Ladder Racks?????

[vfr800rider]

Does anyone have pictures of roof racks on their taco? Im looking for a set to haul a canoe. What do you like better, tracrac or thule. Any pictures or advice would be helpful. Thanks in advance.

[mainerinexile]

I assume you mean racks for the bed (roof racks aren't a good idea on a pickup because the bed moves semi-independently of the cab.

I tried the Thule Xporter 421 on my 2008 Tacoma regular bed. Not good. Even with the XK1 adapter brackets for the bed rail, the connection was flimsy. I now have the TracRac Pro modell 25000, a very strong and easy to remove rack. Note that the Thule only allows about 4.5 foot separation between uprights, whereas the TracRac gives you the full 6 foot bed separation, much better for hauling canoes and other long items.

Sorry, no pics, but you can find good pics at places like Rackwarehouse.com.

[Simon's Mom]

I hauled a 17' Mad River Canoe on my old Toyota Pickup XtraCab for 5 years using a Thule Bar on the cab & a Rhode Gear bike rack (the type that goes into your hitch receiver). It worked great & I never had a problem & could haul my bikes all at once. At the time, there wasn't all the thule gear like today.

Today my kayaks are only 12' so I have a thule tower rack on my DC roof. I have had 3 safely up there. I like the setup a lot & was affordable for me ($250). If you search, I have posted pics. Probably too short for a canoe but some use a Thule Goal post (hitch receiver type similiar to my bike rack) or as mainerinexile said, a trac rac.

Rackwarehouse is an online retailer who's storefront is actually five miles from my house. Those guys know their stuff, is where I got my rack so give em a shout. They recommend my setup.

[johnnylaw]

I installed Weatherguard "weekender" racks they are rated up to 250lbs. They haul lumber up to 16' for short trips and 12' all day long. Had a Canoe on mine Memorial day. One pic is of racks before tool box. Second is of storage between cab and tool box. Yes they are removable.

[Punisher]

Those Weatherguard weekenders look great! Just what I been looking for (had just posted a question about them over on TN before this).

You recommend any place to get them from?

Thanks

[johnnylaw]

I got mine from White Cap in So Cal. There web site can give you other retailers

[Punisher]

Originally Posted by johnnylaw

I installed Weatherguard "weekender" racks they are rated up to 250lbs. They haul lumber up to 16' for short trips and 12' all day long. Had a Canoe on mine Memorial day. One pic is of racks before tool box. Second is of storage between cab and tool box. Yes they are removable.

Was the hardware you received adequate to mount on the composite bed, i.e. the stock bolts they gave are ok and you didn't need any backing plates etc? I am fan of the composite bed of course, just wondering if that bed complicated the install at all.

Thanks again, John

[johnnylaw]

Half of it worked and half was customized from standard hardware. Attaching to the rail system I needed to grind down some washers. I used 1/4 bolts with nylon lock washers. I spent 2 hours on the install including running around.

[Wilks132]

This is the rack im getting. It uses the rail system and can be installed/uninstalled in minutes. Theres even a pic of a taco

http://www.usrack.com/railrack.shtml

[vfr800rider]

For less than 100 dollars more you can get a tracRak, check out autoanything, I think thats what im going to get. Thanks for all the responses.

[Punisher]

Checked with Cross Tread. They were very honest and helpful and said problems with the Taco beds and their product on them(strength) and recommended not buying their Moonlighter product for the compo Taco bed. As you say, probably same as Weekender product by other vendor too. Their products are very good, but the design of the ladder rack does not lend itself to sturdiness and composite beds.

I decided to just go with the Utility Rack by US Rack. More money @ $349 (most places), but nice system that uses the bed rail system, and rests on top of bed sides though and quick disconnect. I got it for $329 at Home Depot. For a little more @ $399, the Rail rack is nice too.

Thanks

[johnnylaw]

I did a lot of research on the weekender racks. The rear supports bolt into steel on the bottom & at the side. the front bolts onto the track system in a corner which is an optimal situation. and at the bottom there are some large backing items. Yeah it is not the optimal installation but for my needs it is perfect.

[Punisher]

I hear you. I think they are/would be fine in our beds too.

It was just that I realized I was to putting some mega weight on them and they design of racks that are on both sides of bed (four corners) was better for me. I had no fear of the bed and using the attachment points as you describe, IF my weight was gonna be a liitle less than it will be (500 pounds or so).

Thanks again, John

[willmichi]

I am a self employed carpenter and I just bought a 2008 tacoma and just figured that I could find racks and a toolbox to fit. I found out that this is by no means an easy task.

After doing research I found that the T Rac Pro by Tracrac has a model that will work on a tacoma with composite bed and rail system. The problem is that this rack uses special clamps that work with the bed rail system. These clamps stick a mile out into the bed making a saddle type of toolbox hard to fit. With a normal bed the t rac has an adaptor to let you mount a saddle box on your truck but the adapter doesn't work with the special tacoma model rack. I picked these up since they seem to have a higher load capacity than the Thule racks. I get conflicting ratings for the load capacity of the tacoma specific t rac pro even from tracrac's own site. Some info says 750lbs and others 500lbs capacity. I would bet on 500lbs just to be safe.

As for the toolbox, I settled for a UWS (United Welding Service) trunk style box (aluminum diamond plate) at 42" wide which just fits between the wheel wells. Not my first choice, but it works and has comparable to better storage space than most saddle boxes at over 8 cubic feet. If anyone has found a better rig for work please let me know.

[Crooked Beat]

I am about to put on a Cross Tread, it will fit. I have seen it on a Tacoma.

http://www.crosstread.com/truck1.html

[River88]

Hey Johnnylaw, well, i found the guy who posted pics of his weekender racks....he's you.
Thanks, great post...this'll really help me out!
River88