A WARNING about bed rail tire carriers

This makes me wonder about my hi-lift being mounted to the bed rails... I was thinking of fabbing up a tire mount for the bedrail. Wont be doing that now.

 

This is why I would rather just carry a spare under the truck

 

TWO spares. Ever been 100 miles from the closest town and got a flat with only one spare?? Not a good feeling.

 

You should be fine. I have my 60" Hi-Lift mounted to the rails with no issues. The 60" Hi-Lift only weighs about 30lbs, whereas a full-sized spare (31"-33") is closer to 60-70lbs. Plus, the Hi-Lift's weight distribution is spread more evenly across the length of the rail itself.

Not sure how you mounted yours, but here's the link to my mounts I used.
http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/2nd-gen-tacomas/260147-diy-hi-lift-tool-mounts.html
They are pretty damn solid, and I have been on some rowdy trails without any rattling, movement, shifting, loosening etc.

 

I used an old locrac that I've had in my shop for a few years that my dad bought me for my '89 toy when I had it. I just bolted it to t slot nuts in the rail. I should probably redo it so that all the weight isnt resting on the rails. I just have pics of it mounted up.

 

Try this:

 

That looks ok, I wonder if it would work with my shell. Since I have a short bed, bedspace is precious. I need stuff like this to take up as little space as possible. Here's another shot of the base mount.

 

Ever crawl under your truck on the side of the road in the middle of winter to get your stuck tire out from under it. I have and won't do it anymore. I like being able to check the air pressure and condition of the tire easily. The rack can be configured in different ways or removed in less then five minutes. It makes a good shooting platform too. I have a trailer for big stuff.

 

Drill a really small hole at the end of the crack. This will keep it from continuing.

 

The front rail is the only place I'd reccomend using a tire carrier like this. The composite bed is actually very strong. The issue is that where my fender cracked there isn't any support for the composite bed. The bed runs straight up without any gusseting and is held in place by the thin sheet metal of the bedside.

The plastics strong, just not reinforced enough at this location. The post in the back is fine, I checked.

Yup. The composite bed was allowed to move too much due to the thin bedside not providing enough support.

 

I did try to fit my spare underneath, but it hit both sides of the frame so I gave up.

This is probably what I'll end up doing. I figure I can have a buddy weld up the crack after the holes have been drilled. I'll touch it up with a little paint and put the bed rail cap back on. The majority of the repair won't be visible.

 

As in they cannot stand up to excessive flex due to a large mass hanging on them.... OK.

 

Looks like you could reinforce it pretty easily. Put a flat piece of metal along the top and maybe some type of brace and you wont see it after the cap is back on. Good luck with the dealer.
Edit: Doh!! Didn't realize this was an old thread. Oh well, still good info for some.

 

That's a good amount of damage.
I guess a lesson is in here for all of us.
Best of luck at the dealer.

 

That sucks. Thanks for the heads up. I seen a few LT guys in my town selling their bedside on CL or maybe its time LT yourself.

 

It's been over a year since. I didn't think the dealer would warranty it.

 

Sucks man....

Glad mine is still underneath the truck.

 

Old thread is old.

I still wouldn't recommend anyone using a bedrail tire carrier though.

The frame works much better.

 

Your tail lights: 13 points

They scored a "10" on the redneck scale, with a bonus point of +3 for the white zipties .

 

I actually build a spare tire carrier that bolted to the OUTSIDE of the bed for a old dodge stepside pickup, with the cutout in the left rear fender for the spare. I used 20lbs of pipe, plate, bolts, spacers and such and it ten years it still looks fine. So, I wouldn't blame the BED, I would blame the spare tire mount. I also have my high lift jack bolted to my bed rails, with the t-slots, in two places.

As for the warranty, the dealer would call that abuse...

Howard