gunshow101
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- Joined
- Jun 26, 2017
- Posts
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I'm posting this for truck owners that may be looking for the same combination of from/function "out back" that I was. Having purchased this truck to use and enjoy in many different applications, choosing a cover or topper was an important decision for me. My primary goals were:
1. Security and water-tightness for gear.
2. Maintaining the functionality of a truck bed (hauling weight and size)
3. The ability to carry toys - bikes, dirt bikes, paddle boards, canoes, maybe a rooftop tent someday.
4. Adaptability - the ease of changing the configuration by myself, without a lift.
There are a lot of options out there that meet some of these goals. As with most pursuits, there is often no perfect solution. There is always some compromise. For my personal needs, I think that I have come close with the following combo:
1. Diamondback HD Cover - 1,600lb weight capacity, very secure, does not leak, can be easily removed without calling a friend or neighbor.
2. Tracrac system - 1,250lb weight capacity, ability to mount nearly anything securely, ability to carry long items over the cab without noisy cab cross-bars, racks are easily removed from tracks when not in use.
The combination of these two solutions essentially allow me to have 3 levels of carrying capacity at one time;
1. Dry and secure cargo in the bed.
2. Heavy or tall cargo on the Diamondback cover
3. Long/typical rack-mount cargo on the Tracrac
During my research, I decided that a marriage between Diamondback and Tracrac would be ideal. However, I only found a few pictures out there and Diamondback primarily suggested their ladder rack, which is a more permanent solution. I found an example of someone who had split the tracks and mounted them on the Diamondback "doors", but the Tracrac was ridiculously tall. More research and I found some Tacoma guys that were shortening their Tracrac vertical bars...
So, I bought a lightly used Tracrac system off of Craigslist and took my measurements to a local fab shop (Anyone in NH/VT, please feel free to call John at Upper Valley Linex at 603-523-4442). The tracks were split, the verticals were shortened and everything was mounted to maintain the functionality of the Diamondback and the Tracrac. Both cover doors open properly, Tracrac track sections are lined up so that the racks can still be moved or taken off by one person, etc.
Here are some pics (bike and paddle board thrown on for demonstration, but I am still waiting in final hardware). I hope this is helpful to someone out there.
1. Security and water-tightness for gear.
2. Maintaining the functionality of a truck bed (hauling weight and size)
3. The ability to carry toys - bikes, dirt bikes, paddle boards, canoes, maybe a rooftop tent someday.
4. Adaptability - the ease of changing the configuration by myself, without a lift.
There are a lot of options out there that meet some of these goals. As with most pursuits, there is often no perfect solution. There is always some compromise. For my personal needs, I think that I have come close with the following combo:
1. Diamondback HD Cover - 1,600lb weight capacity, very secure, does not leak, can be easily removed without calling a friend or neighbor.
2. Tracrac system - 1,250lb weight capacity, ability to mount nearly anything securely, ability to carry long items over the cab without noisy cab cross-bars, racks are easily removed from tracks when not in use.
The combination of these two solutions essentially allow me to have 3 levels of carrying capacity at one time;
1. Dry and secure cargo in the bed.
2. Heavy or tall cargo on the Diamondback cover
3. Long/typical rack-mount cargo on the Tracrac
During my research, I decided that a marriage between Diamondback and Tracrac would be ideal. However, I only found a few pictures out there and Diamondback primarily suggested their ladder rack, which is a more permanent solution. I found an example of someone who had split the tracks and mounted them on the Diamondback "doors", but the Tracrac was ridiculously tall. More research and I found some Tacoma guys that were shortening their Tracrac vertical bars...
So, I bought a lightly used Tracrac system off of Craigslist and took my measurements to a local fab shop (Anyone in NH/VT, please feel free to call John at Upper Valley Linex at 603-523-4442). The tracks were split, the verticals were shortened and everything was mounted to maintain the functionality of the Diamondback and the Tracrac. Both cover doors open properly, Tracrac track sections are lined up so that the racks can still be moved or taken off by one person, etc.
Here are some pics (bike and paddle board thrown on for demonstration, but I am still waiting in final hardware). I hope this is helpful to someone out there.
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