Cap Clamp for 2x4 and rating for weight

Hey yall,

I'm looking into building my own cap and curious if anyone knows the weight rating for the clamps in the track. I also need a clamp that can wrap a 2x4 on top of the bed rails. Any suggestions/tips? it doesn't seem the standard clamp will make the stretch. The truck is a 09 single cab.

Thanks,

Steven

 

Still curious about cap clamps if anyone has any information about them!

 

Are you talking about the clamp to hold the shell onto the truck?

If so, look for something that mounts in the tracks that go around the bed. My shell is secured by 4 clamps (2 on each side) that attach to the tracks.

I believe the owners manual will list the weight limit on the tracks but my recollection is that it's approximately 125lbs. I run a RTT on top of the shell that weighs 120lbs and the shell is 200ish lbs. This is the best pic I have of how the shell attaches to the bed.

 

Thanks for your reply. I’m actually curious about finding clamps that can attach to something larger, like a 2x4 across the bed rail. A large demand for caps in my area has prompted me to flirt with the idea of building one and the major limiting factor is how to attach it to the truck.

 

Consider removing the bed rail covers (the black plastic dudes on the top of the bed walls) and using through-bolts. Use some 1.5" or 2" x 1/4" stock pieces inserted through the holes and rotated, with the bolt heads inside and the nuts/washers on top of your timber baseplate. You can either tack weld them in place, or put a single nut on the top side of the plate to hold the bolt and countersink the bottom of your timber to accommodate the keeper nut.

I know a couple people who have built wood shells and all of them eventually had to replace/rebuild them because of warped timber, but if you absolutely need a cap and can't wait for a decent used one at a reasonable price, consider using Trex (or similar composite lumber) for the bottom lip of the shell.

 

So you don't suggest attaching the cap to the bed rails with some sort of modified clamp? Do you think the weight of a wood cap will exceed the rails weight capacity?

 

I've seen them warp when the timber baseplate warps - its not necessarily about the weight, it's the forces generated by the warping timber.

 

You could prob use clamps from a softopper
If bolts aren’t long enough buy longer bolts