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Bed Stiffeners?

We are working on some bed stiffeners for the rear of the bed by the tailgate. We have way too many prototypes going right now and have been absolutely slammed with work but bed stiffeners are one we have started and have progress on.
 
Shifts And Grins Fab said:
We are working on some bed stiffeners for the rear of the bed by the tailgate. We have way too many prototypes going right now and have been absolutely slammed with work but bed stiffeners are one we have started and have progress on.
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good to hear! I know we've talked about it in PM but my bed flexing and my bed rack and rtt shaking got me worried. Do you have a set date for when these will be available? Maybe I can hold off till then!
 
swimbs43 said:
Not to bring up an old thread, but did we ever get a solution for the stiffeners? I'm currently looking for something as well.
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not that i know of.
HOWEVER, after looking at the bed in more detail, I THINK our beds don't need those. At the tailgate end of the bed, you can see the curved joints that hold the side and the bottom together instead of the straight type that other trucks have. I THINK those are basically stiffeners or at least designs that prevent the bed from splitting.

on the other hand, SDHQ does have one for TRX but after taking measurements and compared to their design, they wouldn't work with non-TRX models (or, they would require a lot of modification to fit on non-TRX) SDHQ was down to make a set, BUT I'd need to bring the truck to them and it'd be one-off custom and the custom fabrication shop rate applies (which will cost me at least $1k to get it done)
 
boogielander said:
not that i know of.
HOWEVER, after looking at the bed in more detail, I THINK our beds don't need those. At the tailgate end of the bed, you can see the curved joints that hold the side and the bottom together instead of the straight type that other trucks have. I THINK those are basically stiffeners or at least designs that prevent the bed from splitting.

on the other hand, SDHQ does have one for TRX but after taking measurements and compared to their design, they wouldn't work with non-TRX models (or, they would require a lot of modification to fit on non-TRX) SDHQ was down to make a set, BUT I'd need to bring the truck to them and it'd be one-off custom and the custom fabrication shop rate applies (which will cost me at least $1k to get it done)
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We have built some custom sets. There is flex in the bed especially if you start mounting stuff to the bed sides or offloading hard. The sets that we did all had chips in the paint where the bedside was hitting the tailgate from flex prior to the stiffeners. If there is enough of a need/ desire we would consider doing a production run of these and offering them.
 
Shifts And Grins Fab said:
We have built some custom sets. There is flex in the bed especially if you start mounting stuff to the bed sides or offloading hard. The sets that we did all had chips in the paint where the bedside was hitting the tailgate from flex prior to the stiffeners. If there is enough of a need/ desire we would consider doing a production run of these and offering them.
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do they clear Decked drawer systems?
 
Shifts And Grins Fab said:
The ones I made probably would not. I am sure we could do a set that would though. It would probably be tight though.
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hmm i think we shall see how it goes...
so far with the GFC on top it does help distributing the pressure and hold it all together (closed box shape)
if I was running an empty bed I'd be more worried!

side note, perhaps this may help: the SDHQ design fits inside the tailight housing so it's minimum obstruction. maybe that's something worth looking into.
 
There is this option from @NH Overland

It looks pretty straight forward to install and provide the reinforcement needed for your bed.

www.nhoverland.com

Ram Bed Stiffies

Introducing the NH Overland 2003+ RAM Bed Stiffy kit - the ultimate reinforcement for overlanders, contractors, and truck enthusiasts seeking unparalleled strength and enhanced tie-down options. Crafted from Laser Cut and CNC bent stainless steel, these bed stiffeners ensures superior...
www.nhoverland.com www.nhoverland.com
 
George_RAM said:
There is this option from @NH Overland

It looks pretty straight forward to install and provide the reinforcement needed for your bed.

www.nhoverland.com

Ram Bed Stiffies

Introducing the NH Overland 2003+ RAM Bed Stiffy kit - the ultimate reinforcement for overlanders, contractors, and truck enthusiasts seeking unparalleled strength and enhanced tie-down options. Crafted from Laser Cut and CNC bent stainless steel, these bed stiffeners ensures superior...
www.nhoverland.com www.nhoverland.com
Click to expand...
that is for HD trucks with the old body style and not DT
 
George_RAM said:
Sorry 😞 I saw the description and didn't go into the description. Maybe it would be worth to ask them if they do manufacture for DT models.
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the DT trucks have a special bend at the corners, and it seems like it does extend into the bottom of the bed.
that makes me THINK that our beds are slightly better structured than the older beds with 90 degree angles in the corner.

I know SDHQ makes a kit for TRX, but when I measured the non-TRX it's off by a bit. SDHQ would make an one-off for me, as long as I pay the custom fabrication pricing.

What I ended up doing was installing my GFC Camper and that turned the bed into a box, adding more structural integrity to the whole thing.
 
boogielander said:
Hello,
I've searched far and wide and couldn't find bed stiffeners/ brackets for the DT platform. Does anyone have any lead or who I can get in contact with to get these made?

For your info, based on my understanding and experiences:

What are bed stiffeners?
Bed stiffeners are basically brackets that you install on your beds to hold the bed together to prevent it coming apart.

Why are these needed?
For people who overland, especially with installation of bed racks, roof tents, and other gears strapped to the bed rack, it is often to see over 200lbs of weight pushing down on the side of the bed. With off road driving going over rough terrains, the bed tent to flex due to the design of the truck. That is true across all platforms regardless of make and model. The bed will flex, and with the flexing force comes with the risk of bed side disintegrating, especially at the rear where the tailgates are. This is because bed designs are not box shaped, but rather C shaped. As seen from various applications (ie: Toyota Tacoma C-frames), C shapes are not as sturdy as boxed shape and will break easily when excessive forces are applied.
Bed stiffeners are needed to help reduce the stress that end of C-shaped bed experience, and to help hold the bed together better. It is like closing off the C to a box, but without fully closing the C.

Is this really an issue?
For Ram trucks, or basically any other truck that don't use composite bed (looking at yota Tacomas), bed splitting is not really an issue, even with offroad use. However, because my build's goal is to go fast in the desert and desert terrains can be rough, bed splitting could be an issue for my application. Especially I have a 95lb bed rack bolted to the bed side, and a RTT that weights about 87lbs sitting on top. I've noticed that going over bumpy sections while on trail that the bed flexes, which leads to the bed rack and RTT shaking at a greater magnitude. My fear is that eventually that would lead to splitting of the bed due to the left and right movement from shaking.
And I'm not the only one out there who has bed rack and roof tent on their DT bed, so I feel if I want to address this issue, there are people out there looking to address this issue as well.

So, if anyone has any lead, please let me know!
View attachment 149632
PFA
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About to fab some up actually. Might start selling some of these parts I have been making.
 
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