How to Carry Canoe on 2004 Ford F-150 Towing Coachmen Trailer Trailer  

Question:

Expert Reply:

Most of the Coachmen Apex travel trailers shown on their website include several common rooftop features like antennas, air conditioners, ducts and vents. The AC units tend to be fairly tall, most about 12- to 15-inches, and racks made for trailer roofs, like # RA-28, are not tall enough to clear these. Apart from that you have the matter of getting the canoe about 9 or 10 feet in the air!

I can suggest a better option; using a front hitch on your 2004 F-150 along with a load support and roof rack on the cab. Not only does this lower the loading height of the canoe but it also means no drilling into the camper's roof to install a rack up there.

We offer Draw-Tite front hitch # 65043 that will bolt on (no drilling) and sit just below the front bumper as shown in the linked photo. Now you can install a carrier setup like the Darby # DTA944-968-924 which includes an adjustable T-type hitch load support, a single adjustable roof rack crossbar that does not require permanent installation on the cab and a foam block for providing protection from bumps for your canoe. Please look at the video I linked to see more details on the Darby setup.

Some accessory items you might consider are a hitch lock # e98880 for securing the T-support, an anti-rattle brace # RM-061 to keep it steady and noise-free in the hitch and some tie-downs like # E98876-4 to secure the canoe.

Also please note that having a front hitch on the F-150 means you can use a bike rack, cargo carrier or even a hitch-mount snow plow like # SB324-081. A front hitch also makes it a lot easier to maneuver your trailer into your campsite or garage.

expert reply by: Adam R

0

click to enlarge