Bed Rail Attachments - T-Slots and Knobs plus Tie Down and Fishing Rod Holder

The bed rail attachments thread (http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/2nd-gen-tacomas/114001-bed-rails-attachments.html) lists a number of options for attaching to our bed rails. Lots of good ideas but IMO they can all be ignored other than the t-slot nuts. The tapped through, 3/8-16 pitch x 5/8 high x 9/16 slot depth nuts are a perfect fit. They even lock into the bed rail notches. Instead of screwing around with Fastenal, I went with Amazon and had them shipped right to my door

$24 Te-Co 41406T Black Oxide 1018 Steel Tapped Through T-Slot Nut, 3/8"-16 TPI, 5/8" Height x 7/8" Width x 9/16" Table Slot (Pack of 5)

http://www.amazon.com/T-Slot-Finish-Tapped-Through-Threads/dp/B009SWGLHW/




I also ordered some 1-31/32 fluted knobs with 3/8-16 x 63/64 long studs. I was worried that they would be fragile but now that they are in hand I think they are going to be just fine.

JW Winco-6T25D24 Glass Filled Nylon Plastic Hand Knob, Threaded Stud, 3/8-16” Thread Size x 1” Thread Length, 1.97” Head Diameter (Pack of 1), Black

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00A9N54FE/




A knob and nut aren't any good without something to hanging off of them to attach a strap or something. So I went to the local hardware store and bought a couple short sticks of 1/8 aluminum flat bar, found some old fishing rod holder parts in the garage, and spent a couple of quality hours doing a ghetto fab job. This was the result.



The tie downs would be better if they were made of steel but they should be just fine for securing things like coolers and totes.



The aluminum is going to work just fine for keeping my expensive fishing rods secure and out of harms way. The next sets I make will hold the rods a little lower.





Last weekend I picked up a cheap waterproof (indoor/outdoor) 15 watt 800 lumen LED work light from Home Depot to plug into the bed outlet. http://www.homedepot.com/p/Husky-5-ft-800-Lumen-Portable-LED-Work-Light-K40010/204330841. Pretty crappy light as far as LED tech goes but will work fine for now. The end caps on the base pop off and the tubes are a handy place to store machine screws and washers so I can reinstall the base in a couple of minutes for use on the tailgate or ground. Eventually I will replace it with a good 20W or 30W that will light up an entire freaking goose decoy spread at 4 a.m on a cold winter morning. Light plus more ghetto fab and this is the result.





Update 3/25 - I came up with an improved solution for securing the rod handles. I used 2" x 2" x 11ga aluminum angle from Lowes and cut it into 7" long pieces. One leg of the angle was trimmed down to down to 1" so it would mount on the 1" x 1/8" flat bar. Drilled two 1-1/2" holes in each angle then inserted 1-1/4" ID x 1-7/8" OD SBR rubber grommets. http://www.grainger.com/product/GRAINGER-APPROVED-Grommet-3MPT5?nls=1&searchQuery=3MPT5 Now there is no chance of the handles coming loose on rough washboard roads and the grommets protect the handles from damage. With a pair on each side, four rods can be carried up and out of the way of whatever I am carrying in the bed.




Update 7-25-15
Had an idea for making simple tie downs for coolers, light building materials, and etc out of nylon webbing. I used some 1" webbing that I salvaged from a ruined boat cover and 3/8" brass grommets. I think they will be plenty strong and would be even better with 1-1/2" webbing. No pictures of the fab since its just folding both ends over to make the material 4x thick, punching it out, hitting with a butane lighter, then setting the grommet. A pile of them can be stashed almost anywhere in the truck.

 

Nice!

 

That setup looks great!!! Also, the knobs will bring you a very cool way of getting your holder out of the way really fast!

 

Thanks for posting all the info and doing the homework. It's nice to use Amazon instead of running up and down aisles at HD or Lowes. Cool DIY with the rod holders. Really like the knobs.

 

Outstanding! Those knobs look almost like the AllPro hi-lift jack holder knobs.

 

I'll be putting together some custom bed rails to mount bike trays to this spring. this is the perfect mounting solution.

 

Nice work! Bummer, Amazon lists the knobs as "out of stock" at the moment. Did you buy them all?

 

Awesome idea! offically added to the todo list before summer hits, broke 2 poles last year not looking to do that again.

 

Similar knobs can be ordered from a lot of different places but double check my original post. I screwed up last night and linked to the wrong knob so there is a new pic and part number! The correct stud length is 63/64" and 3/4" would be even better if you can fined them. On my truck the 63/64" stud just bottoms out when snugged up without anything between the knob and rail.

 

Very good! Thx for sharing.

 

Nice...

I did something similar -





Works great for trout poles or anything under 6'.

Im still working on an idea to make carrying my 9' fly rod easy when I dont feel like breaking it down when moving from place to place.

 

Flip the back one over and remount the holder. I drove between holes today with a pair of assembled 9'-6" steelhead casting rods sticking out the beck today.

 

Leave the tonneau folded open and not a bad idea.

I typically just stick it out through the back window on short trips.

 

The rod holders can be ordered from Linekeeper http://www.linekeeper.net/product-p/sku20234.htm. I haven't seen that style anywhere else. The standard assembly is 3 holders mounted on a 7" channel. Channel is also available in 4' lengths and holders can be ordered individually.

 

Interesting idea. My concern with this set-up is the rods bouncing around in the clips. Some pipe insulation on the sides of the clips might hold the rods securely and prevent them from bouncing.

 

The clips are a fairly soft rubber so I have no worries about damaging the rods.. Really bad washboards could theoretically shake a, handle out of a rear holder but a rubber band snapped across the ears would solve that.

 

Thats why I went with the ones I did. They are made of foam with a plastic shell. The foam holds everything tight with no wiggle room

 

Updated the OP with a simple work light mount.

 

dude sweet find!

looks like tw cleaned them out, no stock for 4-8 weeks :-/

 

What part is sold out?