How to Tie a Ladder to a Roof Rack

It's easy enough to use a truck bed ladder rack on a pickup, but what if you have a car or SUV with a roof rack? Can you still haul a ladder to your house or work site?

The answer is yes! Fortunately, tying down a ladder to a roof rack is similar to tying down other common types of cargo. We'll walk you through the process of attaching a ladder to your roof rack crossbars below.

Watch Now: Securing Ladder on Roof Rack with Ladder Slides

Supplies List

Roof rack
Ladder
Tie down straps
Ladder mounting kit or ladder slides (*recommended)
Ladder roller (*optional)

*Note: Consult your vehicle's owner manual to confirm the weight carrying capacity of your roof prior to loading.

Step 1: Place Ladder on Crossbars

Start by placing your ladder on your crossbars, centered from front to back. A ladder roller can help you load a heavy ladder onto your roof.

If you have trouble reaching the top of your roof to load/unload your gear, a wheel step or hitch step may help. One of our favorites is the compact Rightline Gear Moki Door Step.

Step 2: Secure Ladder to Crossbars

We recommend using a ladder mounting kit or ladder slides to keep your ladder in place on your crossbars. The slides also feature a slippery pad surface, which has the added bonus of making your ladder easier to load and unload.

To secure the ladder, loop a tie down strap beneath one crossbar. Toss it to the opposite side of the crossbar (over the ladder frame). Loop it beneath the crossbar on that side as well. Secure the strap with its buckle.

Loop tie-down strap under each crossbar

Secure strap with buckle and tighten

Note: Choose a strap based on its safe working load limit (WLL). The weight of the secured cargo must not exceed the combined WLL of the straps being used. For example, if you are using straps with a WLL of 500 lbs each to tie down a 1,000-lb load, you need at least 2 straps to safely secure that load.

To determine the maximum load, or break strength, of the strap, multiply the WLL by 3. The WLL is always one-third (1/3) of the maximum load. It is recommended that you always use straps in pairs.

Basics of Tie-Down Straps

How to Install a Roof Rack (Hint: It Depends On Your Roof)

Which Roof Rack Fits Your Vehicle? Depends on Your Roof

Written by: Amber S.

Updated on: 6/28/19

Chuck

5/8/2021

I’m looking for a ladder rack system for a 2007 Chevy trailblazer 2003 gmc envoy 2005 Ford Expedition Thank you

Jon G.

5/10/2021

Each of those vehicles have different selections based off of the vehicle specifications. Attached are links to the different selections that you can filter through.

Helpful Links

roof-2003_gmc_envoy.htm

roof-2005_ford_expedition.htm

roof-2007_chevrolet_trailblazer.htm

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