Bed Rack above Tonneau

[SakerlinaGuy]

Here is a Thule rack on my 18. moved it as well as the tonneau cover to my 21. It’s a heavy rack and slides along rails to any position. When not in use, you can slide the back rack up to the front rack. Stake hole mounted . Set up is a bit of a chore but it works fine , the only issue I have is because I have 157 truck, it’s a quad fold hard cover and the fold ups don’t fit through the rack at the back of the cab.

Random question a while since you posted this - but are the racks removable? If I wanted to install this can you take the vertical rails off and leave only the base installed when you aren’t using it?

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[Mash150]

Random question a while since you posted this - but are the racks removable? If I wanted to install this can you take the vertical rails off and leave only the base installed when you aren’t using it?

Absolutely . It‘s a very versatile system. The racks can slide together up at the front, or really anywhere on the rails. They lock on to the rails with the attached. I purchased the locking ones since the system was so expensive. Very solid and it’s supports lots of weight as well. You get what you pay for.

 

[SakerlinaGuy]

Absolutely . It‘s a very versatile system. The racks can slide together up at the front, or really anywhere on the rails. They lock on to the rails with the attached. I purchased the locking ones since the system was so expensive. Very solid and it’s supports lots of weight as well. You get what you pay for.

Awesome - thanks. Thinking of ladders, canoes, kayaks, and other things that don’t mesh well with a 5.5 bed; but don’t want to have the racks on permanently for various reasons; and need something that is compatible with a bak revolver - looks like this is my huckleberry!

 

[Itsjustmd]

Had the same concerns with the Elevate rails pinching folding tonneau cover. Went with RetraxPro XR, Rhino Rack Vortex crossbars (low height, T-slot), and Truxedo Elevate crossbars (adjustable higher height, T-slot). Expensive solution, but RealTruck POC offered me a great price (shared in separate post). No regrets!

So you can have both on at the same time or are you just switching them out?

 

[jj4567]

With RetraxPro XR, you can open the cover with the low Rhino rails installed. The T-slot tracks of the RetraxPro XR also allow you to have both the Truxedo Elevate and the Rhino crossbars installed simultaneously.

YouTube:

 

[Itsjustmd]

With RetraxPro XR, you can open the cover with the low Rhino rails installed. The T-slot tracks of the RetraxPro XR also allow you to have both the Truxedo Elevate and the Rhino crossbars installed simultaneously.

YouTube:

That's pretty sweet. I might have to get the Truxedo Elevate too. I kinda figured you could put both as long as the spacing worked out, but had never seen it done. This makes me confident that I could make it work. Thanks!

 

[SuperRaptor]

The Diamondback tonneau system can also handle a lot of weight and racks/tent systems.

 

[Dds2014]

Pace Edward ultragroove with T-slot and Rhino low profile XRS crossbars

 

[oneinch]

Clamping rack systems to a bed in the same manner as tonneau covers seems risky. A lot of people do this exact thing and I don't see racks flying off driving down the road, but I don't like it. Obviously it works, but I don't like it. I think the rails should be bolted in some fashion to the truck bed. There are several rail systems. Some are generic t-slot rails, while others lean to "proprietary" type connections. I want the common t-slot system. I don't want a commercial or work truck look. One system I like is the Putco Tec Rail. It fastens into the stake bed pockets and uses as ordinary as it gets 1/4" hex bolts in the t-slots. You can also use actual t-slot bolts and nuts as well. My only objection is their design. They're not horrible, but they're not high design either. They look kinda clunky. I want function, but I want form too.

 

[PaulGrun]

I am facing the same decision about tonneau covers and over-bed rack systems.
My requirements include a desire to support both very low profile racks for carrying things like bikes or roof boxes (which eliminates folding covers or rollup covers) as well as cab high style racks for things like boats.
So I'm left with a retractable covers that are compatible with racks, preferably standard racks.
Consequently I've narrowed my choices down to retractable covers that include a standard T-slot. Some of the main ones of which I am aware are:
- Retrax XR
- Mountaintop truck covers
- PaceEdwards Ultragroove
- RHR Slyde Pro tonneau & low profile cross bars
- (some retractable cover) combined with Elevate TS Rails
I'm sure there are a few others.

I looked into the Elevate system, but as others noticed the idea of a tonneau cover rail on top of the Elevate Rail seems a bit jinky. So I elminated it.

I prefer a cover that doesn't "auto-retract", requiring a leash to close the cover due to its inherently simpler design. I much prefer the simplicity of being able to simply push the cover open and pull it shut. I am also uninterested in a powered cover, although I surely understand the attraction for some.

Another key requirement for me is an independent locking system. Some folks like the simplicity of a system where locking the tailgate effectively locks the cover too. Having one less key is appealing, but for me I prefer to be able to unlock and retract the cover without opening the tailgate.

So the desire to avoid "auto-retraction" and for independent locking of the cover and teh tailgate eliminated the PaceEdwards Ultragroove, the MountainTop, and the RHR Slyde - all of which are very nice offerings.

That left me with either the RetraxOne XR or the RetraxPro XR. Seems like the Retrax is a very popular choice here in the forum. I haven't done anything about any of this yet, but it looks like this is the direction we're heading.

The alternative is a traditional topper, or shell, as we have used happily in the past. But those have problems and downsides too. That's another story.

 

[oneinch]

I don't think I'd like a retractable with a pull strap. My thinking is influenced by a video of a guy reviewing one of these. It was his only dislike: the pull strap. He said it is a PITA and not really as convenient as it seems. It gets caught on things in his bed, etc. It works of course, but he didn't like it. I don't think I would either. Retrax has the larger cartridge, but it's the one I would probably go with. No strap and nearly infinite locking positions.

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