J-Braces

[D. Sampson]

Initially I was for sure just going to have a Ford dealer do the install, but it's taken so long, and I've watched so many installation vids in that time, I think I've gained the confidence to actually give it a try.

The Australian order is a possibility, are those the exact same as the ones from Ford here in the US? I don't like the EGR braces as they don't look near as beefy. Is the dollar amounts (for parts and shipping) on their site in Aus$ or US$? How long did they take to arrive?

Exact part - same part #. Took less than two weeks to get them. If it were me, I would order the part from Australia, and after you receive them, cancel the order from Ford US or return them if you ever get them.

You only have to peel the fender back about half to 3/4 of the way. There were no spare fender clips in the kit if you break any, I think the spare clips are only in the non-raptor kit. I broke a couple and just went without them when I put it back together. No problem at all in my opinion.

I think it came with 8 spare scrivets in case you break those. I used all the spares and a couple extra I got from Harbor Freight. I don't know why I broke so may, I always seem to with these types of projects... I used some plastic trim tools I got from amazon.

Drilling out the rivet on each one is no joke! But doable. I had to buy a bigger rivet gun than I had to put the new rivet in, the rivet is 3/16" or 1/4", can't remember.

I didn't have a torque wrench, so I bought one as well. Also, one of the bolts is hard AF to remove, used a pipe on the end of my socket wrench to remove it.

It took me a lot longer than the videos I had watched, but all in all, happy I did it myself and saved a good amount of money.

There is a set on ebay right now that says it's compatible with Ranger Raptor, but it's not for Raptor - it's the wrong part number. I contacted the seller to tell them.

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[RRaptor6G]

Exact part - same part #. Took less than two weeks to get them. If it were me, I would order the part from Australia, and after you receive them, cancel the order from Ford US or return them if you ever get them.

You only have to peel the fender back about half to 3/4 of the way. There were no spare fender clips in the kit if you break any, I think the spare clips are only in the non-raptor kit. I broke a couple and just went without them when I put it back together. No problem at all in my opinion.

I think it came with 8 spare scrivets in case you break those. I used all the spares and a couple extra I got from Harbor Freight. I don't know why I broke so may, I always seem to with these types of projects... I used some plastic trim tools I got from amazon.

Drilling out the rivet on each one is no joke! But doable. I had to buy a bigger rivet gun than I had to put the new rivet in, the rivet is 3/16" or 1/4", can't remember.

I didn't have a torque wrench, so I bought one as well. Also, one of the bolts is hard AF to remove, used a pipe on the end of my socket wrench to remove it.

It took me a lot longer than the videos I had watched, but all in all, happy I did it myself and saved a good amount of money.

There is a set on ebay right now that says it's compatible with Ranger Raptor, but it's not for Raptor - it's the wrong part number. I contacted the seller to tell them.

Thanks for all the info!

 

[joecounty2025]

mine was manufactured december 2024,does mine not have the j braces?

 

[joprato]

@RRaptor6G , i personally installed the EGR braces on mine and it is now fully loaded with bed rack, RTT and awning, and nothing budges.
Been out on a few trips in the desert, I am yet to bend the bed…
In a previous post I mentioned that I personally preferred the EGR as they’re one solid piece of steel, compared to the Ford braces that are welded together hence potentially more prone to cracks and failures.
They were also immediately available in the US. Just my 2 cents

 

[RRaptor6G]

mine was manufactured december 2024,does mine not have the j braces?

Correct, it does not have j braces, because it was redesigned properly to not need them, congrats.

 

[RRaptor6G]

@RRaptor6G , i personally installed the EGR braces on mine and it is now fully loaded with bed rack, RTT and awning, and nothing budges.
Been out on a few trips in the desert, I am yet to bend the bed…
In a previous post I mentioned that I personally preferred the EGR as they’re one solid piece of steel, compared to the Ford braces that are welded together hence potentially more prone to cracks and failures.
They were also immediately available in the US. Just my 2 cents

All good points.

My main question is has Ford OK'd using the EGR braces in case a bed frame warranty claim arises?

 

[joprato]

You are asking a very good question, and I’ll admit I didn’t think about it. Now I’d like to know as well !

 

[Pursuit]

As of Jan 2025, Ford site includes a reference date for vehicles requiring the J-brace. Below copied directly from the Ford web site:

Ford Ranger 2024-2025
-- Required when installing accessories extending above the load box side rail and weighing more than 88lb (40kg)
-- Required for vehicles built before 9/19/24

Where can I purchase them? No information from Ford Canada at all. They even deny that they are still not subject to a recall here in Canada.

 

[D. Sampson]

Where can I purchase them? No information from Ford Canada at all. They even deny that they are still not subject to a recall here in Canada.

Hey there - check out the rest of the thread and search for other J-Brace threads. There are people that ordered the J-Braces months ago and have yet to receive them. There's a link a few posts back to purchase from Australia, that's where I got them and would be my suggestion. With the 2025 US Ranger not needing them, I'd think they would be harder to get as time goes on.

 

[FreezingFlatlander]

The Ford OEM J-Braces are very stout, made of heavy metal, welded strong so there is no danger of theme bending or the welds breaking.

 

[Lion77]

What about an 11/24 manufacture date? Sorry, I'm not terribly familiar with what the design issue causes other than it affects loading capability of the box.

 

[D. Sampson]

What about an 11/24 manufacture date? Sorry, I'm not terribly familiar with what the design issue causes other than it affects loading capability of the box.

Hey there - If you look the kit up online, it says:
"PLEASE NOTE: This kit is NOT required for vehicles built on or after 9/13/2024."

 

[Lion77]

Ok thanks, I didn't think to look at the kit info doh!

 

[superj]

"PLEASE NOTE: This kit is NOT required for vehicles built on or after 9/13/2024."

but, check your stuff if your truck was built right before that date. i found out my build date is 9/10/2024 and the guys looked at my picture and said i have the corrected bed so no braces required

 

[RRaptor6G]

Just to close the loop for me, I had another member DM me with a set of j-braces he had for sale, so I was able to finally secure a set and just installed them today. Overall it went well, I've never worked much on vehicles before so I was much slower than most every other install I've heard discussed (about 3 hrs/side), but it all got completed as required. Looking forward to now getting the RTT and not being concerned about cracking the bed.

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