High-Mount Load Bar Adapter for Erickson Big Bed Load Extender

Video Transcript for Erickson Big Bed Load Extender High-Mount Load Bar Adapter Review

A.J. What's up everybody It's AJ with etrailer.com. Today, we're gonna be checking out the Erickson high Mount adapter for the big bed extender. So this is gonna turn your big bed extender from going from tailgate level to lifting it up, and about cab level, as long as you have a roof rack to go, you can put a longer ladder up top, instead of in the bed. We have our adapter laid out here on the ground. I'm gonna show you it comes in a couple different pieces. And what we're gonna do, is first, we're gonna attach this portion to this portion here, which is gonna become the new shorter shank, so that we can flip this around, and it's gonna reach up taller.

So we're gonna start there and that's what we're gonna do right now. So I'm gonna get down here, I'm gonna grab this, act as a shank, we're gonna line it up with these two holes here. You see this one and this one, there's only two holes in there. So then we'll run those bolts through, get that attached. And the only tools you really need are the ratchet and the wrench, So that's kind of a nice thing as well.

You don't have to get a bunch of power tools or anything out. All right, it's gonna Line up that hole, that's gonna help it stay in place, and put the nut on this side, and get that hand tight, and I'll come back with the tools and tighten it down. We're gonna do the same thing with this hole down here. So we got our wrench and socket here, they're both gonna be 19 millimeters. So we're gonna put this on the edge of the bolt here and this side on the nut and just tighten it down.

Now we're gonna flip it around. This is gonna be the shank. This is gonna make more sense here in just a second. So we'll just flip this, put this end down in our hitch and now we've got that height adjustment. Now you will have to get a hitch pin and clip on your own, it doesn't come with it.

So we're gonna get the hole lined up down here, install that pin and clip. Now we're gonna add our adapter on there. I think we're gonna keep it right about there, to get it to match the height on the cab, when we add the next piece. So what I'm gonna do is put our pin and clip. Now we're gonna put our arms in there. Now, one thing I wanna point out when I'm sliding in place, give just a second to get it right. There we go. We're gonna point out this stopper, that once stopped the arms, are actually gonna stop it now, in this section to keep this in place and I'm gonna ahead lower the arms now so they don't fall down later on. I'll put our pin and clip in, and that's gonna help hold it there. Now, when you're all done, you're gonna have one more bolt and nut left over from the whole kit put together. So just keep this aside if you want to de-convert it back to what it was. We're gonna have one bolt and nut left over, so we're gonna, mark, set that aside, if we ever want to take this apart and take it back to the lower bed extender. Now it'd time to load up the ladder. Things to think about is gonna be weight capacity, so it's gonna have a weight capacity of 400 pounds, but always go by the lowest weight capacity. So look at your hitch and your vehicle, and go with that. If it's lower than 400 pounds, go by that. Cuz you don't want anything to fail when you're loading this up. So Dave's gonna help me load up this ladder. I'm gonna be up here and help guide it onto the roof because it's kind of a big ladder. So there's gonna be an issue to do it solo. Got it up, lots of rails, I think it looks good there. Thanks Dave. With the ladder loaded, we got it strapped down, with the help of the e trailer cam level straps here, that got a lot of the shake and play out of the top portion too. You see, this is me shaking back and forth, now with the anti rattle device down here at the base of the hitch, and this up top, it's moving a whole lot less which makes it even more comfortable to be driving down the road, which is what we're gonna do next. Now, it also comes with a flag. So, it's a red flag, let's you know that you have an extended load on your vehicle, just in case somebody doesn't see you down the road. I use a Caribbean clip here, just to attach it, so it's easy to clip on there, and take off when I'm done using it. If you plan on hauling longer ladders like this, it is recommended that you have a roof rack system on your truck as well. You can find that with our fit guide on the website, just enter your truck in, you'll be able to find the one that works for you, so you can carry those longer loads. Let's see how it handles when we're going in the parking lot. It's time for the main event. Now we're gonna go over the bumps on the bumps course first, see how this handles. I'm gonna keep an eye back there on how much the ladder's moving. So like we got a little movement in the extender, it's going back and forth, but I don't hear anything, so that's good. We are hitting kind of aggressive bumps, so there is gonna be some movement, especially with just pins in there. Looks like the straps are staying tight and everything, so that's another thing to look out for. All right, now that we're clear of that, I can go a little bit faster in the parking lot, and keep an eye on there. We're gonna make our way to the other side, where I can make aggressive turns, and see how it holds up. All right, now we're in the other section of the parking lot, and we're gonna speed up and make some turns. This time, the extender looks like it's staying in place pretty well. And again, I don't hear any rattling or movements, so that's a good thing. Overall, I really like the adapter, just because you don't have to buy a whole new setup. So if you already have the big, bed extender it's already down here, you just add this adapter, and use what you got. So that means you don't have to invest in a ladder rack, that some of those are permanent installs. So, you're gonna have to permanently mount those to your truck. This way, you can add it with your roof rack system, and keep your tonneau cover too, and everything still works and it's again, not permanent. So when you're not using it, it easily comes back out and stores in your garage and you have your normal truck set up. Well, I think that does it. Thanks for hanging out. I hope this helps..