To see if this custom-fit item will work for you please tell us what vehicle you'll use it with.
These heavy-duty, aluminum crossbars work with Rhino-Rack legs to create a sturdy roof rack. The square bars include built-in C-channels for mounting Rhino-Rack heavy-duty, contractor-grade accessories.
Features:
Rhino-Rack HD Crossbars - Black - 54" Long - Qty 2:Videos are provided as a guide only. Refer to manufacturer installation instructions and specs for complete information.
Hi everyone, Aidan here with etrailer.com. Today we're gonna be taking a look at the Rhino-Rack Vortex Aero Bar crossbar system here for your tonneau covers. We're gonna be taking a look at it on our 2019 Ram 1500 with our Mountain Top tonneau cover. Now we are going to be using this with the rails here. Any other tonneau cover that has a rail system like the Pace Edwards UltraGroove or the RetraxPRO XR, those are gonna work just fine. Same deal, it's just gonna slide in the tracks here, but it's basically going to give you a set of crossbars above the tonneau cover.
This is gonna be great for stuff like our tent like you see here, or maybe a bike rack, where we want it above the bed, we want it raised up like this, but we don't wanna reach all the way up like we would on something like a ladder rack. This is gonna have it way more accessible and offer all those same benefits that we might otherwise have at the ladder rack. Let's check it out. When I say all those same benefits as a ladder rack, I more mean for hauling your sports and rec accessories. Things like lumber, ladders, elongated loads maybe like a kayak, they're not gonna work really well on here just because we don't have that same space over the cab.
Anything elongated here is gonna eventually run into that back glass so just keep that in mind for what you're hauling. If you need something that's adjustable, Yakima does have the overhaul system that can be height adjusted, so you can mix and match it for different uses, but this is going to be more of a fixed system, low to the bed like this. And you also have a couple different options here. We're taking a look at the kits here that include the Vortex Aero Bars as well as the quick release legs. We can get these crossbars in two different lengths.
65 inch, like we have here, or a 71 inch crossbar, if we want a little more overhang. You can also choose to just get the quick release feat on their own. You can get them in pack of two, four, or six, so you can mix and match, get as many as you want. If you want to add a third crossbar to this system, you can. And then you can choose whatever crossbar you want.
Maybe you wanna go with Rhino-Rack's HD bars. You have that option and you can customize it to fit your needs. With whatever tonneau cover we're using this on, it's going to retain all of those normal functions, we just have something in the rails on top. So anything we wanna put in the bed, we can. We can open up the cover to get access to the things inside our bed, or we can just slide it out, have everything covered up underneath and have it all protected. These crossbars are gonna have a 220 pound weight capacity and that is a dynamic weight capacity, which means when the vehicle's moving. So if you do plan on putting a tent up here, don't worry you can still sleep in it. It'll be just fine because at that point your car will be static and still. So we don't have to worry about that moving weight capacity. These Vortex Aero bars are perfect for clamp around accessories. They're a very standard size and we haven't had any issues with the accessories we keep in the shop down here, or that we test on other vehicles fitting on these. And you also have the T-track up top. If you peel back the weather stripping and trim it to size, you can slide accessories in there as well. So you've got a variety of options for how you want to attach these accessories to the cross bars. Everything in the system is gonna lock. The end caps on our cross bars here require a special tool to twist open and unlock. So any T-track accessories inside will be safe. And the quick release legs have an actual lock core with key. All of them will have that lock core and key. So all these tabs inside are gonna be completely locked up and safe. So I'm not gonna fully release this with the tent on top, but if you push those tabs in, that's what allows us to lift this out of the quick release mounts right here. So we can quickly get the crossbars off of those bases, leave the bases installed, and it's ready for next time whenever we need to get this set up. I did mention everything is pretty low profile. From the top of our tonneau cover rails to the top of the crossbars, we're sitting at 4 3/4 of an inch. Very low profile. It's gonna not stick up too much. So if we are adding stuff to the top here, it's not gonna be that high of a lift. The tracks run the entire length of the rails on our tonneau cover here, so we can slide the bases here along any point and have any crossbar spread that we might need. We set these up specifically to work with our rooftop tent today, but maybe you have some bike racks that you're looking to carry or a cargo basket, and you know, I need a different crossbar spread. You can set that up, move it around however you see fit, and get it set up really quickly. Speaking of that setup, let's check out that install process right now. Starting off the installation, we're gonna take the base of our legs and we're gonna get some stuff assembled. We're gonna start off with our screw right there, a lock washer and a flat washer on top of that. And that's gonna drop through one of these outer holes right here, just like that on either side. Then underneath, I'm gonna grab the little plate loosely thread that on. And this is going to slide into the rails of our tonneau cover, or wherever else we're mounting this. For our Mountain Top tonneau cover today, we're gonna take off the end cap right there to expose the track system. And these T-bolts are rectangular, so just make sure they're going in the narrow side facing inward just so they fit properly. And depending on the system you're using it might be a little bit different on yours. So you get those in. This one's being a little stubborn. If you find that it's getting a little bound up entering in, you can just loosen it a little bit. That's why we wanted to leave this loose from the start. So it can freely slide along the track. And we can get it set to our crossbar spread. That's gonna vary depending on what kind of accessories you plan on mounting. We're gonna be putting a tent up here, so I'm gonna be shooting for a 32 inch crossbar spread to work with our tent. So I'm just gonna be going from the center of one base to the center of the other. And once I've got it at that proper spread, I can go back to those bolts and tighten them down with the Allen wrench here. We can take our crossbars with the rest of our leg assembly and get those set up. We can take our key for our Aero bars here and pop that end cap off. Now if you went with the HD bars, that process will be slightly different. so just keep that in mind. We're gonna slide this little T-bolt into the track underneath. I'm just gonna pop on the end cap right now so I don't forget. And so, this doesn't slide out of the track accidentally. And then what I like to do is I actually like to come to the bolt underneath here. Right there, you can get a better look at it, and I'm actually going to tighten it up most of the way. Now the reason I'm doing this is so it's easier on us whenever getting it set up and spreading these out the appropriate amount. So I'm just gonna tighten it up, enough to where it won't move on its own, but I can still move it by hand pushing it with a little bit of force. This right here is perfect. One thing I'm gonna also do is push these locking tabs in and just push them into the leg there. That way they're just unlocked, ready to go, and drop into the bases. With those bases tighten down, everything should be good spacing wise from the front to the back. And now we just have to worry about our side to side. We can see everything locks in pretty well here. I can come to the back of the truck and get kind of a basic idea of how that crossbar spread is looking, or I can even get a little bit more precise and measure the overhang on either side make sure it's even. Once we're happy with the even overhang on both sides, we can just lift it out. Since we left it unlocked, it's easy to do. And since everything's mostly tight, these aren't gonna shift around on us. We can then take this opportunity to fully tighten them down. And at this point, everything should be lined up and tighten down. So it's as simple as dropping it back in and pulling out on those red locking tabs. Verify that they're all engaged. We don't want to forget to cover up the legs, lock them up. And then on our Mountain Top cover, install these caps on our rails. Get that lined up here. Lock up those legs just like that. That's gonna secure everything. And for our Mountain Top cover we can slide on those end caps to the rails, and everything's ready for our accessories. With our gear installed up top, we can close up our tonneau cover, get that latched in on both sides and we're good to go. And overall, I think this is going to be a very versatile system. The quick release legs are great because we can take them off really easily, put them on just as easily. We don't have to make any adjustments once it's all set. And the overall crossbar system is gonna be great for things like our tent here or for a bike rack. We don't have to lift it up all the way like we would on a ladder rack. It's just at a much more accessible height, while still leaving the whole bed and the tonneau cover open to use as we normally would. Thanks for watching..
Average Customer Rating: 4.8 out of 5 stars (113 Customer Reviews)
These heavy-duty, aluminum crossbars work with Rhino-Rack legs to create a sturdy roof rack. The square bars include built-in C-channels for mounting Rhino-Rack heavy-duty, contractor-grade accessories.Wow! It's a real well made and engineered product and was delivered fast. I got it so I could remove it due to garage door clearance... It is heavy duty enough to carry our boat and 2 kayaks. The key lock, pivot system and removal system were well thought out and so easy.
I’ve had this rhino rack for over 3 years and it’s been excellent on long road trips to the ski slopes. A year after my purchase, I realized that I was missing the plastic coverings that attached to the end of the bars and called their customer service to resolve the missing pieces. I was impressed with their quick response and seamless delivery.
my rhino crossbars and a rhino basket purchased else where months ago. With dogs traveling in the backseat and limiting my cargo space with a locking retrax bed cover I needed a little bit more room for those extra things I couldn’t live without in my travels. Paula S was the bomb and assisted me with the perfect size setup. Super fast shipping.
I like the Rhino Rack RTV track because is allows Vortex Aero cross bars to be easily moved and removed. However the appropriately sized rectangular track nuts (M6 24x21x5 part No. N057) used to mount items to the rack are no longer available or manufactured. Consequently RTV track cannot be easily used to secure additional items. Rhino Rack is unable to offer a solution other than returning the wrong sized track nuts so I will manufacture my own attachment nuts. After drilling 18 holes in the roof of my new car and installing the RTV track and cross bars, the lack of compatible nuts was a big disappointment. The product should not be sold if components are not available.
Works awesome and was the best solution for carrying bicycles while towing travel trailer
Really has come in handy as I installed this over my truck bed on top of a retractable bed cover that came with T -tracks. I can load the truck bed with smaller items and use the roof racks to hold a Thule box or just strap on heavy and larger items. Great product.
great product. sturdy easy to install and held my thule cargo box (also an etrailer purchase), really well! Fit perfest in my 2002 Excursion roof rack factory rails and easily adjusted. One note for excursion owners is to mount the front leg of the rack more directly over the rear door vs moving it up towards the front. I was tempted to move it as far forward as I could so I could stand in the rear door opening to access the inside/contents of the box and the weight of the box and contents actually bowed the roof steel in and out while driving, causing a popping noise, once i moved it back a little it was fine. Also making note that I have one of the biggest boxes you can buy so weight was at a max for the roof/roof rack for me YMMV depending on what you have on top of the crossbars. overall good solid product and the cost savings for the Rhino rack vs other brands is a BIG plus for me.
This has been a disaster, and terrible experience from the start. Original product Rhino roof rack ($188.00) misrepresented for sale, even called and was told all parts were included as "Open Box" item. Received item with missing parts and mismatched parts, then ET sent wrong parts (Legs) causing having to order these cross bars ($192.00) to fit parts sent (Legs). Now my $300.00 BougeRV ski rack - mounting base plates won't fit the crossbars. Still waiting for return label for original item so I can get my refund of $188.00. Three weeks later, still dealing with problem. I do appreciate Shawnee and EDW for their efforts in follow up service attempts.
Strong, looks great, and super easy to remove & re-install cross rails.
I think these look better than the OEM rack that I ended up installing...however, using them would have required drilling my roof and putting rivets in. I went to 3 shops that refused to do so because they didn't want to be responsible for any leaks.
Great product, fit was spot on with correct vehicle specific parts. Etrailer
was fantastic to work with. Great communication and feedback, worked through a small problem with positive outcome. Will definitely purchase from them again, their customer service department is top notch.
I love the Rhino-Rack Quick Mount Legs for Vortex Aero Crossbars. At first they were a pain to crossbar on, but they I used my thumbs correctly on the lock, and haven't had an issue since the first alignment. They really served their purpose and lifted the old Sears Sport 20-SV cargo top carrier off of the roof for easier mounting and for now hold the kayaks. I do need longer crossbars, but that's a future problem that etrailer.com will be glad to provide a solution to.
I'd give these a 3.5. I think they work just fine but in comparing to my Yakima towers these are not as easy and convenient. The pinch style legs can be hard to use if the bars are not lined up right or hard to manage in cold wet conditions. I didn't like that the locking mechanism and face plate come out completely. Just too many pieces and possibility of something getting lost. Overall, I think they are strong and although not as convenient as Yakima they are far better than some other alternatives.
Purchased the Rhino Quick Mount Legs and Vortex-Aero bars, to mount on our Retrax XR Pro Tonneau cover. As always buying from trailer is easy, Terri N make the experience much better, from order to delivery. Terri ensured compatibility with existing hardware, and that everything needed is included.
The Rhino system is an easy install, the fit of the T-slot plate style nuts was tight, eliminating the damage that can occur with loose fitting slot inserts. Assembly can be completed on or off vehicle, as long as all accessories are fitted first. If done off vehicle, accurate measurements will be needed for the base fitment.
We paired the Rhino system with 1up USA bike racks, and a Yakima box.
High-quality, sturdy rails, but noisy. There was a pronounced and audible whistle driving with these racks at any common road or highway speed (with the rubber inserts installed across the top). I have since replaced these rails with the Rhino vortex aero style (change of vehicles and the HD bars did not fit the new car). Having used both types several times, I would recommend the aero style over the HD if you have the option.
These are excellent! Check out my YouTube channel, Road and Reel, to see how I used the to carry 4 bikes above my Retrax Tonneau cover.
I bought these racks for my Ford Transit and I couldn't be happier with the racks or the service from trailer. The rhino racks added a nice touch to an awkward looking van with its great looks and perfect functionality. Reading reviews about other racks making howling noises while driving made me a little hesitant , but am pleased to say, no noise whatsoever. I've added a basket to the racks and everything has worked perfectly. We do a lot of traveling,(2 adults,4 kids, 3 dogs) and the racks have provided exactly what we needed. Thanks etrailer for the best price and great service
good price and prompt delivery
Product installation instructions were fair, and that is the worst thing I have to say. I havent put anything on the rack yet as I just installed it, but I gave a good tug on the bars and they are SOLID. The product came in a reasonable amount of time, and the feedback for etrailer is that I got followup emails at each step of the process keeping me fully informed right up to the message asking for feedback.
Bottomline: etrailer is a great business to work with, and this product seems to be good too.
Tricky to rivet tracks onto car with a manual riveter but once done, a great solution for the car with ease of bar removal. My only regret was going with the square bars which result in notable increase in wind noise.
Very HD, no worries at all regarding ability to carry weight safely. Rubber track keeps things from sliding, great stuff. 4 stars rather than 5 because one bar arrived with a large scratch down the side. They’re compensating with $20, but it is worth $90, so if I eventually need to replace because of oxidation, I’m up a creek…
I am normally a exclusive Amazon shopper, but etrailer gives equal or better service and has specialty items you just can't find anywhere else. The pricing is great also. This is my 4th order from them on this project and the response has been perfect and the shipping has been prompt. They even offered to take back an item that I did not need. I desperately wanted to mount my 19ft Kayak on my new RV and with some Rhino RT tracks, a Rhino Nautic kayak lifter, a few really heavy duty rivets, and some ingenuity, I was able to accomplish the task. I am replacing the current Nautic bars with the heavy duty bars. See the attached pictures.
I purchased a used gray topper for my Tundra, repainted it to match my truck, and purchased from you the mounts and rails to put on top of it. The entire project was GREAT, and the and rails have just topped it off (see what I did there?) with a great look and very functional utility to add some long storage capability to a very short-bed truck. Thank you so much, it was expensive, but the quality is fantastic and the look is very sharp!
2022 Ford Maverick with a Rhino Rack on a retrax xr tonneau...love em both. THANKS etrailer.
Great company to work with. I ordered two and some parts were missing in one of the packages. A quick call to etrailer and they had me another one in the mail right away. Would buy from them again.
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