Homemade Truck Racks?

I've got a regular cab Ford Ranger and a 15' Scupper Pro. I feel weird having 9' of the kayak sticking out of the back of my 6' truck bed. I was thinking about a rack for the bed and was wondering if anyone's made their own. I've found a few "designs" online but can't decide on exactly how I should make it. Wood vs PVC? Square frame or something with crossmembers? Any and all advice is appreciated. It's getting cooler and I still haven't gotten this kayak wet...

I found plans for this online and it looks pretty slick, plus it's gotta be lighter than the wood equivalent.

[CAGE RATTLER]

I picked up a truck bed extender that goes into the hitch from harbour frieght on sale right now for $49.99. I bought it to use for my new kayak i just bought but realised my outback really doesnt stick out of my 6.5' bed very far with the tailgate down so i'll be returning it.

Might be an option for you but thats a pretty cool setup in that pic if you dont mind lifting the yak way up there.

[Southerly]

i'd be interested in sort of testing the pvc design before committing to it. i see it has front/back diagonals to prevent collapse from the vehicle braking/accelerating. but it doesn't look like it has side-to-side diagonal bracing to resist shear when the vehicle is cornering. nice clean design looks good, but it's hard to guess how stable it feels in real life.

[bdwilliams]

Southerly, I noticed the lack of side-to-side support and was a little concerned. I found it on a SC message board and didn't see any complaints but I'll look into it further. I did find that the guy ended up tying rope diagonals and he said it sured it up a bit.

Cagerattler, I've thought about one of those but don't have a hitch (I know, I know...) and it'd still be hanging 7.5' past the end of the tailgate. It looks BAD when I drive...

[the_kegs]

I made a rack for my truck out of pressure treated 2x4's. Not the prettiest rack in the world but it's strong and was cheap to build. It attaches to the tie down rails built into the back of my tacoma so it's also easy to remove. The main down side the the pvc design you posted is that it renders a good portion of your bed unusable.

[bdwilliams]

I actually just finished up building a rack out of 2x4s a few minutes ago. I'll post pics later. It seems sturdy and the yak's sitting on it already. Do you tie down the front of your kayak too, or just use the ratchet straps like in the pic?

[the_kegs]

I just use the ratchet straps.

[bdwilliams]

This is what I came up with. A few 2x4s with lag screws and lag bolts. It's held into the truck with turnbuckles and the kayak gets strapped down. Handled an hour drive on the beltway just fine @ 70mph. I think I'm good to go!







Now that I feel better about driving with the kayak I think I'm headed to Jonas Green Friday morning.

[archeryrob]

Any more on this? I wanted to build this but I get the "That's tacky" from the wife, but she is not interested the $500 rack either. I think I would remove the lower wood and keep the 45 degree bracking. The bottom 2x4 is over building and blocks bed storage for crates.
Wood rack.

We use trailers up here in Western Maryland but I am finding going to the bay trailer parking is hard to find exp specially where kayak launches are.

[Tyrone Shoes]

+1 on the Harbor Freight bed extender! Used it to carry two kayaks last Sunday and it worked great!

[bdwilliams]

I got the "that's tacky" from the wife until she found out how cheap it was and that it wasn't always gonna be on the truck.

That design looks great. Those 45s are probably needed. I don't have it and need to add something to fix twisting/torquing when I tighten my ratchet straps. I don't have a hitch so the bed extender isn't really an option. If I had one, that's the route I'd go.

[ComeOnFish]

I picked up a truck bed extender that goes into the hitch from harbour frieght on sale right now for $49.99. I bought it to use for my new kayak i just bought but realised my outback really doesnt stick out of my 6.5' bed very far with the tailgate down so i'll be returning it.

Might be an option for you but thats a pretty cool setup in that pic if you dont mind lifting the yak way up there.

Yes, I got my truck bed extender from Harbor Freight. I carry a 16.5' Hobie Adventure and a shorter kayak all the time. I don't feel any thing different when I drive becaude of the total length of the truck. Actually it is nice to be quiet (than putting kayaks on the top of the truck) when I drove at 80mph for more than 3 hours. But When I park at or go into Gas stations/Fast food restaurants, I look for the space. I used to lift the Hobie Adventure to put it on the top of an SUV. I am glad that I don’t lift that thing any more. Hurting back will cost me a lot.

For a 12 foot kayak I don't use bed extender. I use the extender for 13 foot kayaks or longer.

Here is my truck set up for two kayaks (or three)




joe

[archeryrob]

I do not have a receiver hitch on mine, only a bumper hitch. I got 6 2x4's and hope it enough, if not, I will be a return trip to Lowes. I got the driest ones I could find and it going together today and glued and screwed and strap it in to dry.

[archeryrob]

Ok, I got out in the garage at 9 and done at 11:30. If I shake the rack the entire truck shakes. used 6 2x4's a box of 3" screws and 1/4 a bottle of Gorilla wood glue.





I added these small wedges with just glue to keep the ratchet straps from binding down into the crotch area.

[daddyg]

I have a ranger and use the extend-a-bed with a pro angler. I did add lights for the early starts.