So, I got my Garvin installed just before Christmas but only now am getting to my little review.
Rack was very easy to install, the rack came with "temporary instructions" that were hand-written, no big deal seeing as it's a very logical install. Took me almost two hours to install, mainly due to the fact I was doing this at work and no one ever puts the tools back; meaning I spent more time looking for tools
.
Successes/Issues:
- VERY sturdy finished product, I swear it's like adding a strut tower brace it so solid. It's a little hard to explain but you notice it when you drive. I believe the rack has a 200 pound weight limit.
- I had only one problem, one of the carriage bolts for the side brace that connects to the "wall" of the truck broke off when tightening it. The bolt just sheared right off, I don't think I was tightening it with excessive force or anything, but no big deal. I work in a sign shop and fortunately had another bolt of the same size.
- Fitment is very good, the only gripe I had with fitment was in the track area. I think there was way to much slop in the plate that slides into the track. I had to push the legs towards the walls and tighten them down pretty hard because the mounting surface at the top wasn't *perfect*. But I expect little things like that, and it hasn't moved since i got things where I want them. I even had a friend yank and jerk the thing around when I was done and it didn't budge. Oh yeah, as for the reason the track thing bugged me is because I wanted to make sure that I would be able to access the "secret" cargo spot under the floor, and I can access it easily.
- I wish there were a way to re-mount the retractable cover thing. Maybe I can fab a mount for it or something.
My final opinion of this rack is very high, I love the fact that I can now utilize even more the the cubic footage that I paid for!
The cost was high, I believe I paid about $379 shipped. I emailed Ron Garvin back and forth and he really took care of me. I feel he went a little out of his way to make sure I was happy, and I made sure I let him know I was. The way Garvin runs business is incredible, I'm the kind of person that will gladly pay MORE for something if it is done right and if the business is right; I'm the customer and I have the choice of where to shop, some businesses don't understand that. Anyway, back to cost. Yes, it's seems expensive but when I held the rack in my hands it made it worth it, as I said earlier, it is very sturdy.
I HIGHLY recommend this rack to anyone that doesn't have the time to fab one up by hand!