I've had one for several years. Out of the box it's very flimsy, but like your example, I floored mine and also added two more cross bars to the base. That solidified it quite a bit.
The rails are nowhere as sturdy as steel and can dent easly, so be aware of that. But the light weight, no rust, and smaller size are winning pros for me, as I do not wheel enough anymore to justify a big ole full size rack.
I fabbed brackets on the side rails for my highlft and other recovery bits, and also mounted an antenna loop to thread the cb mast through.
Is it the toughest rack out there? Nope. But pretty darn neat when modfied a bit, like yours sounds to be. A bonus is squared rails which I feel are easier to add stuff to and run bolts into.
