Which Bed Stiffener to go with

Definitely. A lot of the things I'd like to do....or some I NEED to do, cost a lot more than $119, but even still....bed stiffening is something that can wait a week or month or as long as it needs to until it makes it to the top of the list lol.

 

Mine have been sitting in the garage for 6 months. I couldn't pass the deal up, but installation can certainly wait until it is nice.

 

I got the type that follow the curve up to the plastic cap. Don't know how much better it is but I figured it might help. When I got mine there were 2 manufacturers of them and they argued over design/copy issues. My guy lost or bowed out so my brand isn't made anymore.

I will say since mine are taller the cargo tie off point is higher and I do use it the most.

 

Which Bed Stiffener to go with?

I think that there are only 2 choices: Viagra or Cialis

 

Mine are still wrapped-up and in the shipping box.
Thank-you for the report on paint... Now to decide what to do.
Maybe I will get these installed this year.

 

It's all in the prep really. Clean it up with acetone, apply a couple coats of self etching primer, then the finish coats of your choice. This is what I did on my sliders, skids, and bumpers (finishing with rattle can bedliner) and they've held up fine.

 

I have the Cali-Raised ones and I love them because they are PC'ed.....At the Helm makes great ones just make sure you prime paint and or PC them.

 

Exactly what I did so no idea why mine just chip off so easy.

 

I just bought a set from Total Chaos. The way theirs is made suits me better, and the powder coating sealed the deal. I’m thinking about putting a dab of rtv under the washers where the drilling gets done, to protect from rust.

 

If I decide to get some, I like the ones made by Leitner Designs. It has much more compact design and comes powdercoated.



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This looks like the best route, especially if you have a bed extender. You sell these?

 

I too have the Cali Raised bed stiffeners. Like almost every aftermarket product that is powder coated, they rarely last a year before it begins to peel. I'm not impugning powder coating because if done correctly it's a durable coating. The problem is that powder coating is rarely done correctly in a production environment. It's not a spray and bake process and you're good to go. The devil is in the details or rather in the prep. I worked in the industry for 11 years and learned a great deal. The washing/phosphatizing process is a critical component of the powder coating process. Do it wrong or not at all and the service life of the coating is severely compromised. Production work all too often cuts corners and the end results suffer. A general rule of thumb is this - The 2 most important processes in powder coating is the washing/phosphatizing and the baking. An error in them usually ends with a product coating failure.

That said, my bed stiffeners powder coating began peeling after about a year. I stripped them and hit them with POR15. Another option is to have them coated with a bed liner (not a rattle can bedliner). The polyurea hybrids and variants provide an armor coating but the down side is that they come with a premium price tag.

Edit*** Addendum - Powder coating generally is much harder than a traditionally painted surface but when the coating is breached and the product wasn't properly prepared (washed/phosphatized) corrosion will begin and creep under the remaining powder coating and lift it. Prepare it properly and the likelihood of a coating failure drops dramatically.

 

FWIW, I got the Total Chaos stiffeners because I like that they go up higher, and add more tie-down points. Aside from that, I'm sure they don't add any additional strengthening or anything.

 

@TomTwo interested as well. All the designs get in the way of my platform bed and cost around $150. These could possibly stay lower than the rail my platform sits on (about 8"?) And not require me to cut into that or my bedrug carpet.

 

I have a cap on my truck and I went with Caliraised. Very happy with them.


Whichever bed stiffener you choose, I would strongly suggest (as mentioned in other threads on same subject) to use a ratchet strap to sinch in the sides of the bed while doing the install. This will help to bring the sides of the bed to a more normal position.

 

What purpose do they serve?

 

https://caliraisedled.com/products/2005-2021-toyota-tacoma-bed-channel-supports

 

Cali raised here too. Cheaper than other brands but just as good with plenty of tie down points & pc. Can’t beat that or the price

 

I got the Cali style on eBay for $90 two years ago. Price has gone up $20 but still recommend them. I got this style because you can mount antennas on either side. I have a lighted LED whip on passenger side and use the DC outlet.

 

On sale thru Cyber Monday for $125 (usually $175.84). I installed a set last summer and like the additional tie-downs and that they secure near the top of the bed sides and use two of the bolt down points in the bed. Use the stock bed spacers with the supplied bolt and the original Torx bed bolt on each side.