First Mod - Adding a Bed Rack

As a Roof Top Tent (RTT) was in the Polū overlanding build plans, something to physically support it was going to be necessary. CBI Offroad was quick to market in late 2015 with a bed rack for the 3rd Gen. Tacomas. It seemed that there were no major design changes between Tacoma generations, so CBI’s existing bed rack worked just fine.

The Overland Bed Rack is a low profile, aluminum construction, frame system with multiple tie down points. The side frames bolt into the factory bed rails, and then there are three top cross beams to tie everything together. Across both the side frames and cross members are slotted holes which allow great flexibility in mounting all sorts of different items. I went with the black powder coat option, and the whole thing weighs in at 118lbs.

Installation was straight forward and took a few hours by myself. The most difficult part is trying to screw in the bolts to the mounting, compression plates that slide in the bed rail. It is hard to blindly line up the holes and would have been easier if the bolts were a tad longer. While no torque spec was given, be sure to re-check all the bolts after a few days of trail use to ensure everything remains tight.

To date, I have been extremely happy with the CBI Offroad Overland Bed Rack system. With its open truss design, it is super easy to reach inside to grab gear. Plus, having so many different versatile mounting options makes it simple to mount your exterior gear.

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