Can you use a truck camper with a headache rack on truck?

Why not use a light bar that mounts to the cab? A headache rack is going to force the camper further back in the bed and locate its COG behind the rear axle. If all you need is a light bar why go with a rack AND a light bar?

Here is a pic of my 2002 F350 SRW CCSB and my home made headache rack.



And here you can see my camper, my snow-plow light on the roof (magnetic) and the Camper I haul. I had to add some large rubber blocks to keep the camper from hitting my small but strong gussets.





And here it is all loaded up.



Garry in Kodiak, AK

2001 F350 DRW. Just purchased truck, will pick it up on Saturday. Called the metal shop and he is giving me a quote on metal to build one.

Otherwise I was able to score the Ranch Hand HD style (with lights) for $200 off of an 2001 F350. You can't use a tonneau cover and a headache rack in most cases, so he sold it.

I think for less than $200 I can build one and then there is only storing the light bar. This is all of course if it can be used with the Bronco slide in Camper.

Just have to figure out a way to gussett the rack to the mounting bars on the bed sides without taking up too much room for the camper to slide far enough forward.

thanks again everyone!

tooldad1041 wrote:
I just bought a ranch hand headache rack. I plow snow and I wanted it to mount the light bar to during the winter. However it sticks up above the cab. Obviously this would interfere with my truck camper.

thought has crossed my mind to build one but keep it at or just below cab height. this way all I would have to take off in summer for camper is the light bar, which is "lighter" (LOL) and easier.

thought and comments appreciated.

It won't necessarily interfere , depends on how much room you have from the roof to the cabover . What truck? GM's have more clearance than Ford's , take some measurements .

Wouldn't a cross bar roof rack be easier to mount and dismount? You could leave the light bar on the rack and use a quick electrical disconnect from the truck.

tooldad1041 wrote:
I just bought a ranch hand headache rack. I plow snow and I wanted it to mount the light bar to during the winter. However it sticks up above the cab. Obviously this would interfere with my truck camper.

thought has crossed my mind to build one but keep it at or just below cab height. this way all I would have to take off in summer for camper is the light bar, which is "lighter" (LOL) and easier.

thought and comments appreciated.

It has been awhile since I lived in snow country but would not the lights be just as effective if mounted on "stalks" above the plow at the front edge of the hood? That is how we did it many,many,many moons ago.

It would be doable. Just takes some measuring to figure out what you need for room. If you build one make sure you post some pics, gives other people ideas as well.


Beefie