Shims for truck ladder rack

I realize that this is not a really cheap solution, but it looks like it would flatten and protect the rails at the same time.

Rail Cap

Curtis said:

I actually had thought of that.  I found some plastic shims in my garage from an old project.  I will try to make it work, but I'm afraid I'll have to stack 5 or 6 to get enough angle.  Worth a try.

Another one from the half-bakery is wax the bajeebers out of the bed top and ram the gap with epoxy putty to make a form fitting shim.

Curtis wouldn't need a ladder rack if he would just use a rope ladder.

I'm here all week...be sure to tip your waiter.

In reply to SVreX :

The real GRM solution to his ladder moving woes would be an auction for a more mobile ladder: https://www.govdeals.com/index.cfm?fa=Main.Item&itemid=1&acctid=12780

In reply to Wally :

Yep. Or maybe he could just cut his lumber down to 5’ lengths. 

SVreX said:

Sounds like a $2500 solution to a $2 problem. 

Seems like it's always easy to spend other people's money on car forums, doesn't it.

In reply to SVreX :

The first cut is usually free.

fasted58 said:

This actually might be feasible.  The stake pockets are set back from the vertical part of the bed rail, but a few washers is a lot easier than tapered wedges.  I'll look into it.

SVreX said:

In reply to Wally :

Yep. Or maybe he could just cut his lumber down to 5’ lengths. 

Y'all are crackin me up.

Even better... I'll just get sawdust and glue it back into a board later.  Sell the truck and get a hatchback?

In reply to Curtis :

No, no. Just get a miata. 12 foot boards are no problem with no roof. 

In all seriousness, I have been kicking around the idea of a rack for my truck, but I really haven't hauled anything I would have needed it for. With ratchet straps, I carry just about everything up to and including 2x12x12s. 

Fasted58... I took your advice but modified it a bit.  I drilled the rack rail on the side and also drilled into the stake pocket.  Instead of trying to weld a nut inside the stake pocket, I made two of these things below.  Its a 1" grade 8 3/8" bolt that I welded into some steel bar.  Since I can't reach IN the stake pocket to hold it, these will prevent the bolt from spinning.

For now I'll put it on with a nylock nut, but I think in the future I'll get a couple forged eye nuts like the second photo so they can double as tie-down points.

The next step is to paint the bed rails with truck bedliner as both protection from the ladder rack, and to make sure the holes I just drilled have some kind of paint on them.  I'll post a photo when its all done.

To the credit of AA Products (the importer of these Chinese ladder racks) they got back to me today.  They didn't have an answer, but they pretended to care 

RevRico said:

 With ratchet straps, I carry just about everything up to and including 2x12x12s. 

With my 6' bed, I'll sometimes do 10' stuff, but I don't like it.

Being in theater, I also frequently do 16' things from time to time.  21' sticks of black iron pipe and PVC are common too.

In reply to Curtis :

Legally, loads are not supposed to exceed the length of the truck more than 4’ in the rear, and 3’ in the front. 

Update.  It sucks.  The bottom line is that the steel angle for the base rail is not flush to the bed rail.  This lets it wobble and shake as the base rail flexes.

Back to the drawing board.

Video here

Could you make it out of plywood that you rip on an angle to make your own shim??

or maybe buy some polyurethane and build a little form around the pocket where the rack will rest. Put some plastic wrap on the truck to protect the paint and pour your own footers. 

I like that idea.  Urethane I could cut on my table saw to the proper angle, but I think even the highest durometer would still flex.  Plywood yes, but I'd be re-doing it every year.  EDIT:  I see now you were talking about pouring a form of poly or something... not urethane.  Oops.

Here's what I actually ended up doing.  I took a conglomerate of advices (I think primarily Fasted58 and SVrex).

I took all the bolts out.  Leveled the truck.  Put an angle meter on the top of the uprights. I found some 1/8" x 3/4" steel flat bar and cut it into 12" lengths.  I slid the flat stock under the outside of the mounting rails until my angle meter at the top read zero.  They were all within a 1/16" of flush with the outside to plumb the tops.

Took them off, ground them bare, welded on the flat stock, shot it with flat black.  Now it is much sturdier.  When I grab and shake it, the bed sides and the whole truck move as much as the rack itself.

P.S.  On a side note... A few months back I bought a couple rattle cans of Rustoleum spray bedliner to spray my old, chalky grille on this truck.  Not sure how it does as bedliner, but it is rock hard and indestructible on the grille.  Before putting on this rack, I found Duplicolor truck bedliner rattle cans on sale so I bought a couple to do the bedrails.  It is awful.  I prepped very well.  I scrubbed with a green scotchbrite and simple green, then a round with 180 grit, then wax/grease remover.  Followed the directions.  3-4 coats with 20 min between coats.  It has now been 4 days and I can still scrape it off with my fingernail... and not really digging in... just light pressure.  I think Duplicolor puts undercoating in a can and calls it bedliner.

(all of which reminds me of my next thread... coming soon)

Long story short..... thanks, y'all :)

After 5 days of dry weather for the bedliner to dry, here is what happened after rain last night...