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The best ladder racks for a Ford F-150
The F-150 is the easiest truck in America to buy a rack for, and the easiest to buy the wrong one for. Five racks, ranked on the numbers the makers actually publish.
Our top pick: the AA-Racks X31 Extendable Steel Ladder Rack, 800 lb, Two-Bar.
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How we know:Owner-report-verifiedSpec-verifiedWhat these mean
Tap any row for the full write-up. Prices come straight from Amazon and are never typed in by hand.
For most F-150s the rack to buy is the AA-Racks X31: a two-bar extendable steel rack with a published 800 lb capacity, which is more than any ladder you own needs and comfortably inside what the bed rails will take. If you want the highest published number, the VEVOR rack states 1000 lb and offers both a drilled and a no-drill install. If you want the rack that holds its alignment after a winter of loading, that is the Thule TracRac TracONE, and it is the one professionals keep buying.
The F-150 is the best-supported truck in this category, which creates its own problem: almost every universal rack lists the F-150, so the listing tells you nothing. What narrows it down is the bed you have. Ford publishes the F-150 in 5.5 ft, 6.5 ft and 8 ft beds, and UWS puts the exterior rail width at roughly 65 in across them. A rack has to span that width, clamp to those rails, and clear whatever else is already on the truck.
On a 5.5 ft or 6.5 ft F-150 bed with nothing else fitted, buy the AA-Racks X31 and stop reading. If a cover is staying on the truck, read the cover section below before you buy anything. If the truck is a Lightning, check that the listing names it — several racks do not.
How we ranked these for this truck
Published capacity. A real number from the maker, not a forum estimate. Four of these five publish one; the fifth does not and its card says so.
Width range against 65 in. An extendable rack has to actually reach the F-150 rail width with adjustment left over. Racks with a published range are marked below.
Mounting. No-drill stake-pocket and clamp mounts keep the bed rails intact, which matters on a truck you intend to sell. Drilled mounts are stronger and permanent.
What it blocks. Rear glass, the tailgate swing, a cover, a crossover box. On an F-150 the rack is usually the last thing fitted and has to live with everything already there.
The picks, ranked for an F-150
Live Amazon prices where available. Rankings are ours; every specification is the maker's own.
800 lb published capacity, extendable width, two bars, and it costs less than a decent tonneau cover. For a trade truck that carries ladders and conduit, this is the honest value pick in the category.
Build
9.2
Capacity
9.4
Install
9.4
Versatility
9.4
Value
9.7
Why we picked it
+800 lb published, not implied
+Extendable width fits a range of beds
+Cheap enough to buy and still afford the straps
Good to know. Steel means rust at every scratch, and extendable joints mean more fasteners to check. If the rack never comes off, a welded rack would be stiffer.
1000 lb published capacity with both drilling and non-drilling install options in the box. If what you actually need is a number on paper for heavier loads, this is the cheapest way to get it.
Build
9.0
Capacity
9.5
Install
9.4
Versatility
9.2
Value
9.7
Why we picked it
+1000 lb published
+Both mounting methods included
+Very low price for the rating
Good to know. A high rating on a budget rack is a rating for the tube, not the whole installation. Check your clamp or bolt points against the load before trusting it.
A two-bar steel rack that holds the bed rails with four J-bolt clamps and nothing else: no holes to drill, no holes to seal, and it comes back off when the truck is sold. It is also one of the few racks at this price that publishes the steel gauge rather than just a rating — 10-gauge, tested to 800 lb.
Build
9.2
Capacity
9.4
Install
9.6
Versatility
9.2
Value
9.7
Why we picked it
+Publishes the steel gauge, not just a rating
+Four J-bolts and the hardware in the box — no holes in the truck
+49-73 in width range, so it moves to the next truck
Good to know. The listing rules out trucks running a tool box, a utility track or a tonneau cover — that is the maker's own exclusion, not our caution. Four J-bolts is also fewer load paths than a clamp-heavy rack, so the rail lip itself has to be sound.
TracRac's entry rack, built on the clamp system the trade standardized on. The reason to pay for it is that the crossbars stay square to each other after a year of loading — budget racks walk out of alignment and then you are fighting the straps.
Build
9.6
Capacity
9.4
Install
9.5
Versatility
9.4
Value
8.9
Why we picked it
+Crossbars stay square under repeated loading
+No-drill clamp system comes off cleanly when the truck is sold
+Thule accessory ecosystem fits it
Good to know. It is a lot of money for a two-bar rack. If the rack carries a ladder twice a month, a clamp-on steel rack does the job for a quarter of the price.
$299.9914% off · Price as of November 13, 2026. #ad
Adjustable 58-69 in, rated to 1000 lb, and tall enough to carry over the cab line. The height is what makes it usable for lumber as well as ladders — a low rack forces long material to sit on the tailgate.
Build
9.2
Capacity
9.5
Install
9.2
Versatility
9.6
Value
9.5
Why we picked it
+Tall enough to clear the cab for long material
+1000 lb published capacity
+Adjustable width covers most full-size beds
Good to know. Height costs you in wind noise and in low clearances. If the truck lives in a parking garage, measure the entrance first.
Reproduced from each maker's listing. The F-150's roughly 65 in exterior rail width sits inside both published ranges above.
Published capacity
Width range
Install
AA-Racks X31
800 lb
Extendable, range not published
Bolt-on, bed rail
VEVOR ladder rack
1000 lb
Not published
Drill or no-drill
JY Performance DAC875
800 lb tested
49-73 in
4 no-drill J-bolt clamps
Thule TracRac TracONE
Not published
Not published
Clamp-on, no drilling
ECOTRIC bed rack
1000 lb
58-69 in
Bolt-on
The useful column is the third one. A published width range is the only way to know a rack reaches your rails before it arrives, and it is the reason the JY Performance rack ranks as highly as it does despite being less known than the Thule — 49-73 in covers every F-150 bed and most of the rest of the market.
Which F-150 bed you have, and why it matters
5.5 ft bed, SuperCrew. The commonest configuration and the shortest rack span. Every rack here fits. The constraint is that a two-bar rack over a 5.5 ft bed puts the bars close together, so an 8 ft ladder overhangs both ends and needs a flag.
6.5 ft bed, SuperCab or SuperCrew. The ideal bed for a rack. Bars sit further apart, long material is better supported, and the tailgate still closes under the load.
8 ft bed, Regular Cab. A rack is almost unnecessary for lumber, because the bed already takes it. A rack here is for ladders and pipe carried above the load.
Lightning. Check that the listing names it. The bed hardware differs and several rack listings stop at the gas trucks.
A rack chosen on capacity alone. 1000 lb on the rack does not mean 1000 lb on the truck: payload comes off the door-jamb sticker and the rack's own weight is already spending some of it.
A drilled install on a leased or soon-sold truck. Holes in bed rails are permanent and visible.
A rack without a plan for the ladder itself. The rack holds the ladder; rated straps hold the load. Tie-downs and anchors.
Measure your rail width, check the door-jamb payload sticker, then buy the AA-Racks X31 for a bare bed or the JY Performance DAC875 if you want a published width range you can check against the tape before the box arrives.
Questions people actually ask
What is the best ladder rack for an F-150?
The AA-Racks X31 for most trucks — a two-bar extendable steel rack with a published 800 lb capacity that fits every F-150 bed. The JY Performance DAC875 is the better pick if you want a published 49-73 in width range to check against your own tape, and the Thule TracRac TracONE if alignment over years matters more than price.
Will a universal ladder rack fit an F-150?
Usually, because the F-150's roughly 65 in exterior rail width sits in the middle of every universal range. The catch is that universal listings often do not publish a range at all, so you cannot confirm it before ordering. Prefer a rack that states its width range.
Can you put a ladder rack on an F-150 with a tonneau cover?
Sometimes, and it depends on the cover rather than the rack. Folding covers can work with a rack whose feet clamp outboard of the cover rail; retractables usually cannot, because the canister occupies the front leg's space. A bed rack is the normal answer instead. Full detail.
How much weight can an F-150 ladder rack carry?
The racks here publish 800 lb and 1000 lb, but the binding limit is your truck's payload, not the rack. Read the door-jamb sticker, subtract the rack, the box, the cover, the passengers and the fuel, and what is left is the load. The long version.
Do you have to drill into the bed to fit a ladder rack?
Not on the no-drill options here. The JY Performance rack uses four J-bolt clamps and the TracONE clamps on; the VEVOR rack offers either method. Drilled mounts are stronger and permanent, which is the right trade only on a truck you are keeping.
Last reviewed October 17, 2026. Think a figure here is wrong? Tell us at contact@toolboxandtruck.com and we will check it, fix it and date the correction — see our editorial policy.
