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Made a contractor/ladder rack for the bed of the Colorado.

6.7K views 15 replies 11 participants last post by  Boulder Canyon  
#1 ·
So I've been wanting a ladder rack or contractor rack for the bed of the Colorado to tote kayaks on above the roof line leaving room in the bed for all the camping gear and allowing me to have a place to sleep in the bed. I bought $65 worth of steel and made my rack based on the Yakima Outdoorsman 300 with my own mods. The rack is much stronger than the Yakima and installs in seconds. I'm probably gonna leave it on for the majority of the time and if i need to put something large in the bed i'll probably just take the rear one off and leave the front one on.

Here's the pics.

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This is how the bolts are bolted through the bed rail. I have a 2" 3/8s bolt welded at the head through a 1"square tube at 6" long and it goes under the bed rail to distribute the force along the length of the bed rail for windload when boats are on top and I'm drviving down the road.

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#3 ·
Nice rack. :kiki:
 
#6 ·
nufsaid. that's what i was going for. all i want it to do is tote boats and allow me to haul longer loads when necessary above the roofline of the cab.

there's all kinds of elaborate single piece racks out there...but that's not what i wanted.
like some of these. look at the price tags too.
Contractor Rack - Compare Prices, Reviews and Buy at NexTag - Price - Review

i wanted something close to this...
Buy Yakima Outdoorsman 300 Full-Size Rack - Yakima at Moosejaw - Free Shipping

which is 470 total price. you have to have 2 sets of towers and 2 cross bars.

i essentially made that for 70 bucks. win!

and unick...i believe this is referring to you.

Urban Dictionary: Unick
 
#7 ·
nufsaid. that's what i was going for. all i want it to do is tote boats and allow me to haul longer loads when necessary above the roofline of the cab.

there's all kinds of elaborate single piece racks out there...but that's not what i wanted.
like some of these. look at the price tags too.
Contractor Rack - Compare Prices, Reviews and Buy at NexTag - Price - Review

i wanted something close to this...
Buy Yakima Outdoorsman 300 Full-Size Rack - Yakima at Moosejaw - Free Shipping

which is 470 total price. you have to have 2 sets of towers and 2 cross bars.

i essentially made that for 70 bucks. win!

and unick...i believe this is referring to you.

Urban Dictionary: Unick
haha, thats just fucked up.
 
#8 ·
nope thats not refering to me at all, a man with no balles is a eunuch. Just casue people on the internet are as dumb as rocks doesnt mean unick = eunuch. If you dont want peoples opinions stay off the internet. If you only want good things said about your contraption then go to The Search Engine that Does at InfoWeb.net Its cool that you built it yourself but it looks like something my 6yo nephew would build.
 
#10 ·
There is also a way to say that you don't like something without being ignorant too. Most of the time it is the way something is put that makes someone mad not the fact that you don't like what they have done.

Personally it's not my thing I don't really like ladder racks but I guess if you use it than it makes sense. I think you should put a tarp over it when your not using it so you have a modern day covered wagon then it would be sick. :lol:
 
#13 ·
tonka. that's in the process for camping. tarp/bugnet sewned together. to sleep in the bed. gonna put a 4 plug 12v receptacle in two to plug in 2 clip fans to move air through it and 2 extras for phone/ipod chargers and what not.

and unick. don't get so worked up man. i am looking for opinions. just not asshole statements like yours. and that's awesome that your 6yo nephew can run a millermatic 252...i'm assuming just your nephew...because you don't have balls, and don't have your own spawn...HAHA i'm sorry. that's wrong again.

i forgot to get pics of it with boats on top the other day. i'll have to get those soon.