiral interrupts the air flow to stop the harmonics.  There is still a little bit of noise but it is a large rack!  

 

I ended up modifying my rack just a little by adding two wider bars to carry my kayaks outside of the main rack.  We have two, 3 person, sit on top fishing kayaks that are very wide and deep.  They're also not light!  The wider bars are simply galvanized fence posts from Lowes.  With the new bars it is fairly easy to mount our kayaks with two people.  We use Gorilla 3 step aluminum step ladders to get up there.  They are super light and fold flat.  They have a very wide top platform so are also nice and stable to stand on when lifting the boats or anything else up there.  

 

I can take more photos but here is one from a recent camping trip.  

 

 

Edited March 3, 2017 by ASD Dad

[andy_george]

Looks good. That's an NV completely in its element!

[NVAir]

ASD,

 

Your trailer is almost 7,000 lbs unloaded?  (http://www.forestriverinc.com/product-details.aspx?LineID=200&Image=5377&ModelID=871#Main).

 

How's it towing?  I'm looking at an NV (high top) to tow a 6,500 lb trailer.  Probably end up at 7,500 lbs by the time I pack it up, maybe 8,000 lbs.  I've got my wife and one small child, no dogs or kayaks, so it looks like you are towing around more weight than I will be.

 

I'm towing it now with a 5.0 F150 and it's got enough power.  Adequate anyway.  I figure the NV will be similar, just with more room.

[ASD Dad]

ASD,

 

Your trailer is almost 7,000 lbs unloaded?  (http://www.forestriverinc.com/product-details.aspx?LineID=200&Image=5377&ModelID=871#Main).

 

How's it towing?  I'm looking at an NV (high top) to tow a 6,500 lb trailer.  Probably end up at 7,500 lbs by the time I pack it up, maybe 8,000 lbs.  I've got my wife and one small child, no dogs or kayaks, so it looks like you are towing around more weight than I will be.

 

I'm towing it now with a 5.0 F150 and it's got enough power.  Adequate anyway.  I figure the NV will be similar, just with more room.

 

Yes, that is my camper.  I weighed it a couple times at a CAT scale and it normally comes in around 7600 lbs loaded for camping.  One time it came in near 8000 lbs loaded when we had all our boats and bikes for a longer trip.  We pack light when we can, especially when carrying the "toys" and we rotate out stuff depending on where we are going.  We dont need all the beach gear if we are headed up to the Smoky Mountains!  Hitch weight unloaded is high due to it being a toy hauler, they expect you to load the garage with big toys like a golf cart, motorcycle, etc.  We just load it with out boats/bikes/kids stuff.  

 

The NV tows it very nicely honestly.  You always wish for more power and the new 2017's have that but it is adequate.  I used to tow with a Tundra 5.7 and it definitely had more grunt but I think the NV is more stable.  

[andy_george]

Same here... We pull a Keystone that weighs around 8000lbs, and the NV has great stability and brakes for towing a load that size. Power is fine.... Could always use more power and gears, but it's more than acceptable to me.

[andy_george]

And just a side note, I seem to always find a reason to brag about the brakes of the NV, and this post is no different. I recently helped a neighbor change pads and rotors on his '14 Sierra 1500. It's amazing that vehicle has quite similar tow ratings to the NV, but the rotor and caliper size and robustness are laughable compared to our Nissan. I love having things over-built, even if it comes with a weight penalty....

[ASD Dad]

We do have big brakes and it was a nice plus to the NV.  My Tundra also had huge brakes and I loved them.  The Transit has puny brakes in comparison!  I know some have put on better pads and cross drilled rotors on their NV but I have yet to fade them even a little bit and that's towing through the some steep grades in TN, NC, VA and WV.

[NVAir]

Good to hear!

[ASD Dad]

I had a PM about my rack and he liked my answers and wished they were on this review so I copied and pasted the info over...  He was looking at buying one soon.

 

Here is my reply:

I still really like my Topper.  Best bang for the buck rack I have found.  You really need two people to install it, it is big and awkward once assembled on the ground.  I used an old blanket on my roof to slide it up and over so we could both grab it on both sides and get it into the brackets.  It also takes some weird sized drill bit for the mounts.  I cant recall the size but I found something that worked fine in my tools.

 

Only have two complaints and it is true of most racks.

 

1 - Wind noise is INSANE when you just have the rack alone.  Anything above 30 mph made a large oscillating hum that was very loud.  I wrapped heavy nylon rope around the front bar in a open spiral and that cut the noise by at least 75-80%.  You can still hear it if you listen but it isnt bad at all now.  Rope trick is an old fix from Yakima rack days.

 

2 - my MPG dropped.  This is true of most any roof rack though.  I lost around 1/2 mpg consistently.  Between the rack and my AT tires I lost 1 mpg.  It's barely a drop but it is a drop and I put on 20-25K miles per year.

 

Keep in mind you have one shot to install, you have to drill out the rails to mount it.  You cant just slide it forward and back so take your time lining it up where you want it.  The back rail hangs off the rear which is nice, you can lay things against it to push up onto the rack without it hitting the roof.  

[RMS7546]

Love my NV3500 SL! Been thinking bout a rack. Haul a 23ft Airstream. Normall have two Honda gens, 2 tables, clothes hanging , 2 chairs , tools, 1 lg dog, and anything my wife decides whatever else to carry. I've yet to find a mountain I couldn't climb hauling the Airstream. Gas mileage is usually between 11 to 13.5. My previous Dodge hemi quad cab only got around 8.8mpg.

[ASD Dad]

Wanted to update this review.  I have owned the rack since April 2016 and on my last camping trip one of the support brackets snapped clean off!  It is right where the weld bead was run so I think it was a defect in the metal.  The bracket actually looks like cast steel which is weird.  

I am out of warranty but Topper is looking into my situation since it was pretty obvious I didnt use it for commercial use and barely had weight up there.  I sent photos with my boat carriers still mounted.

 

I bought the rack at American Van and they told me I can get the brackets for $50 plus $20 shipping for a set of two and extra hardware.  It is basically the heavy duty mount that adds two brackets to up the capacity to 750#.  

 

I dont feel I should pay $70 for a defect so am waiting on Topper.  If they deny help I will probably weld the bracket back together or reinforce it with extra steel.  There is no way it should have broken with so little weight up there.

 

I'll update the thread when I hear back and what I end up doing.

[ASD Dad]

UPDATE:  Topper agrees that is a factory defect in the bracket and there was nothing I could have done to prevent that.  They sent out a new bracket, hardware and the special wrench to install it via UPS overnight!  I will have it tomorrow afternoon.

 

That is pretty awesome customer service.

[CrazyJesusLover]

Are you still liking the topper?

[ASD Dad]

Are you still liking the topper?

 

Yes!  The only issue and this is with any rack is that bolts will wiggle just slightly loose and the rack will start to rattle.  That drives me nuts so I just snug things down when it starts doing it.  I am not talking loose loose either, just looser than completely tight and it seems to start to rattle.  Once snugged it is quiet for a couple months or so.

[ASD Dad]

Yet Another update...  The rack broke AGAIN!!  This time both rear mounts broke.  I think it has to do with how much body flex is going on with our rough roads.  I can see the hood moving quite a bit and can hear squeaks a lot from the rack.  The same/new mount snapped clean off and the other side was cracked 80% through.  I went to remove it and it broke clean in half.

 

The problem is that the mounts are Cast steel.  They are not solid bar stock.  They both broke in the exact same spot at the first one - right at the welds.  I think the welds are making the steel brittle from heat and using the cheaper cast stock.

 

I will NOT be getting new mounts.  I am going to fabricate all new brackets the whole way around using solid steel stock.  I did weld the two broken mounts back together and they have held for the past week but I dont trust them.

 

EDIT: 

 

Talked at length with the owner of Topper.  He said I have the first failure in 40 years.  Not sure I believe that but I have no way to prove otherwise.  Other issue is we've been going back and forth about the steel.

 

It is NOT cast steel and I can see that now under close inspection.  I think it could be a brittleness issue.  The parts are plasma cut and then welded on both sides.  That is putting a ton of heat into the thin stock twice and it could be heating it to the point of making it brittle.  The brackets are not bending, they are cracking.  They should not stress fracture like they are unless they are brittle.  The stress fractures are occurring right along the weld bead to further prove the point.

 

He does not know why they failed twice but he did offer to actually fly to my home from WI to personally look at the rack and failures.  That seems way above and beyond customer service and I turned him down but appreciated the gesture.  I dont see the point in him flying to my place when I've installed this rack three times now to make sure there is zero tension on those brackets (He thinks it is out of square or laterally binding).  

 

I still plan on fabricating my own heavier steel brackets.

Edited May 22, 2018 by ASD Dad

[mk1_62]

When welding you put a lot of tension between the spots that are welded and the surrounding metal. I had an engineer in our shop a couple weeks back and for him he always tempers any metal that's been welded on his screen printing presses to relieve that tension. It makes perfect sense to me.

[andy_george]

Great info guys. Sorry about your rack, ASD Dad.

[ASD Dad]

The only issue I have is why am I supposedly the only failure in 40 years.  He said he has been doing the racks pretty much the same way and contractors abuse the daylights out of them.  Mine sits empty 99.9% of the time and has failed twice.  He was positive there had to be some sort of lateral tension twisting the bracket.  There isn't.  I can unbolt the rack from the brackets and easily lift it out or slide it fore and aft with no binding anywhere.

 

I guess we will find out when I mount my own brackets.  The last bracket only lasted 5 months but the original lasted a year and a half.

Edited May 23, 2018 by ASD Dad

[raparish]

Thanks for the post on the rack. . . looking at options now for our 2016 to haul cayaks.  On another note, did you replace the tires with stock size or go with something larger?  They look a bit bigger than stock.  Thanks! 

[THEFB]

New NV owner here and looking at this topper.  Couldn't find info on the website and thought one of you might have a faster answer.  Looking to see what the height is of this topper from the roof to the top edge?  Do  you think you could modify the bracket to make it closer to the roof or would the cross braces interfere?   I may go with ASD Dad and consider my own brackets to fit into garage. Thanks all!