Quad in a Short Bed

I have a '17 TRD Sport Doublecab, and am looking at options for hauling a quad. I do have access to a 5x10 utility trailer, and that's what I've used in the past, but am wondering about hauling the quad in the bed. Measuring it out, it looks like it's *just* a bit too wide to fit between the wells, so the front wheels on the quad would be sitting on top of the wells. Length-wise, it looks like it would fit with the tailgate down. The quad (a '15 Polaris Sportsman ETX) has a base dry weight of something like 660lbs, so I figure with fluids and a couple of add-ons that are on it, it's probably a little over 700lbs.
My main concern is damage to the tailgate, especially if the weight is shifted to the rear axle with the front axle being up on the wells. I've seen a couple of options for tailgate reinforcement here and here.
Does anyone have any other suggestions? Or maybe any reason to *not* haul the quad in the bed and just stick with the trailer? It seems that it would be simpler to me to skip the trailer, allowing for easier maneuvering and what-not without it, but I also don't want to break anything on the truck.
I already know of one downside to using the bed for the quad- I have to remove the rear bed rack since the handlebars on the quad won't fit underneath it. Theoretically, I could put the rack back on once the quad is loaded if I also want to haul the canoe somewhere, but at that point, trailering the quad is probably just more convenient. Part of me just wants to be able to haul all the "toys" without needing the trailer.

 

Understandable, but the Taco is definitely not the truck for that. It sounds like your going to be up against the payload cap as is with the quad, rack reinstalled and a driver.

I doubt you would break the truck though and the reinforced tailgate panel seems unnecessary IMO. That factory panel is plenty strong and given the tires on a quad I can't see that being a concern, it's just the ribs that suck to put a knee on. Tailgate cables make me far more nervous than the panel.

I myself wouldn't have too much of an issue with the quad in the bed, but I'd use the trailer 10 out of 10 times regardless. It's just easier and safer. Also my state doesn't have 55 MPH laws for a trailer until you crest 8K LBS.