Different trucks require cross bars of various lengths and widths. So the first step is to assess the tower/feet to create an installation point for your cargo. Crossbars are valued accessories that can enhance the cargo capacity of your truck.
They are convenient for carrying heavy cargoes on your truck. And, enable you to subject your vehicle to less bulky equipment. But have you ever asked yourself what a crossbar is and its function on your truck. So, what are crossbars?
They are two bars that run across the width of your truck, either on the roof or the backside. You can mount specific rack activities. Crossbars always provide the necessary support to the weight of the gear that you add to the top.
Thus, they transfer the weight to the feet/towers. In short, truck bed cross bars are the foundation of the rack system. The main types of crossbars include square, factory, round and aerodynamic crossbars.
If you want to be time-saving, please check the comparison table to go to our top recommendations about the best truck bed cross bars:
Image | Features | Further information |
|---|---|---|
Swagman ROAMER RV Approved Cross Bars | - Brand: Swagman - Item Dimensions: 6 x 27 x 47 inches - Item Weight: 25 Pounds - Color: White - Vehicle Service Type: Passenger Car, Truck, Trailer - 4 metal feet and 2 cross bars included - Use it as your car roof rack to efficiently transport up to 4 mountain bikes, or 2 kayaks - Fits tent trailers, truck canopies and tonneau covers - Full inslation directions - Rack mount works perfectly on different sized trailers and campers | |
TMS (800) Adjustable Utility Ladder Rack | - Brand: TMS - Item Dimensions: 51 x 26.25 x 1.5 inches - Item Weight: 50.4 pounds - Weight Capacity: 800 lbs - Set of 2 heavy duty steel adjustable truck ladder rack - Width: 5-7 feets - Max Height: 30 inch plus the height of your truck's bed - Perfect for ladders, lumber, pipes, pool equipment and much more. | |
Yakima Heavy-Duty Crossbar | - Brand: YAKIMA - Item Dimensions: 79.5 x 4.5 x 4 inches - Item Weight: 10.86 Pounds - Color: One Color - Compatible with all StreamLine Towers with Yakima HD Bar SL Adapter - Available in a variety of lengths - 55"/60"/68"/78" - Strong, lightweight aluminum construction handles heavy loads - Integrated tie-down points on endcaps - T-slots top and bottom to easily add Yakima and compatible gear mounts - Includes rubber infill for top T-slot for load protection and wind noise reduction | |
Hooke Road Truck Bed Crossbar | - Brand: Hooke Road - Package Dimensions: 7.09 x 4.92 x 3.9 inches - Item Weight: 1.41 pounds - Compatible with specified cross bars rack - Holds 1 bicycle - up to 45 lbs - Carries most bikes with standard 100mm x 9mm quick release front hub - Constructed in anodized aluminum to resist corrosion - Easy-install design, no drilling needed | |
INNO Racks Truck Bed System | - Brand: INNO - Item Dimensions: 16.2 x 12.7 x 2.8 inches - Item Weight: 1 Pounds - Color: Silver - Vehicle Service Type: Truck - Compatible with square or round bars and can be used with C-Channel track systems - Allows for mounting of attachments above the truck bed, freeing up space for carrying gear and cargo below the truck rack |
Benefits of Truck Bed Cross Bars
- Creates extra space: The whole point of installing a crossbar is to provide you with additional space on your truck when transporting heavy items that cannot fit properly in your truck bed.
- Excellent efficiency: A crossbar always provides you with great efficiency when going on a trip or an adventure. You can save time and cost by using excess fuel.
- Convenient: Once your crossbar is fixed correctly, you can use it anytime you need it. This makes your crossbars very convenient and hassle-free to use.
- Cost-effective: Mounting crossbars on your truck is cost-effective than hiring.
- It adds value: If you install a permanent crossbar on your truck, you can decide to sell it hence adding extra cash, other than the actual truck sales price.
- Enhanced Organization: Placing heavy stuff on the crossbar provides you with more storage space in your truck bed for other small accessories. You can organize these items and store them safely.
Features to Consider When Choosing the Right Crossbars
- Mounting Requirements: Different crossbars have different installation requirements. Some models use the C-channel clamps that don’t cause any alterations, while others require drilling holes on the sides of your truck bed so that you can bolt it down. Check whether the crossbar you have selected comes with installation brackets. You should follow the installation guidelines provided in the user manual.
- Structure Material: Construction material is an essential factor that you need to consider when choosing suitable truck bed cross bars. Steel is heavier and more robust than aluminium. A steel crossbar is long-lasting, rust-resistant, and robust than those constructed with aluminium. You should also consider a light truck bar because less weight gives you improved mileage performance.
- Cargo weight capacity: There is no reason to purchase a crossbar with a low weight capacity. Imagine what you are transporting and consider its weight and the number of times you will be required to move it from one place to another. Check on the cargo capacity, maximum width, and usage limitations on the crossbar specifications.
- Compatibility: You should ensure that the crossbar you intend to buy is compatible with your truck according to width, length, and attachment fixings.
- Price: Price is another significant factor that you should consider before buying a crossbar. Choose a high-quality bar that can support excess cargo weight and gear than standard factory crossbars. A bar’s price depends on the type you want, either aerodynamic, universal, or custom ones.
- Adjustability: The crossbar should be adjustable in terms of size and height and ensure you can move it depending on the item you are carrying.
Tips of Buying a Truck Crossbar
- Purchase a crossbar that is easy and quick to install. Follow the mounting instructions in the user manual and procure the specified accessories required for completing the installation process. If you miss some of the essential accessories, the truck cross bars are insecure and weak.
- Buy crossbars with the correct design and construction material. Poorly designed crossbars are exceedingly hazardous, with the possibility of your cargo falling off while you are on the road.
- When loading your crossbar, distribute the weight across it. This enables you to reduce the chances of load shifting because the weight is steadily spread out.
- Choose a flexible crossbar that enables you to carry a wide and heavy cargo. Its safety matters; hence purchase a crossbar that has secure fixing attachments.
- Look for adaptors designed for a particular crossbar that can let you carry your cargo comfortably.
Top Brands of Crossbar Manufacturers
Thule
Thule is a Swedish brand known for manufacturing cargo truck vehicles. The manufacturing company was founded in 1947 and recorded the highest amount of annual profit. It has branches in more than 135countries, including the United States of America (USA). It has a wide range of crossbars that fit your truck.
Rola
ROLA was founded by a windsurfer who needed a method of transporting his surfboards to various destinations. Horizon Global owns the brand based in Michigan. ROLA is known for manufacturing universal crossbars.
Automobile Association
Four driving fanatics founded the Automobile Association (AA) in 1905. This is the largest motoring organization with more than 160 million members worldwide. This organization provides its customers with a wide range of truck crossbar products. You can get different models for your truck bed.
The Best Truck Bed Cross Bars
There are several crossbars available in the market and online. You should specify the correct crossbar for your truck and make an informed decision to purchase it. The crossbars are reviewed below to attain the highest quality standards, and they are effective and highly efficient.
1. Yakima Heavy-Duty Crossbar
Yakima crossbar is constructed with sturdy, lightweight, and durable aluminium to handle heavy loads. It is made to last for long with a robust black powder-coat finishing. This is the most substantial crossbar from the Yakima brand, hence great for rooftop tents.
It enables you to do heavy-duty tasks easily and rightfully. It has an integrated tie-down point at the end caps for securing the gear while streamlining load security. It has T-slots at the top and bottom to fix on your truck, and compatible gears install fast, very quickly. Hence, no assembly is required during integration.
It has a rubber infill for top T-slots for protecting your load and reducing wind noise. It comes with a complete installation kit compatible with your truck streamline towers and Yakima HD crossbar. It is available in different lengths to allow you to create a custom setup for your truck.
2. Swagman Roamer Crossbar
Roamer crossbar is versatile and fit for most of your bikes and other accessories. These square crossbars integrate well with most of the accessories and clamp-on carriers. Therefore, you can use them as a truck camper for hauling your bikes.
It is made of sturdy stainless steel coated with a black powder finish. The powder coating finish prevents rust and corrosion, which makes them robust, durable, and stable. You can use it to build a roof rack that holds perfectly well.
It’s easy to assemble because the guidelines provided help you with the installation process. The crossbars come with rubber pad installations and bolt-down hardware, hence makes them perfect for generic mounting. You can cut them to fit your precise application.
3. Hooke Road Truck Bed Crossbar
Hooke Road crossbar is made of durable, strong, and lightweight premium aluminium and ABS plastic materials. It can sustain a load capacity of about 90 pounds, which cannot destroy the structural integrity of your truck bed. This crossbar gives you good things during your road adventure or trip.
The Hooke Road Crossbar package comes with two removable crossbars and installation hardware that you can easily mount on your truck bed rails. Another one is T-slot nuts for attachment to factory rails. And, easy bolt-on integration can be shipped to you disassembled.
The crossbars give you a strong foundation for mounting your bikes, cargoes, and other accessories. It is very easy to install because it does not require any drilling, cutting, or any further modification. This crossbar is ideal for all Tacoma pickup truck models.
4. INNO Racks Truck Bed System
This truck bed system is compatible with both round and square crossbars. You can also use it with a C-Channel tracking system. Installation hardware is hassle-free; hence no drilling is needed.
It allows you to mount various attachments above the truck bed, thus creating enough space for carrying cargos and gears beneath the truck rack. The truck crossbar remains at a convenient height for loading and off-loading. It comes in a set of 4, such as four truck bed crossbars to fit in the C-channel track system with safe locking capability.
5. TMS (800) Adjustable Utility Ladder Rack
TMS Adjustable Utility Ladder Rack is constructed with strong stainless steel and can carry a load capacity of about 850 pounds. This rack has two high-quality crossbars that can sit 30-inches above the truck bed. You can also adjust it to a maximum of 7 feet width., hence making the crossbar suitable for your truck.
It requires drilling holes on the sides of your truck and bolting the crossbars using installation brackets. You can as well use C-clamps instead of drilling to install it. It comes with the installation hardware.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Should I purchase an aluminium crossbar or a steel crossbar?
Steel crossbar is long-lasting and more robust than aluminium crossbars. Apart from that, they have more excellent elasticity against fatigue. Nevertheless, aluminium crossbars are both corrosion and rust-resistant compared to steel bars.
Crossbars made of aluminium are less dense than those made of steel; hence they allow superior gas mileage. Therefore, you can choose which kind of metal crossbar is ideal for you.
Should I choose a universal or custom model crossbar?
Custom crossbars are not flexible because they are designed to fit a specific truck model. However, universal crossbars are exceptionally versatile and are designed to fit all models of trucks. Overall, custom crossbars are more attractive in design than universal crossbars but not suitable if you intend to upgrade your trucks regularly.
What carrying capacity should my truck bed cross bars weigh?
If you are using your crossbar for light duties such as carrying pipes, you need to buy and fix a lightweight crossbar for your truck to weigh at least 400 pounds. Nevertheless, you need a crossbar that can carry about 1000 pounds for heavy-duty functions.
What do I need to carry?
Most people buy truck cross bars because they want to carry weight, such as bikes, cargo boxes, or even kayak carriers. It is imperative to stick with one brand when buying a truck crossbar. While some products are compatible with various towers/feet, others require drilling before installation. Therefore, think about what you want to do with your crossbar and the specific brand that is ideal for your truck bed.
Should I purchase a full-length or a half-length truck crossbar?
You should buy a full-length crossbar because it takes twice as much space as a half-length crossbar. Half-length designs are only suited for small cargos such as pipes. The full length is ideal for wider loads hence, improving the convenience of your truck bed.
Conclusion
Various truck bed cross bars designs can fit your truck. Before making a crossbar purchase for your vehicle, examine your bed cover to guarantee that it is compatible with the towers. And, choose the right crossbar for your truck bed and experience a stress-free trip/adventure.
