Adarac Aluminum Pro-Series Ladder Rack

Adarac Pro-Series Aluminum Ladder Rack

4.5/5

Manufacturer: Agricover
Model number: Adarac Pro Series
Weight: 55 lbs

Features and Specifications | Adarac Aluminum Ladder Rack

Features:

• All-aluminum construction
• Powder coat finish (black or silver)
• Quick install clamp rail system
• Fully adjustable or removable vertical uprights
• Tri-fold Tonneau cover compatible (some models)
• Horizontal cross bar Anti-slip, Anti-vibration rubber strips

Specifications:

• Max weight: 500 lbs
• Cross bar dimensions: 72 in. L x 1-1/2 in. W x 1-1/2 in. H. (66 in. L, mid-size trucks)
• Height: 26 in. (For full-size, above box rail) + 3 in. (optional load dividers)
• Anchorage: Aluminum stake pocket inserts (no drill w/ existing pockets)
• MSRP: $580 (see buy it now link)

Key Design Options & Construction

Materials & Finish

The Adarac Aluminum Ladder Rack (pro-series) features 100% aluminum components. This includes not only the rails, uprights, and horizontal cross bars, but also features aluminum stake pocket brackets and spacers. There was only a single component that wasn’t aluminum, the attachment bolts, and they were stainless steel. On top of this, the rails, uprights and cross bars feature a high-quality powder coat finish. Why is this a big deal? Because these materials and finishes add up to high-quality weather protection for a ladder rack that is continuously exposed to nature’s harshest elements here in New England.

Install & Design

The rail system was easy to install and very secure. I had the locate and cut out the front pocket stakes on my 2021 Ford F150 which was the most tedious part of the install process. Once the spacers and bolt plate are stacked a string is run through offset holes to let you pull it securely into place while bolting it. The bolt spacers slide easily into the rails and inset grooves in the horizontal cross bars. I included the optional tie down and load separator accessory kits on my install and am glad I did.

I also appreciate that the end caps include integrated tie down points as a basic feature. 95% of the time these are all I use to secure a load mounted on the ladder rack. They are made of heavy-duty polymer which I hope will hold up well over time. So far there have been no indications that the plastic will become brittle when exposed to severe weather but that always remains a risk. They are held in by pressure applied via a bolt that applies pressure from an inside-the-rail sliding bracket. There is a minimal risk of this loosening over time and the end caps falling off but again this hasn’t been an issue yet. So far so good!

Optional Accessories

The optional tie down allowed me to add 2x tie down locations on both the left and the right rails. This allows me to easily throw ratchet straps up and over and loads on the rack and apply ample downward pressure to make sure they are tightly secured. The load separators, which feature nice rubber-dipped protective sleeves for marring protection and decreasing load vibration, include 2x separators per horizontal cross bar. They bolt on securely from the bottom and have remained firmly in place even when my ratchet straps have applied decent side load pressure. They also offer an additional tie down point!

Overall Performance

First things first, I have been thoroughly impressed with the Adarac Aluminum Ladder Rack (pro-series). It is extremely secure and had no obvious give or buckling even with over 350 lbs of lumber and steel loaded and strapped down. The rubber anti-vibration insert strips have kept loads from sliding around. The toothed-flange bolts have remained securely in place on the side rails with zero noticeable loosening of the vertical uprights over the past couple months of steady use.

One recommendation I have is to keep a spare rachet and socket in your vehicle in case the need arises to remove the uprights while driving. I learned this lesson the hard way when I was caught without a way to quickly remove the rack and it rubbed on an entryway to a parking garage in Boston. User error!

Tonneau Cover Compatibility

The Agricover website, the manufacturer of the Adarac aluminum ladder rack states that it:

Works with LOMAX Folding Hard Covers, ACCESS^® Roll-Up Covers and most inside the rail tonneau covers.

While this is technically true it is also a bit misleading. The first LOMAX Tonneau I tested (see the TBB video review here) was the LOMAX Stance model, which has the great feature of storing vertically to retain almost complete open bedspace. The LOMAX stance is NOT compatible with the Adarac Aluminum ladder rack (pro-series) since the upright closest to the truck cab impedes the vertical clearance of the LOMAX stance to store upright. Realtruck.com customer service, our LOMAX and Adarac rack supplier, was great to work with and quickly implemented this feedback to update their website description to clarify this point in the Adarac rack description. Agricover has not made any updates yet, hence why the quote above is misleading.

All this being said, I also tested the Adarac aluminum ladder rack with a standard LOMAX aluminum tri-fold tonneau cover installed and, while the clearance is tight (3/16 in.), it works great. It can also be used with the LOMAX stance version as long as you are willing to sacrifice the vertical storage feature.

Overall Impression | Adarac Aluminum Ladder Rack

Overall, I am quite pleased with the Adarac Aluminum Laddeer Rack (pro-series). It feels extremely solid, has a great, weather resistant finish, offers quality (albeit optional) accessories, and even comes in a silver or black finish. At $580 it’s not a cheap truck add on, but for anyone frequently hauling bulky construction or fabricating materials, it’s a pretty essential upgrade. It doesn’t offer the cab overhang design, but that wasn’t something I wanted. It is a no frills, reliable option for an easily adjustable 2-bar style ladder rack. And one that seems destined to hold up well over time. Check out Realtruck.com at the link below for more details!

Adarac Aluminum Ladder Rack Review is a post from Tool Box Buzz

LOMAX Stance Tonneau Cover Tri-Panel, Diamond Mist Finish by Agri Cover

LOMAX Stance Tonneau Cover

5/5

Manufacturer: Agri Cover
Model number: LOMAX Stance
Weight: 60 lbs

Specifications & Features

Specifications:

• Panel Material: Aluminum
• Total Panels: 3
• Installation: clamps (no drilling required)
• Weight: Approx: 60 lbs
• Support Capacity: up to 400 lbs (even weight distribution)
• 2x urethane finishes available

Features:

• Full bed access with vertical panel storage
• Rigid Link locking system
• Automatic 10-point locking/dual unlocking system
• Tight Bite clamp system
• Weathertight seal

LOMAX Stance Installation

The install was very straightforward on the LOMAX Stance.  I used a 1/4″ impact driver with a socket bit adapter to secure the extruded aluminum rails to my truck rails via the Tight Bite clamps.  The Tight Bite clamps were very simple to place and secure. They use a cantilevering action to secure ribbed jaws on both sides of the rails. And with 4 sets per side evenly spaced, they provide excellent support to the aluminum panels on top. All in all the total install took about 45 minutes. And if you have any questions Agri Cover has a great install video to walk you through the process.

The most challenging part of the install process was attaching the front edge locking tabs.  This requires you to loosen 2x hex head bolts that secure them in place.  I had to break out my hammer drill driver but if you don’t have one then a breaker bar will work just fine. But the video and instructions are very good and it was a relatively easy one man operation.

All-Weather Protection

The weather protection is excellent on the LOMAX Stance Tonneau cover. This starts with the rugged and durable feeling finishes. According to Agri Cover’s website, there are “two finishes available,” but that isn’t an accurate statement. There is a single finish coating applied to one of two type of aluminum panel – Black Urethane (Flat) or Black Diamond Mist (Diamond Plate). The diamond plate is inherently a bit stronger because of the tempering process used during the production of the diamond plate (has a higher tensile strength). From a weather protection perspective, I was more interested in the urethane coating and I was impressed. The adherence is top quality and the coating thickness seems extremely rugged. I opted for the Diamond Mist Finish and its awesome.

I was also impressed by the design of the linkages. This is critical because with the repetitive hinging action of a tri-fold Tonneau cover, the linkage folding points have failed on my Tonneau covers in the past. This is especially risky because it allows water leaks in the middle of the bed which usually expand quickly. Not good!  The linkage folding points on the LOMAZ stance and well protected, made of powder coated steel, and sealed with heavy duty rubber gaskets (see below). So even if/when (eventually) the rubber gaskets get small cracks, the powder-coated steel will act as a weather resistant and durable barrier. It’s a very well thought out design.

So if you’re keeping score, the LOMAX Stance is made almost completely of rust proof aluminum and a small amount of powder-coated steel and heavy duty rubber gaskets. And most importantly of all, the locking design (more on that in a minute) and adjustability of the Tight Bite clamping system allow you to quickly ensure the edge gasket has a strong seal too. Bottom line, its weather proof!

After Tropical Storm Photo – Cape Cod, MA 

Vertical Storage Design

The ability to store the panels vertically when not is use and retain access to the full truck bed is what sets the LOMAX Stance apart from most tri-fold Tonneau Covers. It’s a brilliant design. And it starts with the Rigid link locking system. The Rigid link locking system consists of 1) permanently roof-mounted, magnetic locking clips 2) Swing out locking bars and 3) Slide-adjustable locking bolt clips. Once attached, they firmly hold the vertically-stored LOMAX Stance approx. 1 inch from the back window on the truck cab. This gives you full-bed access while ensuring the panels don’t hit, crack, or scratch any glass on your truck.

And to ensure that the bottom of the panels stays in place, Agri Cover designed molded brackets for the bottom of the panels to recess into. This was something i immediately focused on when initially using the LOMAX Stance. The clips appeared to be glued to the top of the panel and peeling off. But with further inspection I found that they were actually screwed through the bottom of the panel. I also found that what I initially thought was the “peeling off” of the brackets was actually a beneficial flexibility of the brackets. It allows the brackets to flex with the shift in panel weight from bumps in the road and should prevent brittle cracking of the brackets over time.

Materials & Design Features

So one of the other nice features of the LOMAX Stance are the dual-side pull cables. Simply put, each hinge point is worked by pulling a single cord. One pull releases the clips on both sides of the bed. So you can easily fold up the cover from one side of the truck without having to climb into the best of the truck or walk around to both sides. It took a bit of getting used to as it was easier to pull on the side further away first and then rotate my hand to apply pull pressure on the close side clip. But once I had a feel for it, it was a much appreciated time and hassle saver.

And when the panels are down, there are a total of 10 locking clips engaged. Now if someone wants to get into the bed with a prybar then they absolutely can. One recommended improvement to the LOMAX Stance would be to design the locking clips out of aluminum and then coat with a no-friction material (similar to a table saw rip fence) to allow them to easily slide along the rail when engaging. That said, the locking clip design still feels quite sturdy and the 1/2″ of contact area is adequate.

Cost Savings &

I’ve never been overly focused on the fuel savings offered by Tonneau covers. Is it a real thing? Yes. But it’s only 1-2 MPG at best and that was never a big factor in my decision making process.  I ran the numbers anyways though using Agri Covers gas savings calculator and it came to about $140/year based on my average gas mileage (21 MPG) and average monthly mileage (1,000 mi). So at an MSRP of $1213 it will have paid for itself in 8.66 years. So while I appreciate any and all money saved, it was a consideration but not a major factor.

The real value to me is in preventing damage to or theft of my tools. I have at least $1200 worth of tools and equipment in my truck weekly, if not daily. So avoiding the cost of having to replace them is essential to me. It’s hard to calculate risks avoided though. But I’d like to think that it wouldn’t take 8.66 years of driving around with tools in my truck, uncovered, for them to get wrecked or stolen. So a hard cover Tonneau, while not always obvious, is an invaluable insurance policy and security measure.

Accessory Compatibility

The last point to mention is the impact on other jobsite accessories. The two most common truck bed accessories I’ve used (besides a Tonneau cover) are a ladder rack and headache rack. The good news is that there is still a possibility of using a ladder rack concurrently with the LOMAX Stance. The bas news is that you will have limited options. The ladder rack needs to be outer half rail-mounted, have vertical bars, and be at least XX inches high. Another option would be to get a rail-adjustable rack and slide the forward rack backwards a few inches when folding the LOMAX Stance panels vertical (to allow for adequate clearance). The Worst news is that it will not work with a traditional headache rack. If that is an essential accessory for your truck then the LOMAX Stance probably isn’t a good fit.

Final Thoughts | LOMAX Stance Tonneau Cover

I am extremely impressed by the overall design and quality of the LOMAX Stance tri-fold aluminum Tonneau cover. It is rugged and secure. It also looks sleek and stylish with its impressively low profile. The weather protection it provides is first rate. The LOMAX Stance installs easily and still allows for a ladder rack, something I will likely add and review in a future article. And the ability to maximize bed space with vertically stored panels that securely lock without hitting your back window is by far the best feature of the LOMAX Stance. At $1200 it is a significant investment but one that I feel is well worth it.

Agri Cover LOMAX Stance Tonneau Cover

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LOMAX Stance Full video review

LOMAX Stance Tonneau Cover Review is a post from Tool Box Buzz