Has anyone added 3rd row seating to their taco bed?

Not sure why you guys are suggesting a 4Runner. It looks like he has a DCSB which has the same amount of seats as the 4Runner unless he goes used and finds one with the 3rd row but those are super rare, plus zero cargo space when the 3rd row is up. I think a Land Cruiser is his best option if you want to retain some off road capability. Otherwise a Sequoia has more cargo space and better 3rd row but I believe it has a full independent suspension.

 

Yep legal in AZ. I am from CA but was driving in AZ when I saw 3 kids laying down in the back of a pickup truck with no shell and no seatbelts on the highway. My sister was super worried and made me call the cops, turns out they didn't care and it wasn't illegal!

 

Wow I thought they killed the option with the 5th Gen! Thanks for clarifying!

 

Lol you called the police .

 

I’m thinking...

 

dealership by me has 3 rows all the time.

 

Pharr?

 

Just put some car seats beck there, kids love the fresh air.

 

In Texas if you're over 18 you can ride in the bed of a truck. Without any kind of seat or belts or anything.

 

haha yeah it is funny looking back on it. They had to take my name and number too.

 

Confirmed correct, however, at least on the highway, I would not advise.

 

OK here's a different take on this.

I grew up in a pretty rural area. My best friend's parents used to have an old Ford truck with a truck cap and a bench seat in the back close to the sliding window. Riding back there was the best as a kid. We also road in the beds of uncovered pickup trucks all the time. I've had people in the back of my truck before without a cap. Heck, I saw a guy today riding in the back of a dump truck in the city.

When driving with passengers in the bed, the driver must be "exceptionally careful." So careful you would think they are driving on ice. However, not all accidents can be avoided. You can be the best driver in the world and accidents still happen- rear ended, tire blow out, rollover trying to avoid another accident or deer, etc.

Is it fun? Yup. Can it be done "safely" in certain circumstances? Maybe, I'm still here. However, is it a good idea as permanent solution to carry more passengers? Nope. Think of the legality/liability as someone mentioned above.

If you want to take your 7 hunting buddies 2 miles down the road from deer camp to the hunting spot, this might not be a bad idea. Outside of extremely rare circumstances, I wouldn't do what you're saying. Good luck OP and be safe.

 

yep

 

This sounds like a cool idea. If you add a roll cage or cap over the bed similar to what a jeep has and mount the seats properly I think it would be legal and relatively safe. Could even make the seats removeable to you retain bed space. I've had people ride in the bed of my truck plenty of times, and I've also ridden in the bed of trucks many times. It's pretty common where I live. In PA its legal and people don't really care. Never gone over 35MPH. In Jersey however I got pulled over for having people in my bed at the beach on a road that was 25MPH and traffic was crawling. Cops just told me to go home and let me go.

 

Legal and advisable are not always hand in hand. Lol.

 

Here in nc riding in the bed is perfectly legal over 16. I sit back there all the time. Same roll over and seat belt protection as riding on a motorcycle. And much less risk of death than smoking cigarettes, which i used to do as well. Just saying. Used to ride in theback of a Suzuki samurai sitting on a futon mattress. Lol. I had forgotten about that. Thanks for the memories guys.

 

I have Yakima sky boxes (with holes drilled in them) on the roof rack. Put the kids up there and all them its astronaut training. They love it!

 

i picked the wrong week to stop sniffing glue...

 

nobody says you can't pick it back up