building ladder racks & preferred toolbox

[Charles McKinley]

Hi All,

I just bougth an '84 full size truck with an 8' bed from my brother.

Has anyone built their own ladderacks or can recommend a good set that doesn't cost an arm and a leg?

I thought I would get input before I jumped into this project. I really like the set that came with my Dad's truck and want to add a set to my truck.

What type of in bed tool box(es) do you like. I have an across bed single lid box now but am interested in input on others to add or maybe replace it with eventually (side rail boxes, ones that contour over the wheel well, etc)

Thanks in advance.

[Jason Roehl]

Hi All,

I just bougth an '84 full size truck with an 8' bed from my brother.

Has anyone built their own ladderacks or can recommend a good set that doesn't cost an arm and a leg?

I thought I would get input before I jumped into this project. I really like the set that came with my Dad's truck and want to add a set to my truck.

What type of in bed tool box(es) do you like. I have an across bed single lid box now but am interested in input on others to add or maybe replace it with eventually (side rail boxes, ones that contour over the wheel well, etc)

Thanks in advance.

Chuck, I sure have built my own ladder rack. If you want a good one that holds any amount of weight, you're looking at $500 on up. For $120 in tube steel and 6 hours in my father-in-laws farm shop on a MIG welder and metal-cutting bandsaw, I have a pretty nice ladder rack. No, the welds aren't pretty (it was my first time welding), but I built it with the 4' extension over the cab, and once it was mounted, I could stand on the very end of that extension. I wouldn't hesitate to put 1000 lbs. on this ladder rack if I had to. A couple more hours with steel wool and a 4" roller, and it was painted black. Screwed on a couple cleats then, too. I also made the rear crossmember removable with a couple lynch-pins so that if I were loading/unloading a bunch of stuff, I wouldn't be cracking my head a bunch.

As a matter of fact, the thing is just sitting right now as I have switched to using a topper. I also have some toolboxes just sitting waiting to be sold. If you get toolboxes, spend the $$$ on the brite-tread type--they last alot longer (looks-wise) than any of the others I've seen.

[Craig Howard]

Hi Charles,
This is what I did with about $30 worth of yellow cypress. It was done mostly for ladders, the occasional canoe and has also carried some 16' decking without any strain. If you do build one yourself, make sure it's high enough for the toolbox lid to open completely. DAMHIKT ;-)

Craig