upTOP Overland Racks and Accessories - NOW WITH FREE SHIPPING (CONUS ONLY)

I had to do that as well..

 

Amen. Speech should be free.
But honesty is respect. Snide comments always welcome!

 

New Blog Post Submitted To Us.

If you like to write send me a DM.



Which Bed Rack Setup is Right for You?

You might have seen upTOP’s roof racks with their color matching, scenePODs, grab handles, and unique front wind fairings but have you seen their bed racks? They burst into the overland scene in 2019 from a DIY thread on a Tacoma forum that quickly launched into a business. Two years later they have amassed a large social media following by gaining notoriety for their high-quality roof and bed racks manufactured in Colorado. These guy really have pushed the limits when it comes to rack setups! Including a roof rack capable of mounting seven Baja Designs LP4’s, yes, that is a whole lot of light. Additionally, they have pushed to create multiple variations of their TRUSS bed rack system for different applications. We are going to be going over the pros and cons of each bed rack setup to help you choose what is right for your Tacoma!






What is The TRUSS Bed Rack?
The TRUSS bed rack is made completely of aluminum and utilizes legs, side armor, and load bars to create a modular setup that is lightweight as well as strong. The bed rack weighs in at around fifty pounds. It comes in three different heights ranging from six, eleven and a half, and nineteen inches. Each leg mounts to the bed rail or cover and is connected to another leg via side armor. Side armor is designed to help strengthen the TRUSS bed rack. It also has the capability to mount Rotopax, MaxTrax, Waterport, bicycles, shovels, axes, and more to the side armor. Load bars are extruded aluminum powder coated black and slotted for easy mounting options. Overall, the bed rack is strong enough to mount a roof top tent and has multiple load out setups allowing you to customize your setup. Install time on these bed racks is relatively short with an estimated amount of one hour.




TRUSS to Bed Rail
This is the original TRUSS bed rack by upTOP Overland mounting directly to the existing bed rails on your Tacoma. If you are just getting into overlanding this bed rack is a quick addition to allow you to mount gear and a roof top tent. This setup is also great for someone who wants to be able to remove their bed rack and have full access to hauling with their bed. With no bed cover there is unrestricted loading height under your bed rack, it allows you to fit taller objects such as large coolers, storage containers, or even stack gear. Perfect to get a bed rack setup and on the trails!

Pros

• Quick way to mount a roof top tent
• Low cost to entry
• Unrestricted loading height under bed rack

Cons

• No cover to secure or hide gear in bed

TRUSS to Retrax
Retrax bed covers are retractable bed covers that have been around for over 20 years. Their special Trax Rail System allows for unique and personal customization above their truck bed cover. The team at upTOP designed a bed rack that works directly with this rail system that is strong enough to hold a roof top tent. It is a standout setup as you get the ability to have a bed cover that is able to be retracted (opened) with a bed rack. Almost any folding bed cover will lose function once you have a bed rack, roof top tent, and gear. Great retractable cover with a bed rack!

Pros

• Able to open bed cover with bed rack
• Keeps you gear secure hidden

Cons

• Must have cover to use bed rack
• Cover decreases useable length of truck bed

TRUSS Softopper Compatible
Got a Softopper canvas bed cover? These are great solution for adding a bed cover similar to a cap, but it can easily be folded down and secured without having to be removed. With this in mind the Softopper Compatible TRUSS bed rack is designed to maintain the function of the cover without having to take off the bed rack. Simply removing middle load bar, you can quickly fold the Softtopper down and be on your way. Additionally, this is the only bed rack made by upTOP that is adjustable in height. This has to be one of the nicest setups that can give you a secure area for your gear, zero sacrifice on height under the bed rack, and help keep the elements off of your gear when you are on the trail.

Pros

• Zero loss of space under bed rack
• Easy to fold down without removing bed rack
• Adjustable height

Cons

• Not as secure as locking systems

TRUSS To Diamondback Bed Cover
These tough heavy-duty covers are built to take on adventure or load gear on top of. With a design that revolves around folding it is difficult to have a bed rack and still maintains this functionality. Mounting the TRUSS bed rack to the tie down cleat locations with two separate racks allows you to keep the same great functionality of the Diamondback bed cover. Unfortunately, when you add a roof top tent it will span the length of the TRUSS bed rack you will no longer be able to fold open the cover. That’s okay, take your tent off when you are not using it, and you now have all the functionality back. Great setup for someone looking for a heavy-duty bed cover that could be used to load some weight on. This is an extremely secure setup, keeping your gear in the bed locked up and hidden, and it is the only cover that can hold a lot of weight loaded onto it.

Pros

• Strong cover and extremely secure
• Can have weight loaded on the cover

Cons

• Loses functionality with a roof top tent mounted

Conclusion
If you are looking for a high-quality bed rack the team at upTOP overland has got you covered. Breaking down the pros and cons of each setup it is best to always plan out your build. Take time to assess what sacrifices you are willing to make and what is most important.

 

just got mine installed today. Even got it earlier than expected. By a whole month! Haven't given it a test drive yet but hoping there are no issues with my install....

 

How close is your center cross bar to roof? Mine is about 1/8-1/4” and that makes me nervous if I put any weight up there.I’ve searched and seen no other comments on this. My brackets are square, spacers correctly mounted etc. considering adding washers to lift brackets 1/4”…
Interested in any thoughts on this. just my center cross bar at this point. 2018 Dcsb tacoma

 

@Gnarman
I have the same issue with my center bar about 1/8-1/4”. I just read there is a “riser” fix available, which I will look at. Wondering if you fixed your issue? No way in heck am I loading up rack until i either vinyl and pad underneath or get it spaced better
Thanks in advance
Mine is an older model apparently. About a year old. Son never mounted and sold his tacoma.

 

Hey @upTOPoverland, I've got a couple questions.

I bought the Quickwire Lighting harness for the scenepods and the 38" extreme LED light bar on my bravo. I do not have the thin fin and associated wiring harness and have been wondering if you sell just the harness because my rear bar clears the factory Toyota fin with plenty of space when set to in the horizontal orientation. I see that you now have the Quickwire Cab harness which I suspect would be the harness only as it notes 18' conductors and "Comes long enough to connect your switching system to your lighting harness."

Is that correct? Is the wiring harness offered under the name "upTOP Overland Quickwire Cab Harness" the same wiring harness that comes with the thin fin package? I believe it is, but just want to clarify as it also notes "CAB ONLY. WILL NOT CONNECT TO ROOF OR BED RACK LIGHTS." I assume that is meant to clarify that you need both harnesses, not just one to get your lights hooked to switches in the cab.

https://www.uptopoverland.com/products/quickwire-cab-harness

Thanks,
Adam

 

Idk maybe an inch and a half. I can fit my hand under there. That goes for the one behind it too. Plenty of space i think. I cant think of any reason yours would be so low to the roof if you did it all correctly, I mean I did this by myself and was surprised with the results, I was pretty nervous building it. I left everything fairly loose and tried to stay super organized so I would f*ck it up...also I bought this recently, so maybe they've adjusted or fixed some things. Based on what I've read there are older models of this rack.

 

Been a year with my bravo. 2 peli cases mounted. traction boards going on today. Love this roof rack

 

@CoTacoTy Well that’s interesting. I will review everything and see if I did something different. Roof brackets are correct and the spacers are correct. Looks perfect up there, snug to the roof line as most appear to be. Your distance from roof is what I would expect however. Thanks

 

During my build and install there was really nowhere I can think of where that wouldve happened. The feet are pretty much in their set position, the front ones tilted, but just to adjust to the slope of the roof after the spacers were in. Idk if maybe like putting the front spacers in the back and the back spacers in the front would make the gap under the cross bar and roof that small, but thats literally the only thing I can think of that could have that possible effect. Im assuming nothing was warped in your kit. And there's only one way to install it

 

Completely agree. The machining seems perfect. Even if Rail holes were drilled too low, I dont think 1” low. May call Uptop next week after reviewing and go from there. Your truck appears to be 3rd gen as well, so no difference. The aero roof “bumps” on roof dont help the clearance either.
Thanks!

 

Right, they're stuff seemed like perfect to me. You got a pic of yours? I can take a pic of where my holes are on the two side plates. Everything is relatively flush to the top of the side plates too. Is your cross bar about even with the top of the side plates? Or is it sank down a little lower?

 

See how its sort of flush with like a tiny little 1/16" space

Crap my cross bar is a little crooked

 

@CoTacoTy
Brackets are correct. Holes for brackets match persons post above by comparison. Looks like it hugs the truck correctly on sides. I do think my brackets may be “shorter” than what I saw in Uptop instructions, when they had it laid out on roof on pad. hopefully you can see my mistake somewhere

 

Rack arrived this week and we just finished the install. Best quality rack I've seen and we couldn't be happier. Easy install with the detailed instructions.

 

From what I see on the website the QuickWIRE Lighting harness contains all the stuff needed to wire up 4 scenePODS and a lightbar at the rack and you'll be left with a 6/8 pin DT connector for you to finish the circuit. If you don't want to wire up the rest of the circuit from the rack down into whatever switching you're using then the Quickwire Cab harness would be the last part and has the conductors you'd need in order to bring the wiring down to the cab. You would still need to take care of the switching or however you're controlling the lights but this would make the wiring downstream from that really simple.

You would need both harnesses if you want to have the complete package for wiring everything after the switches. With what you have currently you'd need to run wire from the switching up to the rack to the 6/8 pin connector to finish the circuits.

 

The only thing that looks different to me is your feet that attach the rack to the truck. Mine do not look like that. And your spacers seem shorter than mine. But those are the only details I see. Other than that its the same rack. So how long ago did you order yours? Maybe they just updated the design of the feet after you bought yours. Could be worth a shot asking uptop for the other feet and spacers?

 

I didn’t buy the riser but when I pull
Off the tent I’m definitely building a rig or buying an overhead lift to do it so I don’t break my arms if the tent falls

 

@CoTacoTy agreed. I will try that. About a year ago. My son had a 19 at the time, never installed the rack so I picked it up. thanks for your assistance!