Tacoma bed rail mounting system (input needed)

[Kiriesh]

Hi guys, I'm hoping to mount a modular bed rail system on my 2015 Tacoma DCSB that will hopefully carry anything from a ladder rack to a RTT/cargo rack. The bed rail itself is a fairly simple design that I'll be working on, but the biggest deciding factor is the support structure. Preferably I am hoping to implement a no drill/cutting design, and I've heard horror stories about the plastic rail caps on tacomas cracking and damaging the bedsides with the weight of a rack. Here is what I've come up with as an alternative:



The current design is bolted on to the same bolts as the utility track mounts, but the weight of the rack itself is all distributed to the feet of the support. It currently sits on the 1" lip built into the interior bed. My major concern at this point is the weight rating of that lip. Does anyone know what I can safely put on the lip? Ideally I'd like the entire system capable of supporting about 600# (not planning on that much by far but it adds in extra buffer for safety). Any other input is gladly taken as well!

edit: I forgot to mention, I'm aware that there are two notches in the 1" rail. The final design would fill in those notches, this is a basic design that is lacking some details that would be added later.

 

[aardvarcus]

Any reason you wouldn't want to start with metal bed rail caps (like Relentless and probably other vendors sell) and then fabricate off of that? If you need more support than that, I would be looking to build something off of the bed mounting bolts in the floor, which are connected to the frame. Just my 2 cents, looks like a fun project.

 

[Kiriesh]

Any reason you wouldn't want to start with metal bed rail caps (like Relentless and probably other vendors sell) and then fabricate off of that? If you need more support than that, I would be looking to build something off of the bed mounting bolts in the floor, which are connected to the frame. Just my 2 cents, looks like a fun project.

I originally considered using those and would honestly prefer to but the horror stories I have read aren't limited to just the plastic caps, multiple people have had issues with bent and cracked bedsides as a result of putting weight on the rails. I originally planned to built it of of the floor bolts but noticed the lip when I was going to get measurements and considered it as an alternative. Would you consider the metal rail caps to be strong enough for a ladder rack system? (Mostly will be used for a cargo rack to carry gas cans and whatever overflow of supplies I have that I cant fit in my bed but will occasionally be used as a ladder rack to haul metal/lumber).