Yacuta Cross Bars Review for Bed

[FTMaverick80]

I installed this on my Mavierck and just throwing in my 2 cents in case anyone was interested. I believe I paid 179.00

I had already installed a retractable tonneau cover from SyneticUsa which had channels built into it for t slots so installing these cross bars was extremely easy.

Installation Findings:
A. THIS IS ONLY ABLE TO BE INSTALLED IF YOU HAVE T SLOTS
B. MAKE SURE THIS WILL WORK AND NOT INTERFERE WITH YOUR TONNEAU COVER AND/OR ACCESSORIES!!! For exampke, if you have a folding tonneau cover, these bars may interfere with it and you won't be able to open the tonneau cover.
C. There was a *side plate* where you can raise the t slot base "arms" where the cross bars sit on. I did not install this. It was not needed for the SyenticUsa tonneau cover, but may be needed for others. The SyneticUsa luckily was flat and had plenty of surface area for the plate to rest on. This will make more sense to you when you see the instructions and parts. I'll include a photo. It is the plate with the arrows.
D. I used the t bolts in the channel and it was so easy aligning it.
E. I believe removal wouldn't be that long or complex, but I have not tried it yet. If you just loosen the nuts on the t bolts enough, my guess is you can slide off each cross bar in seconds without having to remove the nuts from the bolts or remove the bars from the base "arms." Probably can be done in 5 minutes with a small socket wrench and likewise for re-installation. You won't have to be aligning everything again.

Update: I had to slide one of the cross bars out of the way to pick up a new dryer. I tested how easy it was to remove. A few quick turns of a small socket wrench and I was able to slide it and remove it from t-slot rack. Took all of 2 minutes.

Quality/Fit Findings:
A. MAKE SURE YOU ORDER THE MID-SIZE VERSION (65") AND NOT THE FULL-SIZE VERSION!!!!
B. The mid-size length bar still stuck out, but not bad at all. I believe it sticks out maybe an inch or two from the outside the tonneau cover. I'll confirm when I go home.
C. Quality looks shockingly good for such a cheap product. I can't see a name brand doing a better job with the quality and fit/installation. Everything lined up. No misaligned bolt hole, warpage, etc. etc. It looks solid and it looks like it will last forever.
D. No drilling/permanent mod needed.
E. The cross bar is aluminum, but the base plate or mount plate or whatever is carbon steel. I wish it was aluminum, but I still think it will last a very, very long time.
F. It lists the dynamic load as 300 pounds/static as 600 pounds. I believe that all this means is 300 pounds max when driving/moving. I will probably never go more than half this amount, but it looks to me like 300 pounds is a very conservative estimate if you spread the load.

My overall rating for this product is an A-
BUT that would jump to an A+ if it lasts a few years with no spot of rust, bad welds, flexing, etc. Likewise, it will drop to an F if in a year it is starting to rust or break. I just can't give a product an A+ if I haven't tested it's durability/reliability. For $179.00, it seems solid to me.

Amazon.com: Adjustable Truck Bed Rack Cross Bars,Compatible with Mid-Size Trucks with Retractable Hard Tonneau Covers|Length 65"|2PCs : Automotive

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[FTMaverick80]

The plate with the arrow was not needed (on my tonneau cover)

 

[Cancunbadlands]

I got the OEM Ford Hard Trifold Bed Cover, I don't have the T Slots, can I add the T Slots without getting rid of the bed cover I already have?!

 

[Hot Runr Guy]

I got the OEM Ford Hard Trifold Bed Cover, I don't have the T Slots, can I add the T Slots without getting rid of the bed cover I already have?!

The Ford OEM cover used to be the BakFlip MX4, I added these Elevate TS rails to mine.

https://us.amazon.com/Truck-Elevate-1118414-Gladiator-Length/dp/B083GN94DP/ref=sr_1_1?crid=271FB4RQX51UT&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.QxmljfgmohKI1YosgMHfWDd6V0maZG733zmcIAt-pDszTNDJQblkNDELWW151n7VeLUPFXFADqWvQ-zAJG3M4e3KJypvnbunPUJRhaUaVu0.C9vf6NFEELyYWkOw9jzpT_RAg_N2mdPmqlXgEX2sg3k&dib_tag=se&keywords=elevate+ts+rails+maverick&qid=1769094841&sprefix=elevate+ts+rails+maverick,specialty-aps,170&sr=8-1&ufe=app_do:amzn1.fos.5998aa40-ec6f-4947-a68f-cd087fee0848

HRG

 

[FTMaverick80]

I got the OEM Ford Hard Trifold Bed Cover, I don't have the T Slots, can I add the T Slots without getting rid of the bed cover I already have?!

I'm not sure about the T slots or what you can do, BUT I'm pretty sure you can't install cross bars in any case if you have the folding bed cover. The bars will probably get in the way. I'm only able to do this because I have a retractable tonneau cover.

 

[Hot Runr Guy]

I installed this on my Mavierck and just throwing in my 2 cents in case anyone was interested. I believe I paid 179.00

If you ever get the chance to pop one of these end caps off, see if the tapped hole goes deep into the extrusion (I'll assume it does). This would allow shortening of the bar, and re-tapping the hole for the end cap screw, if someone wanted to shorten the bars. They may even use self-tapping screws.

Thanks, HRG

 

[Dave O]

Installed Retrax XR Pro Retractable Tonneau Cover with T-Slot then installed BillieBars Cross Bars using the T-Slots and set a Yakima Load Warrior Basket on the bars using the Yakima OEM Clamps which I hate so trying to find a way to retrofit the Yakima Basket directly on the BillieBars using the T-Slot option which no one seems to have a solution unfortunately

 

[FTMaverick80]

If you ever get the chance to pop one of these end caps off, see if the tapped hole goes deep into the extrusion (I'll assume it does). This would allow shortening of the bar, and re-tapping the hole for the end cap screw, if someone wanted to shorten the bars. They may even use self-tapping screws.

Thanks, HRG

I'll pop it off when the weather gets warmer. My very rough guess is slicing off an inch to two inches would make this look perfect on the truck, but it's really not bad at all.

 

[FTMaverick80]

Installed Retrax XR Pro Retractable Tonneau Cover with T-Slot then installed BillieBars Cross Bars using the T-Slots and set a Yakima Load Warrior Basket on the bars using the Yakima OEM Clamps which I hate so trying to find a way to retrofit the Yakima Basket directly on the BillieBars using the T-Slot option which no one seems to have a solution unfortunately

My cross bars also have a t slot. I wish there was an option for a cargo carrier to be installed. However, I just installed a cargo basket, much like yourself, with the clamps that came with it.

 

[Dave O]

My cross bars also have a t slot. I wish there was an option for a cargo carrier to be installed. However, I just installed a cargo basket, much like yourself, with the clamps that came with it.

Well I hope we can resolve this issue I don’t like the plastic clamps from Yakima I know with continued use by installing and uninstalling the basket these clamps will fail - I’m still looking for a t-slot solution

 

[Hot Runr Guy]

Well I hope we can resolve this issue I don’t like the plastic clamps from Yakima I know with continued use by installing and uninstalling the basket these clamps will fail - I’m still looking for a t-slot solution

Dave, couldn't you rest the basket on the cross bars, and using t-slot bolts, use this piece on the top side to hold the basket in position? Or,,,, t-slot nuts, with screws/bolts down into them?

HRG

 

[Dave O]

Dave, couldn't you rest the basket on the cross bars, and using t-slot bolts, use this piece on the top side to hold the basket in position? Or,,,, t-slot nuts, with screws/bolts down into them?

HRG

Hey Terry - I will look at my t-slot length options and see if this could work I appreciate your input I haven’t looked at what is out there for the length of the t-slot bolts or the size of the t-slot sizes on the BillieBars thanks

 

[FTMaverick80]

Thought I'd update this.-

I had to slide one of the cross bars out of the way to pick up a new dryer. I tested how easy it was to remove. A few quick turns of a small socket wrench and I was able to slide it and remove it from t-slot rack. No need to take any bolt or nut off or readjust the crossbar to mount length. Took all of 2 minutes to remove and just a tad longer to re-install.

Of course, the easiest and quickest would just be to loosen the bolts and slide both bars forward and out of the way, but it's nice to know that just loosening the bolts allows you to remove the cross bars.

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