Drilling into the sidewall of the truck bed?

I want to add large D rings in my truck bed to use as tie down points for my 400lb motorcycle.

The best spot I found is in the sidewall of the composite bed about half way down the bed (just behind the wheel well).

Is the plastic in that region thick enough be drilled through and reliably anchor the rear of a motorcycle?

 

My non-scientific answer is hell no. anchoring a 400 lbs bike to plastic sounds like a bad idea.

why not just use the existing d rings?

 

Agreed. I drilled it to mount a 4x rack for a hi lift and it was solid. But I'd never trust it to a bike.

 

http://www.chaosfab.com/2016-2017-Tacoma-Rear-Channel-Bed-Stiffeners-48676

 

Because if your truck is like the 2nd gen I have, Toyota foolishly left out d rings at the cab end of the bed (just one of the stupid things that I can't figure out with this truck)
Best bet is to get some very large single bolt d-rings, or get the rear d rings off a wrecked tacoma, and place them under the bed mount bolts at the frot of the box. You may need to get longer bolts, or possibly use the rear d-ring bolts from the donor vehicle

 

Not sure if it's the same for 3rd gens:

http://armysurpluswarehouse.com/rope-ring-with-clip-b21-5-for-6-50/

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/cheap-free-mods.4838/#post-45406

DO NOT use the bed.

 

I'm going to disagree with everyone so far and say you'll be fine, just use a large washer to distribute the load.

The factory D rings are mounted in the composite bed, this is no different. They are more than up to holding a 400lb bike down; that is a fairly light static load.

 

Youre a fool if you want to tie down something that heavy onto fiberglass.

As someone mentioned, buy the bed stiffeners. That bolts directly onto metal and also comes with tie down points. Use those.

 

You should probably add:

"I am not responsible for the damage caused to your vehicle."

My .02...

 

He's drilling into his own truck, I'm pretty sure he's got this. I'm not sure how I could be considered responsible.

Look at the factory hooks:


People anchor motorcycles heavier than 400lbs with these all the time. As long as he uses a big washer or plate on the opposite side like the factory hooks, he will be fine.

 

How about a dynamic load?

 

Dynamic load calculations vary a LOT from static based on impulse and how dynamic the load is. I'd say generally no. A motorcycle with suspension could be considered dynamic in some cases, but if it's properly secured, it's a static load.

There's a reason snatch straps / kinetic recovery straps are way thicker than equal rated tow straps. The former is designed for dynamic loads and is way more robust than the latter.

 

I would totally recommend:

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/front-rail-tie-down-wheel-chock-system.483012/

@At The Helm makes some good stuff and the wheel chock system is one of them.

 

In my mind, securing has 2 factors: the ring itself, and how it's secured. Those rings look legit, but how are they secured? anchoring into plastic just sounds like a bad, bad idea.

I'm obviously bored at work this morning and thus participating in this kinda silly thread... again I ask, why not just use the existing d rings? I have secured 2 bikes with the existing 4 rings, no prob.

 

Can you put D-rings on the bed bolts like the second gens?

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/installed-d-rings-in-the-bed-pics.28533/

 

A friend of mine has those exact D-rings and they were I stalled by the dealerships in the side of the bed. He uses them for his MX bike regularly.

I bought the same set but installed them using the front bed bolts instead. They're SOLID... had to step drill them just a bit but again, its a solid anchor point. There's a thread for it somewhere... Also had links for a cheaper D-rings from Amazon. *One con for the bed bolt D-ring mod, they don't rotate.

 

That's the one I was looking for!

 

I've done sth similar but to make it sturdier and distribute load I put an aluminum backing plate behind it.
You can pop out the little cubbies over the wheel wells for easy access

 

This!

 

http://armysurpluswarehouse.com/military-issue-vehicle-cargo-tie-down/