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Truck Racks Aren’t Just for Contractors: 8 Ways to Use a Truck Rack

When most people think of truck racks, they envision contractor’s trucks -- often beat-up pickups with precariously mounted metal racks in their beds.  While truck racks are well suited to a contractor’s needs, they are also very versatile, practical accessories with many different uses.

To give you a taste of why truck racks are so popular among pickup truck owners, here are 8 ways to use a truck rack.

1. Hauling ladders and lumber.

As already noted, truck racks are the perfect solution for a contractor’s needs.  Strong ladder racks provide a way to haul ladders and lumber horizontally without hanging them off the end of the bed.  Painters, auto glass installers, and similar professionals may also find that truck racks make it easier to haul their equipment and supplies.

When purchased to suit a contractor’s needs, truck racks need to be very sturdy and reliable.  Most likely a rack that features a permanent type of installation will work best for these purposes.

2. The cyclist’s best friend.

Cycling is a popular sport in many areas, but unless you have an awesome network of bike routes in your city, you probably have to drive to get to the trailheads.  Therefore finding a way to haul bikes is an issue for many people.

Truck racks make a great way to haul bikes -- much more appropriate than some of the other options, such as trunk racks for sedans.  While bikes tend to bang around a lot when hung on the end of a trunk, truck racks enable you to secure them better -- often without having to take off the front tire, either.

3. Hitting the slopes.

Skis are another piece of sports equipment that is large and unwieldy, making transportation difficult.  Leaving your skis loose in the bed of the truck to rattle and bang around isn’t good for either your skis or your truck, and most sedans don’t have enough room inside to carry skis safely.  Truck racks and roof racks for sedans and SUVS solve this problem by enabling you to fasten your skis securely to the rack.

4. Four-wheeling glory.

Four-wheelers and ATVs -- small vehicles that people often drive on trails and across rough terrain in parks and open space -- are another type of sports equipment that must be hauled to your destination.  Believe it or not, you can haul ATVs on truck racks and ladder racks -- the racks are made to withstand heavy loads such as an ATV, and keep the vehicle level and steady during transportation.  Truck racks also make it fairly easy to load and unload ATVs, giving you more time to have fun when you reach your destination.

5. Carrying kayaks and canoes.

There is seemingly no end to the sports equipment that can be hauled on a truck rack!  For obvious reasons, kayaks and canoes need to be transported to your destination, unless of course you live in Venice or happen to have a river running through your backyard.  No matter how graceful these boats are in the water, they are heavy and unwieldy out of it.  Truck racks provide a strong, secure method of transporting kayaks and canoes from point A to point B!

6. A place to put your luggage.

Whether you are taking your family on a road trip or run a shuttle service, truck racks and roof racks for vans and SUVs provide a great place to stash luggage.  If you have four or more people in your family or if you have full occupancy in your shuttle, interior space will be at a premium, so why not move some of the luggage to the exterior?  Luggage racks can help cut down on sibling squabbles during road trips -- or, for the shuttle owner, they can help to create a more organized and professional appearance to appeal to riders.

7. Saving space with cargo boxes.

Even when you are not taking a road trip or taking on passengers, space inside a vehicle -- particularly a truck -- is at a premium.  Just thing about all the things you take with you when you leave the house -- things that quickly pile up inside the car -- and you will understand what I mean.

A truck rack offers a practical solution to this problem, as it can carry a couple cargo boxes.  Instead of keeping things you rarely use inside the truck, you can put them inside the cargo boxes, and save the cab space for more important things -- like your friends and family.

8. Just for looks!

Of course, you really don’t need to have a practical reason to put a truck rack on your truck.  Many people buy truck racks just because they like the way they look.  Many truck racks -- such as certain models of headache racks -- are compatible with light racks and other truck accessories, making them ideal choices for anyone who wants to improve the appearance of their truck.

Whatever reason you have for wanting a truck rack, you have every reason to be happy with your investment – truck racks are some of the most versatile and useful accessories you can buy!

About the Author

Andy West is a freelance writer for BuyAutoTruckAccessories a website offering a huge selection of Truck Accessories at the lowest prices.

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Can you suggest a bike rack for a car?

I am looking for a dependable bike rack for my car. I am leery of the trunk mount bike racks (it looks like they would fall off if you hit a bump). That pretty much leaves roof mount or hitch mount rigs. My car is a 2001 Honda Accord Coupe. I will be transporting one bike that has quick release hubs both front and back. I am not looking to spends several hundred dollars, but I understand what I get is what I pay for so I'm not about to spend $50 down at wal-mart only to cause a 30 car pile up on the highway when the POS falls off. I'm looking for the middle ground...does any have recommendations???????????????? Thanks.

A roof rack is actually going to cost you at least $150 plus, because first you have to buy the rack itself (unless you already have a rack for skis or something), and then you have to buy the bike mount, which is at least $50, if not more. If you do go this route, Yakima (pronounced Yak em a) and Thule are both good brands.

The trunk rack is actually not bad. I used one of those for many years, with no problems. They are easy to put on, and I transported my bike to many races without losing the thing. Your bike gets less abuse following the car (as opposed to riding the roof where it is exposed to rocks and bugs and such). While I did use a Wal-Mart type of trunk rack, you can buy a better brand. Don't forget to use bungee cords, as you will need with a hitch mount anyways.

Here are some links you can browse at Nashbar.com

Hitch mounts:

http://www.nashbar.com/results.cfm?category=71&subcategory=1019&storetype=&estoreid=&init=y&pagename=

Trunk mounts:

http://www.nashbar.com/results.cfm?category=71&subcategory=1021&storetype=&estoreid=&init=y&pagename=

Links to all types at Nashbar:

http://www.nashbar.com/subcategories.cfm?category=71

If you are concerned about trunk mounts and cost, the hitch rack is your choice, provided you already have a hitch installed on your car (I'm assuming you do). I actually use a hitch mount now that holds four bikes...and it works good also.

Important Tip: if you go with the roof mount, I have to warn you about this. I witnessed first hand a guy destroy his roof rack, damage his car, and his bike, when he drove into a parking lot with one of those "low clearance" signs, and the bar hanging down. The bar clipped his bike, and tore the whole assembly from the top of his car. Don't forget you have additional height up there!!

Yakima KingJoe Trunk Mounted Bike Rack Review - etrailer.com