Closed - Internal Stiffeners

Tonnage charts show for air bending that it takes 11 tons to bend 3/16" on a V with a 1.5" opening.

Bottom bending requires more which is what I'm using

 

Yay or Nay?



Really, only like 2-3 people might want this but since the request was made I will happily oblige.

 

How is this better than any other stiffeners in the market? Do you have pictures of the installed?

 

Well, first and foremost, it is made by a (edited to add: Veteran owned) small business that is part of this community. The R&D** has been done right here in full veiw so people can see what goes into it.

This brace is a redesign of the 4 Wheel Parts stiffener that is no longer being produced due to 4WP being bought out by another company. @Kwikvette has mentioned that the drawings may be made available for people to use alternative methods of production like send-cut-send or if you have your own CNC plasma cutter. The gauge of the steel has been up sized from the original design as well.

This particular design is desirable (IMHO) because it is almost exclusively internal to the bed, it lives between the fender and the tub of the bed, with a single exposed thickness of steel forming a 'washer' 2/3 of the way up, about where the latch mechanism for the tailgate is. Every other bed stiffener produced adds a corner brace at the bottom of the tub causing interference issues with sliding storage or cargo at the back of the bed.

There have been some questions as to why a stiffener is necessary - people who add structures atop the bed rails (caps, campers...) have reported that the gaps between the bed sides and the tailgate get wider over time. Since our trucks have fiberglass tubs, there seems to be less structural rigidity, allowing this area to flex. I have read that even using a ratchet strap from side to side at the back/top can cause the side of the bed to bow inward. The multitude of stiffeners available indicate this is not idle speculation. If you watch the video posted elsewhere re shock testing, you can see the bed of the truck wobbling during some of the high speed runs. While this is probably extreme testing compared to how most of us use our trucks, it shows a weakness that may develop over the life of our vehicles. It is my belief that this design is how Toyota should have built our trucks in the first place. As with so many things, it was left out - probably to save cost.

The pictures above are of the very first set that has ever been cut. The weld nuts have not even been added. @Sand_In_My_Taco has installed a prototype drivers side model, and will be installing the above pair in the near future. Watch this space for updates!
**
R&D - research and development
-or-
R&D - ripoff and duplication

 

What a fantastic explanation.

 

Great explanation. Appreciate that. Would love to see installed pics or even pics of the 4wp one.

 

It's in the beneath the bed/in the taillight area.

It's very accessable, interestingly enough.

It's also hidden so .. you get full use out of your bed.

 

There's a thread for that! In fact, some of the development for this version was done over there.

 

Better than my version -

"Makes bed strong"

 

Does that curvature work in the tail middle, where the T was? That feels like a better placement.

 

The what

 

This area….



Using this curvature in mirror (up/down).



My tablet tools suck, so I can’t do photo manipulation like I’d like.

 

You want to use the bottle opener incorporated in the first pic, into the second design? Is that what you're asking?

The geometry doesn't work, it'll take away from the fin and just looks way off.

Not to mention the angles, you'll end up spilling your drink trying to open it.

 

Bushes out of control.

Grass overgrown.

No watering for 2 days.

Had to do some lawn maintenance; surprised shit is still green with the over 100 degree weather.



It's the worst when it grows towards the concrete so just got done edging it all up.

Electric tools for me.



Now to weld up those nuts.

@MagicToolbox

I'm going to be sending you a physical tie down bracket so you can just model up at home at your leisure. I had cut an extra one out yesterday just to send you.

 

Sweet! Thank you!.

I printed a TRD logoed version last night, after it finished I realized that the only way for the logo to show is for the plastic to be against the bolt heads - which I don't think is a good idea. A two layer solution is possible (plastic - steel - plastic) but that still leaves the bolt head bearing on the printed parts. I'll see what comes up with the part in hand.

 

Essentially, the geometry you’ve figured out for openers. Just used twice in that center fin.

It may take tweaking the angle of the fin? The top one might be weird, but the bottom isn’t mich different than traditional angle… 45deg. I'll try with my terrible skills on tablet… damn do I miss PaintShopPro on PC.




If all else fails, I’ll take the original with the corrected F. I like the unadulterated fins too much. I’m also concerned the straight pin will puncture something… including my head. Did I mention I bleed a lot?

 

I'll play with it and cut another mock up but I'm going to raise the cost to everyone with all this R&D I'm spending money on

 

Well, replacement driver internal bracket, hardware, and passenger set all ready to go.



Have to buy packaging paper before I can ship it

Sucks not a single person interested is local.

 

Is this the bolt that you have been talking about?


I find it interesting that that this is the same size as the Desert Does It seat jacker needs to add a mounting panel. I can buy 20 bolts and have enough for both projects.

 

I was looking at the yellow-zinc.

I never tried the blue-dyed stuff.

You'll need 14 total, unless you're using the 10 for internal hardware only and using different bolts for the exterior brackets.