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What are you doing that your 6" antenna doesn't clear something? I have an MXT11a on my Jeep, along with a 2m/440 Ham antenna and a 114" CB whip. I do some of the most aggressive trails in the mid-Atlantic and I have never bent, broken or lost an antenna.

2) repeater. I thought duplex repeaters were only for HAM licenses? I really hate the thought of that 90 sec transmission fiasco with using a simplex repeater, but what other duplexer unit can a GMRS licensee (me) use? Repeaters are permitted on eight channel pairs in the GMRS allocation. They have up to 50watt output, and their antennas must not be higher than 20' above their mounting structure (building, tower, etc.)... If you truly want something portable, you might consider the new Retevis RT-97 portable repeater. Despite some confusing language, they are in fact able to program them for the correct repeater +5MHz split, 467.xxx receive and 462.xxx transmit. A pair of hams in England* did a range test with the repeater running off a parked car's battery and using the antenna on the car. They easily got 7 miles range from their hand held radios. More range of course could be achieved by hoisting an antenna into a tree. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZEAo_HkLv8 The RT-97 is not simply "two portables in a box" but instead is a properly designed transmitter and receiver in a custom aluminum housing providing very robust shielding between them. https://www.retevis.com/rt97-portable-repeater-power-amplifier-uhf?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI9pKL_ffB5AIVhp-fCh2GQAfNEAQYASABEgIJwvD_BwE

Advice: If no metal under the base, put some there, you need a ground plane, and I would solder a lead from it to the framework as well. Second, if you use a 1/4 wave...rip the ball off the end, you'll use far fewer or none. I took the ball off many times on tall trucks and equipment to keep them from being ripped by tree branches.

Also what are you using for the ground plane ? the plastic top doesn't help at all and a mount in steel plate would work much better.

What 1/4 wave are you using. I have always run the Motorola whip and have had ambulances come in with the whip bent completely flat but still in the chrome nut. I know of a few folks that run VHF on a side by side and run the same 1/4 in VHF. I just can't imagine ripping a 1/4 wave off without other damage to the quad.

Longer is not better in this case. GMRS is UHF. A quarter wavelength is about 6 inches. The NA-701c is a dual band antenna designed for commercial bands, and GMRS. It will work, but you really do not need a dual-band antenna. The NA-771 is a dual ham band antenna, Being longer, It will do better on VHF 2-meter ham band, but not as good on GMRS, which is out of its operating range. If you want greater range, use an external antenna on your roof, or on the top of your vehicle. For portable operation, you aren't going to get much more range with any rubber-duck antenna - the factory one will do just fine.

I'd rather side mount a 1/4 wave antenna than use one of those hockey pucks up on the roof. I have a tour bus customer who insists on using those low profile hockey pucks because they think that they rip off too many masts, and the drivers won't look up to check if the antenna is still there before they start out on a trip. You know what they complain about now? Range.