First, pick out a new "hauler"....I went with dark green, you can pick any color that suits your needs.



Next you have to decide on the actual rack itself. I went with the Congo Cage from Kargo Master. For two reasons 1) It had the highest weight capacity at 500 lbs and 2) You can use existing crossbards from Yakima with a fit kit.

This is what it looks like out of the box:



Then find a hot summer day with rain showers on the way to actually work on putting it together. First thing is to connect the back bracket to the chasis:



It comes out over the bumpers:





Then you have to attach the front bracket to the windshield after removing the factory hardware:





Then you have to start putting the cage itself together:





Then after 4 hours of being in the sun right before it starts to rain, you need to get your neighbor, his kid and a friend of his to help you get it up and into the brackets. But then you are finished and it looks like this:









Now that I have the part done, I will be able to attach my Yakima crossbars and carry my kayaks to fish!!!!

very slick lookin. Good job

Thought Erick was a Viking not a road warrior. Purty cool.

You fish?

Is it level? Doesn't look level to me.

That front bumper looks like a great platform to stand on when making the next hood imprint.

It doesnt get dirty enough for a new hood print.

Yes, I vaguely remember how to fish.

And trust me, it is level and even.

I am looking forward to getting out in the kayak again. And hoping my kayak doesnt fly off the top.......

Does the rack system allow you to remove your hard top?
If you had a soft top could you put it down with this cage on top?
I have thought about my next car being a Wrangler and wondered how I would get the KAYAK to the water.
Nice looking set up!

Keith, yes to all. I wanted the car and decided to worry about the kayak hauling equation later.

The rack pivots on the rear hinge to allow removal or lowering of a soft top. You have to undo the front legs and it comes with a bar that will allow you to raise the rack and keep it raised by inserting the bar into the front bracket and the end of the front leg. The hard top can actually be removed with the rack in place although difficult. But I never take the back part of the top off anyway, only the front two pieces and the doors.

It is noisy though....and I am trying to find a way to fix that.

Turn the stereo up.

Actually after a week of driving, you get used to it....and yep, turned the radio up.

Nice Jeep. All you need now to make it look cool is a lift kit and some tires, and then you got yourself an aggressive kayak hauler.