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Working on giving truck bed a little TLC this week - ordering Peragon tomorrow and Line-X will be sprayed in Friday.
Looking for cargo bar recommendations. Haven't had one before but thinking it might be a good idea to keep thinks form sliding around. Anyone have any experience with these? Any issues with aluminum bed?
I've had a couple of these now, first on my '17 F350 and now my '19 F150. They do push the sides out a bit, as long as you don't go overboard you wont have any issues, they hold pretty good just being snugged up.
I would suggest this type over the ratchet style since you often have to over tighten the ratchet style, there is no fine tuning if you will. The retractable style have threaded ends to get the final adjustment.
Because I put the cover on my truck I went with this little home made jewel. It's not flexible in it's positioning but it does securely hold items between it and the tail gate. I was looking to do the same on my daughter's truck but quickly discovered that on the 5.5' bed, it's not a practical fit.
Most likely won't work for you Rob but it may trigger another idea.
Thanks all for the recommendations and comments. So no one has had an issue with putting too much pressure on bedsides from one of these bars, especially with the aluminum bed?
I've seen the Ford bed divider, however I like the flexibility of being able to move the bar where needed. Tim, appreciate the suggestion as well though for the same reasons I think that's out for me.
Think it's between the Heininger HitchMate 4016 and the one from Harbor Freight. The HF price is appealing, however I like the mechanism on the HitchMate and looks beefy.
I've used both the "screw" type, and the "ratchet". The ratchet just seems easier to use to me. With either version, you can apply too much pressure, depends on how hard you reef down on it.
I use the same one currently sold at Home Depot. Got it used at a garage sale for $5 so I thought it was worth a shot. Works OK to prevent fore and aft movement in the bed, but still allows things to slide around side to side much more than I would like. I have also experienced things tipping over when turning when solely relying on the cargo bar to keep it in place. So I still find myself using bungee cords and tie down straps, or a combination of both, depending on the size and weight of the cargo. And once something is tied down, I really don't need the cargo bar.
I think these cargo bars still have their purpose, good for bulky but lightweight objects like boxes and storage totes that won't matter if they slide around a bit side to side. But for things like gas cans, propane tanks, etc. not so much.
I've used both the "screw" type, and the "ratchet". The ratchet just seems easier to use to me. With either version, you can apply too much pressure, depends on how hard you reef down on it.
Valid point, will for sure not go "hulk" on it.
Originally Posted by Lone Wolff
I use the same one currently sold at Home Depot. Got it used at a garage sale for $5 so I thought it was worth a shot. Works OK to prevent fore and aft movement in the bed, but still allows things to slide around side to side much more than I would like. I have also experienced things tipping over when turning when solely relying on the cargo bar to keep it in place. So I still find myself using bungee cords and tie down straps, or a combination of both, depending on the size and weight of the cargo. And once something is tied down, I really don't need the cargo bar.
I think these cargo bars still have their purpose, good for bulky but lightweight objects like boxes and storage totes that won't matter if they slide around a bit side to side. But for things like gas cans, propane tanks, etc. not so much.
Thanks for the info. My plan is to use a cargo bar in conjunction with the Peragon cover to keep things from sliding too far forward in the bed and not being able to collapse the cover.
I usually have milk crates for things like propane tanks, gas cans, etc.... I also carry an assortment of bungee cords and 8 ratchet straps for heavier items that need to be secured.
We have the peragon cover, and storing things all the way up front would be a hassle unless we disconnected the cover (which I guess we could do). I find it quicker and easier to just use a ratchet strap or two to ties things near the tailgate where it's easy to get things in or out. Did this the day before yesterday to haul a couple of propane tanks, which are almost as round and "rollie" as you can get.
Was in the area this morning so decided to check out the one Harbor freight offers. Seems like it will be OK for $18 bucks. (W/ coupon) I will say, the bed sides do flex a bit, even with light pressure.
Will report back on this after putting it to the test.
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