Will The P&F Aluminum Ladder Rack Rust And Corrode Like Steel?

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

Question:

Will the black PF79VR rack rust over time or is the powder coat enough? my old one is 10 years old and been rusty since year 3 or 4

asked by: Sharon

Expert Reply:

Hi Sharon - good news: the ladder rack from P&F # PF79VR is still milled aluminum underneath, so you don’t have the rust issues you’d see with a steel rack. The black finish is powder coat applied after manufacturing. That’s why you’ll notice small holes in the mounting brackets; those are just the factory hang points used during painting, not mounting holes.

I think you'll really like this upgrade over the old rusty steel ladder rack you had. What do you plan on putting on top? It's not always ladders that people out up there.

expert reply by: Andrew N

Sharon

12/16/2025

Thanks Andrew! The holes from hanging for powder coating had me confused. I thought they were mounting holes. Should I seal those so water doesn’t get inside the upright?

Andrew N.

12/16/2025

@Sharon You can plug them if you want, but you don’t have to. Since the # PF79VR is aluminum, those little paint-hang holes won’t cause rust like they would on a steel rack. Also that may be where you actually decide to install hardware after enlarging the holes a bit to fit your selected hardware. I'd wait until you get it in and see what you're working with on your trailer.