Installed D-Rings in the Bed (Pics)

Thanks for the reply! I was curious because since these are bolts that hold the bed in and attach to the frame (if I'm not mistaken), I wanted to make sure that the integrity of the bolt itself is not lessened by over torquing. Again, thanks for the info.

 

Do as you will and I wish you the best, but!! get in an accident with a motorcycle or some such tied down to your D-rings, then explain to a lawyer how you didn't alter or have any issues, Don't take my word for it, Ask Toyota? ever wonder why Toyota recommends mounting them on the bed side? Just say'n Doc

 

Excellent point. You may be interested in this (2 tables), from the Tacoma repair manual, that lists torque specs for various bolt sizes and styles.

 

And yet they mount two of them to the bed at the factory. Strange, eh?

 

Yes they do, and that is not strange at all, but what is strange is why they don't mount (4) two forward & two rear, (the cost would be so small I don't think it could be calculated). I think there is a reason!! and if you don't think liability plays a role just look at the "FloorMate" issue. Just say'n Doc

 

Um, have you looked under the rear of the bed to see what the D-ring bolts are attached to, and then under the forward part of the bed to see if there's something that might interfere with installing D-rings there? It's really kind of hard to miss...

'Floormate'??? Sorry, more room in the bed...

Anyway, the floormats are irrelevant. They're Toyota installs using flimsy clips (or owner mis-installs), not mods using bolts torqued to 60 lbs. Ain't no warning sticker about bed bolts on my truck.

Think first!!

 

WOW!!!! Just stating an opinion and ya go off the wall, sorry I upset ya, but Toyota makes a pretty good product, and not without reason!! although there are some pretty smart people here I'll stick with the engineers at Toyota. As for looking under the forward part of the bed, No I haven't, but I am going to add a couple of D-rings, I think I will have the dealer install them. Again sorry for getting you all upset. but I still don't think it is a good idea to mess with the frame bolts, Doc

 

nice.looks good.that how fukn toyota should have done it in the first mutha fukn place

 

your not a real handy man are you? just because the toyota engineers didnt put the rings up front or on the bed bolts, does not mean its a bad idea. unless you know for a fact that the engineers ran the FEA on the bolts w/ the rings and it caused to much stress, your spreading BS by stating that if it was a good idea, they would have done it. and that since they did not put the bolts there, it is therefore a bad idea.

since you have never looked under the bed and are going to allow the dealer to install a bolt on mod for you, you really dont have much to stand on, except your own non-understanding of the subject.

i could see if something that was tied down would cause so much stress on the bolt that it would cause it to snap and therefore loosen the bed and the load, but i really dont see that happening. i see the tiedowns breaking first, as they have less of a tensile strength than the bolts holding the bed to the frame.

just say'n, yosh2000

 

For those of you that are so concerned about the torque for the factory D-Rings, I looked it up. It's 23.5 lbf-ft (32 N-m)

Here is a picture for your reference:

 

I am not sure just how "Handy" I am, being a retired steel worker, about 20y structural fitter/ 12y in a crane I do get by. BUT lets be clear!!! I did not say it was BAD idea, I think it is a good idea!! And ALTHOUGH I do not know for a fact Toyota ran stress tests on on the bed bolts, I can assure you they did!!( Everything on that truck has been tested) Why they didn't include D-rings on the bolts is anyones guess, who knows,, maybe is was the cost, but the fact remains, they are not there, and that is not BS, and those bolts are an intricate part of the truck, (Remember these truck's have plastic beds) (I probly shouldn't say this but I am going to) In regards to me "Spreading BS" I think you should maybe look at yourself in that your telling people (some who don't even know how to change the oil) to grab a breaker bar and and rip out there frame bolts, I really don't think that is being very prudent, I can almost guarantee you a dealer won't do it,
I do have a question though, are these bolts treated with locktite?
Doc

 

Are those the instructions for the Side mount? Do they come with the factory D-rings? I think I read in one of the early post that the torque is quite a bit larger on the frame bolts, Doc

 

you stated earlier that you do NOT recommend putting the rings in the bed, but above you state you think its a good idea? so if your a structural fitter w/ so much experience, why would you be hesitant to do this mod to the bed bolts? you obviously have more experience than i do concerning bolt strength from your stated experience, but dont you think a 1200psi strap would bust loose before the bed bold would give away?

we both agree that the bed bolts are an intergral part of the structure (which is why i opted to mount mine like toyota recommends and not on the bed bolts), but i really dont see if someone gets new bolts that have not been stretched and torques them down properly, how the rings would affect anything else. true this mod is not for everyone, but those who know what they are doing should have no problem.

not sure on your locktite question, but im guessing no...but dont hold me to it!

yes and yes. those torque specs are NOT for the bed bolts.

 

Yes, that is the instructions for mounting the OEM rings to the side of the composite bed. I am certain the bed bolts would be torqued more.

 

Thanks for the information regarding torque and the PDF, Monrad. Also, thanks for posting pics of the side of bed mounting option for the D-Rings, Coke. Of course, the bed bolts are probably torqued down much tighter, so I'd probably just stick with what they come with from the factory.

 

Correct. Measured to be in the range of 55-60 lb prior to removing them to perform the mod.

So, Toyota's terrified about their potential liability with respect to attaching D-rings to bolts torqued into the frame @ 60 lb, but isn't concerned about similar liability with respect to D-rings clamped to a composite bed at 23.5 lb. Yep, that makes sense.

 

Just ordered 5 of the Army Surplus d-rings! $10.48, can't beat that.

I know I'm a little late to the party, but thanks anyway to everyone who contributed to this thread. This is probably going to be the simplest, most effective mod I'll ever do

 

Oh for Pete's sake... do some of you honestly think attaching D-rings via the bed bolts is going to affect the bolt's ability to hold the bed to the frame - or compromise "vehicle integrity"??? LOL!!! You're not "altering the bolts"... you're taking them out and then putting them right back - just with the D-ring base between the head of the bolt and the bed - and I'd wager that the additional surface area provided by the D-ring base allows the bolts to hold the bed to the frame even MORE securely. Also, I GUARANTEE you the D-Rings can handle MUCH more force being secured by the bed bolts than if they're just bolted through a hole in the side of the composite bed (even with the backing plate the comes with the factory D-rings). That's why I installed mine that way. Like I've said before, I bet you could pick the rear of the truck up off the ground by them. Try that with d-rings attached through holes in your composite bed. Also, the bed bolts are about 6" longer than they need to be (take a look under your truck), so the 1/16" (or whatever) added thickness of the D-ring base isn't going to matter. It's really no big deal to remove these bolts and then put them back to proper torque. They're just bolts. Counter-clockwise to remove... clockwise to install. It's not rocket science. I just feel much better securing my motorcycles in the bed to those big beefy steel bed bolts bolts screwed directly into the truck frame rather than to a much smaller bolt attached to the thin composite bed. Do what you want though.

 

I totally agree. I could not believe how long those bolts were when I removed them. They are WAY longer than they need to be.

 

Agree 100%. This is a very srong method and I feel totally safe attaching my quad using this method over any other method. Best mod yet! And there was no locktite on mine when I removed them.