fonzi
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- Mar 16, 2013
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First off I am not certain if this would be fall in the 'how to' or 'exterior mod' section, so please forgive if in the wrong spot.
So we all scratch our heads that Toyota engineers decided to put D-ring anchors in the back of the bed but not the front.
I have been looking for the (cheapest-fastest possible) solution to this as the number-one reason for getting the truck was to haul my motorbike to the mountains (instead of riding 2.5 boring hours of highway to get there).
I found several options, from removing the stock bolts and adding D-rings to a variety of aftermarket devices none of them under 35 bucks.
The other day at Lowes while getting hardware for another project I came across square nuts of different sizes and BAM!! I thought 'one of these sizes should fit inside the rail along the edge of the bed'. So I looked for the eye-bolts to match the nuts and what do you know, the fit perfectly. Of course it took me a couple of trips to the store to get the correct size nut that would fit inside the rail. I can't remember if the washer came with the eye-bolt and hex nut.
I have added a couple of pictures, one of the eye-bolts installed and one of the hardware itself with bar code and SKU numbers for all those interested. By the way, HomeDepot does not carry these square bolts or I was not able to find them even with the help from one of their associates.
The nuts need to be inserted perpendicularly to the rail and once inside just let them rest inside the rail. Now grab the threaded part of the eye-bolt, align with the nut and start threading it. The nut will not come out as you turn the eye-bolt so continue until it stops turning, then torque the hex nut that came with the eye-bolt.
I loaded the bike and went for a quick highway test run. It held!! Of course the real test will be the actual drive to the mountains.
The cost of these anchors was no more than 6 clams for both.
I also built a front tire chock for which I post pics in the upcoming days for fellow bikers interested.
So we all scratch our heads that Toyota engineers decided to put D-ring anchors in the back of the bed but not the front.
I have been looking for the (cheapest-fastest possible) solution to this as the number-one reason for getting the truck was to haul my motorbike to the mountains (instead of riding 2.5 boring hours of highway to get there).
I found several options, from removing the stock bolts and adding D-rings to a variety of aftermarket devices none of them under 35 bucks.
The other day at Lowes while getting hardware for another project I came across square nuts of different sizes and BAM!! I thought 'one of these sizes should fit inside the rail along the edge of the bed'. So I looked for the eye-bolts to match the nuts and what do you know, the fit perfectly. Of course it took me a couple of trips to the store to get the correct size nut that would fit inside the rail. I can't remember if the washer came with the eye-bolt and hex nut.
I have added a couple of pictures, one of the eye-bolts installed and one of the hardware itself with bar code and SKU numbers for all those interested. By the way, HomeDepot does not carry these square bolts or I was not able to find them even with the help from one of their associates.
The nuts need to be inserted perpendicularly to the rail and once inside just let them rest inside the rail. Now grab the threaded part of the eye-bolt, align with the nut and start threading it. The nut will not come out as you turn the eye-bolt so continue until it stops turning, then torque the hex nut that came with the eye-bolt.
I loaded the bike and went for a quick highway test run. It held!! Of course the real test will be the actual drive to the mountains.
The cost of these anchors was no more than 6 clams for both.
I also built a front tire chock for which I post pics in the upcoming days for fellow bikers interested.
