Low budget bed rack installed on side bed rails

[Bry]

I know the height is to the MAX, I also added extra surfboard padding so the surfboard will be higher so the nose of the surfboard will not touch the roof of the truck (not in image). For the width I can't measure right now, my son has the truck for a trip

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[Bilbo_B]

I know the height is to the MAX, I also added extra surfboard padding so the surfboard will be higher so the nose of the surfboard will not touch the roof of the truck (not in image). For the width I can't measure right now, my son has the truck for a trip

Thanks, I was figuring that was max height. It's going to work. I just have to get into cutting it.

 

[Bilbo_B]

Oh yea totally, I used these strut channel spring nuts from Home Depot to hold the brackets in place. Please see attached

Well, I decided to reorder these spring nuts. The first set were for 3/8" bolts as shown above. That's a bit of an overkill and am going with 1/4"-20 stainless bolts. Reason, I have a C-22 sailboat and there are 4 x 1/4" stainless holding on the 550 lb cast iron swing keel. That doesn't see adequate but Catalina uses the same 4 bolts to mount a heavier keel on their C-25.

I've also measured the space between the two channel rails at 54 3/4" as the distance that the racks and their U channel mounts on either side need to be spaced.

 

[Bilbo_B]

Well, I had time to work on mine today. With the frame for my Tonneau cover, I had to make my spacers almost 2 inches on each side.

and

For my spacers I used some of the material from the crossbars that go inside the other bar and a piece of the outside bar. Or the U channel and another piece of the inside bar. They're about 8" long and this provides a pretty solid structure from front to back and sideways.

I'm not quite finished attaching the vertical posts to the upper sections but it should work. I really only need one bar for carrying the canoe.

I'm also seeing that I don't think mine can be quite as high. It doesn't seem possible to have the cross bars above the cab roof in the center but it is pretty close and it will work for the canoe.

 

[Bilbo_B]

Here's a couple of more pics.
It's somewhat challenging to put it on and take it off but it is rather sturdy. I haven't tried sitting on one of the bars but I can tell you this. I think one would hold my 200+ lb. weight. I can grab a bar and rock the truck and the bar is feeling solid. As I try to show, the bars aren't exactly above the cab roof line at the center but they're high enough to carry my canoe with the foam pads between the gunwales and the roof top. As far as the racks. I really only need one for the canoe but a second one won't hurt if needed.

 

[Bry]

Awesome idea on adding a cover to the sides too, good thing I saved it. I also raised it about 2 inches to clear the truck roof.

 

[Bilbo_B]

Hmm... How did you raise the 2 inches?

I extended the height so that I drilled the holes about 1" below the top of the lower/ smaller channel.

That piece of cover is kinda just there for show on the post that you circled. It's a piece of the upper cross bar full box that I cut when shortening to width. I do have a lot of C-channel covering that I could put there. I only used about 8" from each channel for 2 spacers. One thing that I did was that I used the long self-tapping screws to connect the two spacers on each upright. Right now, my crossbars aren't screwed together. I may leave that because they can be removed easier.

BTW: I added another thread for mine rather than to take over yours.

https://www.mavericktruckclub.com/forum/threads/low-budget-rack-system-installed.49502/

 

[Bry]

Hmm... How did you raise the 2 inches?

I extended the height so that I drilled the holes about 1" below the top of the lower/ smaller channel.

That piece of cover is kinda just there for show on the post that you circled. It's a piece of the upper cross bar full box that I cut when shortening to width. I do have a lot of C-channel covering that I could put there. I only used about 8" from each channel for 2 spacers. One thing that I did was that I used the long self-tapping screws to connect the two spacers on each upright. Right now, my crossbars aren't screwed together. I may leave that because they can be removed easier.

"I extended the height so that I drilled the holes about 1" below the top of the lower/ smaller channel."
YEAH, I did the same, but mine height clears the roof?? I also cut the top shorter so its easier to side the surfboards off the rack from the side. See picture

 

[Bilbo_B]

"I extended the height so that I drilled the holes about 1" below the top of the lower/ smaller channel."
YEAH, I did the same, but mine height clears the roof?? I also cut the top shorter so its easier to side the surfboards off the rack from the side. See picture

I noticed that. It looks like you cut about 3" from each vertical. So, my rack height is actually 27" as measured in the pic. or yours would be about 24" . I tried to max out what is available BUT the cross bar top is only 22-1/4". That's one inch higher than they are suggesting

 

[Bilbo_B]

I think that I"m fine for carrying my canoe. (Sawyer X-17) with one crossbar installed and two thwart pads on the cab roof....after I remove the antenna. One thing that I'm going to do is replace any of those 8 self-tapping screws on the posts with stainless bolts. I don't trust the threading.

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