Bed sheet metal tearing / welds popping - advice

MesaRat · August 5, 2020

9 hours ago, redwngr said:

I was assuming there were 2 towers.

What I was wondering was are the towers only attached to the tops of the bed rails, or do the towers have structure to put the load (or part of it) directly to where the bed mounts to the frame.

they are attached to the bed rails with clamps. they are hard to see in the pic but they go over the base (which has a groove/slot in it) and attach underneath with a foot that rests on the top of the clamp screw.

i drove 150 miles to drop it off a dealer with iCar certification. they are telling me they have to call GM.

GMC AT4 · August 11, 2020

My experience with metal is that it will crack when it is flexing over and over. We call it "oil canning". If you are going to keep the rack I would find a way to beef up the areas that the rack is attached to and the areas the are flexing/cracking. Good luck

Red_5 · August 18, 2020

On 8/2/2020 at 5:58 PM, georgecdisc said:

I'm a little confused how the rack is stressing the welds. is the portion of the rack normally over the cab as your picture shows? if so I can see how bumpy roads might cause that to act as a giant lever and act upon the front of bed.

I've got a mesh backrack, but it is not load bearing except for its own weight. mainly there to prevent firewood from bouncing in bed thru the glass window. do you think this would cause similar issues dues to the stiffening (bed can't flex)? seems like stiffening would assist in keeping those welds from popping, but only to lateral loads not front to back.

I agree, it seems crazy to me that that rack would cause this problem. I was going to put a rooftop tent over the bed of my truck but maybe not after seeing this. Hopefully I’m just not understanding the the problem.

kf9yr · August 19, 2020

Have you spoken to Thule about the problem?

Were you below their advertised weight limit?

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MesaRat · August 26, 2020

On 8/18/2020 at 6:44 PM, kf9yr said:

Have you spoken to Thule about the problem?

Were you below their advertised weight limit?

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I haven't spoken with Thule. I am still waiting, according to the dealer, for GM to decide how to proceed with the repair. Apparently, another truck in the area has had it happen too, according to the dealer.

I've never had the rack with more than 100 lbs on a dirt road and maybe a max of 150 lbs on pavement, all short distances. Body shop and I believe it is the cantilevered portion flexing the rack down to the bed rails. I don't think I would have had this problem if I was always on pavement. Thule only recommends lowering the carrying weight if you go off road and supposedly it holds 500 to 1000 lbs depending on what you read.

however, i just keep having bad luck with this truck as a load i was carrying damaged the front of the bed. how it happened is almost unbelievable. essentially as i was braking normal and coming down a hill when the truck violently downshifted causing light lock up of the rear and sending stuff flying / breaking my tie down straps. after that it was back to normal. i take ultimate responsibility for not securing the load properly but strange. no CEL, no abnormal stuff afterwards, just carrying about 3000lbs in the bed.

August 26, 2020

I haven't spoken with Thule. I am still waiting, according to the dealer, for GM to decide how to proceed with the repair. Apparently, another truck in the area has had it happen too, according to the dealer.

I've never had the rack with more than 100 lbs on a dirt road and maybe a max of 150 lbs on pavement, all short distances. Body shop and I believe it is the cantilevered portion flexing the rack down to the bed rails. I don't think I would have had this problem if I was always on pavement. Thule only recommends lowering the carrying weight if you go off road and supposedly it holds 500 to 1000 lbs depending on what you read.

however, i just keep having bad luck with this truck as a load i was carrying damaged the front of the bed. how it happened is almost unbelievable. essentially as i was braking normal and coming down a hill when the truck violently downshifted causing light lock up of the rear and sending stuff flying / breaking my tie down straps. after that it was back to normal. i take ultimate responsibility for not securing the load properly but strange. no CEL, no abnormal stuff afterwards, just carrying about 3000lbs in the bed.

Do you have an pics of the front bed pan?

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MesaRat · August 26, 2020

26 minutes ago, 48548 said:

Do you have an pics of the front bed pan?

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i think this is what you are asking for.

dealer said they can pull it out when they do the other work.

MesaRat · August 26, 2020

29 minutes ago, 48548 said:

Do you have an pics of the front bed pan?

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front view

August 26, 2020

My buddy hauled a pvc pipe and that happened... I had that happen in my gmc someone almost hit me.... I should have let them, I poped them out with pry bars and a punch with rags and boards.. looks mint on my gmc. Mine were dents but I was still pissed...

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MesaRat · September 24, 2020

Update: After a long wait and the dealership going back and forth with GM, they have decided to completely replace the bed. It should arrive in 3 weeks.

I suggest anyone considering a ladder rack or other accessory that attaches to the bed rails to be very careful and try not to drive the truck on rough or bumpy roads.

I looked at one of our subcontractor's 90s Toyota and the bed metal is significantly thicker - makes me jealous.