Which set of bed stiffeners - TC, Victory, Rago,...

Looks like there are multiple options.

Some look lighter than others, and cost more... any preferences with reasons behind them?

 

I might not be accurate, but I read TC first did the R&D for them and started selling them, then others copied their design. But I don’t know anything about the other manufacturers.

 

SDHQ also has a set, but their design is different than all the others. I don't have any yet, but have thought about getting a set. If I get some I would likely go SDHQ or Total Chaos.

 

After victory knocked off a members ARB compressor mounting bracket....typically dont find myself looking at their site much.

 

If your have any decent mechanical engineering background, or frankly you are just a farmer (have experience) you can tell which brackets will offer the most rigidity... knock off or not.
It would be nice if they listed how thick the metal is.

I didn’t see the ARB ones...

 

I think you didn't catch what I was saying...
ARB doesnt make stiffeners.

Member made compressor mounts.
Victory copied them.

I no longer look at victorys website for parts.

And,
TC does advertise their thickness.....

 

And another one....

 

Maybe them too?

 

I have Total Chaos stiffeners. As far as I can tell, they work. Reduce or eliminate bed flex. When I bought my used 2010 Crewmax 4x4, it already had small cracks on the corners of the bed. Previous owners had been loading bikes, maybe atv as some dents on the tailgate shows. Stiffeners will make the ride a bit firm as it reduces flex of the bed. And yes, my bed wasn't square. When mounting these stiffeners, they are perfect 90 degree angles. There were some gaps on the top of the bed and the stiffeners pulled them back to the correct angle. Also no issues with the tailgate not opening when the truck is parked on uneven surfaces. the bed remains square.

 

I have the total chaos ones and am happy with them. I helped a buddy install the Rago ones and they definitely seemed thicker but harder to install.

 

What’s interesting is the hidden brackets support the top of the bed wall being pushed out... but probably don’t help the bottom corner strength wise.

TC, Victory, and Rago’s mainly help the bottom corners but the further up the force from the corner the less they help ...

combine both and it would be solid as a rock..

BTW - thanks for posting the thickness, typically you see that in big print as a product feature, but I didn’t when I was checking them out.

 

I like the way the total chaos look. I see some others that would block a pallet from sliding in the back. The total chaos still looks like you could slide a pallet in and out with a forklift

 

I have the TC and they have been great. I love the additional tie downs and clean look.



Notched around my bed mat and it is completely flush, 4x8 sheets slide right in and out, all the long stuff on the rack and everything stays tight and true.

 

I like how the mat covers most of the bottom on the TC’s.

I would think that For the cost of the SDHQ’s they’d have some type of inside mount as well like the TC’s...

On the other hand - why the heck doesn’t Toyota fix the issue ?... not to mention the other truck makers.

 

Which bed mat do you have?

 

OEM Toyota. I don't have a part number off hand but it is the factory one.

 

i like the ones from sdhq since you can't see them. plus i have decked drawers.

 

I can't believe this is still an issue with the amount of time this truck has been produced. So I ordered a RCI bed rack and will have a 200 pound tent on it. I would think the bed rack would actually help stiffen the bed sides but my thinking is probably flawed. Some people believe in them others say they are not necessary...So any opinions on whether I need the bed stiffeners or not when it comes to my setup?

 

Go with @TOTAL CHAOS 100%

They have the original bed stiffener and have put countless hours into R&D and even have it patented. It will be hard to find a product of the same quality. Installed some in my first setup and will be doing the same in this one.

Really not a fan of Rago anything mostly due to friends and customers with plenty of complaints.

 

Is your main goal just addressing bed weakness? or are you trying to add tie down points as well?

Plate thickness is only 1 factor on rigidity, but maybe not the most important. It's not what you have, but rather how you use it.
The height and distance that the support brace spans ultimately is the main factor in increasing rigidity.
Increasing to 1/4 plate would be less effective for rigidity than adding a 2nd corner gusset or C-channeling the entire design.
The downside to making a large gusset is intrusion on bed space. It is nice to see several options available from several company's. Just because they are the first does not mean they are the best.
I like the Rago stiffener design for the following reasons:
1: (4) bolts on vertical vs. (2)= Disperses load Also there is a bolt local to the factory tie down.
2: Deflection will be the lowest in the corner, so there is not really much gain of filling it in like the other designs. Basically maximizing rigidity per material used.
The opening would also allow you to hose out small debris from the bed without it getting stuck in/ around the corner bracket.
3: Brake press bent. No welds to fail. The TC is not welded entire length. The Victory is welded in a critical area, the corner, so the weld needs to spot on.
4: the L-bracket extends the furthest on horizontal bed leg.

I am not say the Rago is prefect. I wish the rib extended to the top bolt and had a 2nd corner gusset but i think it is a fairly good design that achieves the intent.

 

What gets interesting is considering the thrust or force vectors (directions) you are trying to counter.

With a Cap or any weight across the top like a diamond back you encounter forces in both directions as the weight of the topper shifts when you turn, or outward when you put weight on...

the turnbuckle on the SDHQ’s will have some play in them so they will hold force “in” to help the outward spreading, but really won’t help a lot when pulled in the other direction because of the play in the turnbuckle, and the flexing of the steel itself ... and yes we’re talking about thousands of an inch but it’s play that is there, just like there is flex in the bed side itself.

The other corner bracket solutions act like a hammer pulling a nail leverage wise with outward forces, but act as a brace with inward forces... so they can handle inward forces a heck of a lot better. The first time I saw the TC’s and noted the extension where it’s only a flat piece of iron at the ends I immediately knew that has almost zero bracing strength... but they will keep the base from moving away from the corner (inward force). So at the end of the day the parts helping with outward force are the “T” section of the bracket and the screws there. This is why I said they were good for inward forces.

In my 70 series ford F100’s I used to put a cable between the top of the bed posts with a turn buckle to help against outward forces... that occured a lot on a farm hauling firewood & bales of hay.

IF I were building it —
What would be REALLY cool .. would be a 45 degree angle bracket that swings out of the way (say you hinge it at the top), so that I can pull a pin at the bottom and it swivels to the side of the bed. You could terminate it on the frame mount at the bottom of the bed which is rock solid, and you could make a hinge like mounting plate to screw to the top of the bed vertical. Add a small corner bracket to the bottom corner and you don’t need anything else. Heck I may make one... who knows.

 

$ but another option

https://trailcommand.com/collections/tundra/products/tundra-bed-brace

 

Here's the SDHQ hidden bedside support system installed on my truck. I opted for this and canceled the order on the RAGO system so I could maintain bed space and not worry about the hatch mounts for the new camper shell.

Post installation, I am very happy with my decision because the turnbuckles on the SDHQ system allow you to adjust the gap between the bedsides and tailgate, or hatch in this case, a feature worth every penny. You could probably even restore the body lines to pretty much factory if you have larger than OEM gaps due to things like bed racks.

 

I know nothing of TC's or Rago's customer service reputation, so the following comments are based on my observations of the actual product itself. I ordered both. The Rago stiffeners where $90 shipped vs $187 shipped for the TC's. I am not taking price into account for my impressions.

Comparing them side by side, the Rago appears to more soundly engineered for strength (assuming Rago followed best practices for press braking the steel and TC followed best practices for welding). Rago is made from a single piece of 3/16" steel (laser cut) with press brake radius angles to provide the support structure. The TC's are made from a 3/16 piece of steel bent at a right angle with a 1/8" steel welded-in perpendicular support structure. The bend on the TC 3/16" portion is at a sharp right angle, which would significantly reduce the strength there, but this a non-issue since the TC's derive their rigidity from the welded-in plate.

As far as mounting, the Rago stainless vertical backing plate has more surface area to distribute the force of holding the stiffener to the vertical bed wall. However, the TC actually attaches to the factory tie down bolts, where the vertical bed wall comes together with a support steel cross structure that ties over to the tailgate latch. Basically, the TC is bolted to double thick factory steel there with factory spot welded-in-place nuts on the back side(this could tip the scales towards TC due to providing a stronger interface with the bed wall).

The Rago's powder coat has a higher quality look and feel than the TC's, which looks cheap. I also think all the TC tie down holes make them look cluttered and kind of janky.

The TC stiffeners have two additional benefits the Rago doesn't. The TC stiffener is flat where where a 4x8 sheet of plywood, or deck drawer, would slide in the bed and the previously mentioned tie off holes, which I think they went a little overboard on. Rago has none. It's a bummer Rago just didn't add a few laser cut holes in the vertical support to basically accomplish the same thing. The TC 1/8" support piece seems sparse on the lower portion. It's benefit of non-interference makes it appear weak, although I'm guessing the actual forces on the bedsides are probably no where near the yield strength of this configuration. However, the Rago is just beefier all the way around, and just looks and feels higher quality.

If I could build the perfect bed stiffener, it would be the beefy Rago with a few laser cut holes for tie off points, and shorter bottom support that doesn't intrude in the way of deck drawers or plywood carry. It would have the TC interface plate at the tie down bracket.

I've been staring at both and still haven't decided. Just from appearance, metal thickness, engineered structure and quality feel, the Rago's win hands down. And this regardless of being less than half the price of the TC's. But the one thing I keep going back to, and the one thing that makes me think the TC's will be installed in the end, is that dang interface with the tie down bolts.

Install comment: I've seen both install video's and both installers, including a gentlemen with last name of Rago, drill through the nicely powder coated plates exposing raw metal in the mounting holes. Don't be those guys.

 

Following

 

I went with the Total Chaos. Like stated above, in the end I just felt their interface to the bed was the better mousetrap. Plus, all the tie down points did allow me to get rid of the factory hoops, which were going to interfere with my power tank mount and seating area on the opposite side. I have a Vagabond Nomad coming the first month or two of 2021.

 

Want to get the TC but I have Cali Raise molle panels that also mount to the factory tie down point. Not sure how it could work. Other option would be Victory 4x4. Has tie downs and good bed access. Does not use the factory tie down point.