Building a bow rack for your truck

[ksbowman]

If your like me most of the time when you go some place to shoot you throw your bow in the back seat of the truck and go. If someone goes along there is not quite enough room to lay both your bow and your buddies in the seat without them banging together with all the gear. I put together a quick holder to eliminate that, heres how and it only takes about an hour.                

[ksbowman]

First go to Wally world and get thier horizontal fishing rod holder. It will hold six fishing rods or four unstrung bows comfortably. Next get a 1 1/2" X 1/8" X 48" bar stock and 4-1/4" x 1" carriage bolts w/ nuts. Total cost will be $18 + or -. My old truck is a 2001 Dodge extended cab and my rear seat back is only 2 1/2" thick, measure yours so you know how wide the throat of your bracket will need to be. I like mine snug so my bracket throat is 2".                                                       Also measure the height of the seat back so the vertical leg will fit without hitting the seat.              

[ksbowman]

Next layout the bar stock for cuts and bends. With the bow holder laying on the bar measure in 1" and make a mark, endo the holder and mark the top at the same time mark the two holes for drilling for your bolts. Then subtract 1" from the seat back hieght measurement and mark the bar for your first 90 degree bend,then the spacing for seat back thickness and mark it,then mark the bar for a 4" drop tail.               the bar should look like this now. Now cut the 2 brackets to length.

[FerretWYO]

Good idea  

[wildgame]

that would be pretty handy!!  

[ksbowman]

Now before bending the brackets drill the four holes in the brackets to accept the bolts to the bow holders.The bracket holes will need to be 21/64" for the square shank of the carraige bolt to bite correctly. The supplied holes in the bow holders will need to be enlarged to 1/4".Now put the bar stock bracket in a vice and bend your two 90 degree bends. If you want to heat the bends you can but I just bent mine cold then do a little twisting to square them back up.I like my last bend at the tail alittle over 90 to make it easier to put on the seat.         When bent they should look something like this.          

[ksbowman]

Remember the smooth head of the carriage bolt goes against the seat so you won't rub a hole in the fabric of the seat.The finished brackets painted and assembled should look like this.      You can cut the cost of these brackets almost in half if you have access to some wide scrap banding material that is in the dumpster at most big construction sites.

[ksbowman]

Here are a few more pictures of the installed holders.                  You can even protect your babies from coming loose in a crash by using one or both seat belts to hold them in!  Good hunting,  Ben              

[Missouri CK]

Pretty cool Ben!

So your driving when we go to the next shoot right!

I need to look at the schedule to see when some of the shoots Porter sent us are being held.

You chasing after some turkey's down your way?

Chris

[ksbowman]

Sure Chris I'll drive! I'm ready for a shoot too. There's one at Adrian this weekend, I was going to call Tom and see what he thought about it. There's one at P-hill next Sunday but that's my 40 th wedding anniversary and I'd like to keep living here.  Ben

[Don Batten]

great idea. how do you keep your backseat so clean? lol. DB

[MercilessMing]

Cool!  I like that buckle up idea too!

[cacciatore]

Very smart,thanks for sharing.

[ksbowman]

Batman, I had to clean the junk out before I started or you couldn't have seen the seat.Still had winter clothes on it.   Ben

[HATCHCHASER]

That's nice.

[carlo1404]

Very very nice....
Hey friend, I see the Seat belt but ... where is Airbag... ??? (LOL)
Bye from Italy
Carlo

[K.S.TRAPPER]

Thats pretty cool Ben    

Tracy

[rushlush]

That is very cool. Thanks

[JPNTN]

Great DIY - thanks.

[VTer]

I just use all my extra stuff back there to put between bows.