Truck got an upgrade today- Rack it Lumber Rack

Ugh,no thanks.

 

Canoe rack from Amazon. Keeps away tailgaters also.

 

I like the utility of it- but like was said I think it needs bed stiffeners. Our plastic beds are weak and the rear metal tailgate surround can crack just from the weight of a topper on some trucks. You could take your rear roof rack mounts and a set of bed stiffeners and have them welded together to be both the mount and the bed stiffener. That way the rear mounts will transfer the load down to the bed mount bolt that goes to the frame and you will have similar support like the front mounts. Shouldn't cost much to get them welded together and will provide the much needed strength.

Good to see people putting their trucks to work!

 

I put this same rack on my truck last year. It is awesome! I fell for the same issue you might of and that I thought I had learned when I bought racks for my full size trucks before. I always have a extra height canopy because there is always a need to put taller things in the bed than the cab height and be out of the rain. But when ordering the rack, do not listen to the sales talk about getting the rack height +3 or +4. Just order it standard and it will clear the canopy unless you have a beluga of a canopy.

 

This nicely done rack had me thinking that you could do something similar on the 2nd gens- but you could hide it under the box side. Just take the box side off, build the bars down to the frame/ sliders/ rear bumper (what ever works best) and then bolt your box side back on and make the necessary holes in the bed side caps. The one above looks like the top rack can be unbolted and removed. If you were to build an 'internal frame' behind the box side and have it so that the rack dropped into the 'internal frame' and bolted down. Then it would have great support without depending on the 2nd gens weak box and you could run without it and only have the mounting holes through the top of the box sides.

 

It is clean, I like it. But I cannot haul lumber that way, that's a big workout. But I haul lumber almost daily, back when it was only a couple times a month I used to do this and it worked out great.