Composite Bed Loading Features

I was trying to find a clean way to load 4 X 8 sheets of plywood and drywall on my 2010 Tacoma and noticed there four recesses in the bed sidwalls.

It looks like they are provided to take 1" by 6" planks to provide a flat platform in combination with the tops of the wheel-wells that will easily accommodate 4' x 8' sheets.

Am I right? Does anyone know the load limits for this arrangement or where I can find the specs?

Thanks.

 

I think you are right. There are area's for some boards to be placed on either side of the box and then a 4 x 8 sheet will fit. I remember my dakota had the same thing and even refered to a diagram in the owners manual about it. Specs???? keep pushing them in untill the truck squats . The specs on yours is 1250 lbs i think??? for the box.
If you are worried about the support boards try putting a block of something in the middle under them to help.
Turn the key and Drive.

 

Use 2x6

 

And this^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ thanks OZ

 

Thanks for the replies. The bed itself seems really tough to start so with support boards under the middle it sounds like I have the solution. I already have helper springs so the truck rides level at max load which is about 850 lbs in back and the rest up front.

 

Finally made use of the optional bed support rails to transport 4' x 8' sheets of drywall.
They're great! 1" x 6" planks for the cross pieces with just a touch of edge removal dropped nicely into the slots.
One caution: the crosspiece closest to the tailgate is far enough from the tail of the bed to leave a long overhang for a 4' x 8' sheet.
I screwed 3 pcs of 2'' x 3" x 8' lumber to the cross pieces to provide full support to the sheets of drywall.
Additionally, a long load will over-balance this support arrangement so it is necessary to hold down the front cross-piece. In my case I have a slide-in camper and was able to strap down to the camper tie-down bracket installed on the floor of the bed. This appealed to me as the bed d-rings are not quite as robust.
Thanks again for all the previous info.

 

I had 2x6's that I notched so that the top would still be flush with the wheel wells. I seemed to have lost them when I looked recently, guess they didn't make the move with me. Worked great though. And there is room underneath for other materials, just make sure they wont slide out when you hit the throttle.