**WARNING** TOTAL CHAOS BED STIFFENERS (but really it’s Toyota’s fault)

Just a quick PSA: when installing the Total Chaos bed stiffeners, PLEASE be super careful when tightening the top bolt. I broke both of mine just tightening super lightly. The instructions recommend 10lbs/ft, but it WILL snap before you hit it.

 

Not saying you installed them incorrectly but I just installed them and had no issues. Did you start by tightening the bottom most bolt you drill first, then the bed bolts, then working up and fully tightening that top bolt last?

 

Sounds like a lemon or user error...10lb is nothing so if this were a common issue we'd be hearing about it a lot from people over-torqueing without a torque wrench. You should contact them, I'm sure they'll make it right.

 

Did you have a gap and tried installing it before the other bolts were tightened, like step 7 warns?

 

It is actually very common for those top bolts to snap. I Don't have a TC stiffener but I used those boots for an accessory mount and snapped one. They get exposed to the elements and rust very easy.

 

It's a super common issue, but not a Total Chaos problem. That's a Toyota bolt. I broke one on my install.

 

Sounds like we should upgrade the Toyota bolts when we install these.

 

Was it the bolt or the stiffener that broke? If just the bolt, that doesn't seem to be a TC problem. Got a pic?

 

I did exactly what the instructions said. Maybe a bad torque wrench idk. Or the bolts were just sh!tty

 

A little confused the top bolt are the factory Toyota bolts that you remove and then reinstall. So was it a factory Toyota both or one that they supplied

 

Yeah that’s what I meant.. NOT a TC issue. Just a bolt issue. They are frail and were a little rusty

 

Both the factory 10mm bolts

 

I was thinking of leaving that one w/o a bolt. It’s the weakest of 6 bolts so I think the beefier 5 bolts will carry the load just fine

 

Thanks for the warning! I'm going to replace those two bolts when I install mine.

 

Please let me know what bolts work for you.

 

While everyone’s here, for those of you that have installed the bed stiffeners, have you found any use for these? I would hate to get rid of them.

 

Lot of people use em on the bed track

 

How do you break a 10mm bolt with 10 ft-lbs?

 

It's an M6 bolt that uses a 10mm wrench

 

So, it's a 6mm bolt.