Building an overland rack

[purple94]

I have an aluminum ARE topper on my 1994 6ft box ranger, I want to either reinforce it or somehow build a rack around it to put my smitty overland tent on top of it. Not sure if anyone has done this, any ideas/advice?

 

[Curious Hound]

If you build a rack around it, then, you could still remove the topper if you ever wanted to. Probably the easier option anyway. I know this has been discussed around here in the past. But I don't recall anyone, specifically, who has done either one recently.

 

[sgtsandman]

It would be better to have the rack wrap around the cap, and probably easier.

A solid flat bar sandwiched between the bed and the cap with uprights welded to it going up to the cross rails.

Since you are talking about overlanding, the rack needs to beefed up compared to a standard on the road rack.

For a point of reference, the reenforced caps I have with mounts for roof rails call for the weight it can carry being reduced by 1/3, for the one with rails that run the length of the cap to mount the cross rails, to 1/2 for the one that just has landing pads to mount the rails.

Also, part of the reason I suggest a wrap around rather than reenforcing the cap is that a cap not designed to hold a load, with crack at the corners of the hatch opening. It might not happen immediately, but it will eventually. So, unless you build and entire cage in the interior of the cap to hold the load, the cap won't support it long term. Plus, it will be more difficult to build a cage inside compared to one that wraps around the outside. And you can add panels to hold other gear on an external rack that you can't on an interior one.

EDIT: To Curious Hound's point, make at least some of it bolt together so it is easier to get it mounted around the cap. And it will make it easier to to remove the capthan trying to slide it out from under the rack.

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

I've done similar to my f150 to put ladder racks around my topper. The aluminum sides were originally built so I could out a full width topper on my flair side bed and still use a ladder rack for my siding business. My ladder rack has been braced by welding in metal. I'm sure similar could be done for your use case.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

I found this one at a gas station in Missouri a few years ago:



I have mulled something similar for hauling a canoe... but the rear half of my topper is shaped like a F-117

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

Yeah, I’d build a separate rack like suggested. My first Ranger I bought a new aluminum Leer branded cap with ladder racks and was a little disappointed when they said it was only rated for like 200#. I’ve had closer to 500# on it before (a pile of 3/4” plywood and I got up there to make a bunch of cuts as the plywood got removed).

My F-150 I bought a rack that went in the stake pockets and that was one of the first things I changed. Cut off the bottoms and fitted some 1/4” thick angle iron on the bed rails. That let me bolt through the side of the bed rails rather than the top. I was considering doing the same kind of deal to make a ladder rack that would work with a soft tonneau cover for my Ranger but never did yet.

 

[purple94]

I found this one at a gas station in Missouri a few years ago:



I have mulled something similar for hauling a canoe... but the rear half of my topper is shaped like a F-117

This looks pretty much perfect, just wonder how the rack is affixed to the bed under the topper there. the tent weighs about 100 lbs and one or two people sleeping would bring it to about 400 ish so i need some good stability especially for climbing in and out

 

[purple94]

I've done similar to my f150 to put ladder racks around my topper. The aluminum sides were originally built so I could out a full width topper on my flair side bed and still use a ladder rack for my siding business. My ladder rack has been braced by welding in metal. I'm sure similar could be done for your use case.

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i like this idea, so the aluminum extensions are just bolted to the topper and then bolted into the bed rails?

 

[purple94]

It would be better to have the rack wrap around the cap, and probably easier.

A solid flat bar sandwiched between the bed and the cap with uprights welded to it going up to the cross rails.

Since you are talking about overlanding, the rack needs to beefed up compared to a standard on the road rack.

For a point of reference, the reenforced caps I have with mounts for roof rails call for the weight it can carry being reduced by 1/3, for the one with rails that run the length of the cap to mount the cross rails, to 1/2 for the one that just has landing pads to mount the rails.

Also, part of the reason I suggest a wrap around rather than reenforcing the cap is that a cap not designed to hold a load, with crack at the corners of the hatch opening. It might not happen immediately, but it will eventually. So, unless you build and entire cage in the interior of the cap to hold the load, the cap won't support it long term. Plus, it will be more difficult to build a cage inside compared to one that wraps around the outside. And you can add panels to hold other gear on an external rack that you can't on an interior one.

EDIT: To Curious Hound's point, make at least some of it bolt together so it is easier to get it mounted around the cap. And it will make it easier to to remove the capthan trying to slide it out from under the rack.

you think just sandwiched between and run bolts through the flat bar and topper into the bed?

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

I bolted the aluminum to the bed rail first with bolts that have similar angles as a wood screw. In one of the pics you can see the hole drilled to accept the angled head. Once bolted down the top of the head is flush with the top of the aluminum. Then I bolt down the topper, then the rack. In a week or two I'll be putting that setup on my dodge truck. I'll take some more detailed pics then.

 

[sgtsandman]

This looks pretty much perfect, just wonder how the rack is affixed to the bed under the topper there. the tent weighs about 100 lbs and one or two people sleeping would bring it to about 400 ish so i need some good stability especially for climbing in and out

To make sure the legs don't spread over time, I would either bolt the mounting plate to the bed with tapered machine screws so the cap and sit flat on top and get a good seal or bolt directly through both the cap and the plate to the bed rails. It depends on if you want to use the C-clamps made for bed caps, which you already have, or just eliminate them. Regular bolts through both is probably going to be stronger. I just depends on how you want to set it up.

Either way, to make life easier on yourself for if you ever want to take the rack off, having the cross rails bolt into the uprights wouldn't be a horrible idea. And it would give you more room to remove or install the cap if you want to have the rack hug the top of the cap pretty closely.

 

[sgtsandman]

you think just sandwiched between and run bolts through the flat bar and topper into the bed?

Yes, that would work. You would want either 3/16 inch or 1/4 inch flat bar for strength. I gave some more food for thought in another post before I saw your reply.

 

[Curious Hound]

bolts that have similar angles as a wood screw.

tapered machine screws so the cap and sit flat on top

Officially called flat "countersunk head" because they're flat on top and the head is countersunk into the material.

Or, if your material is thick enough, you can machine a counterbored hole with flat bottom and use almost any "non-countersunk" head screw.

Lesson for the day concluded