Recommendations for plugging holes in bed?

I'm building a winter camping set up and while I don't want NE road crap coming in, I know try as I might I'm never going to fully waterseal my bed. I might look into some sort of flush mounted tubing of a couple inches to keep spray from coming in but still retain their draining function. Hell, ¼" aquarium air hose siliconed in place through the hole then cut flush with bed once silicone cures.

 

It's magic I tell you, pure magic!

 

Everybody is saying don’t plug them but nobody says why. If there’s any water buildup it will just flow out the back. But with the drain holes there, water just drips all over the struts and drive shaft when otherwise they would be a bit dryer just sitting there. So, WHY not plug them?

 

Water will still accumulate in that area and won’t necessarily dry depending on your climate or if say you park on an incline with the nose of the truck downhill. Leave them open and run some fitting/tubing off them to route the drainage, if water on your shocks is a concern.

 

Common sense

 

unless you're part of the carolina squat crowd, the water is going to drain to the front of the truck, and will get stuck there without a way out. those holes are the waters way out of the front of the bed.

so you really have 3 options.
1. leave them. truck works as intended from toyota
2. plug them and let the water fester at the front of the bed
3. plug them and install carolina squat suspension setup to drain the water to the back while also being humiliated at every hardware store while trying explaining why you spent thousands altering your suspension for drainage reasons.

 

Why do you think Toyota went to all the trouble to drill them? Maybe they thought it might just help keep thing a little dryer? You don't suppose they put the ridges in the bed to keep things out of the water also? Gee mine are on out side edge of the bed you got extra hole from Toyota? I'm tickled sh--t less to have a bed that won't rust out!

 

If they could could come up with a frame it might be perfection!

 

I plugged my bedholes thinking the same thing, they were a way for water to get in. I run a bed rug and a soft topper. I keep dry clothes, tools and supplies tucked at the front of my cab to keep them away from the elements. I noticed my little duffel bag and tool bag was wet last summer and I figured it was because of the rain. I realized that water was pooling at the front of my cab and wicking up into all my stuff, soaking everything up there...like soaked. I unplugged those holes and it’s be 90% drier up there. Soft toppers aren’t totally weather proof, but plugging those drain holes made it way worse.

 

On mine, there are three 5/16" drain holes at the front of the bed, plus a couple in the storage cubby. If you have a camper shell, you definitely need to plug them. Water will splash up through the drain holes. Use off-the-shelf 5/16" plugs available at Lowe's, Home Depot, or Ace Hardware.

 

You better do it quick before Meso reads this

 

I’ll probably keep only the passenger side open as that one does not splash all over the frame and drive shaft. It drains directly to the ground. I don’t want all the crap I carry in my bed to end up all over the undercarriage. And yes, as Clidarv pointed out, it’s the Tacoma frame that is issue. Not the bed. Plastic doesn’t rust.

 

As Long as it doubles as a gas cap holder I’m in

 

My plastic doesn’t rust. Does yours? Tacoma frames do, though.

 

My experience:
In our hot dry summer (AB, Canada, Eh?) I'm driving a lot on gravel/just dry dirt prairie roads. Before trips like that I'm placing pieces of Gorilla tape over this
drain holes, otherwice all in my box will be covered in finest white or red dust. Cheap way, but with tailgate seal rubber strip it keeps my stuff more or less dust-free.
Back to town, in rainy months peeling tape out for drainage. Works for me.

 

I make sure to ream her holes regularly.

 

This!

During warmer months when I wash my truck...out comes the bed mat so I could wash off the underside where the bed mat rested.

Low and behold...there's drain holes at the front!

I've seen trifold tonneau videos showing how tubes are installed using the same holes at the front for drainage.

Apparently, earlier model 3rd Gens did not have pre-drilled holes (unless someone can refute this) so the drain tubes can be routed to them.

I'd have to get under my Sport to see where the water drains but I imagine it's closer to the gas tank & muffler.

 

Just park under a tree. They will plug themselves with twigs and leaves. All your questions will be answered....

Is it Friday already? I thought today was Monday.

 

So fresh water in the bed dripping on the frame worries you more than salt spray from the road? Maybe the bed fresh water helps wash it off.