05+ Tacoma DC SB Bed Racks??
- Thread starter Gokracer1
- Start date
WASURF63
Adventurer
Gokracer1,
Try a search with this: "05+ Tacoma Over Cap Racks", and look at post #20 on 03-14-10. This is my old rig with a Crosstread "Renagade" adjustable bedrack, "www.crosstread.com".
WASURF63
Box Rocket
Well-known member
been building a custom one for my '03 DC. Might give you a few ideas. I didn't want one over the cab for aerodynamic reasons and I also rarely pack things much higher than the top of the bed so i didn't need the tent up so high. I gave myself an extra 6" or so above the bed rail for gear underneath. Mine serves double duty as a place to mount a RTT on occasion, but also as a regular rack for dual layer gear storage and a place to carry bikes/snowboards etc and still have room underneath.
Sorry if there are too many photos, but these are through the build process.
The narrow gaps on either side of the rack are for my tiedown track system.
With the old style Mombasa mounted up. It's a little long for a DC, but it will work for now until I pick up an EeziAwn/Camping Lab/ARB tent in the future that won't hang off the back quite so much.
trying to get it all finished up in time for a long trip over Labor Day weekend.
Sorry if there are too many photos, but these are through the build process.
The narrow gaps on either side of the rack are for my tiedown track system.
With the old style Mombasa mounted up. It's a little long for a DC, but it will work for now until I pick up an EeziAwn/Camping Lab/ARB tent in the future that won't hang off the back quite so much.
trying to get it all finished up in time for a long trip over Labor Day weekend.
Dave Bennett
Adventurist
All Pro is making a rack for 1st and 2nd Gen Tacomas, they can build to suit :costumed-smiley-007
freeze
Adventurer
Our guy here created this design which is done on CAD first. Accessories can be added with his custom mounts. I have a Gerri on the other side. Bolts right into the floor of the bed in the existing mounts. This way the sides of the bed wont's spread out. A topper can still be put on over top of the bars if needed. Tent's been dropped down from roof height to bring the COG down as well as improve aerodynamics. I can still have a full view out the back window as well. The design is sizeable to any application.
Box Rocket
Well-known member
So how big of an issue is it with the bed sides spreading out with racks mounted to the bed rails? Anyone experiencing this? I can see it happening with lots of weight on a bed rail mounted rack, but is anyone really carrying that much weight on those? Worst case is the weight of a RTT and two adults in the tent overnight. Can't be that bad. If you were bombing down fire roads with the tent up and those two adults inside the tent (obviously wouldn't happen, just illustrating a point for weight) then I could see some ill effects happening.
Just curious if anyone is really having issues with the bed spreading out.
Just curious if anyone is really having issues with the bed spreading out.
Here is what i am looking for in a bed rack
- sits 12 inches below the roof so an RTT will not sit higher than the cab of the truck
- Spare tire mounts to the underside of the rack leaving the top of the rack open for an RTT
- Places to mount a highlift jack, shovel, axe, etc on the side
- easily removable
- sits 12 inches below the roof so an RTT will not sit higher than the cab of the truck
- Spare tire mounts to the underside of the rack leaving the top of the rack open for an RTT
- Places to mount a highlift jack, shovel, axe, etc on the side
- easily removable
The narrow gaps on either side of the rack are for my tiedown track system.
Something like this would work well for me. As long as bed spreading isn't an issue. I like the square bar over the tubular look
freeze
Adventurer
My bedside spread from just having a topper and rack on top with water and fuel. This was from the Rubicon. I switched out the rack and put the RTT on the topper and it got worse. As soon as I went with the tube rack to the bed floor the sides kinda went back to normal. The metal frame holding the sides together have hairline fractures in them which enables it to spread. Having everything go through the bed floor is much more solid I've noticed.
It just depends on how much weight and how much leverage that weight is putting on the bedsides. Going with tubes or a rack off the bedsides limit your design options if you're going with something custom. Plus the weight distribution and forces want to push outwards versus straight down with the bed rails.
Box Rocket
Well-known member
Well for me, I will rarely carry a lot of weight on top of the rack. The heavy stuff all goes in the bed. The biggest thing that will be up there is a RTT, which on it's own isn't enough weight for me to worry about. And the tent will never be permanently mounted. Once the trip is done, the tent comes off, so I don't have that weight up there bouncing around constantly to put pressure on the bed sides.
All Pro is making a rack for 1st and 2nd Gen Tacomas, they can build to suit :costumed-smiley-007
A little off topic, good to see a long travel adventure truck. I wondered when there was going to be a crossover. Throw an AT Flip Pac on there and it would perfect. I am not a fan of RTT's.
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I was in the same situation. I looked for a rack that fit my needs and couldn't find one, so I built one. Not a good detail image, but you see how much weight I put on it, and three years later I have had no issues.
Having said that, I ran into a guy last year that had a really cool system set up using Yakima rain gutter towers (http://www.yakima.com/shop/racksystems/naked-roof/1a-raingutter). He turned them the wrong way around and said that they fit right into the bed rails. He had six towers with three cross bars. He said it was super strong, and from the amount of gear he had on it, I would assume it was. Although that much Yakima gear would be expensive.
My 2¢.
Having said that, I ran into a guy last year that had a really cool system set up using Yakima rain gutter towers (http://www.yakima.com/shop/racksystems/naked-roof/1a-raingutter). He turned them the wrong way around and said that they fit right into the bed rails. He had six towers with three cross bars. He said it was super strong, and from the amount of gear he had on it, I would assume it was. Although that much Yakima gear would be expensive.
My 2¢.