Buck

Saw on a Toyota forum where one of the guys pulled the bed bolts out of the bed and installed some heavy duty D rings under the bolts when reinstalling them. Turned out really good. Would work well for motorcycle or ATV tie downs. D rings similar to these:


******EDIT***** Found the link
http://www.tundrasolutions.com/forum...-ring-install/


Good idea I think!

blueovelboy

not a bad idea but they would be to close to center i would think.

to the OP and the other dude i like the tie downs just what i was looking at doing but to dam lazy but ill get to it someday

Greg Owen

204fx4--I also did what Watt-maker did. The six pair of holes in the side of the bed were beckoning me to do something with them. So I did a lot of measuring and calculating, then tapped the holes so I could use them as mounting points. I don't know what Watt-maker used for bolts, but I splurged for stainless steel because of the weather factor.

Watt-maker---I noticed the "flex" you mentioned at each pair of holes, too. And I believe you are correct on the rigidity of my set-up, since the tie-down pull is spread across all three mounting points on each side. BTW--the half-slot strut is pretty cheap, considering, and available at Lowes. It comes in 10' lengths. The only thing I wish I had done is splurge on buying two 10' lengths and running it the whole length of the bed wall. Instead, I just bought one piece, cut it in half, and only have 5' of the 6.5' of bed wall with the channel.

standfast85

I like this idea! Where could I find some tie downs like those locally? Home Depot? Lowes?

204fx4

Thank you for the info. Guess I know what mod I'm doing this weekend!

Buck

Not real sure. I'd try the local hardware stores. Shouldn't be too hard to find. I may do this when I get my new truck.

danbart

Great minds think alike:

Since I have the 6.5' bed I have 6 anchor points on each side of the bed that are supposed to be used to install the Ford OEM CMS (Cargo Management System). I do not like the look or the cost of the CMS, but still wanted to have a few more tie down points in the bed of the truck.







Here I got a bit carried way w/ the Loctite



I tapped out the 12 existing mounting holes w/ an 8mm tap. (These do not come pre tapped from the factory), purchased some Versa-Tie tiedown tracks and cut and drilled it to fit.

The idea was to have about a 6" strip that would tire two holes together providing a bit more strength for a single tie down point.

Warning!

I do not think these anchor points can hold much weight. When pulling on the ring w/ a finger i can see the wall of the bed flex significantly. This is probably why the mounting points are not threaded from the factory. Ford only wants you to use them w/ the CMS system which uses all 6 bolt holes and the whole length of the bed rail ( the CMS mounts under the lip of the bed rail) to distribute a loads weight!

Ford CMS System:



Versa Tie Section:







If the side of the bed was flatter one might have been ale to install one long track down the side of the bed wall.


I will eventually get around to installing some full length tracks in the bed of the truck and might even put some on the inside lip of the bed rail.

If anyone has instaled a track type tiedown system in their truck please post up some pictures to give me some idea of the best way and places to install the tracks.

danbart

Versa Tie System installed in the bed of the truck. Not too hard, just have to be careful about whats underneath.

twowinns

All nice options, but I went the simple route with the Bull Ring anchors that fit in the bed rail cap. The anchors pull up when you need them, but are flush when you don't. They also are rated at a 1000 lbs, so I think they're sufficient for most loads. I've used them several times and they've worked great, especially in tandem with the factory hooks in the lower corners of the truck bed. Best of all, they're super easy to install with no drilling.

bdog

Like bull rings, but then u lose the plastic bed rail...