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I like the chase bar- enough that I thought i’d give this idea a shot before making bigger changes.
It hasn’t been easy though. Its mounting layout and shape have a lot of folks just removing it. Its utility is next to nill so i get it- a glorified tie off point in my use cases.
Still, my intended use was not as complicated as others. I won’t be installing a RTT (at least not there or any time soon) as we have a camper trailer. However, I did need mounting space for mountain bikes that did allow for some bed storage to take my kiddos weehoo with us.
So, the idea of adding a rear bed bar and fork mounts to the accessory rail became my plan A. Then the idea of a wheels-on solution occurred to me IF I could mount a bar in between the mounting points of the chase rack.
The design and/or cost of a lot of cross bars ruled many out. Needed something with an inward rake to get under the chase bar arms but still used the accessory rail for mounting. Came across real trucks utility bars. Their cost (and a 30 day return window which was in stark contrast to other manufacturers no returns/restock fees) set things in motion.
Install meant undoing the rear screws of the chase as well as some on the accessory rail to slide in the necessary T-nuts for the forward cross bar’s rail bracket. After that, was just figuring out the right location for everything.
Heres a link to the bars-Real truck universal bars
I ended up using some beefier t-nuts for the brackets since the hardware it came with barely made it made its included nut. -T-nuts and screws from amazon
The downside is, they’re not aluminum extrusion, so a bit heavier and no t-slot mounting. Which means, you’re stuck with mounting layouts that are some times based on the pattern of the cross bar.
Since most mounts are not made for this type of bar, it took some thinking— It became an issue with the wheels-on bike rack, had to find one that worked and i’m still not 100% with it. The fork rack works great with just a rear tire tie down.
All in, $400ish for the bars and $130 for the bike rack — I’m happy with the look, cost, and added utility… and the chase bar lives on!
It hasn’t been easy though. Its mounting layout and shape have a lot of folks just removing it. Its utility is next to nill so i get it- a glorified tie off point in my use cases.
Still, my intended use was not as complicated as others. I won’t be installing a RTT (at least not there or any time soon) as we have a camper trailer. However, I did need mounting space for mountain bikes that did allow for some bed storage to take my kiddos weehoo with us.
So, the idea of adding a rear bed bar and fork mounts to the accessory rail became my plan A. Then the idea of a wheels-on solution occurred to me IF I could mount a bar in between the mounting points of the chase rack.
The design and/or cost of a lot of cross bars ruled many out. Needed something with an inward rake to get under the chase bar arms but still used the accessory rail for mounting. Came across real trucks utility bars. Their cost (and a 30 day return window which was in stark contrast to other manufacturers no returns/restock fees) set things in motion.
Install meant undoing the rear screws of the chase as well as some on the accessory rail to slide in the necessary T-nuts for the forward cross bar’s rail bracket. After that, was just figuring out the right location for everything.
Heres a link to the bars-Real truck universal bars
I ended up using some beefier t-nuts for the brackets since the hardware it came with barely made it made its included nut. -T-nuts and screws from amazon
The downside is, they’re not aluminum extrusion, so a bit heavier and no t-slot mounting. Which means, you’re stuck with mounting layouts that are some times based on the pattern of the cross bar.
Since most mounts are not made for this type of bar, it took some thinking— It became an issue with the wheels-on bike rack, had to find one that worked and i’m still not 100% with it. The fork rack works great with just a rear tire tie down.
All in, $400ish for the bars and $130 for the bike rack — I’m happy with the look, cost, and added utility… and the chase bar lives on!
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