My first pickup and unsure how to secure the load and a few q.

[xk42]

I can't believe how much I love the truck even just owning it for a few days. However it's my first pickup so I probably got some silly questions.

1. Living in SoCal so my main usage for the bed is that so I can hopefully keep all the kids bikes, misc toys in there. Currently there is no bed liner so I'm opting for a spray in. When I get a rough country hard cover, do I still need to strap things down with ratchet strap? Or is it fine if I just throw the stuff in it and cover it up? From what I can see around me, no one really strap anything down.

2. For mounting kayak and surfboards. I see some people have lifted roof racks that either go over the roof or the truck bed. I'm assuming that if I want a hard cover and roof rack, I can only get roof rails that goes over the roof? I'm kinda worry about those because my friend aging roof rack cracked and the surfboard when flying. I suspect those aren't really safe when you're driving 70mph and it can also cause water leak if not installed correctly.

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[hungliketictacs]

Don't over think it. I'm going to spray liner once I beat up the bed a bit more.

The hard cover will remove the need to strap things down but should still think about how things will roll in the bed as you take sharp turns at speed.

I use this Hitch Mounted Bed Extender. You can typically keep the hard cover on your truck, lower the bed and haul long stuff like surfboard etc. You'll def want to securely strap in this scenario.

 

[xk42]

Ah good to know. I just want to ensure I don't cause an accident for not securing it.

 

[Ford Motor Company]

I can't believe how much I love the truck even just owning it for a few days. However it's my first pickup so I probably got some silly questions.

1. Living in SoCal so my main usage for the bed is that so I can hopefully keep all the kids bikes, misc toys in there. Currently there is no bed liner so I'm opting for a spray in. When I get a rough country hard cover, do I still need to strap things down with ratchet strap? Or is it fine if I just throw the stuff in it and cover it up? From what I can see around me, no one really strap anything down.

2. For mounting kayak and surfboards. I see some people have lifted roof racks that either go over the roof or the truck bed. I'm assuming that if I want a hard cover and roof rack, I can only get roof rails that goes over the roof? I'm kinda worry about those because my friend aging roof rack cracked and the surfboard when flying. I suspect those aren't really safe when you're driving 70mph and it can also cause water leak if not installed correctly.

Congratulations on your Maverick! We hope you enjoy all the adventures in your new truck.

 

[Ozarkbeard]

Also, always haul heavy objects up closest to the cab, not back by the tailgate. Even with a bedliner, things in the bed can become projectiles if braking really hard or in a front-end crash.

 

[AutobahnSHO]

If you use the 2x6 cut exactly the right lengths, you can build "sections" in the bed and have stuff not shift around as much. I have spray in liner, soft tonneau cover, and always a 2x6 sitting vertical in the rear-most position. That section works great for groceries!!!

Get some ratchet straps! It's always better to mount stuff so it's pulled against and not able to slide. For instance lumber- don't lay the tailgate down, the wood can slide back. Keep lumber leaned up against the tailgate and strap it down- now it's not going to move!

I also bought cheap kayak roof racks and mounted them to cheap lumber so when we go kayaking we just put that in the bed and strap the kayaks to the bed. It sticks out some but keep some red flags on the kayaks and seems to work well- and still get AWESOME gas mileage!
pictures of my mounts and boats sticking out the back
Help my build, what am I missing? | Page 2 | MaverickTruckClub - 2022+ Ford Maverick Pickup Forum, News, Owners, Discussions

 

[Darnon]

Remember, the most important final step is to give the load and/or straps a good tug and say aloud, "That ain't goin' anywhere."

 

[Redline]

Some dimensions if you want to add your own bed dividers

 

[The Real Maverick]

Remember, the most important final step is to give the load and/or straps a good tug and say aloud, "That ain't goin' anywhere."

Followed by "Y'all watch this."

 

[xk42]

Apologies for another dumb question. Should I wait for the spray in bed liner before I start trashing the bed? Since I'm going to be using it at the beach all the time. I'm reading that it really needs to be treated so that it doesn't end up as a rust bucket. But I've a feeling it doesn't really matter? They are going to coat it before the spray in?

 

[Master Blaster]

Just remember that the rear end is slightly higher than the front end, and unless you accelerate like a jerk then your load will tend to slide forwards and not backwards. If you want to stop smaller things like groceries from sliding to the front then cut a 2x6 to fit in the first bed slot, giving you an almost 2ft "trunk" in the bed. If a load is going to roll to the sides, then think about strapping in down with some common ratchet straps. The ones with the tab release are much easier to undo than the big-truck types. With the tailgate down you have a 6ft bed, so a kayak up to about 11ft will just need strapping down and a red flag attaching, and no mileage-killing roof rack is needed. If you strap down the front of a load then you can get away with maybe lighter 16ft loads too, but you need to think about that swinging out of the turning circle and hitting things when cornering.. Lastly, get a dog seatcover off Amazon so that you can put a lot of stuff on the back seat without messing up the upholstery.

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