Corner tiedowns on 1998 Tacoma

Before becoming an elementary schoolteacher, I was an aircraft loadmaster (C-141 and C-130). This has caused me to be unnecessarily OCD when it comes to restraining whatever I put in the back of my truck.

I want to configure some cables and straps in the back of my truck so that there is always something ready to tie down that random plastic container of art supplies I often haul back and forth from school. FYI I do trust rope or bungees.

After all, I never know when truck is going to become inverted for some reason. If that happens, I would hate for everything to go flying out all over the road before I could maneuver the truck upright again.

Besides, the sound of anything shifting in the bed or trunk of anything I'm driving makes me crazy and literally causes me to have to stop and fix it before I can continue.

My question is what are the little corner tiedowns rated at, if anything? I ask because if they are only like a few hundred pounds, I can buy cheap fittings, straps and cables. But if they are good for several thousand pounds, then the OCD in me has to buy expensive ones.

 

I lifted the bed off the frame using these hooks. Noticed no stress. I have no idea what their rating is, but I know they would rip out of the box before they failed. Being a fabricator, I know how strong 1/4" round stock is.

 

I wouldn't worry about the stock corner loops. I regularly haul 2 motorcycles on 3 hour drives. If you are looking for additional tie down points you can install something like this:

 

I'm after four of the d-rings you have pictured that are attached to the bed floor, where did you get them?

 

Any farm store has those, in different sizes as well.

 

Aha, I think I found them as referenced HERE. I think they are for the 2nd gen Tacoma but look like I can make them work for my Gen 1 application. Anyone tried them?

 

The stock corner loops are plenty strong. As Zrok said, I also carry two motorcycles on them all the time.

If you just want a few extra tie-down points, you can get D-rings (like Zork showed) pretty much anywhere: auto parts stores, home depot, etrailer.com. I do find that I want a tie-down point that's on the bottom of the bed for times when I'm carrying things that are lower than the stock loops, but still heavy enough to want to strap down.

 

I have 4 of the Dee Rings on each side of the truck.

One can never have enough tie down points I use 2" and 1" ratchet straps to hold my cargo down

Things moving bothers me as well

 

The ones I have are from a Sprinter Van. Let me dig up the spare I have, and get you a part number. If I remember they were roughly $3 each.

 

I believe the beds of our Gen 1s come with 4 brackets, one in each corner of the bed, and about 2/3 of the way up the side of the bed. I looked underneath and there is some steel reinforcements behind them so I'm sure they'are quite stout. These will work for my motorcycles, but my need now is to get some sort of attach points down low, either on the floor or better yet just above the floor on the bed sides, so that I don't have to carve up my rubber bed mat.

So, a question to those more experienced: anyone installed something like THIS down low on the bed interior at a few points so that bungees or netting can be attached to keep gear from moving around? Did they stand up reasonably? What do you do when your bed is only 1/4 full of gear (fuel cans, camping gear, beer, etc.) and you're offroading where it' getting thrown around?

 

Those will work but you gotta drill holes in your sheet metal for the bolts, and the loops you are considering will catch on anything you shove over them. I wouldn't install that type. You may want to consider installing the loops that fold into themselves and are perfectly flat when not in use, but then again, those require much larger holes.

When my bed is only 1/4 full of gear, I shove it all to the front of the bed and then use a metal expanding cargo rod (like a shower curtain rod) that had thick rubber pads on the ends to keep the stuff from jouncing around. But most of the time I just drive a bit slower when off-roading.

This is what I've used for the last 20 years:

https://www.realtruck.com/keeper-cargo-bars/

If you do use one of these (or any of the others of its kind) be careful not to tighten it too tight or you may permanently bend the insides of your bed.

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i did that move in a videogame once.

 

http://www.uscargocontrol.com/?gcli...7xtNjVKkGzUTmflBEV7dVgXja0pTtL7e6caAs908P8HAQ

 

I have 4 Dee rings mounted on each side of the truck bed

one to the back window guard

one on top of the wheel well one to the rear of the wheel well

one to the inside of the bed in front of the tail gate

I haul things all the time and need more tie down points