Installation Instructions: VersaRack™ by Masterack® (VER12000,1)
VersaRack™ Installation Instructions: All of us at Tailgater wish to thank you for your purchase of the VersaRack™. We are proud of this product and hope that you find it a functional as well as a stylish addition to your truck. An illustration of the assembled rack mounted on a truck is shown below. You will be assembling the rack in stages, beginning with the Top Rails and following a step by step procedure outlined in the next pages, through to the final mounting to your truck. The VersaRack™ can be mounted to your truck two ways, hard mount or stake pocket mount. The hard mount will require drilling into your truck bed rail and bolting. The stake pocket mount requires no drilling but fastens with Pocket Loks™ purchased separately. If your truck does not have stake pockets, hard mount is mandatory. We have labeled each item with a letter. These letters will be noted throughout the assembly procedure to help you identify parts and hardware as you build the rack. Tools Required: ˝” wrench, ˝” socket, ratchet and a soft rubber mallet. (If you are hard mounting the rack you will need a power hand drill, 3/8” drill bit and center punch). Note: to properly achieve the recommended torque settings we suggest you use a torque wrench with 1/2” socket. ~~ SAFETY FIRST ~~ Please follow all safety procedures, from lifting to eye protection, to operating power tools. Let’s begin! The rack will require some room to assemble. So clear a space, open the box and identify all of the parts and hardware listed in the provided parts list. If you have found a shortage or a missing part, please contact your dealer for replacements. The following is a list of parts and hardware to build the VersaRack™ system. Keep this sheet with you during the assembly to help identify parts and hardware. Note: Some parts, not shown here, may be needed in this assembly proccess to mount various accessories to the VersaRack™.
STEP 1, PREPARATION FOR MOUNTING: The first step is to determine how to mount your new VerasRack™ to your truck.  Choosing the method of mounting the rack depends greatly on the type of truck you have.  If your truck is equipped with stake pockets then both mounting methods are available, hard mount and pocket mount.  Some pickups do not have stake pockets and hard mount is your only option. Hard mount means you will need to drill four holes into your truck and bolt the rack to your truck. You will use a Rack Foot Load Plate [J] at the four foot locations. Finding the best location for the Molded Feet [K] to mount is your choice, however below we have made some suggestions. Pocket mount requires NO DRILLING. Tailgater recommends only Pocket Lok™ stake pocket anchors be used.  See your dealer for the Pocket Loks™ that fit your truck. STEP 2, MOUNTING MOLDED FEET: Using selected mounting method, mount all four Molded Feet [K] onto pickup truck bed rail. See fig. 1. When hard mounting make sure the four drilling locations are accessible from under the bed rail. Tail lights or other items may need to be removed to gain access. When using Pocket Loks™ follow their provided instructions.
STEP 3, SIDE RAILS: Assemble the two Top Rails [A] by sliding the Splice [E] into the rail ends with the holes using the 5/16” x 2 1/2” Carriage Bolts [N], 5/16” Flat Washers [T] and 5/16” Hex Nuts [R]. Make sure the rails are butted together, (the bolts will fit into the square holes in the channel). (See fig. 2.) When assembling the two Top Rails [A], make sure the VersaRack™ logo decals are to the front and are facing outside. Now tighten all bolts. (Recommended tighten to 18 ft. lb.) You should now have two fully assembled Top Rails.
TIP: When assembling the two Top Rails [A], make sure the VersaRack™ logo decals are to the front and are facing outside. Note: The Carriage Bolts have a square section under the head. This section fits into the square hole in the channel.
Place the two fully assembled Top Rails on a large flat surface with the channel opening facing up.  Slip two 5 3/4" bolt Tracks [G] into each Top Rail with the bolt slot facing upward. Then slide two 5/16” x 1 1/4” Hex Bolts [P] into each Bolt Track [G]. See fig. 3. The Hex Bolts and Bolt Tracks will be adjusted to fit into the Molded Corner Bracket [F] at a later time. Set these aside and move on to the rack ends.
Important! Before assembling the Rack Ends, it is important to know that molded spacer blocks must be located inside the cross channels (see fig. 4) and legs (see fig. 5) as shown.
Fig. 5
IMPORTANT: Before procceeding with the assembly, read all instructions for any accessories purchased along with your VersaRack™.  Some accessories, including the Beacon Bracket and Ladder Clamp, require bolt tracks to be mounted inside Cross Channels before procceeding with the VersaRack™ assembly.
STEP 4, RACK ENDS: Next, mount the Molded Corner Bracket [F] to the Cross Channel [B] (see fig. 6), making sure the Molded Spacers [M] are inside the channel Cross Channel [B] and positioned at the two top holes. Attach using 5/16” x 2 ˝” Carriage Bolts [N], 5/16” Flat Washers [T] and 5/16” Nyloc Hex Nuts [R]. Repeat at the other end and move on to the Leg Mounting before fully tightening bolts. (Recommend final tighten to 18 ft. lb.)
Next, mount the legs to the Molded Corner Brackets. First, insert a Molded Spacer Block [M] and align to the top hole. Now, insert the leg [D], with the two holes at the top and channel opening facing outward, inside the Molded Corner Bracket . Align the Molded Spacer Block [M], the upper set of holes in the leg, and the top holes in the Corner Bracket. Once aligned, attach using the 5/16” x 2 ˝” Carriage Bolts [N], 5/16” Flat Washers [T], and 5/16” Hex Nuts [R]. Repeat at all upper hole locations for each leg and leave loose at this time. Now, align the lower of the top two holes of the leg to the corresponding slotted holes in the Molded Corner Bracket [F]. Place a Molded Lock Washer (Q) and attach using a 5/16” x 1 Ľ” Carriage Bolt [P], 5/16” Flat Washer [ T ] and a 5/16” Hex Nut [R]. The Molded Lock Washer (Q) has a small tab that is inserted into the slotted hole in the Molded Corner Bracket [F]. Depending on the width of your pickup truck bed, this tab is positioned to the inside or outside. For wide truck beds, place the tab toward the inside of the bed; for narrow truck beds place the tab toward the outside of the pickup bed. (See fig. 7.) Repeat assembly at all four corners, and leave these bolts loose at this time allowing the legs to swing in the slots. You will tighten all of these bolts after the Rack Ends are mounted.
STEP 5, MOUNTING RACK ENDS: Now mount the assembled Rack Ends to the pickup truck by inserting a Molded Spacer Block [M] in the Leg [D], and placing Leg into the Molded Foot [K] previously mounted to the pickup truck in step 1. Align all holes and place a 5/16” x 2 ˝” Carriage Bolt [N], 5/16” Flat Washer [T] and 5/16” Hex Nut [R] (See fig. 8 ). Repeat at all four legs and leave loose at this time. Make certain Rack Ends are level. Begin to tighten the bolts previously left loose.
STEP 6, MOUNTING SIDE RAILS: The next step is to mount the Side Rails to the Rack Ends. Hold the Side Rail above the Rack Ends and slide the Bolt Track [G] with Hex Bolts [P] until the Hex Bolts [P] can easily drop into the holes in the top of the Molded Corner Bracket [F]. See fig. 9. Use 5/16” Flat Washers [T] and 5/16” Hex Nuts [R] to attach the Side Rails to the Rack Ends. Leave a minimum of two inches between the end of the Side Rail and the Molded Corner Bracket [F]. This space is required to place the Plastic Reflective End Cap [L] in step 7.
STEP 7, SUPPORT TUBE AND END CAPS: The last item to mount to the rack is the Support Tube [C]. First slip the 1" Twist Lock Bolt Track [H] into the Top Rail at the cab end of the rack and twist the Bolt Track to seat into the Channel (see fig. 10). The Bolt Track should be set in from the end of the rail about 4" at each side. Mount the Support Tube [C] using 5/16” Flat Washers [T] and 5/16” Hex Nuts [R] at each side. Tighten both nuts snug. The Plastic Reflective End Caps [L] mount to the ends of the top rails. We suggest you use a soft rubber mallet and tap them into place. We recommend you coat the inserted portion of the end cap with a small amount of silicone adhesive prior to placement.
STEP 8, FINAL ADJUSTMENT: Your VersaRack™ is now fully assembled. The last step is to make any needed adjustments. Loosen bolts slightly and adjust the rack, side to side from the rear until the Cross Channel is even (level). Tighten the bolts at the slotted holes in all Molded Corner Bracket [M]. Now tighten the top bolts at the Molded Corner Brackets [F] and, finally, tighten the bolts at the four rack feet [K]. Give the rack a good once-over and check that all bolts are tight. Recommend tighten to [18 ft.lb.]
Enjoy your new VersaRack™ by Masterack®
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