Bed Stiffeners? Concerned now about integrity of composite truck bed.

This isn't a Toyota issue, it is a structural issue with all pickups which is why you see serious pickup trucks (the kind that owners huck off of dunes) with bed stiffeners. The structurally weakest point is the bed where the bed meets the tail gate. Plenty of threads here and on other forums as well as YT for why bed stiffeners may be of benefit in certain use cases.

• Now cue the "It's a marketing ploy / waste of money argument" despite bed stiffeners being used in desert racing applications for decades

 

It would depend on where the gap is right? If its at the top they would be less than 90 and at the bottom greater than 90. Seems like it shouldn't take much to get the bed to flex in or out to get the side to 90 and the torque of the bolts should be enough to do that (if the stiffeners are 90).

 

Hmm not sure if I wanna make that much more of an effort (have a topper on with platform setup so would be a bit annoying lol). Here's a pic for it, it looks even less than 1/8th of an inch actually? Do you guys think it needs more pulling?

 

Oh! There? That's completely normal. As long as it's flush on the vertical sections, that all you need.

 

Picture where the bottom of the stiffeners meets the bed?

 

I like them! Good tie down spot and solid locking point for the mountain bike.

 

I’ll throw my two cents in…I have an ARE cap (allegedly) arriving next month. I bought bed stiffeners in preparation.

I figured it was an extra $150-ish bucks and if nothing else, it gives me a lot of extra tie down points as people have mentioned.

 

Several years after I bought my 1st Gen (1996, brand new), I decided that I needed a topper. When they placed the topper on the bed, I couldn't believe how much the bed had spread. Only moderate off-roading, nothing real heavy. Fast forward a couple of years when I bought my 2nd Gen, the first purchase was TC bed stiffeners. Have nothing to do with the composite bed. Not terribly expensive.

 

I think what confuses me about the stiffeners, and I might not be thinking about the actual construction of the bed correctly, is that the stiffeners form a 90 degree brace at the tailgate, but only on the interior composite tub?

They bolt into the bed's floor and bedside into the composite/plastic and then there is still an air gap until the metal bedside. If the weight is coming down onto the top of composite/air space/metal bedside sandwich can't the metal exterior of the bedside still get splayed outward over time? It's only the bed interior that gets braced, right?

 

No, there’s metal there right behind the composite and you drill the holes through both, then they are thru-bolted. The air space you’re talking about is after the fact, between the area that they are bolted to and the outer body panel.

 

Other(s) have stated about the bed moving in when bed stiffeners where add, Mine did just that when I installed my bed stiffeners. I put a half rack on it and a RTT, so I like having them there, plus the extra tie down spots.

OP, if your worried, take a tape measure and see what the distance is, go measure a new truck and/or measure yours again in 6 or 12 months. Any change will be minor at first and probably not noticeable to the eye.

 

Ahhhhhhh, ok thank you. Every video I e seen it seemed like they were only drilling composite....now knowing that I worry about rust

I guess if I get a set I could always douse with more woolwax

 

When my bed and topper rack is loaded down and I park on a steep angle, I sometimes can see the need of a stiffener because the tailgate sides are out of square making the tailgate hard to open and close. It needs a shove to square it so I can open it. No, stiffeners are not hype, but they are really only necessary if you are loaded down and not in flat country. I wish someone would make some that are removable, like with a pin system or something like that, they so get in the way when loading gear, wood or if you have a wide shelf system.
And worse would be having them tear up your water jugs and other gear you put in the back, that’s why I did not install mine.

 

I don't see a lot of people on the forums with these so I'll contribute to the OP's request to share what we have installed. I went with the Rago Fabrication stiffeners and have an older design Leer 180. That sucker isn't light. The extra tiedown points were worth it alone but the peace of mind that I won't completely destroy my bed sides carrying it is invaluable. I wanted something slim and cheaper than the TC brand. At the time I think I paid under or around $120 for these? The bottom lip sits almost flush with a bed mat so sliding things in and out are pretty much uninhibited. I don't go crazy with my truck because its also my daily so I felt these were adequate.

This is just a stock photo from their website:

 

You remove the taillights to drill the holes, so you’ll be able to hit em with some spray paint from the inside (to prevent rust) before you bolt the stiffeners up.

 

Has anyone ever split their box??????

 

I only know of one personally that I have seen with my own eyes. Ultra heavy bed rack (like 300 pounds easily), plus a lot of heavy ish on top of it, then spiritedly driven offroad for several years. Eventually developed a rip in the outside sheet metal in the front passenger corner between the bed and the frame that eventually wrapped around to the side of the bed ever so slightly.

While it was a bed failure, it was definitely caused by overly harsh conditions and time, so I can't really fault the truck for it happening.

Got totaled out for entirely unrelated reasons a little while later, so we never got to see the full story play out.

 

I added them for peace of mind when I have my topper on and off roading. What I didn’t anticipate is how often I use their tie down points. If the bed were carved from a block of steel I’d still add stiffeners just for the tie down points.

 

After reading latest comments, I think I might consider these if I were to go out with a camper shell to some where terrain is bad. Low profile ones look nice and I see the benefit of tie downs. Later for that stuff;
I found out a remote lock and one "windoor" is going to cost me about $3400. for a Ranch brand "Fusion" model shell. See if my princess will acquis. Now will think about silicone for the front rail and under the plastic covers so I don't have a river running through it.

 

My Forest Service issued work truck (a Dakota) split the bed down from the front two corners due to the heavy tool box only being bolted to the sides and not the front.

Heavy toppers and racks should be clamped or bolted down to the front of a bed as well as to the sides for the same reason.