My custom in-bed bike storage solution

Jack Crockett · May 2, 2023

I had been wanting to come up with a way to ditch the hitch mounted rack for a while. The hitch rack works well but obscures the back-up camera, makes parking more difficult, hurt mpg with bikes loaded and messed with the aesthetics of the truck on a day-to-day basis. This solution was fabricated using a couple of the Delta Thru-Axle Hitch Pro adaptors and some stock steel pieces from tractor supply. Unintentionally the thru-axles can not be removed from these forks without the tailgate down, so locking the tailgate works as a kind of lock for the rack. Decided to paint the bar black instead of silver as I plan to get a spray-in bedliner soon.

Ford Maverick My custom in-bed bike storage solution 20230428_180013

Ford Maverick My custom in-bed bike storage solution 20230428_180028

Ford Maverick My custom in-bed bike storage solution 20230428_182710

JsnMrd · May 2, 2023

Are you gonna get a liner?

Skyline · May 2, 2023

That's one of the thing I missed from my old truck, the eight feet bed. It had no issues with throwing couple of couple of bike into the bed, easy in and out. The hitch rack is doable, but not as convenient. Your solution looks nice, but the two bikes barely fit. You put the front wheel in the backseat, right?

Jack Crockett · May 2, 2023

JsnMrd said:
Are you gonna get a liner?

Yes I'll add a spray-in liner eventually.

Jack Crockett · May 2, 2023

Skyline said:
That's one of the thing I missed from my old truck, the eight feet bed. It had no issues with throwing couple of couple of bike into the bed, easy in and out. The hitch rack is doable, but not as convenient. Your solution looks nice, but the two bikes barely fit. You put the front wheel in the backseat, right?

I'm working on a solution to mount the two front wheels in the bed, there's plenty of room in the corner behind the passenger side. The bikes are absolutely as big as you could go with two bikes in the bed, but I don't plan to get anything longer travel than these. My gravel bikes fit with less need to have them at an angle as they are shorter, so i'll likely mount them at the opposite angle to adjust the distance from the axle mount to where the wheels hit the top of the bed.

Hardening2753 · May 2, 2023

Jack Crockett said:
I'm working on a solution to mount the two front wheels in the bed, there's plenty of room in the corner behind the passenger side. The bikes are absolutely as big as you could go with two bikes in the bed, but I don't plan to get anything longer travel than these. My gravel bikes fit with less need to have them at an angle as they are shorter, so i'll likely mount them at the opposite angle to adjust the distance from the axle mount to where the wheels hit the top of the bed.

Looks good

Maverickman74 · May 2, 2023

Thats slick

groovesocket · May 3, 2023

Why not just get a tailgate pad?

Ford Maverick My custom in-bed bike storage solution PXL_20230121_005016110

clearviewx · May 3, 2023

groovesocket said:
Why not just get a tailgate pad?

I wouldn't trust that

groovesocket · May 3, 2023

clearviewx said:
I wouldn't trust that

Have you ever tried it? It's a proven method.

clearviewx · May 3, 2023

Doesn't cover the entire tailgate.

groovesocket · May 3, 2023

clearviewx said:
Doesn't cover the entire tailgate.

It doesn't need to. Have you ever used one?

LM42 · May 3, 2023

clearviewx said:
I wouldn't trust that

Trust it to do what? I carry $50K worth of bikes to Utah and back like that.

LM42 · May 3, 2023

Jack Crockett said:
I had been wanting to come up with a way to ditch the hitch mounted rack for a while. The hitch rack works well but obscures the back-up camera, makes parking more difficult, hurt mpg with bikes loaded and messed with the aesthetics of the truck on a day-to-day basis. This solution was fabricated using a couple of the Delta Thru-Axle Hitch Pro adaptors and some stock steel pieces from tractor supply. Unintentionally the thru-axles can not be removed from these forks without the tailgate down, so locking the tailgate works as a kind of lock for the rack. Decided to paint the bar black instead of silver as I plan to get a spray-in bedliner soon.

Good job on the fab. Its a cool idea. I just don't want to have to pull my wheel every time I go somewhere.

Scrubdog84 · May 3, 2023

clearviewx said:
Doesn't cover the entire tailgate.

I bought the race face T2 tailgate pad for my Maverick, size small. It works perfectly. I got a pool noodle that I put on top of the tailgate underneath the pad and I find that provides more padding as as the part of the pad that goes over the lip of the tailgate is pretty thin. I've driven 80 on the highway with it and the bike doesn't move at all. Plus, you don't have to take the front wheel off and keeping the bikes straight front to back in the bed gives a lot more opportunity to put other gear. That being said, that's a pretty cool modification for that Maverick

My custom in-bed bike storage solution

Jack Crockett

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JsnMrd

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Skyline

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Jack Crockett

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Jack Crockett

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Hardening2753

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Maverickman74

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groovesocket

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clearviewx

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groovesocket

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clearviewx

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groovesocket

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LM42

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LM42

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Scrubdog84

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