Installed - Harbor Freight Universal Aluminum Truck Rack

[PNWAstroOtter]

Roof Rack suggestion:

I’d look at “MPH Production” 2 piece 48” adjustable”
Aluminum Under door frame rack $115.00. You can see it in Amazon. Since cost is a factor…no doubt Thule and Yakima are probably a little better but I’d look at this one above.

The key to a roof rack for the Maverick is a thin piece of aluminum that hooks to the top of the Maverick door frame that doesn't damage the door weather stripping, And a knob that screws down on to the roof with pressure to keep the roof rack attached from upward force of a tie-down.

You could probably get away with just ONE of the roof racks if they would sell you just one. This unit is one of those no tools required and very easy to install and remove.

Curious if these actually fit the truck roof as i believe i measured the length at about 50 inches wide for my lariat and about 60 long and amazon says it doesn't fit the truck(i hate ordering things to only return them) so curious if anyone has purchased these.

Sponsored

 

[A. Benjamin]

Hi all,

Sharing my experience and photos with the Harbor Freight Aluminum Rack. 10% off right now due to a President's Day Sale so ~$270. Could have waited for the market to start coming out with custom-fitted racks but was getting antsy and I have some mods in mind for the near future.

Installation took longer than I care to admit since I was doing it solo and it was snowing on and off this afternoon. The clamps were interesting since there are ridges under the lip of the bed that affect placement - was just a process of figuring out where these are and how to space clamps for most secure fit. Sits pretty high up over the roof (~10 inches) and am considering chopping down a bit but don't mind it for the time being. Serves my immediate purpose of wanting a way to transport an Old Town 158.

This is so helpful, mdh. Thank you. Just took delivery on my hybrid XL 2 weeks ago and have been fretting about how to get back into kayaking. Cobra Navigator at 12'6" won't fit like it did in my 2000 Ranger of course - way too much overhang. Also not wanting to spend tons of cash for a rack. I think this rack will be ideal, and also wanted to add that this guy has a nice video of building and installing the Harbor Freight unit in a full size Ford truck.

 

[the_goose33]

Hey @mdh , rack looks great! I'm going through the exact same thing now with the HF rack, trying to avoid the $1,000+ for Yakima/Thule, only my purpose is a ski rack. Couple of questions on your cutting process:

1) I was going to chop 7" off; do you think you have enough clearance to have gone another 2"? I don't canoe, so the huge nose dip is not an issue.
2) what type of bit/size did you use for the holes?
3) do you feel like you lost any structural integrity, since cutting down means getting ride of the two screws that connect the bracket down into the vertical arm?
4) did you cut the crossbars at all?

thanks!

 

[mdh]

Hey @mdh , rack looks great! I'm going through the exact same thing now with the HF rack, trying to avoid the $1,000+ for Yakima/Thule, only my purpose is a ski rack. Couple of questions on your cutting process:

1) I was going to chop 7" off; do you think you have enough clearance to have gone another 2"? I don't canoe, so the huge nose dip is not an issue.
2) what type of bit/size did you use for the holes?
3) do you feel like you lost any structural integrity, since cutting down means getting ride of the two screws that connect the bracket down into the vertical arm?
4) did you cut the crossbars at all?

thanks!

@the_goose33 - thanks for your questions! Some thoughts/answers:

1) There was definitely some additional space to keep chopping. I stopped at 5" and still had about a ~3" clearance over the roof.
2) For the bolt that goes on the bottom of the vertical arm through the bracket (that connects to the bed railing), the bolts were about 1 cm diameter or ~3/8" diameter
3) I made sure to re-tap holes for the 2 bolts in question so I wouldn't lose that structural integrity. I believe it was a 10.0 x 1.50 Metric tap, but I will have to double-check that.
4) I left the crossbars alone.

 

[the_goose33]

@mdh Thanks for the help! I just got done chopping, now gathering what i need for tapping.

I'll add photos once completed -

 

[Delbert]

I looked at this rack before I opted for a $100 steel rack off ebay. It is one of the few aluminum racks where you can easily cut the uprights to your preferred height.

The front tow points on the XL are 1 " holes under the bumper. You need a special hook or chock to use them effectively. And they are way under the bumper.

The bow and stern lines need to form a "V". The way you have them both going forward allows the boat to slide forward. The only thing stopping it are the mid hull straps which have a tendency to slip (don't ask me how I know). I ended up tying off to the seat in the boat rather than the stern to form the V when I was using a Subaru to transport a canoe. I mounted straps permanently under the hood that I could flip out and be used to tie off to. Never had a problem with the hood.

The next step up would be to have some sort of cross bar on the roof. I used Yakima Arerobars and LP22 mounting pads. Adjust the height of the bed rack to match the roof rack. It turns the bed rack into a proper ladder rack.

 

[the_goose33]

Finally finished today... took a bit longer than expected, but only because this was my first project of this kind and i got particular about a couple things. I do plan on hanging a light bar underneath the front crossbar, which i think will tie it all together.

- took 7" off the posts
- took ~ 5" off crossbars
- painted all parts hammered black prior to assembly

@mdh thanks for the tips! I didnt even know what tapping screw holes was before this, ha.

 

[mdh]

Finally finished today... took a bit longer than expected, but only because this was my first project of this kind and i got particular about a couple things. I do plan on hanging a light bar underneath the front crossbar, which i think will tie it all together.

- took 7" off the posts
- took ~ 5" off crossbars
- painted all parts hammered black prior to assembly

@mdh thanks for the tips! I didnt even know what tapping screw holes was before this, ha.

Wow this looks great! I'm really liking the painted look - may have to go and redo mine.

And let me know if/when you add the light bar. I installed bed lighting but think the addition on the crossbar is a great idea.

 

[Stealth Raccoon]

Planning a trip to Tahoe this spring and don't really want to pull a utility trailer all the way up the mountain in order to bring our kayaks - this is exactly what I'm looking for!

 

[raul shabinguez]

Finally finished today... took a bit longer than expected, but only because this was my first project of this kind and i got particular about a couple things. I do plan on hanging a light bar underneath the front crossbar, which i think will tie it all together.

- took 7" off the posts
- took ~ 5" off crossbars
- painted all parts hammered black prior to assembly

@mdh thanks for the tips! I didnt even know what tapping screw holes was before this, ha.

How has this rack been working? Have you made any changes?
It looks great BTW.

 

[Bry]

Looks Great. I was also gonna to install that too but wanted something installed on the side rails. I found this ladder rack in amazon for $153

Thread:
https://www.mavericktruckclub.com/f...t-bed-rack-installed-on-side-bed-rails.28561/

 

[the_goose33]

How has this rack been working? Have you made any changes?
It looks great BTW.

hey raul, the rack has been super solid, but ive come across a few downsides:
1) i went through a car wash and the big roller going over my cab got snagged on the rear tower, which bent my bed railing a bit
2) i fastened the towers a bit too tight, so there will be permanent scars on the black plastic rail accents
3) it was a good deal of work to cut the towers down

honestly, depends on your end goal, but if i could go back in time, id get a rail like the surf board post. Seems a lot less intrusive on the body of the car

 

[dmaggs]

I would echo an above comment to mention that that "MPH Production” 2 piece 48” adjustable" roof racks work great on my Maverick. I got them a few months ago after reading this thread and just put them on--very happy how well they fit!

 

[sunismymed]

Hi Mauro,

I'm trying to duplicate your install of the HF Aluminum Rack but I'm wondering how you were able to get the forward rack to but up against the back of the cab. The bed's top rails on the Maverick curve up quite a bit on the outboard side going up to the cab, though at least the top of the rail is flat on the insides closer to the bed. Yours look to sit nicely just inside this curve.

1. Did you cut the base plate down, and if so, how?
2. Can you post a close up photo of the Rack base plate as installed?

Thanks again for sharing.

Sponsored