Truck Cap Accessories | ARE Truck Caps
Our ladder rack mounts directly to your cap’s framework without drilling through the roof panel. The welded aluminum construction supports up to 500 lbs of evenly distributed load — ideal for contractors hauling pipe, lumber, or extension ladders overhead. Each rack ships with custom mounting brackets matched to your cap model, plus rubber cushions that protect both the rack bars and your cargo.
The system adjusts from 52 to 72 inches wide to accommodate varying load sizes, and the crossbars rotate 360 degrees for tool-free repositioning. We built the rack feet to bolt into the cap’s existing reinforcement channels, preserving your manufacturer warranty while adding serious carrying capacity.
- 500-lb load capacity across two crossbars
- Welded 6061-T6 aluminum construction resists corrosion
- No-drill mounting to cap framework channels
- Adjustable 52–72-inch bar width
- Includes model-specific brackets and hardware
Matching Accessories to Your Cap Model
Every ARE cap ships with reinforcement channels and mounting points built into the frame — we design truck cap accessories around those anchor locations so you’re not drilling holes or improvising brackets. When you’re looking at our accessories catalog, each product page lists compatible cap series by name. DCU and CX caps use the same roof channel spacing, which means ladder racks and kayak carriers interchange between those models without adapter kits.
The Z-Series and MX caps have taller roof profiles, so rack feet on those models sit 2 inches higher than on standard-height caps. If you’re planning to stack a rack on top of an MX cap with the optional roof spoiler, measure your garage clearance first — the combined height can reach 88 inches on a full-size truck. LS2 caps use a slightly different rear door hinge layout, so sliding window kits for that series include an offset frame to clear the third brake light housing.
Installation and Wiring
Most accessories install with hand tools you already own: a ratchet set, drill, and adjustable wrench cover 90% of the jobs. Ladder racks and kayak carriers bolt directly to the cap’s framework using existing reinforcement channels — no roof penetration required. We include torque specs in every instruction sheet because over-tightening aluminum bolts can strip the threads in the cap frame.
Electrical Accessories
LED lighting kits and sliding window motors can tap into your truck’s cargo light circuit, which is usually a single 12V wire behind the cab’s rear window. If you’d rather not splice into factory wiring, the wireless battery pack option gives you 40 hours of runtime per charge. Cap locks don’t require wiring, but if you’re adding a keyless entry pad, you’ll need to run a wire from the lock cylinder to the control module mounted inside the cap frame.
Load Capacity and Weight Limits
Our ladder racks carry a 500-lb rating, but your truck cap itself has a separate dynamic roof load limit — typically 200 to 300 lbs depending on the model and whether the cap is fiberglass or aluminum. The rack distributes weight across the cap’s frame rails, not the roof skin, so the actual bottleneck is the truck cab roof where the cap mounts. Check your truck’s door jamb sticker for the roof load rating before loading heavy pipe or lumber.
Kayak carriers max out at 150 lbs combined because the saddle brackets clamp to the cap’s outer ribs, which aren’t as robust as the main frame channels. If you’re hauling a single heavy kayak over 75 lbs, position it directly over the cab centerline to keep the load balanced. The sliding window kit adds 18 lbs to your cap’s total weight, and the LED lighting system adds less than 3 lbs — neither affects your payload capacity in any practical sense.
Complete Your Cap Setup
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Truck Cap Accessory Questions
As long as you know the cap model (DCU, CX, MX, LS2, or Z-Series), most accessories will fit. The mounting points and frame channels haven’t changed significantly since 2010, so even older caps are compatible. If you’re unsure of your cap model, check the inside front edge of the cap near the cab — the model designation is usually stamped or labeled there. You can also send us a photo and we’ll identify it for you.
You can install both, but you’ll need to stagger them front-to-back so the mounts don’t overlap. The ladder rack typically sits closer to the cab, and the kayak carrier mounts toward the rear of the cap. Just make sure the combined weight of both systems plus your cargo stays under your truck’s roof load rating — usually 200 to 300 lbs depending on your truck model.
If you wire the lights to your cargo light circuit, they’ll draw power from the truck battery whenever they’re on. At 18 watts total, you can run them for about 6 hours on a typical truck battery before you’d need to start the engine. The wireless battery pack option avoids this entirely — it gives you 40 hours of runtime and charges via USB, so it never touches your truck’s electrical system.
Keyed-alike locks all use the same key, and we can code them to match your truck’s ignition key if you provide your VIN when ordering. Keyed-random locks come with their own unique key that doesn’t match anything else. Most customers prefer keyed-alike because it means one less key on your ring, but if you want a dedicated cap key for security reasons, keyed-random is the way to go.
All ARE DCU, CX, LS2, and MX caps can accept a sliding window kit. The Z-Series caps have a different rear door design and currently don’t support the slider. If you have a commercial fleet cap, check with us first — some older fleet models used a fixed rear window frame that isn’t compatible with the slider track system.
Accessories in new, unused condition can be returned within 30 days for a full refund minus shipping. If you’ve already installed the accessory but it doesn’t fit due to an ordering error on our end, we’ll cover return shipping and send you the correct part at no charge. Custom-keyed locks can’t be returned once the cylinders are cut, so double-check your VIN and key code before placing that order.
No — the rack feet mount to the cap’s internal frame channels using compression washers that seal the bolt holes without additional caulk. The channels are designed as mounting points, so you’re not penetrating the cap’s weather barrier. Just torque the bolts to the spec in the instructions (usually 15 ft-lbs) and the washers will compress enough to keep water out.