Folding/stowable bed bars?

Does anyone make bed bars that can fold when not in use? Similar to how the OEM roof rack works, with stowable cross bars. I feel like this would be handy for carrying bulky items above a tonneau cover, while not requiring full-on removal of any parts to open the cover.

Does this sort of product exist for any vehicle?

 

Not sure about foldable, but a handful of companies make removable bed crossbars (MobTown, KB Voodoo, etc). You could also look into a track mount system like the Rhino one - just pop on the crossbars when you need them, remove when you don't. The Mobtown and KB Voodoo bars work with Tonneau covers, so no removal of bars necessary.

https://www.kbvoodoo.com/shop/toyot...-use-with-tonneau-covers-fits-years-2005-2016

https://mobtownoffroad.com/product/2005-2020-toyota-tacoma-low-rise-bed-bars/

http://www.rhinorack.com/en-us/products/cap-topper/cap-topper-racks/track-mount

 

I'm familiar with all those options. I was really looking for a solution that can be set up or downgraded in under 10 seconds with no tools and no loose parts, just like the OEM roof rack.

I've gotta be honest, I'm surprised no one has done this before. If required, I'd be willing to drill into my bed rail caps for this sort of capability.

@Mobtown Offroad, do you think this idea is feasible as a possible future product?

 

I see. It's a good idea, but none exist that I'm aware of. If you're handy, I can't imagine it would be too difficult fabricating your own.

 

TL;DR - Looking for design feedback from RTT users and anyone familiar with welding or cutting threads.

I finally got around to piecing a setup together that should work well. I'll post a sketch up in a few hours to help illustrate the design. Here's a rough description of what I'm planning on doing:

- Use MAX Modular/KB Voodoo Bakflip-compatible brackets to connect everything to the bed rails:
https://www.max-modular.com/shop-max-modular/tonneau-brackets-bakflip
- A short piece of ~2.5 inch diameter solid steel rod will be welded to the horizontal section of the bracket linked above. The MAX Modular brackets are 3/16 steel, so welding shouldn't be an issue.
- The steel rod will be threaded dead center on its top face to accept a bolt.
- From there, I'll use one side of a heavy duty 2 inch framing wye fitting to act as the hinge/pivot point:
https://www.mcmaster.com/9578T44/
- 2 inch OD tubular aluminum framing will be used as the bed bars themselves, which will connect the hinges.

It's a pretty simple design, and should perform well. Assuming a 700 lb evenly distributed load, maximum deflection ("sag") is about 0.3 inches for 2 bed bars (0.2 inches for 3 bed bars). I do have a few reservations, so any feedback you guys can provide would be appreciated.

- Due to the design, the bed bars will have to be mounted about 60 inches apart. I'm not sure how far apart RTT mounting points are, so I'm a little concerned that compatibility will be an issue if I ever decide to get one of those in the future.
- I'm not sure how well low carbon (1018) steel will retain threads. I opted for this material because it's easy to weld, but am open to change it if there are better options out there.

 

As promised, here's a sketch of what I have in mind. Anyone have feedback for me?