Custom and stock headache racks for
those seeking function with form while
preventing
those…
HARD
KNOCKS
By Larry D. Walton
F
orm and function come
together in many of the
headache racks we've
spotted in our recent travels.
Cab protectors in general are
designed to prevent expensive
cab damage (and worse) by preventing the intrusion of objects
in motion that want to stay in
motion, to paraphrase my highschool physics teacher.
Cab damage can occur during
the loading of the bed, like an
employee tossing a piece of
rebar or wood into the bed, or
from the load shifting under hard
braking or impact that allows it to
continue on its path according to
the laws of motion.
If the cargo has enough mass
and the deceleration of the
pickup is sufficiently abrupt,
something's coming into the cab
to do some damage unless appropriate protection is in place.
Landscapers often cringe at
the sight of their guys throwing
prunings, pipes, hand tools and
hardscape scraps into their pickups. That sound of breaking glass
means you just spent a quick
$1,000 or more just to replace the
rear window. So much for that
day's profit.
Headache racks, like the cage
on my hockey helmet, are designed to protect something near
and dear to us from taking the
impact. This is the function part
of the equation.
The form part of the equation
is how some headache racks add
style to a pickup. This makes the
rolling corporate calling card
have more impact on clients.
Creative cab-protector designers now integrate form and
function using CNC plasma and
water-jet cutters with high-end
results, while designing optional
upgrades that serve valuable
functions on and off the jobsite.
Powder-coated steel, aluminum (brushed, powder coated,
shaved or polished) and stainless steel are quickly replacing
painted steel that tends to rust
and crack. Styles range from
Spartan to space-age.
Choices don't end with metal
types or style lines. You can get
a number of different options
including slider window cut-outs,
built-in LED turn/tail/backup
lights, work lights, antenna
brackets, load light brackets, rope
cleats, rope hooks, vertical "ears"
and flag holders on your new
headache racks.
In addition to features on the
rack itself, consider some other
components that make a good
compliment to a cab protector.
Highway Products makes a
very cool looking powder-coated
finish, which is shaved to expose
the highpoints of the aluminum
diamond plate. You can order a
headache rack and transfer tank
with toolbox all matched in this
two-tone shaved diamond plate
look.
Another item to consider
matching to the cab protector is
a rear rack so cargo such as pipe,
ladders and form boards can be
carried overhead.
Backbone makes the VBack,
propickupmag.com PROPICKUP 37