How do you Like Your Rack? Smooth, Checker or Stainless?

When it comes to our enclosed semi truck headache racks, we’re proud to offer three finish options: Smooth aluminum, checker aluminum, or mirror stainless steel.

It’s not often we have photos of three of the same headache racks in three different finishes, so we thought it a great opportunity to show how essentially the same headache racks can achieve drastically different looks with a relatively simple change in building material. This post will aim to compare the three finishes, in hopes that it will aid in helping you pick your desired finish for your next headache rack.

I should note that there is one option missing from this list: powder coating. Officially, we offer four standard powder coating colours for our class 8 semi truck accessories: white, black, red and blue. Other colour options may be available down the road, so please be sure to ask at the time of ordering if you’re interested.

Okay! On to the photos and quick breakdown of each finish.

1. Checkerplate Aluminum

Contact us to get this rack >>

This rack features a smooth aluminum body with checkerplate doors, giving the rack a predominently checkerplate look. If my memory serves me, the rack pictured above was the “original” rack that started the onslaught of orders we’ve received since asking for the same (or similar) design. Because of this, we may, soon, have a standard part number for these racks.

Checkerplate tends to be more fingerprint resistant (or at least it’s harder to notice), but tends to hold on to dirt slightly more due to it’s rugged finish. Most guys just hose these racks down to keep them looking good.

2. Smooth Aluminum (With a Surprise..!)

Contact us to get this rack >>

Depending on your preference of smooth or checkerplate, this one would or would not be the cleanest look of the three options. The entire rack is smooth 1/8-inch (.125″) thick military/marine-grade aluminum, and it very much looks like one cohesive unit.

Smooth aluminum can be susceptible to finger printing (seen above), and requires slightly more elbow grease than the checkerplate finish to keep looking it’s best.

There’s one other thing about the smooth aluminum finish that you can do if it’s your finish of choice…

2.1 Polished Smooth Aluminum

Contact us to get this rack >>

The hidden benefit of smooth aluminum? You can polish it fairly easily, and it looks AMAZING!

With that said though, polished aluminum is not a finish that we offer, nor is polishing aluminum. Any of our racks that you see online that are polished aluminum were not polished by us. They do, however, look incredible! They require a significant amount of work to keep their brilliant appearance, though.

3. Mirror Stainless Steel Doors

Contact us to get this rack >>

Unfortunately we don’t have any photos of this headache rack with stainless steel doors installed an unwrapped. To preserve the mirror finish of the doors, we do not unwrap the racks any more than we have to before shipping them. So let your imagination run a bit!

It’s not hard to picture what this rack would look like installed and unwrapped. It’s a truly mirror finish, and it’s beautiful. If you’re able and willing to stay on top of the maintenance required to maintain the mirror finish over a prolonged period of time, then this could be your top choice.

Want more information on any of the racks above?

Our sales team is ready to chat about your options on any of the racks shown in this post, or any other product you may have questions about as well.

More Enclosed Rack Info >>
More Rack/Tank Combo Info >>
Contact Us >>