DIY ladder rack?

Once the turnbuckles were tightened down it was surprisingly strong front/back. I did add an extra strap to the canoe to keep it from shifting front/back to be safe since I went on the highway. You could add a board to act like a kickstand from the top of the rack to the front of the bed and then it would be rock solid.

 

Damn that gangsta lean.

 

This is what I did, following in @TacosConQueso 's footsteps I built these. I was going to use just the back one when my neighbor stopped by and said, "You know, if you had one in front . . ." So I built a second one. The front is just taller than the roof, and taller than the back one. I think this is going to work fine.

 

I have a 20ft piece of 1.5x1.5 angle iron i need to get home. This i can build no problem.

 

I can shoot you measurements and angles if you like. It'll still take a little at-home layup to get right. I'm in a total of about $15 in lumber.

 

sure

 

Sorry this took so long.

There's really only two measurements that matter. The width across the bottom outside-to-outside is 60 1/4". That's basically the outside width of the bed rail. The length of the 2x4 support is 23" (that gets you just higher than the top of the cab).

The top horizontal board is 53" on mine. It's really dealer's choice. All angles are either 25 or 65 degrees.

Cut the top board and lay it down sideways (so that a 1 1/2" edge is on the ground). Cut the support pieces. Lay them on the ground where they meet the top board. Adjust them so they are 60 1/4" outside-to-outside on the bottom, and centered on the top board. Mark their spot on the top board. Screw them together.

The lengths of all the other pieces can be had by scribing them on the boards using the rack for a template.