Sherpa Grand Teton Rack Install

Just picked up my Grand Teton Rack from the guys at Sherpa Equipment Company so I figured I would do a write up on how I installed it and also my initial thoughts.

(https://sherpaequipmentco.com/shop/grandteton)

So here to begin with, this is what you get when you order the rack, in my case I went and picked it up from there shop in Fort Collins, CO so here it is all laid out.


So from here we get into the actual install...

I am new to the modding game as I have also done an AAL and also a front spacer myself so I figured this is something I could do easily.

We started by constructing the rack on the ground and then lifting it into place, which arguably wasn't the most efficient way of doing things, but ultimately it worked for us.

Upon tearing into the bags, I didn't really know what all went where and there weren't any instructions, but I later figured out they were online the whole time, so after pulling them up on my phone, the process was pretty streamline.



So as I said previously, we built the whole rack before putting it on the truck, which probably wasn't the way to do it. I think it would have been way easier to mount the feet to the roof of the truck, then attach the sides to the cross bars.


Here is the finished product in all her glory, now to get it up there on the truck. (the hard part)

Upon getting it up on top of the truck in my very small garage, it seemed like there wasn't a lot that was lining up like it should. From that point, we loosened the crossbars that held the feet on and then loosened the feet as much as possible to allow us to move and slide the feet along the rails which ended up being the problem. We had prematurely tightened too much of the rack, which is why I think putting the feet and crossbars up there first would have been a better idea.

One of the reasons I liked this rack better than other ones on the market is the way that it mounted up to the roof. With the Prinsu rack, you have to drill holes in the rubber rail that goes down in the channels on the top of the truck and if you mess that up you're basically screwed out of those. With the the Sherpa rack, however, they mount to the roof using rubber blocks as you can see in the pic below. (you can also see them in the first and second pic)


One of the things that it said in the instructions is that you didn't have to silicone the holes or under the blocks, but I did anyways because I had some left over from a previous project and better safe than sorry.

I'm not sure if people put the rubber things back in the roof channels, but I don't like the look of it without them, so I cut them up and put them back up on top with a lot of silicone to hold them on. Probably overkill, but again, better safe than sorry. Cutting them only required a sharp knife and twisting the rubber thing a few times to break the wire in the middle, that's the best way that I found to keep the edges clean and to not have part of the wire poking out.

When cutting, it was a little under 7" on the first piece, 19" on the second, 15" on the third, and then 3.25" inches from the back of the rubber piece (not including the tab that slides under the rubber part that goes down the back of the cab) on the last piece.



Overall, I am very happy with the rack as the bare aluminum looks great with the chrome accents that were already on the truck. The reason I chose this rack over other ones on the market is because when I contacted them inquiring about this rack, the guys over at Sherpa were extremely helpful and very quick to answer any questions I had about the rack. Some of my favorite things about this rack are the smaller things like the grab handles on the side, making it easier to get up to the top of the rack when putting things up there, and also their logo cut into the back of the side rails. I am hoping to soon have a light bar and also their shell rack so stay tuned for more install write ups! Heres a few glamor shots I took the new setup!

 

Nice!

 

Does it come with all 6 cross bars?

 

Yes!

 

I ordered a “blemish” grand Teton 2 weeks ago. It hasn’t shipped yet. We will see if and when it arrives to know wether or not I should have gone with a more established company like prinsu or on top. So far the customer service experience is less than desirable. Your install looks good. Not sure about those rubber tracks tho. I feel like I’d want to dremmel out the space for the rubber blocks and keep the track piece connected.

 

Have you emailed them to see where they stand with the order? They gave have been pretty quick to respond when I have had questions.

I would have liked to use a dremmel to cut the slots out, but my tool shed is very limited so I worked with what I had and it works for me. Its all secure up there so no issues with the tracks so far.

 

Sorry to hear you are having a bad experience with our team, my only experience with you was today and I was quite fast to respond and answer your questions. You rack shipped out today ahead of the estimated lead time that was posted at the time of order. Hope this helps. If not please give us a call.

 

How do the mounts work again? Because the Prinsu uses spacers to go through the drip rails, then the sides have a bend that sits flat.

I wonder if the Sherpa is wider?

 

The sherpa may be a tad wider, but nothing too noticeable in my opinion. The rack mounts using the cross bars rather than the outside like the prinsu rack does.

 

Keep an eye on those brackets - they look pretty close to the sheet metal.. almost potential for a Baja Rack Situation going on..

 

Just looked on the truck and I think it was just the angle at which the picture was taken. They have about a quarter of an inch in between the sheet metal and the mounting brackets.

 

Got it. Installed thanks for the fast response and great shipping and customer service. Great rack would 10/10 recommend.

 

Post pics!! Would love to see it

 

I got mine from @apocataco2015 and installed it this weekend. Man it looks great. I think I've chosen the extreme LED X6S amber white light bar to go on there and I'll cut the fairing myself.

 

Heck yea!!

 

Bump for more pictures and input from others who have this rack!

How do those hand holds feel in the hand and do you like the placement of them. Are they usable when climbing into and out of the truck in lieu of the grab handle/ non existent driver handle?

 

I cant say i use the handle too much when getting in because I usually grab the steering wheel, but they definitely help for standing on the running boards. They definitely help if you have the camper shell rack

 

@HeritageTRD here are more pics!

 

I've got that X6S amber/white light on the way. How did you run your wiring? down the windshield or behind the cab.