A Quick Guide to Putco Side Bed Rails | Cars and Trucks

By JasonLancaster
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Pickup trucks are typically very practical vehicles, especially for hauling cargo. However, some drivers often need to carry bulkier gear like furniture, motorcycles, or pallets of wood, which don't fit snugly within the walls of the truck's box. These items could possibly be damaged by too much side-to-side movements. Newer pickups are often fitted with cut-outs and tie-downs which ropes and chains can attach to, but these are usually at very fixed locations, and aren't always easy or convenient to access.

Putco offers a stylish and useful solution to this problem. They have designed a line of side rails which stretch the length of your truck bed. Easy to install, these rails are made out of chromed stainless steel and are easy to install. Not only are they strong, but they look good too!

The rails are designed to anchor into your truck's current tie-down cutouts, and they can easily be installed with simple hand tools. There are three main pieces - the two curved anchors and the long steel bar. Once these parts have been joined together, you simply place the anchors on top of the cutouts, and then use an Allan key to tighten the mounting bar from the top. There are no visible clamps, and a rubber gasket goes between the rail and your paint to make sure there is no scuffing or scratching.

The basic Putco locker side rails have a simple steel tube which has a cutout at each anchor end for more involved tying. They can hold up to 1000 pounds, which is more than enough for most hauling. You can also upgrade to 2.5 inch tubing with the same design if you feel you need a heftier look, but these 'Boss' railings, as Putco calls them, only hold 500 pounds.

If you need to have more tie-downs without cluttering your truck's bed rails, Putco Pop Up Lockers are worth a shot. 4 hidden tie-downs rated at 500 pounds lie along a railing that can be "popped" up when you need it, and which looks solid otherwise, without even the openings at the anchor points found on the standard model.

Putco SSR Lockers are perfect for those who want a good chrome accessory for their truck bed, but don't necessarily need to have the option of tie-down. These lockers add shine to your truck without competing for attention with the rest of your truck, which some accessories may do. Chrome wheel well flares, for example, compete with your truck's wheels because of their proximity to each other. Adding a chrome accessory in an area which doesn't already have a lot of shine will be more appealing to the eye.

Those who frequently climb in and out of their truck bed will find bed side rails to be useful, especially in wet conditions when bed liners or bare steel are more slippery. The rails are great for hand grips, and provide leverage when reaching over the side of the truck bed to get something from the cargo floor. The only real disadvantage of bed side rails is that you will no longer be able to use a tonneau cover, which probably wasn't an option anyways, if you're regularly hauling bulky loads. Putco side rails are a great way to accessorize your truck, at a rather inexpensive price of about $200, and have the added benefit of being practical as well.

About the Author

Author Jason Lancaster is the editor of TundraHeadquarters.com, a web site with info, news, and reviews of Toyota Tundra parts and Tundra accessories.

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