Stiffeners…”lab” test comparison?

I’m in the market for stiffeners.

I’m surprised a video or thread hasn’t been started which takes a bunch of the more common stiffeners and designs and tests them.

anybody?

I would hope a regular YouTuber could house their resourses. Maybe even a fab shop could at least compare theirs to at least one other popular “un-named competitor’s” design.

maybe getting a whole bunch of old sills and subjecting them to different forces to see; if, how and when the stiffeners fail.

just an idea. I don’t have the resources or the time.

 

I would say that with any stiffener, there will be a part of the truck that fails far before they do.

Just go with the design and price point that you like.

 

Its a bed stiffner, not a jet engine. Pick one you like and go from there. Not many stories on failed bed stiffners of any brand.

 

Aside from the small-possible advantage of the top "dog-ear" of Total Chaos significantly adding integrity (slim chance, at best) just count the size and number of holes it adds for tie-downs and purchase/install.

 

also important-- the total chaos versions have a "design patent" only. the patent listing specifically indicates 'ornamental design'

https://patents.justia.com/patent/D820180

i don't believe that any design, regardless of how far it goes up the bed side, is structurally better than any other design. the biggest difference is going to come down to individual usage, and preference.

i knew all of what i posted above, but i still got the total chaos versions, as my primary intent was additional tiedown locations, that also don't intrude too far into the bed space. i felt other designs intrude too far into the bed space for my preference. but i don't feel that they are superior in overall design, build, or paint quality over any of the other options.

 

It's not really something that needs a whole experiment. It's a simple bracket, and most are made from the same off the shelf steel alloy.

The model with the biggest gusset will be the stiffest.

 

The stiffest stiffeners are probably the discontinued 4WP ones, because they have the widest gusset.

 

i haven't seen any indication that any stiffener is made out of anything more than mild steel from any brand. not even a steel alloy.

 

Easy to bend

Cheaper to weld

And cheaper base metal to begin with

The strength is in the design which makes mild steel perfectly acceptable for this application

 

Good point, should've picked my words better there.

The Greenlane stiffeners are made of stainless, but they don't say what alloy of stainless.

 

Greenlane Offroad offers a Stainless Steel Stiffener

 

Saw somewhere that even with a stiffener the sheet metal portion you are strengthening near the tailgate end is thin and bolts will rip and punch holes out, need big washers behind it

 

I picked up a set of TC stiffeners because I carry a lot of weight on my bed rack, a lot of stiff in the bed, and will be topping it all off with kayaks as well.
Great product and gave me quite a few more tie downs.
What I didn't expect, is that they corrected the drivers side of my bed that was actually splayed out by a quarter inch or more, and got me back to 90deg on both sides.
Easy to install and worked with my OEM bed rug.

 

i'm not knocking it-- it's more than acceptable for my needs. just didn't want to have people thinking that it's something more exotic than it really is

 

Didn't say you were

Generally speaking, +95% of bed stiffeners are all mild steel (including the sets I make)

More than perfectly acceptable for the application

Cool to see a stainless steel set

 

The Rago ones are (or at least their older designs were) stainless, also not welded but press bent.

 

Good point. When I do mine, I might just use plate steel back there with holes drilled through it, in place of washers.

 

Can you give more info on your bed stiffeners?

 

Funny you ask, I cut an extra one just a few days ago



Here's my thread - https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/kwik-fab-stiffies.804205/

Tons of pics as you go through the pages, and many sold

I'm just not offering them as a welded set anymore, but found you can weld up the insides and they'll work perfectly fine the same way as welding the outside

 

Installed 1320 Performance stiffeners today, and this is how far off the driver's side was beforehand. Bottom was flat on the bed at the time of the pic. After it was fully bolted in, it's nice and square. Half the time, I have a ~200lb fiberglass camper shell on top. Whatever brand you go with, just get some before it's too late.