Having a roof rack greatly increases your Tacoma’s carrying capacity. It’s a breeze to mount cases, recovery gear, tents, bikes, kayaks, and more for easy access and storage. Getting access to the rack on top of your lifted truck can be difficult, so grab handles can come in handy.
These universal grab handles can be used for more than just your roof rack. Add them anywhere on your rig where you could use a handle. If you want to add function to your rack, these handles are perfect!
The handles are made of billet aluminum and come in two finishes: black and red. Agency 6 provided its customers with a functional product that also has a super sleek look. They’re really strong and give you a solid solution for getting to your roof-mounted gear.
This often-overlooked roof rack accessory makes accessing your gear safer and more convenient. While there are several varieties to choose from, this article will outline why Agency 6 rules the roof rack grab handle market.
Table Of Contents
Overview
The handles manufactured by Agency 6 are very high quality. My initial impression was very positive. They were extremely well packaged and came with some extra swag.
The finish is glossy and clean, and the handles have a nice weight to them. I was worried that the alternative, a soft paracord handle, may catch on branches and rip or deform. They’re really tough -another reason why I like this alternative. They felt sturdy enough to hold up to anything the trail throws their way – rocks, branches, mud, water, etc.
I was hesitant to invest in handles for my rack, thinking I wouldn’t need them after I installed my rock sliders. Even after the install, I was surprised to learn how precarious standing on that narrow bar could be and how little I had to hang on to on the roof rack.
These handles save you from putting excess stress on the components of your rack or on anything you have mounted on or to it. Let’s face it: You spent that whole afternoon mounting your Plano case to your rack. You wouldn’t want to rip the bolts out of it by using it as a grab handle, would you?
The grab handles can also be used for other purposes. Do you have something mounted to your rack that needs to be tied down? The Agency 6 handles work great as a tie-down point for a ratchet strap, bungee cord, or other mounting solutions.
Installation
The installation of these handles was very straightforward.
Both handles came with Allen bolts, washers, and locking nuts. After removing the bolts from the handles, I chose a spot on my roof rack to mount them. Many racks have dedicated holes or slots for handles to fit in, but they fit in the crossbar channels of my AL Offroad roof rack perfectly.
If your rack has no mounting holes, you must drill your own. The Allen bolt is about 3/16“ thick, so a 3/16“ bit will work perfectly.
Once you have your location chosen, it’s as easy as screwing it all together. Place one washer inside the front of the handle and one washer on the other side of your roof rack panel. Tighten the handle onto the rack using a 4.5mm Allen key and an 11mm wrench until it’s snug.
If you have deep sockets, you can also use a socket wrench instead, but the bolt sticks out too far for a conventional socket to tighten the bolt all the way. This can always be solved by trimming the Allen bolt, but I didn’t want this project to be that involved. All the hardware is stainless steel, so you’ll never have to worry about rust.
These handles can be mounted in various places. They can be used with any molle panel, on all bed racks with thin side panels, and I’m sure I missed a few others.
Final Thoughts
I installed two handles total, one on each side of my rack. I like how tactical they look; the red gives my rig an awesome pop of color.
These handles show no signs of wear, fading, or damage from heavy rain, tight trails, and endless Arizona sun over the past month or so. They don’t catch on branches or brush, even in the tightest spots.
They seem to shed water easily, and the protective coating on the outside has the unique advantage of keeping these handles cool to the touch in the sun! I’m thoroughly impressed with this product and recommend it to complete any off-road or overland build.
