Pickup trucks are extremely versatile vehicles that can be used for both work and play. One of the best features of a truck is the bed, which provides a large open cargo area that can transport all kinds of items. From lumber and tools to camping gear and ATVs, pickup truck beds allow you to haul practically anything. But simply tossing items into the bed is not always the safest or most secure way to transport cargo. Properly securing items in the truck bed is important to prevent damage and avoid potential hazards while driving.
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What are truck bed attachments and accessories?
There are many different truck bed attachments and accessories available to help keep cargo stable and protected in the truck bed. These include:
- Bed liners – Liners protect the inner truck bed from damage caused by cargo. Drop-in liners or spray-on liners can provide a durable, anti-slip surface.
- Bed covers – Covers like tonneau covers or camper shells enclose the bed to shield cargo and provide extra secure storage.
- Bed extenders – Extenders mount to the tailgate to give you extra cargo capacity.
- Cargo nets/bars – Nets or bars stretch across the bed to contain lightweight items.
- Truck bed tool boxes – Tool boxes mount to the side or back of the bed for locking storage.
- Tie-down cleats/hooks – Cleats bolt to the sides or floor of the bed and allow you to secure items with straps or cords.
- Cargo ramps – Ramps make it easier to load ATVs, motorcycles, lawn tractors or other equipment into the truck bed.
Adding some of these truck bed accessories can help keep your cargo stable and make hauling easier. The appropriate accessories really depend on how you plan to use your truck most often.
Using tie-downs and straps
One of the easiest and most versatile ways to attach cargo to a truck bed is by using tie-downs, ropes, cords or straps. Most truck beds have factory-installed cleats or hooks around the sides and front-end of the bed. You can also have cleats added if they weren’t included. These provide anchor points to clip on various straps and hold down items of many shapes and sizes. Ratchet straps that can be tightened and loosened are very popular and convenient. Bungee cords also allow you to securely strap in cargo.
When using tie-downs, you’ll want to make sure you’re using straps and cords that are suitable for the weight of the cargo. Heavier items require thicker straps with higher weight ratings. Spreading the weight across multiple tie-down points is also important to properly secure cargo and prevent too much pressure on one spot.
Carefully tie or crisscross straps over and around the items in the bed. Protect sharp corners and edges with blankets or padding to prevent cutting or wearing on the straps. Leave a little slack in the straps to absorb shock rather than pulling too taught. Double-check all knots and connections before hitting the road. Periodically re-check straps during longer trips in case they’ve loosened up.
Truck bed dividers
Truck bed dividers are a handy way to section off areas of the bed to keep items separated and contained. Many pickup trucks have factory-installed dividers, but you can also find aftermarket dividers specifically sized for various truck beds if yours did not come with any.
Dividers are usually made of aluminum or thick plastic that fits into pre-existing slots or bolt holes on the sides of the truck bed. Dividers keep lighter items like grocery bags, coolers, camping supplies, etc from sliding around. They can also help prevent damage to the truck bed when hauling larger items like plywood, appliances, furniture and more.
Truck bed dividers are most useful if your cargo has different sizes, shapes or weights. For example, if hauling an appliance on one side and household supplies on the other. The divider keeps the items safely separated. Most dividers can be easily adjusted or removed as needed for different loads.
Truck bed liners
A truck bed liner is essentially a protective layer or shield that lines the inner floor and sides of the bed. Liners are usually made of textured plastic or hard rubber material. The textured surface helps prevent cargo from sliding around on the smooth metal truck bed. Liners also protect the original bed of the truck from dents, rust and scratches.
There are two main types of truck bed liners to consider:
- Spray-on liners – As the name suggests, these are liquid compounds sprayed directly onto the bed and allowed to dry. The spray coats the entire surface, leaving a durable textured protection.
- Drop-in liners – Drop-in liners are preformed plastic/rubber inserts custom molded and cut to fit snugly into the truck bed over the wheel wells.
Spray-on liners offer complete coverage and don’t trap moisture. But drop-in liners are typically easier to install yourself and can be removed more easily. Both options will shield the truck bed, help minimize vibration and noise, and provide a good anti-slip surface to secure cargo of all kinds.
Truck toolbox
Truck toolboxes and utility boxes provide a very secure and organized option for storing smaller tools, parts, supplies and other equipment in your pickup truck bed. Storage boxes are lockable and protect your cargo from theft, damage and weather exposure.
Toolboxes are available in many different sizes and styles to fit different truck beds:
- Crossover boxes extend over the wheel wells for more storage space.
- Chest boxes sit flush against the front of the bed and open from the top.
- Side mount boxes are longer units mounted against the side of the bed wall.
- Underbody boxes sit below the truck bed against the frame.
- Drawer system boxes pull out in sliding drawers for access.
Truck toolboxes allow you to organize all your essential tools and gear so they are secured but still easily accessible on the job site or work truck. Keep things like fasteners, jumper cables, tie-down straps, tape, chains, ratchet sets, wrenches, pliers, screwdrivers, safety equipment and more neatly stowed away.
Trailer hitches
Installing a trailer hitch on your pickup allows you to utilize the truck for heavy-duty hauling and towing. Hitches mount to the truck frame to provide a coupling point to attach trailers or other towable equipment.
The most common types of truck trailer hitches include:
- Receiver hitches – Receivers have a square tube opening to accept removable ball mounts, bike racks, cargo carriers, etc. Most adjustable for different heights.
- 5th wheel hitches – Mounted in the center of the truck bed for attaching much larger 5th wheel trailers.
- Gooseneck hitches – Located just outside the rear of the bed for gooseneck trailers.
- Pintle hitches – Heavy-duty rings to tow industrial equipment or multiple trailer rigs.
It’s important to match the correct hitch type, weight rating, and trailer ball to the trailer you plan to tow. Heavier trailers require a higher weight class hitch. Professional installation is also recommended unless you’re very mechanically skilled, as hitches must bolt strongly into the truck frame.
With the proper hitch set up, you gain tremendous versatility in what you can transport with your pickup. Haul ATVs, boats, livestock, industrial equipment, cargo trailers and more. Just be sure to follow tow rating limits for your specific truck.
Bed racks and extender bars
Truck bed racks provide an open elevated platform above the bed to carry extra cargo. Racks allow you to utilize vertical space for hauling oversized items that are longer than the bed itself.
Ladder racks are one of the most common types of bed racks used for transporting ladders, pipes, boards, kayaks, canoes and other long thin items. The open bars allow you to tie items down for transportation. Other racks have a solid platform surface or enclosed roof to carry supplies – like a second level of truck bed space.
Truck bed extenders are another option that mount to the tailgate and latch into place. Extenders can give you an extra couple feet of space to support lumber, drywall sheets, mattresses and other materials that overhang the back of the truck.
Just be sure to securely tie down any items on truck bed racks or extender bars. Anything extending past the bed has greater risk of shifting, sliding or falling off during braking or high speeds.
Tonneau covers
Tonneau covers are useful truck bed attachments that fully enclose the bed with a hinged cover. Hard folding covers or flexible soft covers keep gear protected from weather and potential theft.
Covers latch closed and many can be locked for security. The covers themselves are typically weather resistant, but they also form a shield to keep snow, rain, and debris out of the truck bed interior.
Fully enclosing the bed not only protects cargo, but also reduces wind drag for improved gas mileage. The covers also look stylish as an upgrade over an open pickup bed.
With a tonneau added, you can then transport furniture, camping equipment, golf clubs, groceries and virtually anything else in a covered cargo hold. Just flip open the cover to access the bed. They make trucks much more functional for hauling items you want to keep dry and secure.
Bed mats
Truck bed mats provide another type of protective bed liner option. Bed mats are made from flexible rubber or thick textured foam. They form a cushioned pad that fits the floor of the truck bed.
Bed mats shield the underlying bed from damage. They also help minimize vibration and noise from cargo moving around. The soft cushioning can be easier on your knees if kneeling in the bed. Plus the textured surface helps keep cargo from sliding.
Mat install easily by just trimming to fit your truck if needed and placing in the bed floor. They can be removed or rolled up when not in use. The mats also allow liquid drainage through the ribbed underside unlike solid truck bed liners.
For hauling appliances, furniture, tools, grocery bags or other items that will rest directly in the bed floor, a cushioned mat can provide useful protection and grip.
Cargo nets
Cargo nets provide an inexpensive and simple way to help secure smaller items loaded in a pickup truck bed. Nets stretch over the top of the bed with hooks securing to each side or corner. You can then place bags, coolers, boxes, tools and other objects into the netting container.
The elastic netting compresses down gently around the cargo for a snug fit. The stretchy netting holds items tightly in place while absorbing road shock better than hard surfaces. Items are less likely bounce around on bumpy roads.
Truck bed cargo nets come in a few different styles such as full bed nets, half bed nets, and nets with storage pouches. You can also get creative and use bungee cords stretched in a net crisscross pattern.
Cargo nets are most useful for lighter items that won’t be potentially damaged by the tight compression. They help organize the jumble of smaller objects that would otherwise slide unrestrained around the large bed space.
Truck bed bike racks
If you like to transport bikes in the back of your pickup, a truck bed bike rack provides a very convenient way to safely carry one or more bikes.
Bike racks clamp into place around the sides or headboard of the truck bed. Your bikes can then stand vertically with the front wheel removed and tires secured in cradles on the rack.
This lifts the bikes high enough that the tailgate can still be closed. Bike racks are designed specifically to stabilize and protect the bikes during transport. Padding on the clamps and cradles prevents frame damage.
There are also hanging bike racks that allow the tailgate to be opened. The bikes hang suspended by their top tubes over the inside edges of the bed walls. Both styles keep bikes locked in place and prevent them from bouncing around compared to just laying bikes in the truck bed.
Bed ramps
Loading ramps are essential accessories if you need to get equipment like ATVs, riding lawn mowers, motorcycles or other machinery into the back of your truck.
Truck ramps provide an angled slope that makes it much easier to smoothly roll heavy equipment up and into the bed rather than trying to lift. Make sure to get ramps rated for the weight capacities you’ll be loading.
Individual ramps are ideal for loading a single item like an ATV or tractor. They can be stored easily when not in use. For heavier equipment, double ramps with one ramp per side will distribute the weight more evenly as you load.
When using ramps, carefully line them up properly and secure them to prevent shifting. Keep equipment in low gear and steady steering as you load up the ramps. Ramps allow you to transport equipment securely in the bed and unload again at your destination.
Conclusion
Pickup trucks provide so many great cargo carrying possibilities. With the right accessories, you can securely haul all kinds of items either in the bed or towed behind. Investing in some of these truck bed attachments can really maximize the utility you get from your pickup. Just be sure to properly use straps, anchors and restraints to keep cargo stable in transit. Then you can safely take advantage of your truck’s substantial hauling capabilities.