L Track bed mounting system

[RaptrJr]

Has anyone installed L Tracks in their beds for mounting things? I know it would involve drilling holes but like the idea of being able to mount spare tire/jack/coolers etc. while still keeping the bed space for when you want it. Pic of a random truck with it as an example.
Also I know AAL has the bed BASE system that doesn’t require any drilling.

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[Lion77]

I have not, but plant to either this year next, this looks to be one of the more practical sources as you can get quite a variety of track sizes and I think the anodized is worth it in terms of surface wear and oxidation resistance:

L-Track System | L-Track Tie Downs | Airline Track & Straps

I plan to guy 4x four foot sections and space them evenly across the bed. That way you can mix and mach which track items are strapped to based on size.

If numbered from left to right, 1,2,3,4, for example, smaller items might be strapped in just using 1 & 2. Larger items might be 1 & 3 or 2 & 4, really larger items might be 1 & 4. Make sense?

With 4' sections, that covers the majority of the length of the bed (i'll probably center them right in the middle length wise with about 6" above and below them since the bed is just over 5') since you wont' need to anchor in right at the edge).

 

[RaptrJr]

I have not, but plant to either this year next, this looks to be one of the more practical sources as you can get quite a variety of track sizes and I think the anodized is worth it in terms of surface wear and oxidation resistance:

L-Track System | L-Track Tie Downs | Airline Track & Straps

I plan to guy 4x four foot sections and space them evenly across the bed. That way you can mix and mach which track items are strapped to based on size.

If numbered from left to right, 1,2,3,4, for example, smaller items might be strapped in just using 1 & 2. Larger items might be 1 & 3 or 2 & 4, really larger items might be 1 & 4. Make sense?

With 4' sections, that covers the majority of the length of the bed (i'll probably center them right in the middle length wise with about 6" above and below them since the bed is just over 5') since you wont' need to anchor in right at the edge).

I kind of had the same idea.

I was looking at L-Track & Anchors today. But I have seen a bunch of people using the US Cargo Control stuff too. I was originally looking at chase racks. But this is way cheaper and you'd still have your bed when you needed it.

 

[snowman3]

Overall I like the setup. Nice and flexible. Not proprietary. I can reconfigure as life and gear changes.

Got mine a while back from myteeproducts.com
4-6' black was ~$20 a stick. Can get combo packages or variety of tie downs. rings, bolt-ons, etc.
I prolly spent $125-$150 for an assortment to play with and some for a trailer.
I can't remember but I probably upgraded their bolt hardware to stainless + better washers + lock nuts and painted it when done.

The black L track blends with the black bedliner. It not power coated but I haven't had any issues. If it gets beat up then I'll grab a spare rail and replace. Admittedly I haven't been too rough on it. Just weekend tie downs for the family stuff rather than daily commercial loading.

Good luck!

 

[Lion77]

Well now ya'll gone and done it, got the itch and bought some for my RR, plan to install in the next few weeks and I'll get some pics etc. once it's all done. I'm big on doing the practical stuff first and keeping the truck fairly simple / stock overall.

Few other things like 20 degree rock sliders, ditch light and when the KO3's are worn out, switching to the Pirelli XTM AT's, but aside from that I'm pretty happy with it as is and I only have a few key mods now (Pro Cal, bed-liner on the rocker panels, tonneau cover and mud flaps).

People go crazy with all this gear in their trucks and massively overthinking it. Overlanding gets treated like it's a utility truck (which I get by utility trucks have large bed storage, racks etc.) as it's "utilitarian" for every-day work, but those trucks are mostly on-road, not jumping, not going over extreme terrain.

Keeping it light and simple I think is really the better way to go, especially for reliability and also for range! Throwing hundreds of pounds of extra gear is going to consume more fuel, so over-doing it works against you, also lose ground clearance unless you are modding the suspension, which opens another can of worms. I'm of the mind-set of keeping it very simple and lightweight.

What I like about the L-track is that I can strap a spare gas can in the bed, a Plano tote with recovery gear (straps, shackles etc.), a bottle jack, air compressor and some traction matts. That's all you need for off-roading! Then when I'm done, take it all out in about 10 minutes and the bed is back to fitting sheets of plywood, dry wall or stacks of 2x4's I can strap to the bed with ratchet straps. So, it's goes 100% back to utility for doing regular "truck stuff".

I don't buy the "put a spare tire in the bed" thing either unless your actually competing, this isn't being used in an actual race where you need to quick-change tires, so it just takes up space unnecessarily and I'm fine with under the truck in stock location. All the recovery gear and stuff I mentioned is maybe ~150 lbs total, the L-track is ridiculously light, 2.5lbs per strip + ~1lb of screws / nuts. Truck will never know its there.

That's critical for jumping and high-speed driving, where increasing the payload too much will eat up your damping rate, which is tuned for the vehicle mass + a few passengers and almost no payload. Less weight also helps with flotation on loose surfaces as the heavier the vehicle, the more it will sink into sand etc.

Then, my tonneau cover is secured by two wing nuts / spring washers, so I can take that off without any tools in my garage in about 5 minutes if I need max bed space (like the 1~2 times a year I load up my ATV in it). I think the L-track will come in very handy this August for Silver Lake MI dunes!

 

[ADVNTURR]

I did something a bit different in my bed. I put one strip along the top inside edge and then a couple of small strips on the front bulkhead, all through bolted with fender washers or using existing holes. I then also put strips under the rails on the angled part using a mix of existing holes and some rivnuts; these upper rails aren't going to hold tons of weight because of the rivnuts, but it's great for just keeping things from sliding around the bed.

 

[Lion77]

BTW I ordered this for easier install (will probably spray the plus nuts with cavity wax prior to install for additional corrosion protection):

Plus Nuts - 1/4"-20 (20 Pack) - HPN20 - Upfit Supply

Plus Nut Installation Tool Set - Pull Style (1/4"-20) - TPN14-P - Upfit Supply

I opted for the standard carbon steel zinc plated plus nots instead of stainless versions for strength as the carbon steel plus nuts have a higher tensile strength for heavier duty applications. I will pair them with the standard screws that come with the screw kits from US Cargo Control.

48" Aluminum L-Track | Black Anodized Finish

Single Stud L-Track Fitting with Stainless Steel Round Ring | 4,000 lbs. BS (tip: the orange ones are way cheaper for some reason if you want to save on cost!)

For the ratchet straps, I already have several 1" ones with hooks from home depot and I can get more, so I did not order any ratchet straps from them.

I did buy their 40pc screw pack even though I'm NOT using the washers / nuts since I'm pairing them with rivet nuts. Finding 100-degree taper countersunk 1/4" screws is a pain, those use 100-degree instead of 90. 100-degree is an aircraft style for better shear strength, so that's why they use 100-degree instead of standard 90-degree counter sunk screws.

Yah, I wasted ~$20 on nuts / washers I'm not using, but for convenience, I think it was worth the price of just buying their screw kit then pairing it with the Plus Nuts / Pull Tool. Been wanting to do this for quite a while now, will definitely get pics once installed.

Strips of L-track in the bed I think are the way to go for keeping off-roading lightweight and modular. Sometimes, less is more!

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