Inexpensive Ladder Racks

[TerryD]

I've been searching Craigslist for a ladder rack I can modify for my truck for a while now to no avail. Yesterday I was looking for the hitch type cargo baskets for a friend on Harbor Freight and found that they sell an adjustable one which appears to be the same one that Northern Tool sells for about $100 more. I've seen one of them in person where I work on a contractors truck and they seem to be decently built and would allow me to mount it outside my camper shell relatively easily, only having to fab up something to come from the bed rails to the outside of the shell. I want it mounted like that so I can remove the shell but have the rack or vice-versa. The truck is a full-duty rig being my DD as well as making family trips and doing the grunt work.

I was just wondering if anyone has every used one of them and if they are worth spending the money on. I plan on hauling metals for fabricating (a stick of 2"x6"x3/16" box being one of the first things I'll need to get) and I don't want to have this thing collapse onto my cab.

Here is a link to the piece I'm looking at:

http://www.harborfreight.com/800-lb-capacity-full-size-truck-rack-98511.html

 

[utherjorge]

I was just looking at some old used ladder racks, and I'm wondering if I could take something like this, flare the sides out a bit and use this on a suburban. I'll bet it would carry well, and depending on how far up this goes, weld some light tabs up front? What sayeth the gallery?

 

[Bojak]

I have bought 2 in the last 4 months for trucks in our company fleet. They are OK. I have had kargomaster in the past and they are the best but you pay for the best. These are LIGHT duty for sure but have a decent style and are priced right. If management of longer materials or equipment (canoe or kayak etc...) is what you want then I recommend them. After you get it adjusted right for your rig there are some bolt together locations that I would go back and throw some welds on. That is what we do. Both are on dodge trucks. One we used the added leg extension aand it looks goofy but quite. My truck I installed without the extension and looks much better but I get wicked wind noise from 70-78ish. From 78 - warp speed it quites back down a little. I am going to fab an air blade for the front bar similar to the style kargomaster sells as an option. I think I paid under 300 for each. I think kargomaster starts around 1000.

 

[Bojak]

To answer your specific weight question, I feel comfy with their 500 pound listed rating. I wouldn't go much past until you add some welding as I mentioned. Even then I wouldn't go crazy. It will never be a kargomaster. I have hauled 24 or 25 2x12x16ft on a kargomaster and was more worried about the truck than the rack.

 

[82fb]

I imagine they are built to about the same quality as their hitch type cargo baskets. Given that assumption, I have used my HF hitch type cargo basket with success up to about 500 pounds. I think it was a front dana 60 that finally killed it, and I am pretty sure a front d60 is about 520 pounds. It did not catastrophically fail, but bent the receiver tube area down 20 degrees or so.

I think my cargo basket was rated at 500 pounds, so I think their 800 pound limit should be treated as an emergency only number!

 

[TerryD]

I was sick all weekend with what appeared to be strep throat so I didn't make the hour drive over to get one. Missed using my 25% of coupon to but maybe that'll come back soon.

I was mainly interested in being able to haul a canoe, kayak, ect and maybe fishing poles and the like. However it would occasionally see some metal so I don't have to drive a 20' long truck and pull a 20' long trailer into a city for family outings. That's a hassle at best when we usually go to the mall and several other shopping centers.

 

[Bojak]

Yeah I am in industrial mechanical so we do 21' alot. Rack works for somw pieces but just not alot of them. It is alot more convenient than the trailer every time.

 

[TerryD]

Well , HF sent me another 25% coupon so I ran by and picked up one of their ladder racks this evening. I'm trying to work out the mounting system now. Thinking a piece of 1/2"x8"x8" aluminum angle over the bed rails where my topper will slide in and out without removing the rack.

 

[TerryD]

I hope these post like they should. The newer tapatalk interface isn't as useful as it was. I need to make wider brackets to mount it around the outside of the camper shell. I'm thinking either 1/2"x6" or 1/2"x8" aluminum angle the full length of the bed rails. I'll have to get someone to weld up the brackets for me or I'll have to get the tank to put my welder on the right gas to weld it with.

 

[VwJay]

Hate to revive a potentially inert thread. But did you ever get anywhere with this? I was considering doing the exact same conversion on my 1985 M1009 (K5 blazer). But I'm not entirely convinced that it's worth the effort of modification for this rack. It's as long as the entire truck, so it would need to be shortened. Unless you like that look. I myself would shorten it. I want it to hang past the cab a bit so I can tie in my limb risers. But not sure I want that much. And widening the mounts to go around the cap shouldn't be too problematic. However I've seen one or two one piece truck racks (welded not bolt together) for sale used. That look like they would need less mods. One actuall a slight bit cheaper than these racks go for.

 

[TerryD]

I'm afraid that all its done so far is be a welding table. The aluminum needed is right at $300 shipped and I've just had other stuff going on that that money has been needed for.

 

[VwJay]

Have you assembled it? How much bigger than the truck is it? I may grab one and start myself. But I wonder if a over the cap truck rack would be a better start. I've seen a few used that I would think would make for easier modification with better end results.

 

[TerryD]

It's assembled. I've developed a plan to get it together I just have to have a little free time to work on it. Aluminum would be very nice but I can't weld it right now. I need a 100% argon tank and a different gun liner for my mig. Alternately, buy a tig but that's not going to happen anytime soon.

I may cook up what I need from steel but that's gonna be a bit heavy. We'll see.

 

[rayra]

There is a member here and at ar15.com's prepper subforum that has what you are wanting. His is a red Sierra extra cab with a topper shell and such a rack. IIRC his solution is 1/4" thick flat plats projecting outward from the corner stake bed holes, with the rack then extending upward outside the shell. He also built a nice winch bumper / grill guard too. I might have saved or linked some of his pictures, I'll try and find them. It's been several months since I spotted them last.


eta this isn't the guy, but this is what he had

Would be pretty easy to weld up, in steel. use some thick-wall tubing pipe segments for socketing into the stake bed holes and up into the rack pipe ends. You'd have to widen the cross pipes on the rack by 6-10". Another easy task given that the thing starts in pieces that you bolt together. Just replace those segments with longer ones, or cut and splice-weld an extension in the middle of them.


just plug 'camper shell ladder rack' into google's image search, plenty of easy ways to do it.

 

[TerryD]

This is going on a stepside bed, so I don't think I'll have to widen it any. I've basically decided to use steel, even though I'd rather have aluminum because of rust but I just can't justify the cost of the machine right now.

I think I'm going to use 3/8" plate under the topper with a strip of 3/16"x1.5" down the inside of the bed rail, with a bunch of #14 flat head sheet metal screws holding the rack on. The 3/8" plate will be tapped so removing the topper will be as simple as loosening a dozen or so 1/4" bolts and sliding it out from inside the rack (in theory).

Then weld on uprights to use the factory mounting bolts from my rack. Now I've got to find the time and motivation. Bunch of family and house stuff going on right now has me mentally drained.