Tips on added anchor points?

[BryantJT]

Check your owner's manual but I believe the trail rail is rated for 250 lbs per anchor point on the rail. The key there is I think there's only 2 sliding anchors per side but you have a stout rail anchored in all those bolt holes. I would have no worries tieing down to the rail system but I personally would not want to rely on a single anchor in a single hole.

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[InvertedLogic]

I would do a diy unistrut Trail Rail. That will distribute the load across the bed and across the strut which is super stiff.

Also, 110lb should be very easily held in place by a ratchet strap. It's just not that much weight.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

I would do a diy unistrut Trail Rail. That will distribute the load across the bed and across the strut which is super stiff.

Also, 110lb should be very easily held in place by a ratchet strap. It's just not that much weight.

Not concerned about strap, concern is the bolts in the steel. Also not about a static 110 but the force of it in motion. Consider a slide hammer or battering ram. It's one reason packaging is tested in motion then stopped.
But a rail of any sort would spread the force over multiple points. Force not weight.

 

[InvertedLogic]

Not concerned about strap, concern is the bolts in the steel. Also not about a static 110 but the force of it in motion. Consider a slide hammer or battering ram. It's one reason packaging is tested in motion then stopped.
But a rail of any sort would spread the force over multiple points. Force not weight.

Slide hammers and battering rams work on impact. If that water heater is held in tight relative to the bed, there is no acceleration or impact. Strap it up tight so it won't move and it won't "hammer" anything.

 

[brianinca]

For future reference the commercial plumbing and HVAC parts stores will likely work with you. Our plumbers do a heck of a lot of business with Ferguson, and they have branches in Iowa.

https://www.ferguson.com/product/rh...tric-water-heater-rmhd75245664590/_/R-5123088

 

[mazeppa]

Lowes and Home Depot usually has a good price on 10 ft. lengths of Unistrut, but they don't sell black.

 

[mazeppa]

For future reference the commercial plumbing and HVAC parts stores will likely work with you. Our plumbers do a heck of a lot of business with Ferguson, and they have branches in Iowa.

https://www.ferguson.com/product/rh...tric-water-heater-rmhd75245664590/_/R-5123088

I just finished building a new house about 6-months ago, purchased all my plumbing fixtures and kitchen appliance from Ferguson

 

[kevman65]

You really don't need strut if you don't want to utilize T-nuts or strut nuts.

To stiffen up the sidewalls of the bed, a piece of 3/16" or 1/4" by 2" wide flat stock the length of the bolt holes, drill holes to correspond with nutserts, prime and paint and install behind the fore mentioned tie points.

Ties all the threaded holes together and strengthens side walls and gives you multiple anchor points and spreads the load out.

**Afterthought; If your bed isn't spray lined, get rubber washers, preferably fender washer size, to protect your paint from metal to metal contact.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

You really don't need strut if you don't want to utilize T-nuts or strut nuts.

To stiffen up the sidewalls of the bed, a piece of 3/16" or 1/4" by 2" wide flat stock the length of the bolt holes, drill holes to correspond with nutserts, prime and paint and install behind the fore mentioned tie points.

Ties all the threaded holes together and strengthens side walls and gives you multiple anchor points and spreads the load out.

**Afterthought; If your bed isn't spray lined, get rubber washers, preferably fender washer size, to protect your paint from metal to metal contact.

Factory spray-in bed liner. So I'll have to chase those threads, at least I'm guessing I will.

 

[kevman65]

Factory spray-in bed liner. So I'll have to chase those threads, at least I'm guessing I will.

Yup.

I'm going to chase all of mine. I can get flat stock from work and think I will get a set of those D-rings off Amazon just to have it there if/when needed.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

For future reference the commercial plumbing and HVAC parts stores will likely work with you. Our plumbers do a heck of a lot of business with Ferguson, and they have branches in Iowa.

https://www.ferguson.com/product/rh...tric-water-heater-rmhd75245664590/_/R-5123088

Never heard of them - but then they are about 30-40 minutes away on the far west side.
I assume you are mentioning them because they sell direct to consumers?

Was looking for a 40 gallon electric with a MINIMUM of 9 year warranty and some features beyond the most basic "yeah, it makes water hot". Ours was leaking so bad I wasn't going to let another day go by without getting something to replace it. You know how rusty things under a bit of presser can go.......... even though our well system only runs about 60 psi tops, that with hot water and weakness from rust could make a big mess.
Ended up having to buy a bigger 50 as no one had 40 - not in electric. Everything special order.

Anyway, my thoughts now are with getting the truck outfitted so I never had to worry about strapping anything down again. Where some will use 1 strap, I'll use 2 or 3. You should have seen me tie my tractor down when I owned it - chains all over the thing.
Force equal mass times acceleration so even something tied in snug and not wiggling can break a strap or something loose if you have to turn sharp, hit a bump, have to stop fast, whatever. That 100 pound load suddenly has a hell of a lot more than 100 pounds working on those straps or loops.
mass times acceleration = force. A strap with a 100 pound breaking strength can't secure a 100 pound item on the move if that item is forced to change motion - a sudden start or stop or direction change (even if that item is strapped tight)

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