Total Chaos Bed Stiffeners! One of the best investment so far!

If they came with a grab handle I could see the use. Id like to have one to help pull me up when jumping up into the box.

 

I've owned a jeep so I know all about having a million bolt on options. None made me think the rig was crap straight from the factory though. Even if the 3.8L engine was!

 

Guess I didn’t either. I thought their main purpose was to protect the cab area and passengers from objects/cargo in the back, not bed stiffening.

 

That's what I thought, or to hold a bunch of KC lights. Not gonna do much good to stiffen the most rigid part of the bed.

 

Lol. I have bed stiffeners but mine have bottle openers.

 

Man, some of you guys are a tough crowd! OP was just stoked about his stiffeners. Good for him, I say. It’s his truck.

Anyway, I don’t know the full scoop on how well these beds are or aren’t made - I’m also not one to reference the 3 gen as “turd-gen”. I’m happy with my truck.

I added a big ass RTT, not the fanciest - it’s just a smittybilt but it is th XL Overlander model which is about 170# I think (pretty sweet to have a fold-out king size bed to fit the sleeping acrobat 4 y/o and blanket thieving wife), and a bed rack to which I’ve attached a 9 gal water tank, and definitely noticed that my tailgate was doing some work keeping the rear of the bed square. Factor in two adults and the kiddo up there and that’s about 650# on the bed rails without virtually no added support.

I do think my stiffeners are helping. And I’m hoping to add a molle panel as a headache rack to help with the front of the bed as it definitely flexes. I can pull on it with my hands and see it happening.

A lingering thought is “maybe the bed is designed to flex, and making these points too rigid will cause damage.”

 

Can I interest you in my tailgate latch blackout kit?

 

Just put my ATH stiffeners on yesterday. Silly? Perhaps, but I'm building a sleeping platform that'll rest on the inner bed sides. Also have mid-rise topper on.

 

what about a gasshole?

 

Legit ones have supports that run the entire length of the bed. We use them at work to keep the bed from splitting from the daily abuse we put the beds through

 

Have not seen any Fords or Chevys running headache racks back by the tailgate. Is this a new thing?

 

The bed reinforcements run the length of the bed, they are welded to the headache rack. Here is an example

 

That is built to protect the bed and cab from impacts, not hold it together.

 

I can't quite figure out why it is, but it was a great idea. Sell a solution for a problem that doesn't exist! I even thought about getting one for a minute so the appeal is really strong if you hit pay before you think it through...

 

Maybe that's true, but we've split beds without them, have not split any with them installed. Maybe I'm making a misguided connection here

 

Thank you.

I thought I was the only one that was thinking that

 

I don’t know what this thing does and I’ve never been compelled to learn. Maybe it’s the name.

 

There's a lanyard on the cap, unlike my old 100 series, so I don't see the need. I don't get the change holder either....

 

I sorta get the gasshole since it is just a more elegant solution than hooking the lanyard on the door latch.

But who is carrying enough change to justify a holder? Last toll booth I went through didn't even accept change or paper money. Credit Card or EZ Pass only.