Sponsored

Mopar Trail Rail Kit Installation

Status
Not open for further replies.

BuiltRight

Well-Known Member
First Name
Matt
Joined
May 27, 2019
Threads
5
Messages
123
Reaction score
315
Location
CT
Vehicle(s)
2020 Gladiator
Well, I didn't have the patience to order and wait, so I found the truck that I wanted on a lot. The only thing missing was the Trail Rail kit in the bed! I pre-ordered the Mopar kit a while back and it finally arrived. Installation was simple, but there is one part that can be tricky, so I thought I'd write this to possibly help others.

Mopar Trail Rail Cargo Management System Install
Mopar PN: 82215956
Price: $370 or so
Difficulty: 2/10
Time: 30min

Kit Contents:

The kits includes a rail for each side of the bed (these are identical) and one for the front of the bed. The rails on the sides are around 52" long and the rail at the front is around 48" long. The kit also includes all hardware (12x T30 torx bolt and two nutserts).

wdZDv4j.jpg

Tools Needed:

- T30 torx socket
- Torque wrench
- M6x1.0 bolt (length not critical, but I'd suggest over 30mm if possible)
- M6x1.0 nut
- M6 washer(s)
- Socket for M6 bolt
- Wrench for M6 nut


* The italicized tools are not called for in the official install guide, but I found that I needed them to install the nutserts. More on that below.

XrVoOIN.jpg

Procedure:
Initial impressions are that I always like receiving something that's packaged well and this fits the bill. No bells and whistles, but the pre-cut foam inserts did their job well. Removing one of the rails led to another surprise - these things are beefy! I was relieve to see this, as I'm hoping to mount my low-rise bed rack directly to the rail for reasons both obvious and not (I'll address that in a different post).

1.) The first and only remotely complicated step in the installation is to install the nutsert that Mopar includes in the kit on each side. This fills the hexagonal cutout in the pillar at the rear of the bed, near the tailgate. I don't understand why they didn't just install a threaded insert from the factory like the other holes, but whatever.

FsKzMRo.jpg

The nutsert that they include is cleverly hexagonal as well and fits snuggly into the cutout in the truck.

92eRw2g.jpg

That's where the fun stops though - these things kinda suck. Instructions say to use one of the included fasteners to install the nutsert. Basically, you tighten it down, it bunches up the sleeve and locks the nutsert into place (see illustration above). That's great, if the nutsert doesn't just deform and spin inside of it's hexagonal cutout, which is what both sides did on my truck. Womp womp. Now the nutsert is stuck in place but also spinning and useless.

It's possible that this could be avoided by using a washer or two between the bolt and the nutsert, to reduce the friction between them. If this had crossed my mind before I did both using my method, I'd have tried it. Hopefully I'm missing something basic here and one of you can provide an easier solution!

Luckily, I've had some experience with these things and know that they don't need to somehow lock into the panel to work. In fact, most are round. The idea is to keep the insert from spinning and 'pull' the threaded portion back out towards you, sandwiching the panel. We can accomplish this with a nut, bolt and washer in the configuration below. This is M6x1.0 hardware as noted in the tools section.

tscx5wg.jpg

2.) With the bolt threaded all the way into the insert, we push the insert into place (or install in place, if you get stuck like me). Next, use a socket to hold the end of the bolt and keep it and the insert from spinning in place. Then, tighten the nut against the insert and keep going, making sure to keep the flange of the nutsert flat against the panel. This should require firm force, but nothing near your body weight. as you tighten the nut down, the bolt will be pulled towards you, along with the threaded portion of the insert. This creates the sandwich we need to lock it into place. When the effort required increased, I called it good.

oEWjUOg.jpg

wtuQi70.jpg

3.) With that, we can proceed with the rest of the very simple installation. Each rail has four T30 torx fasteners and the instructions call for a Torque in the neighborhood of 10NM. This is pretty important, as they rails are meant to hold a pretty decent weight. Under torquing can mean that the rail isn't transferring the load into the bedside wall as intended. Too much torque (very easy to do) and you might over-stretch the fastener, causing or initiating early failure. Anyway, if you have a torque wrench, use it. if not, use this as an excuse to buy one.
pJm02dP.jpg


h9UYEv1.jpg


zMJ5MGL.jpg


CoNY5DR.jpg


Q3iqj8b.jpg

Piece of cake!

Matt
Sponsored

 

misplacetexan

Well-Known Member
First Name
Xavier
Joined
Jul 21, 2019
Threads
2
Messages
88
Reaction score
136
Location
Baytown, Texas
Vehicle(s)
2020 Jeep Gladiator Billet Silver Sport S/Max Tow Package
Occupation
Law enforcement
Thanks for the write up, hints, and pictures. Just ordered my rail system this morning.
 

misplacetexan

Well-Known Member
First Name
Xavier
Joined
Jul 21, 2019
Threads
2
Messages
88
Reaction score
136
Location
Baytown, Texas
Vehicle(s)
2020 Jeep Gladiator Billet Silver Sport S/Max Tow Package
Occupation
Law enforcement
Where did you order your rails from?
Ordered through dealership, Bayway Dodge, Jeep, in the Houston area. $322.04 including tax ($350 - 15%). Used 15% online dealership coupon.
 

Sponsored

rvillano8188

Well-Known Member
First Name
Rob
Joined
May 20, 2019
Threads
38
Messages
799
Reaction score
761
Location
Long Island, NY
Vehicle(s)
2020 Punk'n JT Rubi, 2018 VW Tiguan SEL
Occupation
Financial Services
Did you end up getting a cargo management system also(under seat locking storage). Trying to figure out if I should just order the trail rail system w/ cargo Mgmt for $1k on my build or add it over time.
 

chrcal14

Well-Known Member
Joined
Nov 15, 2018
Threads
2
Messages
656
Reaction score
914
Location
Western PA
Vehicle(s)
2020 JT Rubicon
Thank you for this... I didn't order the trail rail as I didn't want the under seat box, since without it you get the divider wall thingy and the seat works as a lid, leaving more open space for storage, and maybe room for a dual ARB Compressor in the future.

But I'd have liked the actual trail rails. :like:
 

LongTimeListener

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jul 8, 2019
Threads
21
Messages
369
Reaction score
562
Location
Arizona
Vehicle(s)
JTR
Outstanding write-up. Jeep's fascination with nutzerts sucks. I"m not in the market for this because I plan to install a hard tonneau cover, but I can certainly see its usefulness.
 

Phineus1941

Active Member
First Name
Carmen
Joined
Jul 25, 2019
Threads
1
Messages
27
Reaction score
10
Location
St Marks Florida
Vehicle(s)
2020 Jeep Gladiator
thanks for the write up...did you see the ridiculous price of the under seat storage box....$900, I think I will pass. But the rails seem like they would be useful
 

misplacetexan

Well-Known Member
First Name
Xavier
Joined
Jul 21, 2019
Threads
2
Messages
88
Reaction score
136
Location
Baytown, Texas
Vehicle(s)
2020 Jeep Gladiator Billet Silver Sport S/Max Tow Package
Occupation
Law enforcement
Thanks for the write up. Just installed my rail system yesterday. Took about three hours for installation. Most of time involved clearing the bed-liner out of threads and other places.
 

Sponsored

Deleted member 23202

Nice. Looks exactly like my truck.
Wow. Still getting used to saying TRUCK when mentioning my Jeep.
 

Deleted member 23202

48F5C7BF-07A0-46C7-8B80-9F229F552040.jpeg
That was irritating...
Same problem with the nutserts.
Here’s a pic of my bolt-nut-device using the bolt from the rail kit. Worked like a champ.
 

basicGlad

Well-Known Member
First Name
GBP
Joined
Jul 14, 2019
Threads
24
Messages
375
Reaction score
238
Location
new england
Vehicle(s)
miata, vw bugg, subaru
Build Thread
Link
do you think this could be installed after an aftermarket line-x bed liner instilation?
 

misplacetexan

Well-Known Member
First Name
Xavier
Joined
Jul 21, 2019
Threads
2
Messages
88
Reaction score
136
Location
Baytown, Texas
Vehicle(s)
2020 Jeep Gladiator Billet Silver Sport S/Max Tow Package
Occupation
Law enforcement
do you think this could be installed after an aftermarket line-x bed liner instilation?
My Gladiator had the factory bed liner installed. Pretty sure Line X will cover the threaded holes if you ask.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
 



Top