I’ve got a cap on mine which carries one rack w/ other mounted on cab. This allows me to rack canoe far enough forward to not interfere w/ towing a trailer
A friend w/o a cap is considering rack options to do same He’s very handy but said I poll the collective wisdom here for ideas
He’s got an F-150 dbl cab (or whatever it’s called) but I’m unsure @ present of max separation allowed by his roofline. Also have considered mounting front rack atop tower supported by added front receiver
Looking for some good ides on mounting rear rack on/in open bed pickup w/o using rear receiver
Thanx
Yakima Sportsman rack for the bed
and Std rack for the cab. Easily 6’ separation, which is plenty. Or 2 racks in the bed, or build your own from treated lumber. You can cut the board to fit the stake pocket holes. I carried 2 boats for years on my 'Redneck Rack".
consider Yakima Q-Tower on cab …
– Last Updated: Oct-14-10 5:33 PM EST –
...... (the Q's are quick put-on and take-off , like pop pop done) . I don't see why you wouldn't be interested in a rear hitch mount vertical T bar (another pop pop done deal) , you could still tow something on the ball at same time if desired . (Reese Canoe Loader - it's a vertical T bar that swivels 360 for easy loading) .
With a hitch extension (I use a 9" extension - Dakota size truck) you can even drop the gate (and open a cap) fully .
But if not the hitch mount T bar , then any of the possible rear bed "standing" racks , or build one .
Personally , I feel the boat is in a better position when the least amount is sticking past the windshield ... also that way doesn't interfear with openning the front hood (don't want the hood at full open to contact the canoe if at all possible) .
Using two of the Yakima HD straps , you won't be having a need for front tie downs . One strap holds the canoe down to the bar ... the other can grab around a thwart , seat etc. and go full round thru the cab over driver's head (in one door out the other door) ... tighten the buckle inside the cab (nice straps , don't mess up weather stripping) .
For another 35. bucks the Yakima canoe stops (or the Load stops) on the bar are fantastic and make big difference as oppossed to not having (locks that canoe in place) .
Both
I have a Ford F 250 Crew cab. I use the Q towers on the cab over the front doors and a single Sportsman rack on the bed. Keeps the boat forward enough so it doesn’t interfere when turning with the travel trailer. It works very well, but I recently saw a F150 with a homemade rack out of 2x4’s on the bed and cantilevered over the cab that looked very good. It was painted to match the truck.
thanx gents
appreciate the advice
To be honest neither I nor friend had yet investigated the commercial (expensive) applications available
I’ve got a Yakima set up for both my vehicles including gunwale brackets & am very pleased.
Believe friend would much rather build his own, not only saving lotsa $$$ but also gaining self satisfaction. He just asked my advice last night & my 1st reply was to build a cheap wooden redneck rack system. I too used one for yrs & am certain his version would far outshine the primitive setup I cobbled together. He mentioned both his truck , & mine, come to think of it, no longer have the pockets/channels that previously made homemade racks easy to build, even for mechanically challenged guys like me
I’ll tell him it’s possible to build something off rear receiver w/o interfering w/ ball or towing ability. He can weld & is quite clever so may come up w/ a great plan on his own but I thought might be able to get a good idea here from others re design of a bed or rail mounted system he could make himself.
Thanx again
Look at Spring Creek’s aluminum T bar
It can be used either with just a standard truck bumper’s ball cut-out, or with a hitch receiver. In the latter case, you add a short accessory that allows use of the hitch receiver for both the T bar AND a trailer or other item. It’s basically a tall, aluminum T with padded crossbar and adjustable height. The crossbar even has a slide-out extension bar, if I remember correctly.
Extend-A-Truck makes a steel one that costs less but is heavy (I checked one out at a hitch shop). The EAT has a nice feature, though: it can be set as either a long horizontal bar (hence, the name EAT), or a tall one (like the Yakima Goalpost).
I have Spring Creek’s kayak cradles; they are well-made and hold kayaks securely without damaging them. If those are any indication, the T bar must be a high-quality piece. And they’re even made in the U.S.