2005 F-150 Lariat Supercrew

I would like to add a ladder rack to my F150. The style that goes in the stake pockets on one side of the truck only. Just starting to look into which model I will go with. As you can see in this picture, I have a BackFlip Tonneau cover which I absolutely love because I'm a tradesman and can keep all my tools/materials dry and safe. Obvisouly the ladder rack will have to be taller than the Bakflip panels for clearance when openning the Bakflip.

MY question is that my truck box does not have the removeable stake pocket knockouts in the plastic bedrail cover. (see picture) Do the 5.5 foot boxes not have stake pockets. I have seen on a few 6.5foot boxes that the plastic side rail covers have square knockouts that can be removed for access to stake pockets. I have a box liner, so I can't see if there even is stake pockets under the plastic cover. If there is, are bed rail covers available for the 5.5ft box that HAVE the knockouts?

 

there there. take your bed cover off and pop up the caps on the bed rails. the plastic covers them up. my cb is antenna is mounted in a stake hole, i had to use my dremel to cut out the plastic in the bed rail cap.

its pretty clean if you take your time cutting the stake pocket holes out.

 

oh super. Thanks for that post! I would rather not unbolt my Bakflip. I would rather calculate and measure exactly where the stake pockets are, and then drill a hole, and then dremel out to the edges of the stake pockets....

I wonder if someone can get a measurement for me?

 

yeah ill do it. that antenna mounts pretty center to the stake pocket, so ill measure for you and post it up here. i was actually going to do this, but since the mount i have has to mount down over top of the hole i didnt want the bed cap sandwiched in there in case i ever had to remove it for something else. my dads got a 6.5 foot bed with the cut out for it like you were talking about, i was gonna measure from his.

ill defiantly get you a measurement so you can drill a hole straight down into the stake hole mount. that or if you have someone with really long arms you can get to it from underneath. if you go in front of the wheel in the wheel well and reach all the way up you can put your hand up to the stake hole. i was worried of this too, but its actually all open, its not closed in like i thought it was going to be. thats how my coax cable is ran.

so if you have a drill small enough, you might be able to work it in there and drill through it from the bottom then dremel it out from the top.

i dont recall if theres ones in the back, do you need back ones too or will it tie in with the hitch or something?

 

Thanks! appreciate that. yea if you could measure from the cab to the dead center that would be awesome. I will need to find the second stake pocket also however. The style I am referring to is shown in this picture: but of course it won't be on an ugly chevy. Thanks again.

 

Why didn't they leave the stake holes for 5'5 beds?? Weird. PITA really.

 

they do have them, the just put the bed cap over them, and didnt offer a cut out like on the 6.5 beds. i guess they figure if you buy a 5.5 foot bed you wont use it every day like those with 6.5 foot beds. halfway true if you thinka bout it, most 5.5 foot beds are not used much. i dont use mine much.

im going to measure right now, sorry i forgot

 

from the lip of the bed cap, going towards the cab, not to the cab, its 2.25 inches

from the inside of the bed to the center of my ant. is 1.25 inches

if you want it from the cab to the center i can measure that too, but that should be about perfect

 

no thats perfect. Thanks a lot. I can start with that one pocket, open the hole, and begin making the aluminum ladder holders.

Now all I need is someone without a bedliner to identify where the rear stake pocket holder is...

 

ill crawl underneath tonight and see if i can find the rear one from underneath.

 

Yeah that was my point, I knew they had them just wondered why they did not include pop out caps for them. Still needed for those who runs Leer caps I would imagine.

 

I know this thread is older, so I hope fivespeedsteed is still here. What antenna mount is that? I'm looking at throwing up a 4' firestick and that installation is super clean! Thanks.