Tie Down Cleats - to Trust, or NOT to Trust

whattya think? Will the cleats that come with the factory bedrails hold a 350+ lb moto in place?

 

Listerines,

I'm wondering the same thing, as I need to haul my Ducati
too the shop IN THE MORNING. Any experience ? ?

OWAF


Andy

 

I believe the cleats are not rated for that much. That being said, if you tie it down right, the load on any one cleat should be dramatically less than that.

 

GAH! there is really not much to tie down to besides the cleats in the front of the bed...holy cow batman, i'm stumped!

 

Use multiple cleats to distribute the weight better that way each one only holds about 100 pounds. I believe they are rated for 200 but I would double check that.

 

Don't you have 4 tie downs in your bed itself?

 

mine only came with 3 (one in each rail)

the problem is, i'm transporting 2 bikes...i was going to use the cleat in the rail behind the cab to hold both bikes, and a cleat on each side to hold the other side of each bike...

hmmmm, now i'm getting nervous

 

will you be able to use the hooks on the bed in the back? Those attached to frame and are rated for 450 lbs.

 

Here's an excerpt from http://www.caranddriver.com/roadtests/8517/toyota-tacoma-double-cab-sr5-4x4-v-6.html

...Four tie-down cleats rated for 220 pounds each slide on rails, and D-rings bolted through... the box will take 440 pounds each...

I fully compress the front suspension when I transport my bike. I would probably load it up "tail-end" first, and make use of the 'D' rings. That's if my wife lets me buy the e-racings race fairing set!!!

 

yeah, i bought it used, and it only had 3 cleats...i have 4 more cleats from the yellow x-runner we built at work for sema 2 years ago, but they're not complete (missing the bolts and springs)...i'm trying to figure a way to rig those in permanently in addition to the ones that slide

in the meantime, i think i will use the d-rings in back and load back first...good idea topdec and TRDeity! thanks!

 

Toyota sells D-rings for the front of bed. I put them in and they seem sturdy enough as long as you follow the instructions. Everyones Tacoma should have came with 4 factory tiedowns and 2 rear D-rings.

 

Each rail is rated for more than the weight of the bike, but you don't want a situation where slamming on the brakes will cause the g-forces of the bike to increase beyond the load limit of the individual tie down or the rail itself. Do as much as you can with the D-rings and distribution of the weight among the tie downs - you'll be fine.

It is good to know D-rings are available up front. I was disapointed when I saw there were none. My '89 had them in the corners high and low.

 

except for the tacomas that are bought used and the previous owner lost/kept/destroyed one of them


hmmmm, just called my toyota parts source and they don't know of any drings for the front of the bed...hmmm, guess i'll have to figure something out myself

thanks for all the responses! i'll take pics of the bikes in the bed and the solution i come up with!

 

Here's what we did to load 2 bikes (SV & R6) on a truck with D-rings on the side...

1. drilled 2 hooks on a piece of 2x4
2. placed the 2x4 in the front side of the bed
3. rolled the front tires of the bikes on the 2x4, to keep it still
4. hooked the inside of both bikes onto the hooks on the 2x4
5. hooked the outside of the bikes onto the d-rings

Travelled 2.5 hours each way with no problems. Oh, we were also pulling an RC-51 loaded on a trailer.

 

Just be careful not to overtighten the cleats.

 

Not a very good parts source then. Just look on the Toyota website under Tacoma Accessories and you will see them. Go to any Toyota parts counter and they will know what you are talking about. Mine had them in stock.

 

could you link me to what you're referring to on the toyota website...i'm still not finding drings for the front of the bed...thanks!

 

At the bottom of page it says these also available. They nare for the front of the bed since all come with rear D-rings.
http://www.toyota.com/tacoma/accessories.html
Just GO to your local dealers parts counter. There are 4 within minutes of you. They are not expensive. Can't remember what I paid but just pocket change compared to your bike.

 

yeah, i'm eyeballing those mini cleats too

 

Mini cleates are great and cleaner looking than the standard ones.
Also if you really tighten them down, they are much harder to steal.