Anyone have this???

http://www.mranracing.org/framefiles/final/

I may try a BITD race, or something in AZ or SoCal, but MRAN is my focus for now.

 

Okay,

Getting this thread back on track here....... I have the '09 Double Cab 4x4 and have a need to haul 2 dirt bikes on a regular basis.

The Universal Samson bed rack is in stock at my local dirt bike shop.

See: http://www.discountramps.com/universal-bed-rack.htm

The other is the Bed Buddy:

http://www.ccrsport.com/index.php?main_page=page&id=10

The dirt bikes in question this week are a CRF250X and a CR500. But I also have a Buell XB12X Ulysses that I would like to be able to haul from time to time so it seems to me that some type of front tire bracket is worth having.

For this weekend I am going to try to get by with the D ring modification if I can get the bed bolts loose with my breaker bar. Otherwise <gasp> I am forced to try to get by with the factory plastic cleats. Either way we'll just nose the front tires into the corners and do the best we can.

Big picture questions:

1. Are D rings only suitable for hauling a 450-ish pound street bike? If so, do you just nose it into the corner?

2. Anyone successfully install a Bed Buddy or Universal Samson bed rack while leaving the factory track rail system in place and usable for the cleats? (this entails placing the Bed Rack a couple of inches lower, making it harder to place washers and nuts between the bed wall and the cab). It's a reach!

3. The Samson 'arms' are extendable to fit your bed whereas the Bed Buddy you order in the proper length (57" per Chris at CCR for my Tacoma). Is perhaps the fixed length of the Bed Buddy a bit more sturdy?

4. D Rings - how many do I need to add in front to be able to haul 2 dirt bikes securely? I was thinking one on each front corner bed bold (although that is a weird angle) and one in the middle somewhere near the drain hole.

This is a bit of a yin and yang deal. I'm not sure if I can get the bed bolts loose without an impact wrench (which may foil the D ring quick fix) and I'm not sure if I can install a Bed Buddy.

I do have a large 1/2" breaker bar....

I'm not after the cheapest solution per se. I just bought a brand new 2009 4x4 Double Cab and I am not interested in damaging the bed.

I'm also not interested in damaging my motorcycles - or the ones that belong to my riding buddies.

So what is the *best* long term solution gentlemen?

Honestly I like the idea of the Bed Buddy. I might even do that PLUS D Rings for even more security if it makes a difference (belt & suspenders I guess). I don't want bikes flopping around my bed.

I do want to keep the factory rails - I use them for hauling mountain bikes.

Thanks in advance for the sage advice.

 

PS. Couple other items:

1. Some users have complained that the tire brackets on the Universal are too close together and get some bar-banging.

2. Chris at CCR (Bed Buddy) says he includes "Plusnuts" or "Rivnuts" as well as bolts with washers as some modern trucks have so little clearance one can't place a washer and nut in there. He reports success with this method.

 

You may want to try your questions over at Thumpertalk.com. There are a lot of users of the BedBuddy and similar products.

I do not have experience loading this truck BUT, like most trucks, the front rail is susceptible to bending when pressure is exerted by the front wheel. The bed buddy, or any other bar, would work well to reinforce that. I would not be real excited to drill holes in the bed though. It is also VERY difficult to tread those bolts. I picture a coat hanger with the nut putty'd on and a whole lot of cussing as you try and thread it onto a bolt. It would be great it you can remove the bed (which may be possible on these trucks...I'm not sure. This is a great solution but I'm not sure how it fits under the existing bar.

I plan to use the existing bar. I will use the sliding brackets to hold the front tire in place and the D-rings as the tie down spots. I would not use the side rail systems as anchors as they are only held in by 4 small bolts. If you are hauling 2 bikes, the bed bolt D-rings may pose a challenging angle. You could always double up the straps and use the side rails AND the D-rings.

My bed bolts came out VERY easily. I added some blue loctite when I put them back in. If your truck is an 09, you should not have an issue.

I do not like the extendable arm bed bar. Unless there is a way to anchor it down, I would not trust it against 2 bikes and a bumpy road.


Finally, if you do not use one already, get a FORK BRACE. Here is a long thread on how and why they are beneficial.

Here is a picture of the fork brace I made:
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/evecchiola/Bike Pics/IMG_1769.jpg

I'm not sure about your other questions but I hope I was of some help.

 

Thanks Veccster. Good info.

I've got a fork brace - been using it and a hitch rack for years on my Explorer to haul a bike. Now I'm being enlisted to haul for others. <g>

I'll check out TT and see what I find. My factory rack side rails are covered by the mounting rails for my Bakflip G2 (which worked great over Xmas to haul all our luggage and gear to Tahoe for 5 days of fresh powder skiing!). The Bakflip does not interfere with the headwall rail and it removes in a minute or two (but the side rails remain covered).

For Sunday's day trip to the desert all tie-downs will be to D rings on the bed floor or to the Toyota plastic cleats on the bed headwall rail (or as you suggest to both).

As for the Bed Buddy - my dirt bike riding buddies have been doing this for 40 years (and they are still excellent riders). They've seen just about everything when it comes to hauling dirt bikes. One of them has a steel fabrication business so I just gave him a phone call. He says he has seen some situations where a bed rack mounted on the bed headwall caused undue flexing of the headwall (which he says is not strong enough on some trucks). The headwalls then started to fail at the corners.

So he's going to inspect my Tacoma bed tonight. Ultimately I may have him fabricate a custom bed rack that has 'legs' going down the sidewall as well to help further distribute the load. We'll see. I want to do this the right way.

Meanwhile I'm going to get some D rings, a Torx 55 bit and see how hard it is to get the bed bolts loose.

2 or 3 more D rings and nosing the front tires into the corners should work for this weekend.

Jim

 

jim,

keep us all updated there are a lot of riders on here and we'd like to see pics of what you end up getting!

thanks

-don

 

^x2

 

The D-rings are plenty strong, I thing they are rated at 500lbs (don't quote me though), but hold just fine.

I've only had 2 bikes in my truck at once (I have a 4x8 utility trailer that I use most of the time anyway since I have an Undercover on the truck) but I would trust the D-rings to hold 2 street bikes for sure.

Just to be clear, I'm talking about the OEM ones that SHOULD come stock in the side of the front part of the bed, but don't. They are a bitch to install with one person, but super easy with 2. I don't have them on the bed bolts.

 

Okay, since you guys asked...

Took the Tacoma to my steel fabricator buddy's house last night so he could crawl under it and look things over. This guy has been riding and hauling dirt bikes and racing dirt bikes (and trucks) in the desert for 40 plus years. Please understand that he is a very good friend and he'd be more than happy to make a custom bed rack for me that would be super sturdy and designed for my bed.

He has already had to modify (be welding side arms on) 2 different headwall bed rack systems that were installed on Ford trucks (for a couple of our other riding buddies). The bed rack systems were causing excessive headwall flex which in turn caused the headwall to begin to fail at the corners.

He did NOT say that would happen with my Tacoma, simply that it was a possibility.

Then he said he didn't think I needed one at all.

After inspecting everything he really liked the idea of mounting one of the factory D rings on each shelf (the extended wheel well indentation that goes all the way to the front of the bed). There is a very sturdy corner there that is easily accessible from below (behind the plastic fender shroud) and he thought it provided a much better tie down angle for hauling 2 dirt bikes than the bed bolts do (the bed bolts would be great for a single bike, but the angle is awkward for hauling 2 bikes).

In fact he thought I could do the whole job in under 15 minutes if I didn't waste any time.

He thought it would be plenty strong, easy to do and inexpensive. Just nose the wheels of the dirt bikes into the corner and tie them down.

The key of course is to make sure I have a good sized set of fender washers or plates underneath to spread the load and make sure I get them on the flat part of the surface as near as possible to the corner for added strength. He said to get the Toyota kit and see what it comes with; if I need some larger backing plates he'll knock a couple out of stainless steel scrap for me this afternoon.

I also plan to get another pair of Toyota D rings for the center of the bed (front and rear) so I will have 6 properly located tie down anchors to easily haul 2 dirt bikes. For this weekend I'll use the factory headwall rail and cleats for the center tie downs.

Gentlemen that's the action plan.

I'll try to post some photos when I get this done.

I very much appreciate all the ideas and comments that have been submitted.

I was willing to buy a Bed Buddy today - but as luck would have it he thinks I'll have a better setup without one.

Too bad the fine engineers at Toyota didn't figure this out. In the brochure they show a picture of my truck hauling 2 dirt bikes in the desert! Duh!

 

Great to hear. Some buying advice for you...get the 5 for $5 for the middle and forward bed bolts. Get the Toyota kit ($28shipped) for the wheel wells as this comes with the steel plates (cheaper ones do not).

I will anxiously await any detailed pictures of the preferred location on the wheel wells. I haven't looked under there but would like the most sturdy spot possible. I would add anchors there because I haul 2 bikes occasionally as well.

 

Hi Veccster,

5 for $5? Not sure what you mean there.

I was going to go for the Toyota D Rings all around because:

1. I they they are well made.
2. They lay down fairly flat (I also ordered the bed mat, will make cut-outs for the D rings)
3. I like the black finish
4. Didn't find anything else I liked checking out some local stores.
5. What the heck I'll have a 'sano' looking bed.

 

Picked up the Toyota D Ring kit today.

Impressive! Nice 2" x 3" backing plate with the nut brazed/tacked in place, washers, instructions, etc. All professionally coated in black to match the stock D rings.

Liked them so much I ordered another pair so I will have 6 bed D rings total.

The instructions call for installation low near the bed floor very far forward in the sidewall. Certainly that position will work as a tie down anchor but I believe my location further outboard and further aft on the 'shelf' of the bed will be superior for dirt bike tie-down straps.

We shall see soon enough!

 

Jim, thanks for all the info. I think I may do the same..

PS - Your buddy, does he run a shop in SB? Or does he just do odd jobs from home?

 

Nick he has a shop in Goleta (right next to Santa Barbara); it's a steel fabrication business. Does a lot of steel work for local construction projects.

And he helps his dirt bike riding buddies with their pickups.

 

right on... he's a good guy to have around

 

Others have found the same D-rings without the backing plate priced much cheaper ($5 for 5 rings). They are nearly identical but do not come with the backing plate, which you do not use if installing under the existing bed bolts. I paid $28 shipped for the Toyota OEM rings.

Here is the link:
http://www.armysurpluswarehouse.com/product/rope-ring-with-clip-b21-5-for-500-3752.cfm

Here is a link to Piercedtiger's write-up on adding D-Rings:
http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/technical-chat/4838-cheap-free-mods.html#post45406

I loaded my bike up today for the first time. I'll post some pictures to show what I had to do. It worked best with the front wheel in the corner but I have an un-removable roll-up cover and had to add a spacer so the wheel didn't crush it (4x6). It will be very tight with 2 bikes in there but it is definitely do-able.

 

Okay,

Installed the D rings Saturday in the extended wheel well shelf area near the forward corners of the bed. Pics to come.

The D ring installation was pretty simple - you just need one guy underneath reaching behind the wheel fender shroud while another is on top tigtening down the Torx bolt.

I like the D rings much better there than on a bed bolt as they provide a better angle for a good motorcycle tie down.

The Toyota kit is well made with good backing plates and a nice swivel setup.

Hauled my CRF250X and a CR500 to the desert on Sunday. We used 2 Toyota cleats for the other fork tie down and quite frankly they weren't nearly as solid as the D ring I installed in the bed shelf.

They held, but the bikes rocked a wee bit back & forth.

Picked up my 2nd pair of Toyota D rings today, won't have time to install them this week, but I will try something and let you guys know.

My thought was to mount one in the bed in the center - one in front and one in back and that should remove the play we were getting from the Toyota cleats.

Worst case scenario is I get a Bed Buddy and use it in conjunction with the D rings. The point of the D rings is to get the tie downs and some pressure off the bed headwall.

In any event the bikes and cleats held, we had a great day of riding, even rode through some snow and hail up in the mountains!

2 dirt bikes absolutely fit although they go all the way to the end - no room for a bed extender.

I may get a Ready Ramp anyway - just to have as a bed extender for other hauling chores - plus I need a ramp.

 

PS. Both bikes had their rear tire squarely on the tailgate.

Plus we got in/out of the truck using the tailgate a few times during the load/unload process.

No worries, no bending, no problems to report.

2009 4x4 Double Cab.

 

Here is the location we used for the forward D rings.

It is very easy to access from below by gently bending the plastic inner fender shroud out of the way. There was no interference at all from any other items.

The goal is to drill the hole (7/16") as near as possible to the corner as shown while keeping the backing plate fully on the flat area of the surface.

In other words, don't just drill into the middle of this shelf. Stay near the corner as I did for strength.

This location is very strong and held up well hauling dirt bikes on Sunday. It did immediately show the weakness of the factory cleats as they visibility bent under the load of the dirt bikes (I used one cleat for each dirt bike for the inboard fork tie down strap).

I will add 2 more Toyota D rings and will post additional pics and info. when I see how well they perform.

 

Has anyone installed the "Bed Buddy" while retaining the track at the head of the bed? THis would be my ideal situation due to the extra support of the bed and still giving me the options of using the track since I haul all sorts of toys all the time.