PUTCO Venture TEC Rack Manual

INSTRUCTION GUIDE
Congratulations on your purchase of a high quality PUTCO®product. Should
you need any application or technical assistance, feel free to call us at:
Monday-Friday 8:00am - 5:00pm (Central Standard Time)
Contact your PUTCO®dealer for other quality accessories.
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1-800-247-3974
PLEASE READ ALL INSTRUCTIONS BEFORE INSTALLATION
AND CHECK TO SEE THAT ALL PARTS ARE INCLUDED
CONTENT LIST
Rear Hoop (etched hoop)
Front Hoop
CoreTEC Block Inserts
Support Tubes
Vehicle Specific Hardware Mounting Kit
Upper Mounting Brackets
Side Mounting Brackets
Rack Hardware Kit
Accessory Mounting Kit
Universal Tent Bracket Kit
Blue Loc Tite
HEX KEYS OR SOCKETS
(sizes: 7/32”, 3/16”, 5/32”)
WRENCH OR SOCKET (sizes: 9/16”, 7/16”)
X-ACTO / UTILITY KNIFE
REQUIRED TOOLS QTY
1
1
8
4
1
4
4
1
1
1
1
OR
OR
Upper Mounting Bracket
Support Tubes
CoreTEC Block Insert
Side Mounting Bracket
Front Hoop
Rear Hoop
(Bag #185601)
(Bag #185602)
(Bag #185603)

Venture TEC Rack Instruction Guide
1
2
3
Use X-Acto knife/razor blade to cut open stake
pocket (if not already exposed).
Use 2 rubber bands to hold threaded plate to
mounting bracket. Make sure threaded hole is
not obstructed (Figure 1).
Thread the 3.25” long bolt into the bracket
assembly, and lower it into the stake
pocket.NOTE:Some brackets are driver/
passenger side specific.
Make sure nut clip is facing into the bed of
the truck, and is centered in hole of bed wall
as seen in Figure 2. (Using blue loc tite is
recommended in order to ensure all bolts stay
tight long term).
3/8” bolt & washer
Figure 2 (Left): Nut clip centered in hole of bed
Figure 3 (Right): Bolt & Washer threaded into bracket
4Loosely thread 3/8” bolt with oval washer (flat
washer on Ford) through bed wall into bracket.
Temporarily remove 3.25” bolt from top of
bracket. See Figure 3.
5Repeat steps 1-4 on other stake pockets.
6Insert 8 square nuts into each channel of both racks. Slide square nuts down to the mounting
plate, so that both sides of the hoop look like Figure 4. Position remaining square nuts in top
channel near bend, as shown in Figure 5.
Figure 4: 4 square nuts slid towards the mounting
plate
Figure 5: square nuts are slid towards the corner
Figure 1: Threaded plate held to mounting bracket
by rubber bands
NOTE: Steps 1-5 may not apply to your specific vehicle. Please refer to independent
instructions sheet included with your Venture TEC Rack Mounting Kit.
7Position the front hoop over the stake pockets and thread the 3.25” bolt through the bracket in
the stake pocket. Be careful not to knock loose threaded nut plate. Leave the bolt slightly loose to
allow the rack to seek its natural position.
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Venture TEC Rack Instruction Guide
9Locate the four support tubes. Slide CoreTec
threaded insert into tube. The offset threaded
holes should be towards the inside of the rail
(Figure 6). Fasten it into place using 3/8” x 5/8”
bolts. When properly installed, the CoreTec
insert should be flush with the end of the tube.
Figure 6: Diagram showing proper threaded
insert installation
10 Locate the rail mounting brackets for the rack.
Position the rail mounting brackets as shown
in Figures 7 and 8. Figure 7 shows the correct
setup for the brackets that mount on the side
of the hoops, and Figure 8 shows the correct
setup for brackets that mount on the top of the
hoops.
Figure 7: Proper side mounting bracket installation Figure 8: Proper top mounting bracket installation
8Repeat step 7 for the rear hoop. Note: Rear hoop is etched and has tie-down holes in mounting
plate.
11 Locate the tubes that will sit at the top of the rack. Position the bracket so that the outside edge
of the bracket sits at the start of the bent edge of the hoop as shown in Figure 9. The easiest way
to get the tubes into place is to get one side in and then insert the other side diagonally so that
the tabs on the bracket fit into the channel of the hoop as shown in Figure 10. vSlide the square
nuts under the mounting holes in the bracket, and thread in the ¼“-20 x ½” bolts. Repeat the
process for the other tube.
Bend of Hoop
Outside Edge
of Bracket
Figure 9: Diagram showing top tube installation Figure 10: Diagram showing one side inserted
and the other side inserted diagonally.
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Venture TEC Rack Instruction Guide
Upper Square Nut
Bottom Edge of Bracket
Lower Mounting Hole
Upper Mounting Hole
Bottom Edge
of Bracket Lower Square Nut
12 Before installing the tubes on the side of the
hoop, tighten the 3.25“ bolt on the front hoops,
as you will not be able to reach them once the
tubes are installed on the sides.
13 Locate the two side tubes. Starting with the
top mounting holes, use the alignment tool
to push square nuts into position by pressing
the lip of the tool against the bottom edge
of mounting bracket and the tip of the tool
against the square nut (Fig 11a). The long leg
is used to align the top mounting locations,
and the shorter leg is used to align the lower
mounting locations. Fasten 1/4”-20 bolts into
square nuts, as shown in Figure 11b.
Figure 11a: Diagram showing the alignment tool
Figure 11b: Diagram showing the correct side
tube mounting
14 Tighten the 3.25” bolt on the rear mounting
plates, and double check to make sure all
other hardware is tight.
• Make sure to periodically check that bolts are tight.
• Ensure that all accessories are securely mounted.
• Do not exceed maximum load recommended by vehicle manufacturer.
• Do not exceed maximum load rating of tent manufacturer, if applicable.
• Be aware of reduced clearance when accessories are mounted on top of the rack.
Your new Venture TEC Rack is now successfully installed
on your vehicle! Let the adventures begin!
WARNING:
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