We are going to install one and would like to know if there are any quirks to be careful with. It uses clamps to attach the two crossbar supports to the bedrails.
The truck has a factory bedliner (hard coating—not a drop-in liner), which does not appear to pose any problems.
Not a TracOne, but I’ve got lots of miles on a Thule XSporter. My only real concerns have been that the clamps do tend to loosen if your truck sees dirt roads like mine does. I check the clamps every time I carry a load, and check them regularly even if I’m not carrying anything.
Can you substitute Nylock nuts for the regular ones? They do keep nuts and bolts from vibrating loose.
The TracRac will not be used most of the time. We’d use it only for long road trips where the trailer can make finding accommodations harder. We’ve kept roof rack systems on two other vehicles for such trips, or for trips including a ferry ride.
The surf ski would sit in a Goodboy Vee rack mounted on the TracRac. While the Vee rack could theoretically fit on the other vehicles, the only one (and the only newish one) that has an open bed is the F150. That makes loading and unloading less difficult.
And yeah, we live on a dirt road. I would check bolt tightness before and after any road trips. In between, we might remove the TracRac, or maybe just remove it in the winter.
I hope you’re doing some paddling during this long, hot, droughty summer. Jeez.
PS: Home Depot had the TracRac on sale for $375, a big drop from the normal price.
The trac one doesn’t look all that different from the xsportser. The angled sides will not allow it to rise up and down like the xsportster, but the other pieces look the same.
I have had no problem with them loosening. They come with extra nuts to lock the bolt down with. I have had three boats on mine, and driven on the interstate that way, with no problem. I have also gone down quite a few miles of washboard dirt with no problem.
Stay away from the Yakima made kind, they have plastic in the wrong places and the mounting looks worse than something I could make in the backyard.
Mine loosens at the clamps that hold the base assemblies to the bed, so I guess technically it’s the clamps that loosen. There aren’t really any nuts there to speak of. Never had any problems on paved roads, but the truck regularly sees about an hour a day of washboard roads in the summer. The rack is not the only thing that rattles loose though! It’s a work truck, so the poor rack sees everything from lumber to ladders and pipes to steel. When it gets a boat (or several) on it, I think the rack breathes a sigh of relief!
Yes, the bolts are threaded through the clamps. With mine were eight other nuts. Those get screwed onto the bolts before you put the bolt into the clamp.
Put the clamps in place and tighten the bolt. Then tighten that other nut against the clamp. It will work like a double nut, like the double ring on a fishing pole that keeps the reel snug.
I check mine every few months, but have had none loosen.
Our dirt road stretch amounts to less than 1.5 miles one way, and we don’t drive every day. There are plenty of other dirt roads around, just not required for going out or home.
I’ll use all the nuts spec’ed in the instructions and check before and after every long drive. The ski is very light. Other objects to be carried will weigh far less than the manufacturer’s stated limit.
The length of the boat in strong crosswinds might be the more relevant factor.
I’m guessing that the addition of the extra nuts were because of racks like mine loosening up. I definitely didn’t get extra nuts, but they will certainly be easy to add, and they certainly make sense. Thanks for the input!