Fink

Been looking through all the forums about bed racks and I'm kind of stuck on what to do.

I thought I'd post up all of my ideas/options and see what you guys think.
I'll start with the most ideal and work my way back...

First of all, if none of you have seen TACODOC's Tacoma then you have really not seen a Tacoma at all - it is simply a work of art.

My ideal option would be to have somebody fab up a solid, one-piece rack that integrates with the deck rail system.
Pro's to this are first off all strength, closely followed by customization options, functionality and aesthetics.

I mean, how awesome does this look?


(pic courtesy of TACODOC)

Second-most preferred method would be a pre-made adjustable system by Thule or Yakima.
The Yakima option being my most preferred from a looks and expense standpoint.

It's the Yakima Outdoorsman 300 to be exact.
The rack mounts into the deck rail system and is just as adjustable as any of the accessories made for the rail system.

Total for this system would be around $325 for just the towers, then you have to add the crossbars, mounts and the basket itself.

It sits on top of the bed side and also mounts to the deck rail system.

I have yet to see one on a Tacoma on any of the forums I'm on unless I missed it in the hundreds of posts I've been reading the past few days.

Here's a stock photo from Yakima:



I'd end up getting the 48" crossbars and most likely mounting a Yakima MegaWarrior to it.

Pic of the MegaWarrior for those who have lived in a cave for the past 10 years and never seen one:



It would be just as wide as the bars and about 10" narrower than the bed.
It'd be about 8" shorter than the bed itself which is just about perfect since the bed rails don't go the full length of the bed.

The Outdoorsman is a little bittersweet though...the height is not adjustable.
I can't decide if I like the look of the full-height bed racks with the baskets on them or not.
The plus side to that is that I can mount lights on the front and rear.

I don't think clearance will be an issue until I lift it which won't be for a long while.

The Thule Xsporter is another option.
It's the same concept as the Yakima Outdoorsman just slightly different - biggest difference? Price.
Runs about $550 at the lowest I've seen.

The nice thing about this system is the strength and that it can be adjusted horizontally and vertically.
It's not nearly as clean/sleek looking as the Yakima one but I could get over it.

If I'm reading it right it will not only sit on top of the bed rail for strength but it also mounts to the deck rail system just like the Yakima.
For some reason, it looks a little sturdier to me than that Yakima does but it also looks more bulk and not as sleek...especially since it's silver.
They make brackets that bolt right into the rail system for around $45.

Here's a stock photo from Thule:



Here's what it looks like with a kayak mounted on it:



Here's a shot of the mount for the Toyota rails:



Another option that is gaining my attention is just mounting a basket directly onto the cleats in the deck rail system.
This would allow me to keep a sleeker look and spend less money.
However I would not be able to utilize the basket for lights on the front - I plan on getting an aftermarket light bar for that anyway.

Biggest downside to this setup is it relies solely on the deck rails for support.

There are several ways of accomplishing this but the easiest and cheapest looks to be using the Toyota Cargo Cross Bars attached to the cleats and then the basket on top.
The bars are rated at 125lbs according to my parts guy at the local dealership.

Mounting it should be just as simple as any setup.

I'm really starting to dig the look of it.

Here's a pic I got over on TTORA of a dude running just a basket on what looks to be rain-gutter mounts or maybe homemade ones...hard to tell.


(pic courtesy of SmittyT2k6 on TTORA)

With the light bar on the front and the four lights mounted on it along with the stock head/fog lights that will be plenty of light forward.
I'll probably mount two rectangular lights facing rearward and that should cover me pretty well there.

Here's another shot of a basket mounted on what the OP says are Yakima racks...not sure what he means...


(pic courtesy of ffproulx on TTORA)

I really like this option - I think it being a little elevated adds to the looks and the functionality of the bed.

Overall this would be the cheapest option - cargo bars at about $100 from the dealer, necessary mounting brackets $50ish and then the basket.
I'm pretty sure that the bars themselves have brackets that are made to work with most Yakima products.

I'm leaning more towards a Surco Safari rack though...I think that would look the best in this application.
If I were to go with the elevated bed rack look, like the Yakima Outdoorsman or Thule Xsporter I would go with the Yakima LoadWarrior probably since the contours on it look better in that application.

So many decisions...

Sorry for the long, wordy thread...I wanted to lay it all out there and get some opinions on it before pulling the trigger on anything.

Thanks guys!

Fink

Bobcat Sig

I would go with an option similar to what you've listed in the last two pictures. I have a similar set up on my Taco for my ski racks. I strapped my Thule load bars to the movable cleats. Conceivably, you could then mount a basket, just as you've shown here.

Go for it!

Fink

When you say you strapped them to the cleats? How did you do that?
How sturdy is it? Rattle at all?

Thanks,

Fink

yotaduck

I'd sooner run a canopy with a Yakima on top than a bed rack, but I like the first option. TACODOC's set up does look pretty sweet though.

Fink

Canopy + Yakima = $$$

Fink

TACODOC

I like the Mega Warrior option, you can go any direction with that and the weight will be minimal + low COG, and it will leave capacity for cargo

Fink

I just need to figure out how to mount it on the bed.

I'm thinking two brackets...angle iron on both ends that not only bold to the deck rail system but also rest on top of the bed sides.
Then somehow mount some towers on them for the cross bars to go across.

I'd still prefer the Surco rack since it's just a simple basket and it doesn't necessarily have a direction that it looks best in.

Fink

dannomite

I don't know if anyone has mentioned CBI yet. They seem pretty eager to make what ever people need. Here is a link to a tire carrier but I think it could easily be modified to hold a basket.
http://cbioffroadfab.com/v-web/galle...age0012?full=1

Fink

I had honestly completely forgotten they made that tire carrier.
I'll have to email them and see if they can give me a quote for modifying that to mount a Surco to and also for the 2nd gen Tacoma bed rail.

Thanks Dan,

Fink

Fink

I think I just had a genius moment...

Take some angle iron and use it for the actual mount which would rest on top of the bed side and also be able to be bolted into the bed rail system using stock Toyota replacement parts.

Then weld the Surco Channel Adapters...



...onto the angle...then use those channel adapters to mount the crossbars...



This way I have the Surco crossbars a few inches above the level of the bed and I can mount the basket straight to those as you would with any other setup.

Thoughts?

Fink

waskillywabbit

iTrader: (-1)

Depends on the width of your bed relative to the width of those cross bar thingies. But I guess you could always cut the cross bars to fit the width.

Fink

Bed is 57 1/8" wide and I can get 60" crossbars from Surco.
With the channel adapters having the legs on them that angle in at least an inch or two, 60" bars should be perfect.

But yeah, you're right...they could always be cut down.

Fink

TACODOC

I highly recommend CBI - he made my rear bumper.

Also, try to avoid cobbling together too much with the rail system/crossbars/towers/basket option. I know guys who have had these types of setups go south at the worst time due to too many fasteners/points of failure - a solid crossbar system that slides into the bed rail system and then has the basket bolt to it would be ideal as there are less things to work loose.

Well worth the money to do it right the first time with custom fabbed cross bars vice buying all the Thule/Yakima type stuff just to have to do it over again...

YMMV

waskillywabbit

iTrader: (-1)

Fink

I think with the setup I have planned it should be plenty strong.
With the channel adapters welded to the angle and the bars mounted directly to those that leaves very few stress points.

Plus, the heaviest thing I will ever haul up there is maybe a spare tire but that won't be until I go up to 285's (over a year if not longer).

I emailed CBI lining out what I had in mind but I haven't heard back...been close to a week now...we'll see.

Fink