New homemade bike rack for my 2021 F-150

[bobstar]

I wanted a bike rack for my new PowerBoost F-150 that would carry two or three bikes solidly in the bed, work with the installed tracks of my LoMax tonneau cover, and could be installed and uninstalled easily. I couldn't find anything that met those requirements so I made this simple one out of aluminum C-channel (5' x 2-1/2" x 1" x 1/8") with Thule fork mounts bolted to the top. I notched the ends so the top of the channel is at the same level as the front of the bed, and later welded a piece of aluminum to rest on the front of the bed for added stability. Each end has a piece of plate underneath that tightens using wing nuts (underneath). The screws on the left side fit in slots in the channel so they can slide left-to-right to make mounting/unmounting easier. I also wrapped the ends with racing tape so they wouldn't scratch the LoMax tonneau tracks.

Good job!

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[syne7]

I received a quick reply back from Ride88. They took measurements of their rack system mounted using the two OEM holes located on the upper sides near the bulkhead. As it turns out, you need more than the 5" of clearance from the the bulkhead that the Leer HF650M cover provides.

As @syne7 suggested, Ride88's recommendation is to use their Ford Bracket Adapter, which utilizes the two front Boxlinks to secure the rack system. This does place the rack further back in the bed, but even with a 5.5' bed, a typical 29'r would still fit, although you would need the tailgate down.

Glad to hear they responded.

 

[Zyvin]

I took a few pics today. It looks to be 5 3/4” from the inside front edge of the bed. I know the angle isn’t ideal and my cover is in the way, but that is from the inside of the bulkhead. The top of the tape is even with the top of the bed. I raised it a little in the second picture to show how high it is to remove my bike and it’s at 5 1/2”. Note: I have 27.5 wheels.

It would be close but heck, I think it would work. They may give measurements with it all the way open to be safe.

 

[Smitdog]

I took a few pics today. It looks to be 5 3/4” from the inside front edge of the bed. I know the angle isn’t ideal and my cover is in the way, but that is from the inside of the bulkhead. The top of the tape is even with the top of the bed. I raised it a little in the second picture to show how high it is to remove my bike and it’s at 5 1/2”. Note: I have 27.5 wheels.

It would be close but heck, I think it would work. They may give measurements with it all the way open to be safe.

Thanks for the additional measurements @Zyvin.

I had the guy at Ride88 take measurements, as he has 5.5' bed and a 29'r. He indicated I should go with the Boxlink adapters to get the required clearance with my flip-up tonneau cover.

 

[bobstar]

The tail gates are so thick now at the top, My Cube e mountain bikes would not sit well on the tailgate if at all, the geometry is different

Tail gate is way to wide for cube bikes

 

[AdAstra911]

The bikes are too long for that in my short bed. I plan to just take the cover off. I considered the LoMax Stance, which stands against the cab so you don't need to remove it. But that cover requires attaching latches to the roof to hold it. I didn't want to do that and went with the standard cover instead, so I'll just take it off when I put the bikes in.

Hi and sorry for the reviving, I didn't find the more suitable thread. You did a great job and thank you for sharing. Can you advise a ready-to-go similar rack which fits 3 large bikes on the market?
We got electric bikes, they are heavy...(specs are here)
Cheers
Frank

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