1st Gen Bed Rail?

My Tacoma only had the four corner D ring tje down points in the bed. Are there factory or aftermarket bed rail systems that go in the bed? I have some holes along the inner edge of the bed that are spaced out along each side. The bed is rhino lined. I'm looking for more time down points in the bed if possible. I tied down my dirtbike using the four corner tie down points but it would be nice to have a bed rail with adjustable cleats.

 

Someone on here yanked some out of a wrecked 2nd gen and installed them in his first gen.

 

Check out this company. I remember reading a few good reviews about their products on here.

http://www.uscargocontrol.com/uscc/Truck-Bed-Tie-Down-Anchors

 

I was planning on using Unistrut, which is basically an extruded metal 'U' channel used in construction. You usually see pipes, conduit, utility boxes, etc mounted to it on a wall. It uses the same hardware than the 2nd gen rails use. You can pick up 10 ft at Home Depot for like, $12 dollars.

 

@BartMaster1234 I was thinking of doing the same thing.

 

FYI on the c channel stuff. I've had engines and heavy stuff ratchet strapped to them. They're fine for light stuff, but for stuff you really want tightened down like OP is talking about I'd add some D rings as needed down the side of the bed where the rails would be instead and reinforce the side of the bed where they bolt to it with some big washers or plates. Here's a 2nd gen that had both - the ultimate way to go lol:

 

So is there no factory bed rail option? If not then what are the holes there for? I'm all up for the cheaper option I just really want to be able to tie down 2 dirt bikes in the back but that's difficult with only 4 tie down points on the corners of the bed lol.

 

I've seen the holes on 1st gen trucks before. I have no idea what they're for - the 1st gens never had a factory bed rail option. Could have been for a Tonneau, a camper shell, etc. at one point.

 

I put L-track from uscargocontrol on mine

 

I think the reason being is because its a weak spot. You could potentially bend it out of shape.

 

I looked into this for mine as well and ran into the same issues. I found a few people selling used 2nd gen ones, but they were all short bed and they weren't really that much cheaper than just getting some after market rails, like the L-track nzbrock has.
The only plus I see about putting 2nd gen rails on a 1st gen is that if you matched the heights perfectly, you could potentially install a bunch of 2nd gen gear on it, like hi-lift mounts or bike rack mounts and the like.

 

Not really. No.

How many tie down points do you think you need? If your bike is centered in the bed, 2 is plenty.

I've routinely put 2 dirtbikes in the bed of my doublecab with the factory D rings (4 corners). All I do is attach the straps to each of the front rings/h-bars, then, on the outside of each bike, I add another ratchet strap from the outside of the h-bar to the rear D-ring. Since the outside straps are nearly vertical, I add that extra rear-facing strap for a little extra support.

I've been doing that for more than a decade, no problems whatsoever.

If you wanted to add more tie down points, you'd need to reinforce the sheet metal of the bed, and not just drill holes and bolt in more D rings. The factory corner D-rings are strong as hell.

My buddy has a 2nd gen with those stupid rails with the adjustable loop things, and I see them flex every time we put bikes in his truck. They've never failed, but I don't trust them nearly as much as the factory ones on my 1st gen.

 

I'm going to try this out tonight! You're right, those corner rings are very strong I haven't noticed them budge at all haha.

That's something I was concerned with as well, the wall thickness on the bed rail is not very thick.

 

I would however, suggest a fork block or something to keep the forks from compressing while you wrench down on the straps. When the bike is centered in the bed, it's not a big deal, but I found that with 2 bikes, and the outer straps are nearly vertical, even a little be of movement (when the forks compress slightly when cornering, etc...) makes the bike sway more than it would if the straps weren't so vertical.

My buddy uses a 2x4. I have a fancy pants fork brace like this

 

Here you go...

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/how-do-you-haul-two-dirt-bikes.18285/
EDIT: post 12

 

That's how I do it, except I add an extra ratchet strap on the outside of each bike/handlebar to the rear tie down point. I find that because the outside straps are nearly vertical, the bikes still move around more than I'd like.

 

I just ordered one! Thanks!
I encountered this near vertical strap issue this weekend as I was ratcheting down the bikes.

 

I am thinking of doing the same thing. Do you have any pics?

 

Just a thought..
If you haven’t tried this technique give it a shot. Just drive the front tire in one corner, slightly lean bike, wedge rear tire into bed rails, and that baby isn’t going ANYWHERE. If you needed to you could even use only one strap but I still used two. This of course worked out for me cus all I had was the bike, gear bag, and ramp. Idk what else you’re hauling that would prevent you from doing this. Obviously this wouldn’t work for two bikes. I’ve never loaded a bike center bed since.