Have you ever wanted to have the ability to lug around more stuff in your truck, but don’t want a dorky lumber rack on it? Maybe you don’t mind the lumber rack, but do mind the fact that it gets in the way when you want to load your Dirtbike, Quad, or UTV. Well my friends, we found a solution for you—TracRac.

TracRac is a rack that is on a track, allowing it to move from back to front, and back. It’s made out of aluminum and has a very sleek design to it. It also weighs next to nothing (70 lbs.) compared to conventional steel lumber racks. Don’t let its light weight fool you—it’s rated to carry up to 1,000 lbs!

The TracRac is not your ordinary rack; it’s a multi-purpose rack that can be transformed to be used in different ways. It can be used for transporting 2 x 4s like your traditional rack, but it can also be used for your active lifestyle. Need to go to the track to get some practice time on your dirtbike? No Problem, just slide the back truss to the front and load that puppy in.

With a wide variety of accessories for the TracRac like a sliding tool box, tie downs, bicycle carriers, kayak carriers, and other cool stuff. This is by far the most versitile rack on the market. It's ready to help you take your game to the next level in style.

The Installation

The TracRac was shipped to me via FedEx. It came in two boxes that were fairly light and easy to handle. Everything came nicely packaged and well secured. The long box comes with the two bed rails that are the base of the TracRac system. The larger box comes with the rest of the components needed to make the system work. This box had the shinny upright trusses that make up the rack.

Rufus taking a closer look at the TracRac pakages, everything seems fine

In the large box I found an envelope with detailed instructions for the installation and illustrations of the components that you need to have a complete rack system. Once I read the instructions and checked to see if all the parts were there—which they were, I pulled out some tools and got ready to get this rack on.

The TracRac system is very simple to install, and can be done by one person. The only tools required are as follows:

• 6ft. straight edge/tape measure
• 3/8" Socket Wrench w/ 5/16" & 9/16" sockets
• 9/16" Open End/box Wrench
• 3/16 Allen Wrench
• 1/4" Allen Wrench
• Torque Wrench
• Patience

After you have all your tools together, you start out by cleaning and adding a coat of wax on the bed rails so it will help protect them from the friction that may be caused from loads you set on the rack.

Wax on, Wax off

Once that’s done, you need to take a real close look at the diagrams provided with the instructions to figure out which holes will be used for your specific application—you see, the rails fit a few different models, so it comes with several pre-drilled holes.

Patented powder-coated Aluminum

A real nice thing about the TracRac system is that you do not need to drill any holes in your truck. The rail system is bolted down with some hard rubber bushings set inside the stake pockets of the bed. At first I was a little skeptical about this, but then after I tightened them I noticed the hard rubber bushings get compressed and expand inside the stake pocket—making it very difficult for it to come out. The fact that TracRac is the only pickup rack system fully tested and certified by Ford, GM, and Chrysler says a lot.

After both bed rails have been installed, it’s time to start assembling the rack trusses. This part of the installation takes a little longer because there is more hardware to account for and pieces to assemble. Again, I read the instructions and it walked me step-by-step while putting the trusses together. I found that having a wrench and ratchet worked out best because some of the bolts are difficult to reach with the ratchet—this is where the wrench really saves you from getting frustrated or stripping your nut.

Once the trusses are put together you will need to measure the distance to spread your trusses out so they can slide into the rail system. I found that by loosening the bolts that secure the trusses from the beams will allow you to make adjustments during the initial install. Once you have figured out where you need it, and have actually put it into the rail and slide it, hold off on tightening. You can measure the amount of beam hanging on each side of the truss so you can center it and then tighten all your bolts one last time.

Repeat the same for the second truss and beam. It’s done! The TracRac is fully operational and ready to support you in Work and Play.

Product Review

Off-Road.com has been using the TracRac as a base for their new MotoSat F2 Internet Satellite for the last few months. The MotoSat F2 is used to bring LIVE Race and Event coverage to the readers of Off-Road.com. Since many of the races are held in remote areas, Off-Road.com is dedicated to making information available through the use of the latest technology. The TracRac is an important part of making this possible—it carries our Internet Satellite.

Off-Road.com LIVE from the SCORE Baja 500

We have taken the TracRac to places like Moab, UT and the Baja 500 in Mexico. It has been put up against some harsh terrain and thousands of miles over the last few months. It still looks as good as it did the first day. It is very easy to clean and maintain. This rack system also allows us to easily remove it and store it when not in use.

One of my favorite features is the optional tool box TracRac offers. We got one for ours, and it’s awesome. The toolbox can be moved from the front to the back, making it much easier to work out of when trying to get tools and supplies in or out. It also allows you to distribute your weigh better when you are fully loaded. We tend to fully load the truck when we head out to the races.

The TracRac system is by far the most versatile rack we have seen—well worth the money.

For more information on the TracRac system or for a dealer near you please visit TracRac or call 508.677.4130