TracRac TracOne Bed Rack - Build/Mod Question

hey, anyone have a TracRac TracOne bed rack on their truck, preferably a 2nd gen? I'm looking at different rack options, mainly for my bigger stand up surf boards and possibly OC-1's. kinda sucks when I take the family out for a beach day, and my surfboard practically takes up all the bed space. I don't think it would matter with a longbed either...

a friend suggested Home Depot for this particular rack, but it's universal, so it's pretty tall. I found this mod/build thread where the guy cut his rack down to just above the cab height. just wondering if anyone has any opinions on this, or know what type of tools I'd need to accomplish this (cutting aluminum, re-drilling a couple holes, etc.)? $328 for these is a lot better than $699 for those Thule adjustable ones.

TracRac Mod/Build Thread

 

I have that rack on my 14'. It is quite tall and looks a little odd unmodified. When I got mine I put my sup board on the rack without any padding. The nose was @ 2 1/2" above the roof. I disassembled the rack and trimmed the vertical legs 2 1/2". The idea was that when I mounted the board I would have a towel or some sort of padding under it. With the padding the nose would than clear the roof. Cutting the vertical legs was done with a hacksaw. The biggest hassle was tapping new threads in the legs. Otherwise the rack works great. The pic is with it trimmed 2 1/2".

 

I have the universal trac one from home depot. Does everything I ask of it from carrying my SUP, fishing poles, lumber, etc. I did cut down the uprights and re tapped the holes for the mounting hardware so it doesn't stick up so much. I also cut the width down a little on the horizontal cross pieces. Heres a pic from when I first installed after modification:



Later I added aluminum rectangle tubing to reinforce for heavier loads and so that I can put tarp over to make a camper/shade for days at the beach.





Tools used: Metal cutting saw, tap and die set

And yes I was in the same boat as you, $300 something is way better $600+. Just make sure if you do get the universal rack that you purchase the tacoma mounting kit that allows you to bolt to the rails in the bed. The mounting brackets in the universal kit do not fit our trucks. I bought the tacoma mounting kit from go bananas in Aiea.

 

I also have that trac one system for my truck but didn't modify anything on the rack besides use better bolts for the mounting brackets. I also did a small mod on the bed rails since those will start crushing when tightening the mounting brackets.

 

I also replaced the mounting bolts with ss Allen head bolts from City Mill. Can't remember the exact length but I think it was @ 1 1/4".

 

thanks for the feedback guys! I'll probably be hitting you guys up when I decide to pull the trigger to make sure I know what I'm doing. haha. the stock/universal height does seem a bit tall, especially for me, since I have to drive into parking garages for work.

 

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Hello, can you be more specific on what you did to modify the tracrac mounting bracket that attaches to the factory bed rails to eliminate or reduce the crushing tendency? Also, what size of fasteners did you end of selecting. Do you have any close up photos of your mods? Thank you kindly, Chance

 

The bed rail mod just requires removing the rails, and filling the spaces on the underneath of the rails with a rubberized type of calking that is stiff when dried but not rock hard. Right now my computer is down so I can't post the link (it was done by another member) and I don't remember off hand the brand, part number or ho muich I ended up using. The only down side to this mod is the rail caps need to stay off while the filler cures. Should be a few days.
As for the bolts, I just used longer bolts (1 1/2") For me, it was easier to work with.

 

Chance, I sent you a PM, offering you my TracRac Universal if you hadn't already bought one. No answer, so now, it's open to the whole board. Never installed, never modified, comes with Tacoma mounts. I got a trifold cover, so the TracRac wouldn't work for me. Haven't set a price, wasn't even for sale till I saw this thread once again. Located in Livermore, Ca. Let's make a deal.