- First Name
- Jim
- Joined
- Mar 31, 2022
- Threads
- 79
- Messages
- 574
- Reaction score
- 940
- Location
- Athens, AL
- Vehicle(s)
- Porsche 944NA, Mazda Miata, PT Cruiser Conv.
- Engine
- 2.5L Hybrid
- Thread starter
- #1
I was fortunate recently in that I won a @WOLFBOX powered, retractable tonneau cover for my ’24 Ford Maverick XLT hybrid. Installing it necessitated significant changes to how I had the truck bed set up with both accessories and mods. It also resulted in a loss of about a foot of floor space in the bed to account for the container that receives the cover’s receding slats. Even with the imposed tradeoffs, I really appreciate the luxury utility afforded by a top-of-the-line bed cover. Of note, the cover’s arms are topped by a T slot that extend the full length of the bed. That got me to thinking how I might make use of them. Previously, I mounted a set of Maxzina cross bars on the roof. Rather than leaving them in place, I only installed them when I had a need. Other than that, they remained in the garage. They have now become the center piece of my latest mod.
Initially the intent was for the cross bars to be secured to mounts that are anchored in the bed cover’s T slots. The bars were to be slid forward against the cab rear wall for storing day to day and repositioned to meet a need at other times. My plan was to avoid the requirement for a tool to reposition the rails. Instead, I relied on T slot bolts and threaded pass-through knobs to secure the mounts. My plan changed when I came across a Nilight (https://www.nilight.com) product, their ATV Front Cargo Basket. The scaled-down size of the metal mesh framed basket, 17”x36”x6”, is just right for mounting to the beds’ crossbars without overwhelming the Maverick’s smaller truck bed. I’m finishing the basket off with an elastic cargo net meant to hold a helmet on a motorcycle’s luggage rack and a pair of tool holders. I’m off to the big box store for a sack of quikcrete. It may be the first load for my mod.
Before anyone asks, because there is always someone that does, the link for the basket is:
https://www.amazon.com/Nilight-Baskets-Storage-Attachments-Luggage/dp/B0FKBLMD68
Initially the intent was for the cross bars to be secured to mounts that are anchored in the bed cover’s T slots. The bars were to be slid forward against the cab rear wall for storing day to day and repositioned to meet a need at other times. My plan was to avoid the requirement for a tool to reposition the rails. Instead, I relied on T slot bolts and threaded pass-through knobs to secure the mounts. My plan changed when I came across a Nilight (https://www.nilight.com) product, their ATV Front Cargo Basket. The scaled-down size of the metal mesh framed basket, 17”x36”x6”, is just right for mounting to the beds’ crossbars without overwhelming the Maverick’s smaller truck bed. I’m finishing the basket off with an elastic cargo net meant to hold a helmet on a motorcycle’s luggage rack and a pair of tool holders. I’m off to the big box store for a sack of quikcrete. It may be the first load for my mod.
Before anyone asks, because there is always someone that does, the link for the basket is:
https://www.amazon.com/Nilight-Baskets-Storage-Attachments-Luggage/dp/B0FKBLMD68
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