Mounting our SDHQ Built Chase Rack Spare Tire Carrier in the 2024 Raptor Build

Let’s walk through how it went down and what we learned along the way. First, we cleared out the bed of the truck to make space for the install. The SDHQ boxes arrived intact and filled with quality powder coated parts, tire straps, a Pro Eagle jack mount, billet tie-downs, and all the hardware we’d need to mount everything up. While we weren’t sure we’d finish it all in one go, we figured at least we could get the chase rack assembled, installed and the rest of the gear mapped out. We could’ve tried building something custom ourselves, but honestly, SDHQ nailed it with this setup. It’s great when you buy something, and it feels just as good - or better - than if you’d built it yourself. That said, we were eager to get it all put together.

Assembling the chase rack was pretty straightforward. We took a quick look at the instructions just to be sure we were going about it properly, though we probably could’ve winged it considering this is such a logically designed product. We bolted the front cab wall panel to the floor plate, got both tire base plates attached, the side hoops bolted up and before long, the rack was looking like a really significant structure. One thing we decided to do in order to make life easier installing our gear was choose to mount the Power Tank to the rack while it was still on the ground. It’s always simpler to add these accessories before you’ve got the rack secured in the truck, rather than trying to squeeze arms and reach around once it’s installed.

With the chase rack fully assembled, it was time to drop it into the Raptor's bed. For some reason Ford always sprays their factory bedliner over bed bolts and tie downs, so we had to score around each of those bolts and painstakingly peel off the liner. Once the bolts and washers were removed and Matt had cleaned up the mounting holes, we bolted the rack down securely - knowing this unit will be carrying hundreds of pounds of gear through some of the roughest traversable terrain, we took care ensuring it's snug. What we really like about this design is that there’s no extra tire hoop on each side of the rack, so we still have easy access to the truck’s bedsides, and specifically to our Bedside Rack MOLLE Panels. That little detail is going to make a big difference out on the trails when we need to access to gear and when we’re displaying products at Overland Expo East.  

To finish it off, we mounted the first of our two 37" spare tires, BFGoodrich K02 wrapped around Method Race Wheels 703, using the SDHQ x Mac's Tire Straps. These are really well built and exactly what we need for keeping our spares locked down. The whole setup looks rugged and ready for action... it’s clear that this rack is going to be a huge asset when we hit the trails. We’re not done yet, though! There’s a lot more to come on this build - we're still waiting on some essential gear and components that will be installed on the chase rack and our Bedside Racks.

Taking a step back after installation was complete, this rack is very intelligently designed and surprisingly simple, it's ridiculously sturdy and we've seen them take a significant amount of abuse off-road. We know that this option is going to stand the test of time and is one of the most reliable, modular solutions for our applications. Thank you again to the awesome folks over at SDHQ - we're stoked to have this rack installed and can't wait to get out and really put it to work. Check out SDHQ Built when you're needing Light Mounts, ABS Guards, Switch Pro Kits, Electrical, Rock Sliders, Air Compressor Mounts, etc.

Keep an eye out for our next build update on the 2024 Raptor, we’re pumped to see how this build continues to evolve!