Front Runner Slimline II Platform Rack - Custom Fit - 61-7/16" Long x 56-1/8" Wide

Video Transcript for Front Runner Slimline II Platform Rack Review

Hi everyone. Aiden here with etrailer. Today we've got the Front Runner Slimline Platform Racks. Now this is going to be a way to mount a ton of different accessories to the roof of your vehicle. And these come in a variety of different kits for different vehicles. We've got ours on a 4Runner today but you can plug your vehicle information into our fit guide to find the right kit for you.

Installs might vary depending on the type of kit you go with, but overall the Slimline II Platform System is going to give you the widest range of accessories and give you the ability to kit your vehicle out with whatever you need to get your adventures going. Let's check it out. Now as far as the different mounting styles go, it can vary. The one we have on today did require drilling and it's a very fixed mount. It's not coming off.

It's going to be part of this 4Runner for the rest of its life, which gives it a really solid fit. I mean this is going to be a great addition to the vehicle. But if you're not into that and you want something a little less permanent, there are other kits out there. Some metal attach to raised rails that already exists on your roof but just clamp on. Some that maybe clamp onto the gutters of your Jeep.

And some that are going to go into a track system, maybe on a camper shell. So there's a good variety of less permanent options. Again, just check our site and see what's available for your vehicle but just know that there is going to be some variance in there within this whole category of roof platforms. Now there is also going to be truck bed options for this Slimline Platform. We're not going to be talking about that as much today.

If you need that for your truck, you can check out those options here and it's going to function pretty much the same way, just mounting to your truck bed instead. But right here is probably why you're looking at this platform. The ability to mount up all kinds of different accessories because one, you've got the space to do it, but you've also got all of these channels to mount those accessories. And Front Runner makes these specifically designed for their platforms. So everything's going to play really nice with each other. Everything fits properly and is pretty easy to get installed. And if you're looking for a really solid mount, these accessories are going to do that because much like the platform, they seem to really be meant to mount up and stay up there so you can kit this out however fits your vehicle and your lifestyle the best. And what I mean by that is everything that you see up here right now is bolted in. It does add a little bit to the install time 'cause you've gotta tighten down all the nuts and bolts, but once it's done, it's done. It's going to be a solid fit and I don't have to worry about leaving it up there full time. So this is really going to be the type of system for someone that is building their vehicle out to be a camping rig. They know that they're going to need some sort of accessory like a tent or a box or these fishing rod carriers, all the time, because that's the type of stuff that they do when they go out and they want it to be there pretty much all the time so it's ready to go when they need it. With that sort of confidence, everything's going to be really solid, lots of metal construction all throughout and again, it integrates well with the channels all throughout the carrier. Now speaking of the channels, that's the thing that's going to really separate this from some of the competition like Rhino-Rack Platforms or Yakima. These are going to be slightly smaller channels, so if you've got T-track accessories for those other brands, they're probably not going to fit. But all the Front Runner stuff is going to use standard M8 hardware. So if you want to DIY mount something, that hardware's going to be easy to find at the hardware store and you know it's going to be a perfect fit in those channels, which can be found on top of the slats, on the bottom, and for the Slimline II, along the side rails on the front, back and sides. And even though this might not play nice with some other brands right out of the box, there are some solutions that Front Runner offers, like crossbar risers if you wanted to put a box up here. Because of this small lip around the edge and the extra wide slats, your boxes might not always work, but with the box adapters, it's going to offer a quick release mounting option but also raise it up a little bit to make sure it works. Same with any sort of tent options. There's plenty of different options for quick release brackets for tents to fit different brands of tents too. And one that I found really interesting was the adapter for the Rhino-Rack Batwing Awnings. They have a couple of different adapters for different brands of awnings, but the Batwing is one that I've used personally, We have down in the shop and it's a really solid awning. So if you've already got that and you're worried about compatibility going forward with the Front Runner Rack, there is a solution for you. And the modularity isn't just for the accessories. The platform itself has a ton of different options. Right now, we've got the slats all evenly spaced apart and you can see the bolts that hold them in right here. But in between those mounting locations, you'll notice that there's empty holes. That's where we can move these slats if we wanted to shift them around. So it's not anywhere you want it to be, it's fixed intervals, but if we wanted to group a few really close together to build a platform for holding down some cargo, we could do that or we could just fully remove some. I'd say for this particular 4Runner, maybe removing the first three to four so that we have full access to our sunroof underneath and it's not obstructed, could be a really cool way to mount some things up and just customize this to fit the vehicle that it's on. Now, depending on the vehicle you go with, the size and dimensions for these platforms is going to vary because you want it to be a custom fit and it will be. Most of them are going to be the full coverage options that pretty much go from the front to the back of the roof but certain vehicles will have three quarter or half coverage options. That's really going to depend on the vehicle and how it fits. The 4Runner has a different size option. Some of the Jeeps have different size options, things like that. So for things like sunroofs or for a no drill installation, those are the types of things you can look into. But for the most part, even if it's a smaller size, it's going to give you more function than a typical roof rack would because it's a giant platform. You can mount stuff up really wherever you want on that platform. You're not just limited to two bars like you would with a typical roof rack. As far as construction goes, you're going to find mostly steel all throughout the carrier and especially in the places where it counts, like the mounting brackets that are actually holding this thing up. But around the border, this is going to be an aluminum frame, that's going to help reduce the weight a little bit and just give you a little bit more rust resistance on places where you might be scraping against as you're loading things up onto the platform, which I think is really cool to see. A mix of both is going to be good. And the powder coat finish all throughout we'll keep that metal underneath protected and looking really nice. One thing to keep in mind though is the weight capacity which will change a lot depending on the vehicles you put it on. Front Runner doesn't list any specific capacities for the platform itself, especially because it's going to change depending on how you have it mounted. The direct drilled in, bolted in option that we have on our 4Runner here today is going to be a lot different than something that just clamps around some raised rails on a roof. So be sure to check out your vehicle information and see what it can handle. When it comes down to it though, that's really all there is about the Slimline II Platform. It's going to be a really excellent option if you're looking to build an over landing rig and have your recovery tracks, your tent, a shovel mount, a high lift jack, all kinds of things that you might need for an overland camping journey, you can do that. Looking to take your vehicle to the water with a kayak and some fishing rods, you can do that too. And all of those options come straight from Front Runner so you know they're going to work well with the platform. But it just comes down to you, how are you planning on using this platform Because this is really designed for that power user that's mounting a ton of different accessories to their roof and building their vehicle out to be this adventure rig, whatever those adventures may be. If you're just looking to get one simple accessory on your roof and it's not going to stay there all the time then this probably isn't for you. This is going to be for that power user. And if that's you, then I think it's going to be a really excellent option. But this was just our quick look at the Front Runner Slimline II Roof Platforms. Thanks for watching.