Ford Ranger Roll Bars, Bed Bars, Chase Racks, Sports bars

What exactly are Ford Ranger roll bars, sports bars, bed bars, and chase racks? Generally all four all these are used interchangeably. All four of these look almost the same from a distance, but their origins are quite different.

We will help you clear out the actual meaning and use of roll bars, sports bars, bed bars, and chase racks.

Distinction – Roll Bars, Bed Bars, Chase Racks, and Sport bars

Roll bars were initially meant for providing extra protection if there is a truck rollover accident. Roll bars that stick up above the seats’ headrests prevent the passengers’ heads from directly hitting the road. They can also save your rear window from potential damage caused due to shifting cargo.

Ford ranger Bed bars are simply long metal bars that sit on top of and run the length of the truck bed walls. These bars serve as tie-down points to carry more oversized items transported within the truck bed. And are often integrated into the sport bar

Chase racks on a ford ranger truck are often mistaken as roll bars from a distance, although they serve different purposes. A chase rack on a ford ranger is used for extra storage space for spare tires and tools during your off-roading adventures.

Ranger Sports Bar are meant to serve as more of an improved look of your vehicle, with a sporty yet rugged look. A Sports bar comes up over the rear window, extending from the bed and is similar to a roll bar in look. Thus the reason roll bars and sport bars are used interchangeably in conversation.

However, not every sports bar is made to function as a roll bar, so every product you purchase will not provide this extra support in a roll over accident. Some sports bars are made for visual appeal or as light mounts.

Purpose of Roll Bars

Rollbar is a modification that’s worth installing not because of performance but for safety. A roll bar is not only an aftermarket accessory to customize your ford ranger rather a necessity. Truck roll bars have been used for many years to enhance the looks and safety of a pickup truck, even if it is not for off-road racing purposes.

Roll Bars should not be confused with a Roll Cage, which are designed for a much greater amount of protection in an off road accident.

Roll bars are usually mounted on top of the truck bed rails. Due to this position, the pickup is a lot more stable and balanced, even during tight turns.

A classic roll bar was initially intended to provide extra protection during a ford truck rollover. However, their usefulness has increased over the past years.

In addition, a classic Rollbar can be an excellent mounting location for LED light bars and pods.

Will a Classic Roll Bar protect me in a rollover?

Yes, overall, installing a roll bar will benefit you and increase the vehicle’s performance, but does it protect you? What are your chances of survival during an accident? The answer is yes.

A roll bar helps reduce the death rate, increases performance on sharp turns, and offers excellent protection for both driver and passenger.

Most rollover accidents can be dangerous because the top of the vehicle may not have enough support for these situations.

Most ford trucks being manufactured do not include a roll bar as it is expensive and is not mandatory according to the law. It depends on the customer if they want to invest money in their ford truck to ensure their safety. It can also get in the way of bed covers as well.

At its simplest, a roll bar is just a few bars in the rear. Still, it can be modified into a roll cage that improves rigidity and safety. These safety devices are constructed with thick steel tubing—for example, Black Horse Off Road offers roll bars with 4” thick steel tubing—for protection.

Purpose of Bed Bars

Ford ranger bed bars do not protect you from rollovers. Instead, a Bed bar serves as a tie-down point for cargo items transported in the truck bed. Keeping aside the practical purpose of a bed bar, some people like how they look and want to make their truck look a bit more stylish.

Some uses for truck bed rails are as follows:

Commercial – tying down equipment such as machinery and ladder and tying down materials and supplies such as pipes or lumber.

Farming – tying down supplies and farm equipment.

Personal – truck bed rails are great for transporting more oversized personal items such as furniture or large appliances.

Recreational – tying down sporting or recreational equipment such as ATVs, kayaks, skis, etc. 

Purpose of Chase Racks

As we have already discussed, chase racks are mistaken as roll bars, but they do not protect you from a rollover accident. The main reason for purchasing a chase rack is for extra cargo space specifically to hold extra tires, jacks and off road repair equipment. 

Where do Chase Racks Get Their Name?

They get their name from desert racing where the support vehicles would chase the race vehicles and carry extra equipment for support. Today chase racks are also chosen for their aggressive desert truck look.. It doesn’t matter if your pickup truck never hits the dirt. An urban chase rack can give it the illusion of being the ultimate race truck.

How are Sports Bars Different?

Sports bars are no different in look than roll bars. But generally they are much less cheaper because  they are not designed to support the vehicle in a rollover. Most sports bars are purely for visual appeal, or mounting lights so don’t assume that any product you purchase will provide safety.

Roll Bars are great for Light mounts and other Accessories

A roll bar is a perfect spot for additional lighting that can come in handy during your next off-road excursion. Like units offered by Black Horse Off Road, some roll bars come predrilled to fit LED lighting easily. If you love driving along dark trails, you can easily install led light bars or fog lights on top of the roll bar.

Like roll bars, most chase racks come predrilled to fit aftermarket LED lighting. Therefore, bolting LED lights to your chase rack should not be difficult because of predrills for easy installation. You can also add a matching roof rack to your chase rack for more LED Light mounting points.

Sports bars are purely for visual appeal or as light bar mounts. Sports bars with lightbulbs on them give better visibility at night. As technology has become more advanced, light bars have high-end functions like retractable LED lights with remote Bluetooth operation as of today’s models. So if you plan on going off-roading, need extra lights for viability, or just want your truck to look more fabulous, you must add a sports bar mount to your ranger.

Benefits of high-mounted Led Lights

An External Road Roll-Bar, Sports-Bar, or Roll-Cage is a suitable location for mounting LED lights. Most pickup sports bars are located at the rear of the cab. Choosing an LED light or light bar at this location will not cause any glare from the hood of your truck. 

Out Running Your Lights?

At night you can only drive as fast as the lights.  When you are driving at a rate of speed where your stopping distance is farther out than what you can see with your lighting, it gets pretty dangerous. The farther out you can see with your lights the faster you can safely drive. Having a high mounted light on your roll bar will allow you to put lighting much further out than a bumper or hood mounted option.

Watch your 3rd Brake Light

Remember that most roll bars and sports bars cover up the 3rd brake light, which can be problematic. So either purchase one with a mounted 3rd brake light or one design not to cover it up.

What is the best Ford Ranger chase rack?

We are a big fan of the products from Addictive Desert Designs specifically the ADD HoneyBadger Chase Rack

We give a full break down of the best option on the market in our Top 8 Ford Ranger Chase Racks

Wrapping up

Roll Bars, Bed bars, Chase Racks, Sport bars.. All confused to be the same thing but have slight differences. We have found that when shopping, the term roll bar or chase rack seem to be the right term to look for.

Look for more upgrade options for your Ford Ranger?

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