Anyone else’s bed cracking here?

Good point. But...
I just wanted to add that your photos show the bed (& cargo clearance) without the OEM bedmat. That mat is thick enough to hide (90%) the CR raised lip. My cargo still slides in, w/w to w/w, without interference from the stiffener.
Alas, no bottle opener though.

 

Imagine buying bed stiffeners that don’t have a bottle opener.... do you even know anything about modding a truck?

 

I can't see the cracks in the 1st post you guys are talking about..??

 

I had the same issue:

 

"all my homemade bed mounted stuff and it all held up."

Pure gold. Thanks for making my morning!

 

Rago Fabrication

 

Yeah, but the TC came with stickers AND a poster! I use my wedding ring to open beers...

 

Hey now they did. Not my fault these trucks are half plastic and need “bed stiffeners” to not crack. I’ll prob make those at home too and save $150

 

In for the

 

Why can't someone make a set of these stiffeners that go BEHIND the bed? If I remember correctly there's plenty of room right on the other side there.

Then you wouldn't have to intrude in the cargo area at all. But you also couldn't show off the lime green paint I suppose.

 

Ok that changes things

 

Yep. Weld up notched angle iron bent to 90 degrees with a gusset and a couple hoops for tie down points and you're good to go.

What's stopping you? Live your dream.

 

Right behind the metal stanchion is pretty tight. It was difficult just getting the nuts back there and tightened. On the bottom, the composite rests right on top of the attachment. Forward of there, there is a ton of room, but tying into a structural path is more of a challenge.

Hidden would be nice though.

 

Oh my god, your bed got scratched?! Its ruined now. Seriously though, these composite beds are as tough if not tougher than most metal beds. Don't baby it and you'll learn to appreciate it more.

 

So, question about the bed stiffeners. Can you get any cracks from the holes you are drilling to mount them down the road? It seems like you are weakening the side of the bed even more by doing this mod. That's one of the reasons I haven't bought them, not that I need them nor do I have that problem.
*Best design would have been to installed them to existing holes instead of drilling.

 

There a no existing holes on the sides to grab. For cracking, use a new drill bit and go slow with even pressure. Even better, use some cutting fluid as you go. I did not do that last step since I thought about it after I was done.

I did paint the holes before installing and used some RTV to seal the back side just in case.

In reality, both sides of the new holes are clamped between the stiffener on one side and a washer on the back side. That should help with potential cracking also.

The thing that stiffeners do is get the bending load out of the corners and transfers it to more of a tension / compression load using both load paths (the original stanchion and the stiffener). Sort of the difference in bending between angle iron and a C channel.

 

I almost ate shit on the tailgate when loading my dirt bike....definitely super slippery when wet.

 

Lol, for everyone saying ‘iTs A tRuCk BeD nOt A pIaNo ItS mEaNt To ScRaTcH’ keep in mind that this wasn’t anything heavy duty I moved, and used it enough times to count on two hands. Like others said, they’ve done all sorts of heavy moving and haven’t had their bed permanently scratched up.

It is kind of strange, and I expect something a little tougher for a 40k+ truck.

 

I have a set of At the Helm. Love them!

 

Lol that cracked me up.

Do people not rhino line beds anymore? Am I missing something