Using "Well Nuts" to bolt items directly to the plastic bed

I recently learned about Well Nuts in another thread and since I never knew they existed I thought it would be good to let others know about them. I used these for bolting a few items directly to the bed. I wouldn't trust them for anything too heavy but they seem to work great for things like shovel mounts or other lightweight items. I'm sure an engineer or someone more technically minded than me can give us what the real limitations are for using these to bolt items directly to our bed.

https://youtu.be/WpATnkmKzYI?t=29

 

Yep. Well nuts are a neat hip pocket item to know about in a pinch. They work well for mounting fridge slides into the bed as well.

 

I also used a few well nuts for my fridge slide. I'm a little worried about how this will hold up offroad since my fridge can get pretty heavy, but so far so good. I think you're the one who recommended them to me. lol

 

Its just stopping the shifting, its not really bearing that much weight like a suspended load, etc.

 

I used them for my hi lift mounts also. The majority of the weight of the hi lift sits on the wheel well. So the rubber mounts are really only keeping the hi lift from sliding off the wheel well. I think it should hold up just fine.

 

My roof rack is mounted to my 04 using well nuts. The thing about them though is you have to be careful not to overtighten them or they break and you're left with a dud. Sucks when whatever you're mounting is already on and that happens lol

 

I used these to mount my Baja engine bay light. Because no special tool needed

 

if you need something with more strength I use rivet nuts
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B073VK3B7S/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
they don't seal like well nuts and the upfront cost is more, but they are handy to have around if you do a lot of projects. these are the same thing as the two 6mm inserts on the front bedrail

 

That is a neat set up OP. I am working towards getting my rig set up in a similar manner as what you have as well. I noticed you have a BakFlip and a fridge slide. Can you tell me what size Dometic (or similar) fits under the Bakflip with the fridge slide while allowing the tonneau cover to close?

Thanks!

 

Never heard of the “well but”, I can see where I can put them to good use already on some other applications I have in mind. What I like is that you can unscrew them if you need too, oppose of the rivet nuts.

 

A dometic CFX 35 fridge and the dometic CFX-SLD3540B fit really snug under the tonneau cover. I had to cut my bed mat around the slide to make it work. My fridge also has the protective cover on it so it actually touches the tonneau cover when I close it. I have to push down on the tonneau cover a little bit harder but it closes all the way and seals to the bed just fine. I get a little resistance sliding the fridge out with the cover fully closed since the fabric from the fridge cover rubs against the tonneau cover. If I open one flap on the tuna cover that resistance mostly goes away. It's a little hard to reach the tuna cover latch on the right side of the bed with the fridge in but it's doable. I usually just use the latch on the other side to open the tuna cover when the fridge is in. I love the setup so far. without the fridge cover I doubt it would even touch the tuna cover and it would fit with no resistance when you slide it open with the tuna cover completly closed. ( yes, i got tired of spelling taunna and switched to tuna)


These pictures below are before the slide is actually installed so you can see how little room you have to work with. But like I said I have the dometic slide and fridge cover and it works fine with the backflip mx4. with out the fridge cover even better.

 

Now THATS a good fuckin idea. KC cyclones and switch pro here we come.

 

Kc would work (I just didn’t like the puck style). I only wanted 1 so I had to do it centered but if you have more than 1 you might find existing holes you can utilize. The rubber acts as a seal/gasket/anti vibration and dont have to worry about rusting out and having to drill it out. I have posted a mini tut somewhere on how I routed the wires. I went with most hidden versus shorter/closer… in fact I have a second harness I was making when I did this one, just never finished it completely. This is where I used the Christmas tree zip mounts I showed you earlier on a pre existing hole holding the wire on the hood skeleton. Shoot me a pm for any parts or show you the harness routing

 

Mind blown . Good to know for future projects

 

2x Cyclones (diffused)

 

That's exactly what I had in mind. Two isn't too bright? Didju use well nuts?

 

its bright but not overly bright.

I used these:

$16 DIYMAG Neodymium Round Base Cup Magnet,60LBS Strong Rare Earth Magnets with Heavy Duty Countersunk Hole and Stainless Screws for Refrigerator Magnets,Office,Craft,etc-Dia 0.98"-Pack of 12

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07YBBCJ5W/

combined with some countersunk bolts, washers, and nylon nuts.

will do the same for rock lights as well, just haven’t had the time yet.

 

One thing to watch for when mounting them in something like the reinforced plastic bed is the total depth and the thread depth of the well nut. (Ones you posted look fine, but not all are made equally). You need to make sure they expand on the opposite side of the plastic bed and not in the hole you’ve drilled. If they expand in the hole you can easily crack the bed over time.

 

These are used occasionally for motorcycle body work. Be aware the rubber may fail after a few years. It can be a real pain to remove them when that happens, especially if there is no access to the back side for pliers.

 

Both great points.