2012 Ford F-150 SuperCrew Lariat 2WD Long Box - can someone tell me what these holes are for on the inside of my truck bed? There are 3 sets of two holes on each side (6 sets total, 12 holes total). The holes are a little bigger than 1/4" in diameter and are NOT threaded. Anyone done anything interesting with them? Thanks in advance for any feedback.

 

Previous owner had some type of rail or deck system installed. Those holes are not factory.

 

Up until 2012 Ford sold a track system for the bed for cargo Management, so those holes are factory and if you look in any bed there are dimples where they go up to 2014.

 

I am the original owner of the truck. I bought it new so the holes came from the factory. The truck was actually a special order too. It's odd that the holes are not threaded. Can't use them for anything. In the video above, seems like the side rails of the cargo management system are mounted to the side of the bed with bolts in approximately the same locations as the holes in my bed. You can actually see a couple of the bolts. Perhaps Ford forgot to thread them in my truck??? Anyone else have a 2012 with the same holes?

 

if its anything like the newer trucks, the hardware you get with the accessories are self tapping

 

The bolts that secure the cargo management system are (more than likely) self-tapping. *Just like the bolts that secure the optional bed extender.
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Thanks for the feedback. I really appreciate it.

 

So those holes are an un-threaded sleeve?

 

Those "holes" have a backing plate behind it welded from the factory, unthreaded, and on 6.5' beds only, and I can confirm that the optional Cargo Management System Rails use self-tapping mounting bolts as I installed a brand new, old stock kit in mine back in February.

It's interesting that his 2014 has these since Ford discontinued adding these mounts to the bed starting in 2013 as mine and others of the 2013-2014 model years didn't have them, but they still retained the top bedrail slots and screw holes in the bedrail edges. I had to custom make my own backing plates out of powder-coated 3/8" flat bar, hanged the CMS side rails on my bed (via the aforementioned bedrail slots) to mark and drill all the bedside mounting holes, used rope threaded into those drilled holes to hoist up the plates up into the bedside cavities, then secured them with flat-head stainless steel screws into counter-sunk, tapped holes in the center of the backing plates. I did this instead of using simpler and easier to install blind rivet nuts in order to maintain the OEM load rating of 600 pounds per cleat.

The biggest drawback of having the CMS in place is that it prevents typical bed covers and racks from being used because they can no longer access the bedrail edges for clamping their mounting rails. Fortunately, BakFlip provides a special clamp-kit, free of charge, to mount their line of tonneau covers with a CMS installed (which, by the way, could be used for any tonneau cover clamp-on rails).

 

Augster, you did it right with the mounted nut-plates. I made an in-bed generator mount several years ago using that same method. The first time a riv-nut spins you'll invent all kinds of new four letter words and clever new ways of stringing them together. I have a fairly long background in aviation and any time we encounter a riv-nut that has spun where a nut plate could have been used , we threaten to seal the mechanic in an airtight box where the escape hatch is secured with riv-nuts and give him a screwdriver. Maybe he gets out, maybe he doesn't....