How Durable are the bed rail cleats?

The sliding ones that are optional/detachable.

Whenever I run a load, they bend upwards and I feel like they're going to snap off and kill everything.

 

I usually don’t tie anything too heavy down with them, they’re definitely not as strong as the bed mount and hooks at the back. I’ve never really looked at how they’re mounted to the truck so I don’t have a good idea.

 

200lbs iirc and I think the rail strength is only meant for 2 cleats.

 

Use the real tie downs (2 up front and 2 D rings in the rear of the bed) for anything heavy and valuable.

 

I would not trust them with any significant weight as the track is fastened onto the bed with hex head screws it looks like. I only use them to tie down small branches or pine straw bails, items like that, stay away from heavy items that might shift while driving.

 

Great with bungees at holding down toilet paper and paper towels on the way back from the warehouse store. Small branches. Smaller/skinnier drunk friends. Basically if it can be held down with bungees, twine, bed net, or maybe 1" ratchet straps. Anything bigger that wants rope, 2" straps, etc. I use the d rings on the bed floor.

 

Same here. Depends on what you are hauling - when I have 4 2x4's do I really need to tension the ratchet straps that much? If you are strapping a motorcycle to it then you are doing it wrong, use the D rings and the other mount points up front - which sometime I think I may rip out... I use them to snug things up but when I first got the truck I had the same experience and thought I was going to rip something out or lose an eye.

 

For seven years Ive been planning to replace the stock rails and cleats with logistics track using more bolts and large washers. Haven't ever gotten around to it and maybe never will but think its the right way to go.
https://www.uscargocontrol.com/shop...irline-Straps-Hardware/L-Track-Tie-Down-Rails
https://www.uscargocontrol.com/shop...ps-Hardware/L-Track-Stud-Fittings-Accessories

 

THIS ^^^
I only use them for light loads. Straps and Rope only tie off to the frame. Bungee & Paracord can be used on the bed cleats. To be honest I took mine out a long time ago and they have been sitting in a drawer.

 

They're stronger than they seem.
Nobody has come here to complain about ripping them out.

 

I hauled my dirtbike with them probabably 4 or 5 times before my topper. 260lb Honda 250cc. One strap/cleat per bed rail and one of the bed tiedowns in the back corner. Never had any problems. I wouldn't go four wheeling with it like that. I also wouldn't sinch my straps down till my tire hits the fender line some people insist on doing...

 

I use them all of the time and have never had an issue, but I don't over stress them either.

 

I think the manual says 200 lb. Each and the bed rails 400, so using 4 I think they you'd be rated to 800 lb? My thing though is that a static weight of 200 lb. Would become a whole different animal of there was kinetic energy involved. In other words, it's all good until the shit hits the fan. What about a panic stop, or if somebody rear ends you? I'd be concerned about a 4 wheeler or dirt bike going airborne.

I'm not trying to tell anybody how to live there life, but I'm not tying down anything that heavy with the bed cleats. I'd be a little concerned even with the d rings.

 

the cleats say 220 on them max. if the rail is rated for 400 pounds i dont see why you would double that rating.
i think your more likely to rip the rail off th bed before anything happens with that cleat.

 

Because I was assuming EACH rail is rated at 400# and that you would have two of the 200# rated cleats. 200 + 200 = the max rating on each rail, each SIDE, totals 800#?

Maybe my math or thinking is wrong but I was thinking of it kinda like castors, the weight ratting is the rating of each wheel times number of wheels???

 

Tailgate up and 4-wheeler doesn't need to be tied at all.

Now here is the thing about tying things down. You aren't tying them down to keep them in place in the event of a head-on collision at 100 mph (i.e., 50 from you and 50 from the kid playing pokemon on his cell phone). You're tying it down so that it doesn't come off during NORMAL DRIVING. I.e. gas, brake, steer, and wind. Once you're looking at a collision, all bets are off and all methods of securing a load WILL FAIL. Even if you bind it with chains.

 

I have never had one fail however one of my cleats did develop a stress crack after some repeated abuses so they dont last forever.
I started trying directly to the bed time down points whenever possible.

I have too much money in my motorcycles and want them them to stay put even if I sustained a minor collision.

 

The stock bed rail cleats are a POS. As mentioned above, use the rings fastened to the base of the bed and like steelhd, I may get around to replacing them someday. I have survived w/o them for over just over 4 yrs. so it's doubtful I'll ever do it.

 

Nope... But you exponentially increase your chances of them staying put in say, a 50 mph crash, or a 60 mph crash, or a significant bump or panic stop. So the attitude is if you can't deal with the worst case scenario, might as well do nothing at all? Catch a funny hop on the highway and the thing hops out the back, hitting the vehicle behind you and see how that family of four feels about your why bother policy.

 

Bullshit. We don't secure loads to deal with normal driving or extraordinary events like being hit by a train or an asteroid. We tie stuff down to deal with reasonably foreseeable and common events. Slow speed impacts can generate a lot of g's.