Bed stiffener choices

So I made the move from roll and lock aluminum cover to a Are shell. Been looking at bed stiffened but what's good and what's just a gimmick? Who makes good low profile ones?

 

I installed the Cali Raised bed stiffeners a month or so ago…I love them. Incredibly well made and they provide extra mounting points for bungee cords, tie downs, etc.

 

I bought a no-name brand off Amazon for my truck. They were on sale for $60 bucks and so I said, why not?

I would presume that they are all made out of the same material (mild-steel, typ. 3/16"), so just pick a style you like, wait for it to go on sale, and you're good to go.

 

I don't remember which one has the best coverage. Maybe CaliRaised or Total Chaos. I used to have them for that reason.
But they wouldn't fit with my KBvoodoo side panels so I sold them and replaced with ATHfab. Good company, high quality stuff, adds tie down points, and a bottle opener I haven't used yet but is nice to have. I don't think the 1" difference matters.
But so far have not had weight (shell) up top and got them preventatively in case I do in the future and to maintain the bed shape.

 

IMHO the Total Chaos ones are the best, they seem to go up the highest and have a longer/wider foot than most.

Very happy with mine.

 

I have at the helm ones and a shell. After installing and seeing how the split occurs that these prevent or help, if I were to do it again then I would get the total chaos ones as they go up higher and that seems to be where the splitting starts.

 

total chaos

 

Love to hear it!

 

This.

The bed stiffeners that stop halfway up the side of the bed aren’t doing much.

 

I have @CaliRaisedLed stiffeners as well they been well over 2 years great product.

 

I think they all do their job at keeping the bed sides from splaying out, so I haven't seen any gimmicks. I use Total Chaos bed stiffeners and like that they run all the way up. In my mind, that makes more sense for strength and rigidity. The additional tie-off points are a big plus for me. I don't think you can go wrong with any of the brands out there. Just find one that fits your needs.

 

I have the ones off Amazon. The quality is good, they were easy to install, and seem to do the job. Worst case scenario I at least have some better tie down points now.

 

I have the ones from Rago Fab that I got discounted as a blemish item. Apparently Rago either deleted their TW account or got banned, and now the price also increased so I can't recommend them any more.

If I had to do it again I would get Total Chaos and get the best ones the first time.

 

Total chaos here

JUST MAKE SURE TO NOT OVERTIGHTEN THE TOP EXISTING/OEM REUSED BOLTS. They will snap, or you can replace with stronger ones. I've been running mine for almost two years I think.

Also if you already have an uneven gap showing on your tailgate you can use a ratchet strap to bring it back in while installing. I didn't think about this until after my install but I'm not to worried

 

I did exactly that, used a ratchet strap from the load rail on the bed side to the opposite D ring on the floor to pull one side in squared up marked and did the other side the same then used a single strap load rail to load rail to draw both sides in together to start hardware before torquing everything down.

Got my sides nice square and by gaps even.

 

+1 for this. I forgot to do that step because...well how the heck am I suppsed to know. I have a slight outward bow that isn't very noticeable but at least it isn't getting worse. Wish I would have done this step though for a better tailgate gap.

 

Bought and installed Total Chaos bed stiffeners several years ago. One their own they work well.

If you have an AMP bed extender, you will need to modify the pivot point and pivots for the bed extender to work.

 

Just installed the Wikiron (Amazon) stiffeners yesterday. Was very surprised at how sturdy they were for $62. Almost .200" thickness and good coating on them. Really made the bedsides stiff

 

+1 for the total chaos ones.

 

Total Chaos on mine and they are pretty dang tuff. They give you a few tie down points for gear as well.