Hard Cover Rack Combo - Elevate & Leer

[jeepobx]

I was looking for a solution that would allow me to setup up a roof top tent and/or kayaks and still secure the bed with a fully functional hard cover. I ended up combining the TS Rails and Elevate Rack with the Leer HM650 quad fold hard cover.

Likes:

• racks can be positioned low below the cab (tent) or high above the cab (kayaks)
• Quad cover folds under the racks to fully open
• Cover uses synch (pinch) latches that are a little more secure than the cable release
• Cover is removable in 5min or less for full bed access
• Cover does not rest against the soft top rear window

Dislikes:

• Combining the elevate rails and cover adds additional seems, so it’s not 100% water tight. It’s not bad, but may be able to sure it up with additional stripping
• Mini trail rails not accessible unless you unclamp the cover

Warnings:

• the last 4-8 inches of the T-slot rails are not load bearing since I removed a portion of the inside edge of the rails.

Piecing them together:

The Leer HM650 includes brackets that mount to the trail rail system. If you don’t have one, the Leer HM650 cover includes four “mini” trail rails you need to install. They don’t run the entire length of the bed. If you plan ahead you could add any trail rail accessories before adding the brackets.

Mini trail rail:

Rails with brackets. The brackets fill the void where the factory bed rails become narrow. That way the bed cover rails have a single plane to rest against. Notice the bracket is designed with a gap between itself and the factory bed rail. This is where the elevate rails will fit into:

The Elevate t-slot rails for the Gladiator don’t run the entire length of the bed so they can fit within the narrower portion of the factory bed rail. I wanted a clean and uninterrupted look since the rails would be combined with the bed cover, so I ordered rails for a full size truck instead. I had to cut the overall length down a few inches to match the cover length. And cut away a portion of the inside edge of the rail to fit around the contours of the factory bed rail.

Trimmed each end:

Elevate t-slot rails slip between factory bed rail and cover brackets:

Next, the Leer HM650 cover rail sits on the brackets and overlap with the Elevate t-slot rails:

Here you can see the cover installed. The cover and t-slot rails are the same length:

Racks and tie downs installed in the t-slot rails:

Front of bed with additional bulkhead weather stripping:

Rear of bed:

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Clearance of cover under lowest rack position:

Clearance between soft top and cover:

Another look at the mini trail rails. The only water intrusion is between the t-slot rail and the cover rail in the middle where there is no trail rail and of course no clamp for the cover rail:

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If you are trying to figure out a solution for a rack and hard cover, this may be helpful.


Thanks to @sub11jeb who shared his experience with the Elevate racks and getting some extra measurements.

Thanks to Alex at RealTruck with the nice discount and ordering the extra long rails.

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[jeepobx]

Update: applied silicone sealant to the seem between the t-slot rails and the cover rails and that took care of the water issues.

 

[BlackRuby23]

Thank you. This is exactly what I am going to buy. I have a Bakflip MX4 and don't want to get rid of it but want to be able to use it and mount a rooftop tent.

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