Overland Rack v2.0 Build Thread

It all started with a need for a kayak rack. And a bike rack. And a general, light-hauling rack. And something alittle unique. And an excuse to learn to use a tubing bender, notcher, and work on my welding skills. So Overland Rack v1.0 was born.

So here's a picture of Overland Rack v1.0 in action. All in all, for my first bending, welding, and fabricating effort, I was pleased. It hauled 2 kayaks and a mountain bike over 4200 miles last summer without a problem and survived a trip to Baja.


However, even as I was putting the finishing touches on it, I was already seeing things that I could have done differently or better. There were plenty of things that I liked, but a few that I knew could be tweaked.

Thus, a build thread for Overland Rack v2.0!

I hope to chronicle the new build (like I had intended to chronicle the first build but never did) and highlight some of the thinking that went into the first design and some of the changes.

I hope you follow and enjoy!

 

One of the things I liked about the first build was the way it attached to the bed. I designed the mounts to fit over KB VooDoo bed caps, and they attach under the stock tie-down rails with 1/2 longer cap screws. This allowed full use of the factory tie downs.

With the new mounts, I wanted to change 3 things:

1) I wanted to eliminate the middle mounting point to make accessing the bed from the sides easier.
2) I wanted to make it easier to remove the rack.
3) I wanted to fix a problem caused by the fact that I can't use a tape measure correctly.




So here's the mounting for the new rack. I picked up bushing tabs and bushing kits from Chassis Unlimited Manufacturing. They are probably way beefier than I needed, but they are great quality and the price was perfect. They are still mounted to the same 3x3x3/16 angle that I used for the first build and attached under the factory tie-down rail. The offset in the rear mount is to compensate for the fact that the width of the bed at the back is narrower than at the front - something that I didn't foresee in the first build and that always bugged me.

 

Work continues. For this build, I wanted to improve access to the back of the bed, so I wanted to make the cross bars removable. I found galvanized connectors for chain link fences that might do the trick.


They are made for 1 1/2 in pipe, but with a little bending, they fit the 1 1/2 tube fine.

I welded the top of the connector to the cross bar. The carriage bolt was welded in place before I ground off the head.


With the bolt in place, I have cross bars that can be moved anywhere long the length of the rack or removed completely.

 

I'll be working on my version of a rack in the spring of 2020. Nice work here. Subb'd for the good ideas.

 

MaxTrax? CB Antenna? So what are you attaching to your overland racks? Now's the time to add tabs for storing the accessories. I'd love some ideas?

 

Very nice! I really like then custom bed racks.

Ben

 

I'm glad I did a test fit. I didn't take into consideration the ridges in roof of the cab, and my original flat design contacted the roof - like actually resting on the very center of the cab. (Sorry, but I couldn't get a good picture through the tears.)

So back to the garage to cut out the front hoop and add a 10 degree bend for clearance. Now it clears the cab by alittle over inch all across the cab.

Here are close-ups of the rear and front mounting points. 2 bolts on each side and it comes right off. The square-tube stubs are for the bike racks - one on each side.


Almost ready for paint.

 

Finally got a chance to add a few extras to the rack. This is the passenger side bike rack. Took longer than I expected because I had to order the 4' extruded aluminum door sill for the runner. You can also see the propane tank holder up against the cab.


Here's a close up of the propane tank holder. Admittedly, it's alittle Frankenstein, but it seems to hold my small tank solidly against the front of the bed.

And here's one with the tank in place.

 

Keen-eyed viewers may also note that it's been painted. That's 4 coats of Rustoleum bedliner. I've used it on several projects and it seems to do the trick. And it's cheap.

Next project currently on the bench is a wind deflector/sticker holder for the front.

 

Fabbed up some brackets for the wind deflector.
Four brackets and some stainless steel hose clamps will attach it to the rack. The brackets are made from scrap, and the deflector is made from 1/4 inch ABS from a previous project.

And here's the bench shot. I'll post an install picture when weather improves.

 

This is really nice work. With some minor adjustments, this rack would work great for us running a softopper.