Second Anchor Point for Tailgate for 4x8 Sheet Support

I came to the Tacoma from a series of long bed and flatbed full-size trucks, and couldn't stand the thought of not being able to properly carry full 4x8 sheets, so in addition to cutting some boards for the recesses on the sides of the beds, I found a way to support the back end of 8' materials.
I added another set of cable anchor shoulder bolts so that the gate could work as a material support, and it has served very well. I've read about the cable lugs not being very strong, so I placed the anchors so that the top of the gate is about 1/4" lower than the support boards. That reduces the load on the gate by using some of the flexure resistance of the material being carried, and transfers that load to the rear support board.
My truck is used for work regularly, and even with some heavy loads, up to 1500 lbs of 4x8 material, it has held up well.
The shoulder bolts are a Toyota-specific part. You can't get them anywhere else. I think they were about $8 each. I put them on the pillars at the back of the bed. 1/4" steel plates cut to fit inside the pillars are tapped to receive the bolts, and they back up against the inside of the pillar to keep the bolts from shearing along the sheet metal.

 

This is not a light load.

 

Cool. Did you do anything to your suspension to help carry the load?

 

Oh absolutely. Installed the Ride Rite air bags. Never did the spring update, just went straight to the airbags. About 70 psi with this load. Wouldn't have a Taco without them.

 

You should look into this!

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/reinforced-steel-tailgate-skin-by-mobtown-offroad.362796/

 

That's a pretty cool item. I haven't had any problems with the skin on my tailgate, but it would definitely increase the side-to-side flexural strength of the tailgate because there are plenty of bolts to let that steel skin become the compression flange of the box beam that the gate would become. At 14 awg I'm guessing that plate weighs what, 20 lbs?

 

I actually have the Relentless one in aluminum, only weighs 13lbs

It's the only brand that does a one piece tailgate protector. The others use a separate cover and cap

 

Looks good Chris! I'd be interested to see the plate you used to reinforce the shoulder bolt behind the pillar if you have any pictures or could provide one. I know the pillar itself is rather thin sheet metal and I've considered using that area for other projects, but was always concerned with the shear strength or possible deformation once a load is applied. From the looks of it, you have a long bed, correct?

 

Yes, it's a long bed. I can remove the tail light to take a picture of it, but the plates are roughly 1/4 x 2 x 3. I rounded the edge that meets the back corner of the pillar on the bench grinder for a large contact area. When it is loaded, it presses against that back vertical edge, but there is no support against the bottom of the plate. It has not moved, though.
I sprayed the plates with Zinc-it, just because I have a can.

I recall the bolt being M12, and it's regular hot rolled plate, so it wasn't difficult to tap.

 

Thank you. I was just curious if you had used angled steel so that it would wedge itself against the rear facing edge inside the taillight cavity as well, but from your description, I believe you used flat plate. Excellent work! This is exactly what this website is supposed to be about- making your truck more useful for your intended purpose.

 

I'd say the trickiest part of the mod is getting the anchor point in just the right place. I propped the tailgate to where it was exactly where I wanted it, then marked the center of the hole using the center point of the cable termination.

 

I'd guess that a steel or heavy aluminum channel at the top edge of the gate, replacing the cap, would be the simplest way to keep the gate from bending, if you didn't also need the inside surface of the gate to be stiffer, too.

A custom extrusion would be just the thing, as long as you used some kind of isolation to prevent galvanic corrosion. I have 5 proprietary extrusions already... hmmm.

 

Pretty close....about 18 lbs.

 

Oh, and Bilsteins all around, not just the air bags.