2018 Ford F-150 6-1/2' Bed Ladder Rack Recommendation To Fit With OEM Tonneau Cover

Question:

John, Thanks for the reply a few days ago. My bed cover sits on top of the bed. I like it but not married to it. Let me know what you think Jon.

asked by: Kirby P

Helpful Expert Reply:

As long as the tonneau cover on your 2018 Ford F-150 6-1/2' bed has rails that mount inside your bed you have a few ladder rack options. For one that will for sure work we have the Thule TracRac SR Sliding Truck Bed Ladder Rack # TH43002XT-501. This has rails that mount on top of your truck bed sides and then the uprights can be adjusted back and forth to accommodate a wide variety of applications. This ladder rack uses a T-Track system that is also compatible with track-mount accessories like the Thule Hull-A-Port Aero Kayak Carrier w/ Tie-Downs # TH849000.

If are unsure of how your tonneau cover mounts go ahead and send me some photos of the cover and the rails used to install it on your truck so I can get a better idea of what we're dealing with. Attached is an installation video of the TracRac SR on a 2019 F-150 for you to check out.

expert reply by: Jon G

2018 Ford F-150 with OEM Tonneau Cover
(click to enlarge)

Kirby F.

4/20/2022

John, Thanks for the reply a few days ago. My bed cover sits on top of the bed. I like it but not married to it. Let me know what you think Jon.

Jon G.

4/20/2022

Thank you for the photo! Since that tonneau sits on top of the bed rails there won't be any room for a ladder rack so I'm glad you said you aren't married to that cover. For your application I recommend pairing the Leer Matte Black Hard Folding Tonneau Cover # LE44FR with the Thule TracRac SR Sliding Truck Bed Ladder Rack # TH43002XT-501 that I mentioned above. The Elevate has a 500 lb weight capacity and height adjustment for 18" or 28" and it uses crossbars that have the same dimensions as a roof rack while the TracRac SR uses a fixed height sliding rack that has a weight rating of 1,250 lbs. I like the Elevate rack better because you can fit pretty much any carrier, like the etrailer # e98878, but for the TracRac SR the carrier has to be able to mount via T-Slots like what we find with the Thule Hull-A-Port # TH849000.