A thought on stopping stake pocket leaks

[purdyd]

My truck sat outside Ipin the rain the other day and when I looked inside, I notice, hmm yes, those stake pockets are the primary source of leaks.

I also noticed that the plastic doohickeys that go into the stake pockets have quite a bit of room around them.

so I thought, maybe if I crammed something into that gap, just maybe, it won’t leak.

so I am going to give this a try

pardon the blue, that’s what I was 3d printing with when I thought of this Idea.

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[stemplar]

Could you make the inner part (the four walls that slide into the stake pocket) have an indentation so an o-ring could be set into it? Ideally right underneath the top part.

 

[purdyd]

Could you make the inner part (the four walls that slide into the stake pocket) have an indentation so an o-ring could be set into it? Ideally right underneath the top part.

yeah, I wasn't clear, the part is the oring. it is printed out of flexible tpu.

it will in theory, act as a gasket between the rail plastic and the plastic part that inserts into that spot, added bonus it covers the whole seam between the two

I guess you could make something more rigid that would clamp down on the rail plastic that had an o ring. maybe it could be a two part bolt together part

I will see how this works first.

 

[Trimjb]

Good idea.
Also keep in mind that leakage also coms from under the bed rail caps that are not sealed to the bed rails.

 

[revbevis]

My truck sat outside Ipin the rain the other day and when I looked inside, I notice, hmm yes, those stake pockets are the primary source of leaks.

I also noticed that the plastic doohickeys that go into the stake pockets have quite a bit of room around them.

so I thought, maybe if I crammed something into that gap, just maybe, it won’t leak.

so I am going to give this a try

pardon the blue, that’s what I was 3d printing with when I thought of this Idea.

Just use flex seal tape on the under side of the stake hole covering it up and sealing foam under the rails.

 

[Reddog99]

I just sealed mine with silicone seal. The bed rails have not been a problem.

 

[Todd]

Purdyd - Did your 3D printed TPU stake pocket cover effectively seal out water? If so, are you making them available for purchase?

yeah, I wasn't clear, the part is the oring. it is printed out of flexible tpu.

it will in theory, act as a gasket between the rail plastic and the plastic part that inserts into that spot, added bonus it covers the whole seam between the two

I guess you could make something more rigid that would clamp down on the rail plastic that had an o ring. maybe it could be a two part bolt together part

I will see how this works first.

 

[purdyd]

Purdyd - Did your 3D printed TPU stake pocket cover effectively seal out water? If so, are you making them available for purchase?

Last time it rained I still had some leaks and not sure if it was one of the stake pockets or the gap between the tonneau rail and then plastic.

I also have a little bulging going on in the middle pockets and not sure if these parts caused it,

I still haven’t had them in really warm weather but will be testing that out next month. I think a better solution might be a clamping cover.

 

[Todd]

Any further progress on this?

 

[PMK]

I've been thinking on this, and I think I have an idea for a solution, though absolutely no skillset to design it.

We keep making plugs that go in from the top, however the leaks are coming up from the bottom. How about designing a plug that comes in from the bottom and seals the leak there, at the metal as opposed to the plastic on top? Has anyone tried that? Make it out of TPU?

 

[purdyd]

Any further progress on this?

I've been thinking on this, and I think I have an idea for a solution, though absolutely no skillset to design it.

We keep making plugs that go in from the top, however the leaks are coming up from the bottom. How about designing a plug that comes in from the bottom and seals the leak there, at the metal as opposed to the plastic on top? Has anyone tried that? Make it out of TPU?

they survived 110 degrees at 80 mph. I think the worry for me is that plastic creeps over time and the parts will become loose. I still have leaks but need to double check where they are. It’s not a priority for me as California in the summer has virtually no rain.

i think the problem with plugging the holes is water would sit on the rail and just roll off

there’s another thread on this but I think the best way is to clamp the rail top between two parts with a gasket.

i domhave a cnc mill arriving sometime in the near future and I think it will change how I approach some of these designs.

 

[PMK]

they survived 110 degrees at 80 mph. I think the worry for me is that plastic creeps over time and the parts will become loose. I still have leaks but need to double check where they are. It’s not a priority for me as California in the summer has virtually no rain.

i think the problem with plugging the holes is water would sit on the rail and just roll off

there’s another thread on this but I think the best way is to clamp the rail top between two parts with a gasket.

i domhave a cnc mill arriving sometime in the near future and I think it will change how I approach some of these designs.

I'm thinking differently, perhaps I'm not clear. Underneath, looking up from the bed, the holes are through the steel. There are two round holes under the square plates, square holes from where the bed cap clips on, and a few threaded nutserts for installing accessories. If I got rubber body plugs, plugged the round holes, from the top, the nutserts from the bottom, because I can't easily get to the top of those that would stop most of it. There would still be some at the rectangular gaps where the rail covers snap on, but it would be better than it is now. There wouldn't be any water sitting on the rail, no more than there is now, as the rail isn't sealed, it would roll off the side. I may play around with this a bit...

 

[CaptAngry]

There are two methods to waterproof the rails... either seal the metal (swiss-cheese) using something like vinyl wrap, or seal the plastic cover using what is mentioned above.

My thinking was the plastic had less holes, so it would be easier. If I ever get my tonneau cover, I'll see if my thinking works.

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