# Need rear rod/cooler rack for 4Runner



## PAtoOBX

Hi all,

I'm heading to OBX in May for a week. Tired to stinking/trashing the back of my 4Runner with a fish cooler and rods, so I'm looking for a rear-mounted rod/cooler rack. 

I found one called a Surf-Mate online ($330) and it's sold at Cabela's ($250). Can anyone recommend this brand? Apparently they're also sold at TW's in Nags Head and KDH. Or can I get a customized for cheaper? I'm not handy at all, so building my own is out of the questions. 

Any help would be much appreciated.

Thanks.

Steve
:beer:


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## gtodave

Harbor Freight has a hitch mount cooler rack for $70. Hannibal and I each got one, and added $5 rod holders to them. They work real nice. Can't beat it for ~$100


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## skunk king

PAtoOBX said:


> Hi all,
> 
> 
> I found one called a Surf-Mate online ($330) and it's sold at Cabela's ($250). Can anyone recommend this brand?
> :beer:



Got it and hate it. I bent mine at the neck during a trip to Ocracoke. The cooler had some brews, ice, etc in it, I hit one of those rolling dune things down there, the cooler got a little air and came down hard enough to bend the neck. 

The other thing I hate about it is the rod holders. They have plastic on the top which is great, but none on the bottom. So it wore my rods bad on the bottom metal.

The only good I can say is it directly contributed to me putting a roof rack and ski rack on my truck for transportation. That's the best means I've found for transporting my rods. 


I wouldn't get one and I'm in fact hoping shooter will one day respond to my PM for a quote for a custom from him so I can replace it. 


This fishing mate, it's horrible, just horrible. Way too weak and doesn't have enough protection. I would get one custom fabed to your specs instead of wasting money on these. 


One more thing, if you do go with the rear mount, you'll probably also want some kind of extender so you can open the back of your SUV with the rack on.


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## AbuMike

All coolers will bounce if you don't strap them down. Acouple of .99 bunge straps will take care of that. Pa, PM me your email and I will send you a couple pics of the SurfMate I have on the rear of my Toyota. Nothing at all wrong with them. I've had mine for going on 3 years. It holds an 80qt cooler full of ice and everything else with no problems. Greg, at The Bait Shack has them instock I think. Give him a call he will fix you up.


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## WURK2FISH

I believe what the SkunkKing is saying is that.....the "whole" rig bounced....there's slop in the receiver mechanisms on the CPI's with the gooseneck step-up and if allowed to bounce with the cooler "strapped down or not" will bend as it's very lightgauge material used in the construction of that brand of rack!!!

If $$$ is the concern....I'd get the Harborfreight basket and add pvc rod-holders....if a "real" rack is what he's after.....a "custom" or atleast a "good aftermarket" such as anglers or Jersey Surf products would be the way to go!
Then there's always "ultra-custom"

Git'r done!!!

W2F


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## Shooter

First off I want to sya Sorry to Skunk King for not getting back to you *sending ya a PM* next I learned a long time ago never say anything bad about home made racks because they were made with love and do the job.
I have seen the $70.00 racks and they are thin and yup they will bend, thats the reason in a good custom rack I can stand in and bounce and the guys that know me, know I am a well fed  OK so I am a big feller.

PA shoot me a PM and you might be supprised


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## skunk king

WURK2FISH said:


> I believe what the SkunkKing is saying is that.....the "whole" rig bounced....there's slop in the receiver mechanisms on the CPI's with the gooseneck step-up and if allowed to bounce with the cooler "strapped down or not" will bend as it's very lightgauge material used in the construction of that brand of rack!!!


Exactly, the whole thing bounced and the cooler was strapped down. This was with a 120 quart cooler. I never had an issues at the point or any other area, just those close and high rolling downs at the southern end of Ocracoke. I was going too fast for the dunes(in retrospect), not speeding, maybe 15-20 mph, but that created enough force to bend the neck.


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## skunk king

AirDown said:


> Nothing at all wrong with them. I've had mine for going on 3 years. It holds an 80qt cooler full of ice and everything else with no problems. Greg, at The Bait Shack has them instock I think. Give him a call he will fix you up.


I'm glad you had a better experience with yours. I gave more details to the events leading to the neck failure in another reply. It sounds like mine is the larger one as it holds 120 quarts and maybe the neck is strong enough for the 80 quart model, but not for the 120 quart. Or maybe I just approached the dune at a weird angle or had too much bounce in the vehicle. 

Have you noticed the rings on the grips of your rods from wear? One place on mine rubbed all the way through the finish of the blank. I bungeed them down when traveling and even the extra support wasn't enough to stop the damage. Luckily these were on factory rods and I would be one angry amigo if that was done to my customs. The only reason the customs weren't damaged is because I didn't have them before I installed the roof rack


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## AbuMike

Never had any trouble with damage to my rods or reels. Then again I don not travel with them in the rack. A bird strike on a rod at 70mph is not a pretty site.

I agree their is some cheap junk out there that is not worth the time it takes to bring home. My Surf Mate looks good and does a fine job. I have had it going on 3 years now and we come down no less than 15 weekend trips and 2 weeks during the year.

Cooler rack debates are like mono, braid debates. Everyone likes what they like.


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## skunk king

AirDown said:


> Cooler rack debates are like mono, braid debates. Everyone likes what they like.


Yep


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## MacPE6

I have one of those cheap Harborfreight basket type baskets. Yep it bent the first use. Box said it will support 500lbs but that is not the case. Might support 500lbs in the middle but no where else.

I bought the Surf Mate rack and like it. I will aggree with Skunk King that the bottom of the rod tubes needs some dressing up. I plan to but some rubber down there to protect the rod bottoms.


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## PAtoOBX

Thanks for all of the replies. Appreciate the info. 

WURK2FISH - you mention Anglers or Jersey Surf products. Are these sold anywhere in South Jersey or maybe online?

Thanks.


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## Shooter

PA ya got a PM


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## AbuMike

Thought we could not hock our homebuilt stuff for sale on here?


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## WURK2FISH

PAtoOBX said:


> Thanks for all of the replies. Appreciate the info.
> 
> WURK2FISH - you mention Anglers or Jersey Surf products. Are these sold anywhere in South Jersey or maybe online?
> 
> Thanks.


Yes they do...in lotsa' tackle shops and online if ya do a google for "cooler rod racks"........but it looks as though someone wants ya to travel down from PA to Va and pic up a custom.....


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## catman32

*Actually no*

We could have met him but hey its your idea.


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## WURK2FISH

catman32 said:


> We could have met him but hey its your idea.


Was just pluggin' for ya......but I see that if I even talk a rack to someone here.....faces get alittle red!!! [email protected]*#....I don't even do'em anymore a ya git' snippy...LOL!

You read it the wrong way Bro!!!

W2F


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## Shooter

Yo bro,,, we just been haven a few bustn our chops over nutten lately and ya know how it gets under your skin  I know ya didn't mean nothing by it and you know I don't push anyone to buy nutten, if they want to buy cheap thin walled fall apart stuff I wish them well.


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## WURK2FISH

Wouldn't be me bustin' your chops at all....I've promo'd ya's for people closer to ya.....Hell...I put the smiley up and still I get sniped....guess it was read wrong...........and who would be bustin' chops??? You guys bend over backwards to hook peoples buggies up!!!

W2F


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## MRC

skunk king said:


> Have you noticed the rings on the grips of your rods from wear? One place on mine rubbed all the way through the finish of the blank. I bungeed them down when traveling and even the extra support wasn't enough to stop the damage.


I have placed a section of clear heat shrink where my grips come into contact with the bottom of the rod holder tubes on my rack. The only issue is that it keeps that area of the grip cleaner, lighter in color than the exposed grip. If the grip is cork all I have done is a little detergent cleaning and light 'fine' sanding of the exposed areas. It then looks like new.


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