Rail Mounted Ladder Rack For 2021 Ford F150 Short Bed

Updated 01/27/2026 | Published 08/25/2024

Question:

Good afternoon. I have a 2021 f150 short bed with a backflip mx4 tri fold cover. I’m looking to mount cross bars for a rooftop tent on the bed. I was thinking the 54” camper shell roof rack mounts bolted onto bed rails would work. Can’t find much info, but I’m mechanically inclined and could drill into bed rails if necessary. Do you’ll have any recommendations? Looking for t slot rails with crossbars that can be removed to access bed tri fold hard tonneau. Any info would be greatly appreciated. Cheers- Aaron

asked by: Aaron W

Expert Reply:

Hello Aaron, thanks for reaching out. The best option for this is to use the Thule TracRac SR Sliding Truck Bed Ladder Rack # TH43002XT-508. It uses heavy-duty crossbars with top channels for mounting accessories. The crossbars have a 1,250 lb carrying capacity.

This rack uses T-track base rails that run the full length of the bed. This makes the uprights and crossbars easily adjustable since they can be positioned anywhere along the rail. The rails install into the stake pockets which makes it compatible with your BAKflip tonneau cover. You may need to cut out the front stake pocket in order to install the rail, but it sounds like you are comfortable with that kind of stuff.

We made a video that goes over the Thule TracRac SR Sliding Truck Bed Ladder Rack in more detail, and you will find a link to the video just below. Feel free to reach out if you have any other questions.

expert reply by: Jesse M

Jesse M.

1/27/2026

Hey Aaron, how did the TracRac SR rack work out on your F-150 with the BAKflip cover? It sounds like a solid setup for mounting a rooftop tent while keeping bed access. Sharing how it turned out could help others planning a similar build.