FAQ — Yakima Jet Stream load bars

What's the Difference Between the Retrax PRO XR and MX for a 2019 Ford F-150?

Ford F-150 Owner: I've got some kind of special requirements that I need to throw out on the table then you can tell me what your recommendation would be. First off, I have a 2019 Ford F-150.

Sean: Okay.

Ford F-150 Owner: Secondly, it's a SuperCrew, and what it's going to be used as is primarily as a tow vehicle for a 23 and a half foot, double whole trailer. Each summer I drag it around chasing all the paragliding competitions, so 13,000 miles every summer. Get where I'm going, drag the trailer up, literally 6,000 feet to where it's cool. I park the trailer with other people and then I use my truck since, it's a four-wheel drive, to carry typically seven pilots total, myself included. To do that we found that if I put all their wings in the cab that I can then pack them into cube space pretty well and get them there. So that means I get two up front, I got to put five in the bed. I have a five and a half foot bed.

Sean: So you want to know, I spoke to you before, right? And you want to know if people could sit on the cover? 

Ford F-150 Owner: That's it. Yes. Yes sir. I need something that can hold a decent amount of weight.

Sean: We originally spoke about a rolling cover and you said you can't do that because it'll take up about a foot of your bed space.

Ford F-150 Owner: Well, after talking to you earlier now I'm thinking that a roll-up that rolls in a circle in a box against the window would probably be my best bet. So that I can have three people sit on that. And then two into the bed. So since we talked last I've kind of come to the conclusion, well I can't really have my cake and eat it too. I've got to give up somewhere to get that bench seat. 

Sean: Okay. Well, I will say then that if you're okay with a canister type deal, the Retrax is probably the best way to go. I mean its weight rated at 500 pounds evenly distributed on the cover. So I imagine if it's rolled up, it should hold at least that cause there aren't any springs or, moving pieces in a box that you have to worry about. It's all ball bearings. Or if you wanted to do something even more up your alley, they have their RetraxPRO XR which is the same as the MX, same finish, everything like that. But it's another hundred dollars. The difference is it has a T-slot where you can put ladder racks or kayak racks or anything your heart desires. And right now they're actually doing a promotion where if you buy that cover they give you a set of Yakima JetStream load bars for free. So essentially you can have your cover open and still have things on top of the load bars as well, which are movable. 

Ford F-150 Owner: Yeah. Wow. I'll have to look at that. So, the XR and the MX, other than the T-racks, is the cover on the roll up canister effectively the same? Or is it reinforced heavier?

Sean: Yes, they're exactly the same. The only difference between the XR and the MX is just a T-slot rails. So the cover is the exact same cover. They do make a retracted one, which is polycarbonate, but that cover only holds up to 200 pounds, so I don't know if that would be the one that I would have people sit on.

Ford F-150 Owner: What is the depth? Four and a half?

Sean: 14 inches.

Ford F-150 Owner: That's perfect. Sounds good, man. I appreciate it. I think that you gave me good advice and it took me a while to do a whole bunch of research and I really wasn't looking at this one, but the 500 pounds sitting on the lid I think is important and it works better for me.

Sean: With a lifetime warranty too, so keep that in mind as well.

Ford F-150: Oh, really? That's really good. All right, thank you so much and I'll holler back at you.

Sean: You got it.

Can I Use I The Track Rack From My Old F-150 on a New F-250 With a Retrax Pro XR?

F250 Owner: Hi, I was calling about a cover.

Sean: Okay. What kind of cover are you looking at?

F250 Owner: The Retrax Pro for a 2019 Ford F250

Sean: Okay. So the Pro MX has the matte black finish. That's the one you were looking for, right?

F250 Owner: I think so. I do like the matte finish

Sean: For an extra 100 bucks you can get the Retrax Pro XR which has the T channel side rails. And right now, they're doing a promotion, where if you buy that cover, you get Yakima Jet Stream load bars for free, which is about $500 worth of load bars. So you could add bike racks, kayak racks, snowboard racks, whatever you want. Yakima, Thule liner rack.

F250 Owner: Do they have a lumber rack kind of thing for that?

Sean: Yeah, they do. I definitely think you would want to go with something other than the racks they're giving to you for free, but yeah, you can buy a set, and they range depending on which brand you want, but anywhere from $500 to $900. So they've got Yakima and Thule, but as long as they have that T-slot, you can swap it out with whatever you want.

F250 Owner: The difference between the matte finish and the shiny finish, is there any difference other than the finish on that one?

Sean: No, just the finish. And the shiny one is actually about $50 more than the matte black.

F250 Owner: Had that one on a pretty big truck. And the built in rail things, are they similar to the track rack things?

Sean: Yeah, yeah like the track rack

F250 Owner: Like they can slide off and on?

Sean: Right, correct.

F250 Owner: I actually have the whole track rack, the rails and the rack, on my old truck already so I don't even need that

Sean: Got ya

F250 Owner: It's probably the equivalent of those racks.

Sean: Yeah, between there. I'd have to look it up, let me look here. Thule SR. So what do you have, the track rack SR?

F250 Owner: Yeah, the track rack whatever. I don't know what they are

Sean: It comes with two rails that sits inside your track pockets, or your stick pockets?

F250 Owner: They sit on top. I actually had them installed in the previous truck.

Sean: What truck did you have?

F250 Owner: It was an F150 that I had bolted those on.

Sean: Okay well if you wanted to do that

F250 Owner: Well these new rails are built right into the, my engine's on the track racks?

Sean: Correct.

F250 Owner: And that price includes shipping for the cover, or shipping is extra?

Sean: No, shipping is included.

F250 Owner: Okay. Can you email that to me?

Sean: Yeah, one second.

F250 Owner: Standard price?

Sean: No, that's the sale price, so. Let me see here, though. You will be good on that for, I mean you're good, I'm not gonna take it back from ya so whenever you're ready, just let me know. I will still honor that promotion. 

F250 Owner: Okay, send that to me so when I get home I can look at it, I wasn't considering that other rack system, I already have it but if it looks like something worth it, maybe I'll do it.

Sean: Okay, I'll get those things over there to you. I'll actually send you both quotes, I'll send you a quote for the XR and then I'll send you a quote for the regular MX.

F250 Owner: And would you say that built in system that they have now is like equivalent to the track rack now and stuff?

Sean: Yeah, yeah they actually make it's called a Yakima HD Rack, which looks almost identical to the track rack, but it works with the t-slot.

F250 Owner: So the slot part's different, so I could use my rack?

Sean: I don't think you're gonna be able to. Or would you make that notch yourself? Cause it covers part of it with the Retrax, unless you get the cutouts.

F250 Owner: I might, my old one didn't have to have the stake pocket anything.

Sean: Really? Okay.

F250 Owner: Yeah, it just bolted across the top and then I kind of bolted the track rack rails on top of that rail for that site, laying just apart.

Sean: Okay, got ya. The second one you receive is actually going to be the one that is the standard Retrax Pro, it's probably like what you had before except for being the matte black instead of the shiny finish. 

F250 Owner: Okay, I already got the first one perfectly

F250 Owner: Alright, I'll update that on my side too, so should you decide what one you want to go with, you can complete your purchase through the links, or just give us a call back and we can help you.

F250 Owner: Okay. What's the shipping time on those?

F250 Owner: The Retrax, they do bill-to-order. They usually take two to three days to ship, and then depending on where you're at, it's another three to four day transit.

F250 Owner: Alright, thank you very much. I'll check it out.