Bak X4S + Kuat Ibex - The forbidden tonneau/bed rack combo

[theHolographicP]

Here's the 3D file I made for the bed shim, although I never actually tested this fitment. Drilling the holes in the shims, I put them in place and marked the holes from below. Drilled oversized holes through the shims to make fitment easier. Drilling the holes through the rack was alot of eyeballing and measuring with calipers, measuring twice and drilling once. You don't have a little of wiggle room on where that bolt goes through the profile of the aluminum extrusion.

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:6948727

Appreciate it! If I end up measuring and drawing it instead of drilling from template I'll drop the info off here for other folks.

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[BeetleThighs]

I've wanted a bed rack for the Ranger, mostly so I could carry a bike on the side of the bed, ala the Kuat Piston SR/Ibex combo. However, I don't particularly care for a rolling cover cartridge that takes up bed space or the idea of using t-slots to affix a heavy rack to a bed cover that's clamped to the bed rail, the way most companies do it. I've thought the stake pocket attachment points on the new Ranger would be a better way to attach a rack anyways which would free up space to use whatever kind of tonneau cover you wanted (within reason).

I've had the Bak X4S on the truck since I bought it and when a Kuat Ibex rack showed up at my local REI's used gear section for half off (but in brand new condition), I decided to give it a shot, hacking it up to adapt it.

There's not any commercially available shims for the bed rail, so I made my own out of 1x3" Aluminum bar stock. The rear shim actually needs to be about 1/8" shorter than the front two shims to be flush with the plastic cap, but I think you might actually want to make it the same thickness as the front two, as the rack didn't sit quite level on the rear shim. (But it was only a tiny amount, over several feet, so I just cranked it down with the bolts.) The shims aren't perfect, but I overbored the holes to give myself some wiggle room. Put a layer of Flexseal between the shims and the bed, we'll see how that holds up, I might replace it with some better automotive gasket at some point. I've also got a 3D model built for the shims that could be sent out for CNCing, but would need a pretty big order to make it reasonably cost effective. Hopefully the aftermarket picks this up soon.

I drilled holes through the extrusions of the rack to bolt it down. You have to be pretty precise with drilling these holes, I used M8 fasteners so there's not a lot of room for error. You can see the profile of the extrusion in a test piece I drilled out. The circular extrusion area is where the end caps bolt to the extrusions and then you've got the T-Channel on inside. It wouldn't be a problem to drill through the bolt hole the extrusion, except at one end where it would interfere with the bolts.

The extrusion is pretty damn stiff in this area, so it shouldn't be a problem. The rack seems like its more stiff mounted this way, than the Kuat supplied methods of bolting to T-channel or clamping to bed rails.

Overall very happy with it, although it was alot of work to make sure it was done right the first time. Now I need to grab a Kuat Piston SR to mount on the side for a permanent bike carrier, since the Kuat Sherpa I've been using doesn't let you put the tailgate down. The Bak X4s has plenty of room to roll up like normal.

Have you tried this rack in the mid height configuration? If you have, does the revolver have enough clearance to roll up under the rack?
I was thinking about trying their T-Slot adapter rails to make it work with my X4TS but I really just want to run it as a mid-height
If you did try it in that configuration, do you have any pics of it?

 

[sikedsyko]

Have you tried this rack in the mid height configuration? If you have, does the revolver have enough clearance to roll up under the rack?
I was thinking about trying their T-Slot adapter rails to make it work with my X4TS but I really just want to run it as a mid-height
If you did try it in that configuration, do you have any pics of it?

Yeah I did try it in the lower configuration and it was able to roll up. My setup might not match the exact width you would use with the t-slots, but I’d bet it will work too, there was plenty of clearance.

I don’t have any pictures of it. One word of caution with the Ibex, the way they screw channel sections together involves screwing into pretty thin wall aluminum extrusions. I don’t recommend switching back-and-forth between configurations because you’re likely to strip those extrusions. I could feel some of the bolt stripping when I put the rack back into the tall configuration

 

[clarke]

I have the opportunity to get the IbexA1 for $1,500, including a bunch of accessories and the full molle panels. You had said that I should be able to install the A1 without having to cut it shorter, which would not be an option if I wanted to use the included Molly panels. Since I'm not using a tanneau cover, would I just use the c-clamps to hold it down and then I could shift it forwards or backwards to make it line up well with the bed? It looks like there's more than enough space to take up the 2 and 15/16 in of extra length, over the ibex A3. I'm also not against 3D printing the shims you provided and tapping new holes myself. I just want to make sure the standard A1 length wouldn't rub against the cab and stick out past the end of the tailgate.

 

[sikedsyko]

I have the opportunity to get the IbexA1 for $1,500, including a bunch of accessories and the full molle panels. You had said that I should be able to install the A1 without having to cut it shorter, which would not be an option if I wanted to use the included Molly panels. Since I'm not using a tanneau cover, would I just use the c-clamps to hold it down and then I could shift it forwards or backwards to make it line up well with the bed? It looks like there's more than enough space to take up the 2 and 15/16 in of extra length, over the ibex A3. I'm also not against 3D printing the shims you provided and tapping new holes myself. I just want to make sure the standard A1 length wouldn't rub against the cab and stick out past the end of the tailgate.

It sticks out past the bed rails a small amount. Even if you tucked it too close to the cab, I don't think you could get it to not hangover a bit. I didn't take any pictures, but I did see some pictures of the A1 over on Ranger5G. Gives a pretty good idea of the overhang.

https://www.ranger5g.com/forum/threads/kuat-ibex-ordered-send-questions.26334/

 

[clarke]

Thanks for the super quick reply. Guess I have a decision to make tonight. It's a 6 hour drive each way for me to get it.

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