Bolting various items directly to the composite bed...

I want to install a 2" receiver in the bed to hold my winch/cradle. I also want to install a fridge slide for my Dometic CFX-35. I'm worried about bolting directly to the plastic bed and how it would hold up over time. I do a lot of moderate offroad.

 

There are about 6 bolts the hold the bed to the frame. Suggest you utilize those bolts (be creative) for any moderate to heavy loads.

 

It it is only to store the winch, then I would try to connect to a couple of the factory mount bolts and fish plate both sides of any other mount point of the composite. Spread the load over as wide an area as possible.

 

Yeah. I figured as much. Thanks for the confirmation. Those bolts don't align exactly where I want them so I'll probably have to figure out some sort of frame that will give me more flexibility for mounting stuff in the future. I'm surprised I haven't seen something on here already. Maybe I haven't searched hard enough.

 

Do a search for something like “Additional D-rings” in the bed. I then strap stuff down as necessary.

 

The trick is to use lots of bolts to distribute the load and large washers/plate steel to spread the load out.

See my hi-lift mount that has held up just fine to lots of wheeling:

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/my-take-on-a-hi-lift-jack-mount.497315/

 

I was thinking about doing something similar to this. For my applications (winch storage, and fridge). I think this will work. The weight of the items will be on the floor of the bed. I just need to bolt them down to keep them from bouncing around.

 

I also have a 10-gallon water tank and pump (total weight about 110 lb) bolted to the floor of my bed. I didn't give it the same treatment as the hi-lift since I'm only trying ot keep it from sliding around, not actually support its weight. It's held down by 4 1/4x20 screw-T-nuts epoxied to the bottom side of the bed with 1/4x20 bolts going down from the top through the bed and into T nuts. No problems there either.

 

How long have these lasted you so far without issue? And you do a lot of off road driving correct?

 

2 years and yes.

 

I want to mount this hitch in my bed to store my winch on a cradle. I will try to use one of the existing bed bolts. Anyone have any ideas or suggestions I should consider? This would be simply for storage and too keep it from bouncing around when offroad.

 

I would be concerned with the torque the weight of the winch will exert on the box material. I would want to mount that on a larger plate with another plate on the other side.