Just ordered a set of Total Chaos bed stiffeners

http://www.chaosfab.com/2005-2015-Tacoma-Rear-Channel-Bed-Stiffiners-48675

I was shocked when an actual person answered the phone! Not only did a person answer the phone- he was also able to take my order. Call took a total of maybe 5 minutes. Slick operation if you ask me.

Our Tacoma came with a topper, I got tiered of seeing so much daylight between the tailgate and the box sides every time I lane check or backed up. Hoping these will help close the gap.

I am also going to use vssman's mod for the tail gate cables to support plywood or ??? I will buy a set of the tail gate cable, bolts with clips and drill the bed stiffeners at the appropriate height so that the top of the tail gate sits at the same height as the ledge height for 4x8 plywood (above the wheel wells).

 

I really like those. I need to stiffen the front of my bed.....classic problem of my motorcycle front tire pushing in on the top bed edge.

 

I am also going to be ordering these soon. Let me know how you like them! I also am doing this due to the stress my shell has put on the bedsides

 

Have to be honest, in all my truck ownership years this thing is new to me. I've never heard of a bed needing supports on the side.

 

I wonder if these would help?;

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/b-a-m-f-2nd-gen-bed-rail-tie-downs.234905/

I will bet most of your trucks have had a steel bed. Ours is composite/ plastic with a light steel structure at the rear of the bed to support the tail gate/ bed sides. Throw a heavy ~500# topper on the very top of the bed rail- right where the extra weight will have the most leverage- add in bumps and off roading and you are expecting a lot from that light steel structure at the rear of the bed. Eventually it could start pushing the bed sides out. I 'think' mine are pushed out already- but I will take pictures when I install my brackets to see if that is true or not.
And if for nothing else it gives me some extra tie downs!

 

Finally found some time to install the bed stiffeners.

Very straight forward install and came with all bolts necessary. I forgot to get pics- but the passenger side was ~3/16" out at the top and the drivers side was out 1/4" at the top and almost an 1/8th at the bottom. Once all the bolts were tightened up everything looks straighter and feels a lot more solid.

Thanks Total Chaos!

 

I'll be honest too.

People will buy anything they're convinced they should have. Plastic flexes by design, otherwise it cracks and breaks. Convincing people they need to reinforce the bed because they have 150 lbs on the bedrail is a great way to make money.

 

Anyone else craving donuts all of a sudden?

 

We are talking about the steel flexing/ bending, not talking about plastic flexing- "Ours is composite/ plastic with a light steel structure at the rear of the bed to support the tail gate/ bed sides."

We were also talking about 500 lbs- not 150 lbs.

 

We are talking about the steel flexing/ bending, not talking about plastic flexing- "Ours is composite/ plastic with a light steel structure at the rear of the bed to support the tail gate/ bed sides."

We were also talking about 500 lbs- not 150 lbs.

No convincing needed if you understand simple physics.

 

I was talking to someone else, making a different point.

Enjoy yours.

 

These TC bed stiffeners are worth every penny. I installed a set few months ago.

 

Probably only gave me Some piece of mind. Tailgate may latch a little more solid i dunno. Gaps are the same but i didn't ratchet sides tighter from tailgate latches as the rep Advised. Didn't want to crack shell

 

What's the point of this?

 

These are on my list of stuff I want to buy instead of paying bills.

 

I got these and they are an awesome product. Very well built and do exactly what they say. If you are running a shell or bed rack these will definitely help in supporting the bed sides.

 

Mmmm capitalism.

Also this shit works. So best of both worlds. Great buy OP!

 

I put these on a month or two ago also. They helped my problem and added some good tie down points without losing the stock points.

 

The Tacoma's bed was not designed to have a lot of weight placed on the top of the bed sides.

A camper shell (200-300lbs), load bars / rack (15-60lbs), and a rooftop tent (around 100lbs, if not more) will add a lot of stress to the bed sides. Off-highway driving exacerbates the issue as the bed flexes and the added weight of the camper shell (with rack + RTT + any additional items) will induce a lot of dynamic force on the bed sides when bouncing on rough terrain, or even large speed bumps.

At a minimum the bed sides will begin to spread creating a gap at the back of the bed and tailgate. The tailgate will not align as well and may take some effort to shut. At the worst, the metal supports at the back of the bed sides will start to warp and crack over time (usually at the circular indent at the bottom of the metal supports).

I have seen fatigued/cracked supports on two late model second gen Tacomas. One had a camper shell + RTT, the other had a camper shell only.

The bed stiffeners remedy this issue by reinforcing the bed supports. They keep the bed square and reduce the stress placed on the thin metal supports.

 

Clever wee lad!

OP, you'll notice an immediate difference in the ride of the truck, trust me.