Waterport + Tonneau Cover = DIY Drop Mount Bracket

Like many of you, I jumped on the Costco sale of the Waterport pressurized water tank. When I received it I reached out to the manufacturer about other mounts as I love the eas of the bed rail mount they include, but it sits too high to use my tonneau cover. While their customer service is amazing and they say they are just a few weeks from selling a drop bracket that I am sure will be awesome, I needed an immediate solution.... So off to Home Depot to brainstorm.

I bought a handfull of different items to mock up, but ultimately the answer is a couple bucks and a few screws!

This is the piece I bought:
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Simpson...e-Galvanized-Heavy-Tie-Plate-HTP37Z/202329565


Holding the tie plate from Home depot against the mounting plate from Waterport mark and drill out two holes to mesh the two together. At the top of the tie plate, mark and drill two holes for the bed rail screws provided by Waterport. I used a couple screws and lock nuts I had laying around in my toolbox to secure the two pieces together.

Before final assembly I sprayed a couple coats of bedliner onto the tie plate. Final assembly and a few shots showing the Waterport mounted with my tonneau laying over it.

This setup is a quick-fix for me but worked great! I used it yesterday to wash down some paddleboards and myself after being on the lake. I positioned the tank about midway in the bed, mostly above the wheel well so I can still access the release for my tri-fold tonneau cover. The nozzle mount on the Waterport is not being used as it gets in the way of my tonneau release handle, but overall this all works well enough.

 

well done OP

why the towel between the waterport and the wheelwell?

 

Fully loaded with water the Waterport could bounce off the wheel well if you take some hard bumps. The metal of the tie strap isn't rigid enough to keep the whole thing from moving so I put the towel there to keep the noise down. It may not be necessary, but I am a little bit of a nut and don;t like the hear anything bouncing/bumping/rattling in my truck.

I meant to look for a little adhesive pad before wrapping everything up but completely forgot. I have a stack of the little felt pieces for the bottoms of furniture somewhere in the garage that would be perfect. I can say, after logging 200+ miles this weekend with the waterport fully loaded back there, I may not get the OEM drop bracket when it is released. This seems to be doing just fine for me.

 

Great set up!

 

What screws did you use?

 

I honestly don't recall at this point. I just wandered around Home Depot with pieces in my hand eyeballing how it would fit together. I would think they are 1/4" diameter and 1" length.

As an update, this thing has been SOLID in the bad of my truck!

 

I went to home depot yesterday and got a few screws I should be able to set this up Saturday!

Thanks for the post

 

I’m looking at this set-up, thanks for posting! How has this held-up after 6-7 months?

 

Recently sold teh truck but had ZERO issues with it even running fully loaded and flying over speed bumps. Obviously not indestructible, but with the unit partially braced by the wheel well, it didn't go anywhere

 

That’s good to hear! I currently have all the hardware except for the bed rail t-bar mounts. You did use those correct?

 

Correct!

 

Had this setup and during off roading that metal bracket broke. It was supporting a full Waterport tank. Bracket just snapped at the corner. Weird

 

Super strange! We have been toying around with a Tundra and stronger setup all around to make use of the floor and walls for mounting gear. E-Track from Harbor Freight brings a LOT of possibilities to the table! Incredible strength, low profile and cheap!