Not too long ago I made the choice to go with GOBI (review coming later) for Yeti 1’s roof rack, not just because of the racks overall quality but because of the range of add-ons offered from GOBI. GOBI is a premium product that comes at a premium price. But how about the accessories?
“…THE MOUNT SYSTEM IS VERY WELL BUILT. IT’S ALSO THE ONLY OPTION THAT FITS THE GOBI RACK WELL”
I learned the other day directly from GOBI that even the mounts have the same 6-8 weeks minimum manufacture time as their racks. this is, of course, disappointing, I would think they would have mounts ready to ship. I understand having to manufacture the racks, but what happens when you get your rack and realize you forgot to get a mount for your tools? You have a couple of choices, you can wait 6-8 weeks minimum till GOBI produces the item or you can ay a $500 rush fee to cut that time by about 50%. So what happens if GOBI forgets to send you something? You have those same two options. In my case, GOBI forgot to send me my rooftop spare tire carrier and I’m ready to install my new tailgate, which requires me to move the spare to the roof… Which I can’t do because I’m going to have to wait 2 months or more to get something they forgot to send me with my order. This is frustrating, even more so than having to wait on my new mounts. So if you’re considering a GOBI rack, keep these timeframes and frustrations in mind.
“THE LOCK ITSELF IS RATHER HARD TO GET THE KEYS INTO AND IT DOESN’T ALWAYS WANT TO TURN. THIS IS TO BE EXPECTED FROM CHEAPER MOUNTS BUT AT $175, I HAD HOPED FOR A BETTER LOCK IN THE MOUNT, BUT IT IS WHAT IT IS. IT WORKS, JUST NOT SMOOTHLY.”
Moving on to the Tool mount! The GOBI racks axe and tool mount is fairly straightforward, it’s a clamp system with a bolt that tightens the clamp down on the tools. The oversized black plastic knob that tightens the clamp has a built in lock and the mount comes with 2 keys. When you lock the clamp in place the knob spins freely and you have to unlock it to tighten or loosen the clamp. It’s a simple install and won’t take you more than 5 minutes to get the 2 brackets mounted on your rack. Once you do this, it takes a few tries to figure out the best way to get your tools mounted, but after getting that sorted you’ll find that the clamp is more than sufficient to hold everything in place. While running through a rocky creek bed my tools caught on a low tree over the path, pulling the tools back some, but everything stayed mounted. Later the same day, I was banging the tools and mounts against ledges while off camber, everything held up as it should.
My only issue with these mounts is the lock. The lock itself is rather hard to get the keys into and it doesn’t always want to turn. This is to be expected from cheaper budget options with locks, but at $175, I had hoped for a better lock in the mount. It works, just not smoothly.
So are these tool mounts worth $175? I suppose that’s subjective. The lock isn’t high quality, but it will keep someone from stealing your tools, assuming it holds up. And otherwise, the mount system is very well built. It’s also the only option that fits the GOBI rack well, so if you want to maximize your load capacity, this is probably the best way to do just that. $175 Link FP
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