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Combining a Softopper with Adarac truck bed rack

GregBC

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After many months of research and questions (and thank you to everyone who answered), I decided to order both a Softopper and Adarac system and see how they could be combined. A few others on YT and here showed it COULD be done but I hadn’t see it yet on a Gen14. So with a little trepidation, I took an educated guess I could figure it out.

I’ve posted before about my Softopper and Adarac installs. After receiving the uprights damaged, Agricover came good under warranty and sent 2 more sets of uprights. Unfortunately the steel uprights on the truck bed rack (F1010012 for 5.5 bed) aren’t compatible - they angle in sharply and too low. The Softopper can be folded down with the uprights on, and the Softopper rails can fit on the Adarac rails but 2 other problems come up even without the uprights:
- the stake pocket bolts interfere with the front and rearmost buttons for the side panels
- the top of the Softopper rubs against the bed camera

This requires the Softopper rails to slide back about 1-1.5”, which then leads to 2 other issues (more minor):
- large gap in the front corners
- rear flap overhangs the rear camera

I decided to go with shims to raise the Softopper rails so the stake pocket bolts wouldn’t interfere. I also ordered the uprights and cross rails for the Aluminum Pro series. Agricover told me they were no compatible but after looking carefully I thought I could get it to work. Using the hardware from the steel truck rack uprights, it seems to fit perfectly fine; the uprights are held by the clamping force of the fasteners but since I’m only going to be carrying kayaks or paddleboards, this is ok for me.

For shims, I got a sheet of ABS plastic 1/4” thick and cut into strips the same width as the Softopper rails. Used ABS glue to make a longer shim 1/2” thick for the length of the Softopper rail. Then I had to get longer fasteners for the Softopper rail clamp (2-1/2” long). The supplied fasteners are simply too short with the added shims and Adarac rail on.

Mounted the uprights first then the Softopper. The front and rear buttons are still hard to get on; my next step will be to get fasteners for the uprights I can attach from the outside (if I went with the aluminum t-slot rails, this would not be an option) so I can install the uprights after the Softopper is up, at least initially.

With the shims, I still had to move the Softopper about 1/2” back from ideal to not push against the bed camera. And there’s still some gaps on the front and rear corners. Going to try some foam to Velcro in next to cover these holes a little better.

Will test drive it a bit more and look for rub points; a little concerned on the strength of the Softopper rail clamps given how they’re stretched a bit but they seem good so far. Might add some door-edging to prevent wear between the uprights inside-edges and Softopper fabric.

Looking forward to using this this summer - for roughly 1/2 the price of a fibreglass canopy/rack, I have something that’s lighter by about 200lbs, more flexible, can be removed/installed in about 10min (partially or both in 20min) and either can be easily stored in corners/sides of my garage/workshop. Definitely not secure vs a fibreglass canopy, so if that’s a top concern, this setup won’t be for you. And definitely not as waterproof, at least not yet…
Ford F-150 Combining a Softopper with Adarac truck bed rack IMG_1535
Ford F-150 Combining a Softopper with Adarac truck bed rack IMG_1534
Ford F-150 Combining a Softopper with Adarac truck bed rack IMG_1533
Ford F-150 Combining a Softopper with Adarac truck bed rack IMG_1530
Ford F-150 Combining a Softopper with Adarac truck bed rack IMG_1528
Ford F-150 Combining a Softopper with Adarac truck bed rack IMG_1510


Ford F-150 Combining a Softopper with Adarac truck bed rack IMG_1536
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travisN000

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Moving the uprights should solve your issue with the blocked snaps.. the rails for the aluminum racks are infinitely adjustable.

My previous truck with that setup:
Ford F-150 Combining a Softopper with Adarac truck bed rack ABze775ZHo5ewjeDz49a1g3Q04HVkLN4x-XkXgVeHCu4=w2400

..not rollover resistant! :oops:
Ford F-150 Combining a Softopper with Adarac truck bed rack XM2WPVzRPU44mswmrDhKxWWxxiuT5A7LDitcCrhCSl0g=w2400


replaced it with my F150, a shorter adarac, and hard rolling cover:
Ford F-150 Combining a Softopper with Adarac truck bed rack jm_fl3ilzd-zapxlbtjisgcd1i8aicng9wxjzkyq-w2400-
 
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GregBC

GregBC

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Greg
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Victoria, BC, Canada
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2022 F150 XLT 5.0L 302A Carbonized Gray
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Retired US Navy; currently DND
Haha thanks for the reminder on moving the uprights! - I’ve honestly just kept them slammed to near the edges so my 14’ SUP has the longest span for support!.
You’re right tho, I can definitely slide them one way or another, duh! This particular rail (the steel one) has slots but the movement is still pretty flexible.
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