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Bed Rack for Ram 1500

Dgulia

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Any suggestions for bed rack on Ram 1500?
Mostly for mounting roof top tent.
Thanks in advance
 
I'm very happy with my Xtrusion Overland rack. Prior to it, I had a Front Runner rack, and prior to that, a Yakima Overhaul HD.

Each had their pro's and con's. The XO rack is the most modular. I went from the Front Runner to XO because I wanted additional height. The Front Runner rack is about 9" high; the XO 18" (The Yakima has an adjustable height).

The low height of the Front Runner was a blessing and a curse. On the positive side, it kept my tent below the Ram's roof, reducing wind noise and drag. On the other hand, it made getting into the bed to get stuff out harder, and I wouldn't have been able to mount that Offroad Solar Shower Tube under the tent like you see here.

The biggest pro of the Front Runner rack was that it was the easiest of the three to put on and take off. With the XO, I've accepted the fact I'll leave the rack on year round, especially now that I've run wire from that black box on the side into the bed of the truck. The box serves as a junction box for wiring for lights, as well as for running power from solar panels on top of the tent to a charger and battery inside the bed.

tempImage0P0rTh.jpg
 
I have the Ramboxes on my truck so if you in the same situation as me you will be limited on what you can add to the bed of your truck.

I fabricated an aluminum rolling bed for my truck, it locks at 3 position, fully in, even to the tailgate and 24” past the tailgate. It has to lock because if I was to open the tailgate while on an incline the rolling bed and stuff roll out.
 

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Here are shots of my two previous setups. If you happen to be in the Atlanta area and are interested in the Front Runner, I should list that for sale. You can use it as a full rack as seen here, or as two or three cross bars. I've got it mounted to a Retrax XR, but there are other mounting options, as well.

tempImageAwmWd2.jpgtempImagefPtBeE.jpg
 
2a744c8dfc9f88035deacaef768b4ea9.jpg

Rci aluminum with tonneau adapters. Peragon cover


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Same... I've been considering Billie Bars. I don't want to lose my tonneau.
 
I'm very happy with my Xtrusion Overland rack. Prior to it, I had a Front Runner rack, and prior to that, a Yakima Overhaul HD.

Each had their pro's and con's. The XO rack is the most modular. I went from the Front Runner to XO because I wanted additional height. The Front Runner rack is about 9" high; the XO 18" (The Yakima has an adjustable height).

The low height of the Front Runner was a blessing and a curse. On the positive side, it kept my tent below the Ram's roof, reducing wind noise and drag. On the other hand, it made getting into the bed to get stuff out harder, and I wouldn't have been able to mount that Offroad Solar Shower Tube under the tent like you see here.

The biggest pro of the Front Runner rack was that it was the easiest of the three to put on and take off. With the XO, I've accepted the fact I'll leave the rack on year round, especially now that I've run wire from that black box on the side into the bed of the truck. The box serves as a junction box for wiring for lights, as well as for running power from solar panels on top of the tent to a charger and battery inside the bed.

View attachment 140408
How is this set up holding up in 2024? Do you still like having it on all year? Is it easy to crawl in there to grab gear near the back of the truck? I'm considering getting one for my truck.
 
How is this set up holding up in 2024? Do you still like having it on all year? Is it easy to crawl in there to grab gear near the back of the truck? I'm considering getting one for my truck.
It’s holding up well. I did remove it once, when I needed to pick up some furniture, and it wasn’t so bad. I set up my wiring so I could easily disconnect things in case I needed to remove it.

I got an 18” rack, which was about as tall as I could go and still fit in my garage with the roof top tent on. Cab height is 22” or 23”. That would make it even easier to crawl in, but 18” isn’t bad at all.

Before that, I had a much lower Front Runner rack, and crawling in the bed with that was difficult. I prefer the XO by far. Plus, the XO is much more versatile.

I’ve mounted a water tank and a propane tank to the t-slots in the extrusion, and I could mount so much more.

The only obvious wear is the powder coating has come off in a few spots, mainly where the rooftop tent sits. But it’s nothing major.

Now all that said, if I were to do this all over, instead of the combination of Retrax cover, XO rack, and Roofnest tent, I think I would go with something like a Lone Peak Overland camper. But then I really would be stuck with that on my truck all the time; it’s considerably heavier and less versatile than the XO rack.
 

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