Mounting on tapered truck

[rchin]

Hey all,

A few months ago I found a nest on craigslist and was able to do an even trade for it for my leer topper I had on my truck. I have an 04 F150 and since the Wildernests are meant for straight trucks it doesn't sit fully on my truck bed rails. The front is pretty solid but at the back it sticks out a bit and makes clamping it hard. I have had pretty good luck with some clamps I got from a local place but one keeps popping off and for peace of mind I'd like to find a solution that feels more secure. Not sure if anyone has figured out a solution for this.

[gus]

I made a adaptor plate for a 83 Ford to 98 Ram w/ tapered box

[gary]

When the Wildernest dealer installed mine, they did not use clamps. They drilled holes in the bed rails and Wildernest to use bolts, nuts and washers for tie downs. My wife took it and didn't know I would have preferred another way to do it. It worked very well though.

Years later when I sold that pickup without the Wildernest, I put eye bolts in the holes and said they were used for cargo tie downs. The buyer loved them.

When I installed the Wildernest on my New Ranger, I figured out a way to use bolts in my stake holes to hold the Wildernest on. I still drilled one hole on each rail between the stake holes to make it more secure. I do a lot of rough off-road adventures and the Wildernest has stayed securely on my Rangers for the 33 years of use.

I even hit a large bolder with my right rear tire once going about 40 mph. It almost flipped my Ranger. It twisted the bed so much that the shell hit the left side of my rear window and broke it. The latches for the top also broke off. The front bracket for the right rear leaf spring got bent about 1 inch back and the truck frame got slightly twisted. With all that damage, the bolts held the Wildernest in place without and damage there. I was able to repair my truck and am still doing my off-road trips.

You may not want to drill holes in your F150 bed rails, but it is a strong option.