car rack blog | miscellaneous rack meanderings

We captured another RACK KING OF THE ROAD great idea!

What's that...? You don't have a big pickup to tow your 6,000 lb. gooseneck trailer... fear not!!! A little careful, well thought out engineering can solve your problem...

Class III Hitch Install... (patent pending.)

Wouldn't you love to see how the trip went...? Good chance he ended up doin' some unintended off roadin' somewhere. Check the 'hills' in the background. Howja like to meet this rig on a two-lane road...coming down the mountain in your direction...?

She's hitched up and ready to roll!! Amazin' how the extra weight smoothes out the ride. Needed to air up the rear tires a bit ('bout 160 psi).

Added some super heavy-duty chain for extra support on the tailgate, (note the 'Heavy-Duty 'S' hooks to attach the chain) Also paid-up for some BIG Number 5/16 sheet metal screws to attach the Reese hitch frame to the tailgate (see 'em there? one on each side...) Likely two more through the carpet into the floor pan inside... Yep, probably overkill, but didn't want the possibility of having an axerdent.

Most of the time was spent on the front porch whittling down that MASSIVE solid pine 4x4 to fit precisely down into the hole in the ball mount receiver. Note also - The 14”x14” piece of 3/8' plywood on the underside of the tailgate to distribute the load more evenly and beef up that tailgate support.

'A MAN CAN'T BE TOO SAFE'...!!

They are out there, folks... and they vote...

» see all Rack Kings!

Rack Boy virtually brings along a friend for vacation and fun on planet Phoenix, another example of how ORS Racks Direct is always looking out for its friends. Plus, if you join our Facebook fan / friend page, Rack Boy will be YOUR best friend for life!

Listen up folks it's time for another great RACK KING OF THE ROAD picture, this time contributed by W.S. in Cincinatti, Ohio. Did you have a bike storage rack outside of your apartment or dorm room last night only to find it's now gone missing? Is it the bike parking rack in the back of this pickup truck? Or did this Rack King actually go out and purchase this very innovative truckbed bike rack solution that accommodates all types of bikes, even those with burly suspension forks and ultra-fat knobbies. And theft-proof security, no more worries, who's going to run away with this steel anchor. So once again we leave it up to you in yet another pointless online poll...

RACK KING OF THE ROAD VOTER POLL #4
» did this Rack King buy or steal this truck bike rack?
*click link to vote & see current results

» see all Rack Kings!

OK most of us have done it, driven into the garage or other low-overhang with our precious toys on top. It's one of the most gut wrenching feelings there is. But hey, at least it's not as bad as this guy...

Maybe watching this video will make a permanent impression on the rest of us to never drive into something with our bikes on top of the car again?!?! When visiting InterBike in Las Vegas a few years ago there was a startup claiming to be 99.9% ready to release an electronic device that would alert the driver before the impending doom, despair and destruction of driving into the garage. Never surfaced though. FYI...thankfully the guy and his son in this video escaped alive. See Here for the full story.

Hey folks here's a rare chance to check out Rack Boy as he prepares for the Vermont 50 Mile Mountain Bike Race. ORS Racks Direct offers a never-seen-before glimpse of Rack Boy's "workin' real hard all day" one-day training program for success as he trains for the Vermont 50 Mile Mountain Bike Race.

R.L. snapped pics of this RACK KING OF THE ROAD in Bend Oregon. What qualifies as a true Rack King of the Road? Well, originally we said it was a setup so innovative as to defy how regular folks think a vehicle rack system should normally look and behave (see here for example). Then we added spectacular examples of car rack system design and engineering lasting decades, even centuries (see here for example). But with these Rack King pictures we now know of course it also includes a possible glimpse of future car rack product offerings. Anyone who knows anything about car racks knows that Yakima Racks is planning to introduce a new version of the Yakima Lowrider next year. Are we eye-witnessing a little preview here? And is Yakima also secretly launching a new version of the Yakima Mako Saddles? We leave the answers to you in yet another pointless online poll...

RACK KING OF THE ROAD VOTER POLL #3
» is this Rack King sporting the new Yakima Lowrider & Makos?
*click link to vote & see current results

» see all Rack Kings!

G.S. of Fernie, British Columbia spotted this RACK KING OF THE ROAD pictured here. What qualifies as a true Rack King of the Road? Well, originally we said it was a setup so innovative as to defy how regular folks think a vehicle rack system should normally look and behave (see here for example), but of course it also includes spectacular examples of car rack system design and engineering lasting decades, even centuries? And this vintage roof basket beauty is the perfect specimen! The question we leave to you is whether it's an original Yakima roof basket or Thule roof basket? Place your vote in yet another pointless online poll...

RACK KING OF THE ROAD VOTER POLL
» does this Rack King have a Yakima basket or Thule basket?
*click link to vote & see current results

» see all Rack Kings!

A.B. of Montpelier, Vermont found a true RACK KING OF THE ROAD pictured here. What qualifies as a true Rack King of the Road? A setup so innovative as to defy how regular folks think a vehicle rack system should normally look and behave of course! And while we mere rack mortals cannot ever really know whether such Rack King of the Road systems actually perform successfully or not, there's no reason we can't put it to vote with yet another pointless online poll...

RACK KING OF THE ROAD VOTER POLL
» does this Rack King keep or lose his load?
*click link to vote & see current results

» see all Rack Kings!