Can P&F Aluminum Ladder Rack PF69VR Be Mounted On Aluminum Sided Enclosed Trailer?

Updated 12/16/2025 | Published 12/02/2025

Question:

Can PF69VR ladder rack mount on an aluminum-sided trailer?

asked by: Derek

Expert Reply:

Hey Derek - yes, you can absolutely mount the P&F Enclosed Trailer Ladder Rack # PF69VR on an aluminum-rail trailer. The brackets sit on a 6-inch-wide × 2-inch-tall footprint, with the upright centered 2 inches in from the edge. That gives you plenty of flat contact area to drill clean holes into your aluminum rail and match hardware to your trailer’s construction.

Since enclosed-trailer rails vary a ton, P&F leaves the hardware choice to you so you can pick the right length and grade for your particular wall thickness.

If you want to send a photo of your top rail, I’m happy to help confirm exactly where that 6 inch bracket will land on your trailer.

expert reply by: Andrew N

PF69VR bracket dimensions
(click to enlarge)

Derek

12/16/2025

Thanks Andrew. that bracket looks bigger than I expected. Do I need to reinforce the inside of the wall before bolting into aluminum, or is the rail usually strong enough on its own?

Andrew N.

12/16/2025

@Derek On most aluminum-sided enclosed trailers, the top rail or header tube is strong enough to take the load without extra reinforcement. As long as your bolts or self-tapping screws are going into the rail itself, not just the thin outer skin. If your trailer has a lighter-duty top rail, adding a small backing plate inside the wall never hurts, but it isn’t required for most installs.