Upgrade Your Gladiator with Rugged Bed Racks from Fishbone

Ah, the pickup truck. Is there anything more American? It is the most versatile of vehicles - ready for work or play at a moment’s notice. Jeep’s current pickup offering - the Gladiator - is one of the most popular trucks on the market (they can barely make enough of them), and for good reason. With powerful V6 and diesel engine options, excellent off-road chops, and all the utility that comes with having a pickup bed, the Gladiator ticks a lot of the right boxes. It’s also a great platform for adding key upgrades to level up your pickup experience, especially half- and full-tackle bed racks from Fishbone Offroad.

The Jeep Pickup - A Brief History

There have been some truly legendary pickups to wear the Jeep badge going all the way back to the 1940s with the original civilian Jeeps. The Willys-Overland 4x4 1-ton truck was one of the very first pickups in history to feature four wheel drive. But the innovation didn’t stop there. By far one of the raddest Jeeps ever to turn a wheel was the 1957-1966 Forward Control (FC). Rocking an earth-shaking 115 horsepower inline-six, the 1-ton FC-170 had a unique cab-over construction and four wheel drive (of course) for maximum capability and utility.

The truly classic Jeep pickup, however, was the J-Series. Produced from 1963 all the way until 1987, it survived in basically the same form through multiple corporate takeovers and near bankruptcy, and was the first Jeep pickup offered with a V8. Jeep sold a ton of these trucks, and you used to see them quite frequently, but most have sadly disappeared from the roadways now. Sprinkled throughout Jeep’s history were some other oddballs with truck beds, like the Jeepster Commando, and the CJ-8 Scrambler, but until the present, Jeep’s last large-scale pickup project was the XJ Cherokee-based Comanche. A unibody truck equipped with either the 2.5 liter four cylinder, or the legendary 4.0 six cylinder (and even a handful of Renault-sourced diesels), it was a solid lightweight off-road performer.

Unfortunately for Jeep fans, at the end of the Comanche’s production run in 1992, the manufacturer culled its product line of all pickup options. Even with some AEV and Mopar conversion kits available for JK Wranglers, realistically, we had to wait until 2020 for another Jeep pickup to hit the market: the Gladiator. Teased in 2018 as a 2020 model, with its classic Jeep lines and purposeful ride-height, the Gladiator was an instant hit well before the first one even rolled out of the factory. Pre-orders overwhelmed Jeep’s production capacity (remember, this was during the middle of the global pandemic, when supply chain issues throttled nearly every manufacturer), and Stellantis is still trying to catch up on production even in 2023.

Not just a Wrangler with a bed attached to it, the four-door JT Gladiator is a stand-alone model in its own right, and it does everything a pickup should do, and it does it well. With multiple trim levels available, and its standard 5-foot bed, the Gladiator offers what Jeep claims is a best-in-class available tow rating of 7700 pounds and a best-in-class payload rating of 1700 pounds. To add to the appeal, you can still get a Gladiator with three pedals - the six-speed manual is the true connoisseur’s choice. Paired with Jeep’s near mythical off-road prowess (nearly a foot of standard ground clearance), and available options like an in-bed power outlet, spray-in bedliner, and lots of tie-downs, the Gladiator is the perfect platform for either work or adventure - or both.

Getting the Most Out of Your Gladiator with a Bed Rack

How do you maximize the JT Gladiator’s versatility for both workday and weekend use? One easy and extremely useful upgrade is a rugged steel bed rack from Fishbone Offroad.

What Exactly is a Bed Rack?

Bed racks are usually built from steel or aluminum. Bolted to the bed rails of your pickup, they create a hooped exo-skeleton that makes for nearly endless possibilities for attachment and organization of gear and tools mounted to the rack itself. And, they still also allow for access to the bed, both from the sides and through the tailgate.

Fishbone makes bed racks for the Gladiator in two flavors - Half Tackle and Full Tackle. Built of tough, powder-coated steel, both versions are easy to install with basic hand tools and help from a friend. The difference between the Half Tackle and the Full Tackle bed racks is height. The top of the Half Tackle version sits just over 12 inches above the height of the bed rails, about half-way up the rear window. The Full Tackle bed rack’s height is even with the top of your Gladiator’s cab, almost 22 inches above the bed sides.

How Do I Use a Bed Rack?

The easy answer here is whatever your imagination can conjure up! But many people use bed racks for both work and play. On the weekday side of things, bed racks (especially the Full Tackle version) are perfect for hauling ladders, lumber, pipe, and other bulky or lengthy items. Strap a water cooler to the outside to keep a work crew hydrated, or hang hose from the inside for convenient access. Long-handled hand tools like shovels, rakes, and axes bolt easily to the side rails, and our optional top-rail add-ons build in even more possibilities.

But the fun really starts when you’re planning the build-out of a 4x4 or overland adventure rig. With a Half- or Full-Tackle bed rack as your foundation, and Fishbone accessories, like Hi-Lift jack mounts, bike rack mounts, and tie downs, the off-road world is your oyster. The Half Tackle rack is the perfect height for a roof tent - hard or soft sided. It keeps the tent down low for effortless access and a better aerodynamic profile (well, as good as you can get with a Gladiator…). You can mount fuel and water cans, shovels and axes, traction boards, and even lighting to the outside of the rack, and a bed rack makes installing a drawer storage system a snap.

Fishbone Offroad Bed Rack Specs

Let’s delve into some of the details on Fishbone’s Gladiator bed racks, both the Half Tackle and the Full Tackle.

Fishbone Offroad Half Tackle Bed Rack

Fits 2020 to Current JT Gladiator
Sits 12.5 inches high off the bed side and 30.5 inches from the bed floor to the top rail
Stands halfway up the rear window
Perfect for overlanding setups
Made from 1/8 inch black powder coated steel
Stainless steel hardware
Safely supports up to 500 pounds (static weight rating)
Can be used with tonneau covers that mount on inside of bed rails, both roll-up and folding styles
Can bolt into existing factory bed rail or clamp onto bed side
Easy installation for one or two persons
Versatile mounting capabilities
$999.99 (oversize shipping charges may apply)

Fishbone Offroad Full Tackle Bed Rack

Fits 2020 to Current JT Gladiator
Sits 21-5/8 inches high off of the bed side
Top of the rack is level with the cab roof
Great utility clearance and real estate under the rack
Made from 1/8 inch black powder coated steel
Stainless steel hardware
Safely supports up to 500 pounds (static weight rating)
Works with roll-up style tonneau covers
Can bolt into existing factory bed rail or clamp onto bed side
Easy installation for one or two persons
Versatile mounting capabilities
$1099.99 (oversize shipping charges may apply)

For a limited time, when you order either a Half Tackle or Full Tackle bed rack from Fishbone Offroad, we’re throwing in a Fishbone fire pit absolutely free (a $330 value)! This laser-cut 1/8-inch steel fire pit packs flat for convenient storage and transport, and keeps your campsite clean and safe by lifting the fire up off the ground and containing ash. The fire pit comes with a cooking grate, and it’s easy to clean and fun to use. Featuring the Fishbone fish logo, it turns even the most mundane campsite into adventure central.

Shop for your Fishbone Offroad bed rack today right here on our website, and feel free to reach out with any questions. We’ll see you down the trail.