PSA: Don't overload those storage shelves!

[Skykomish]

Old pics, been meaning to post this for a while now. About a year ago I spent a couple weeks trying to find a rattle somewhere in the rear of my truck. Well, I found it:



Turns out that behind the headliner its just a thin piece of sheet metal riveted to the body at an odd angle. If your panels or shelf is loaded up and you spend any amount of time on washboards you should probably keep an eye on those mounts.

 

[flyrv9]

I wonder if the manufacturers of these add on shelves and side panels considered this. Did they research what load the attach points could handle - the weight of their products plus the weight of what is attached or set on them? And, the conditions the vehicle would endure - rough bumpy roads, trails, etc. I would guess not!

 

[Humble Leader]

I would be more concerned about how shelves and molle panels affect side curtain airbags. has rago or victory etc. conducted any tests? I would be surprised if they did. definitely a 'use at your own risk' product

 

[WildSockets]

I wonder if the manufacturers of these add on shelves and side panels considered this. Did they research what load the attach points could handle - the weight of their products plus the weight of what is attached or set on them? And, the conditions the vehicle would endure - rough bumpy roads, trails, etc. I would guess not!

No way. They’re just cashing in on the tacticool overland trend. Strap everything on. Be prepared for everything.

Those mount points are designed for dry cleaning. Nothing more.

 

[chrisridebike8]

I would be more concerned about how shelves and molle panels affect side curtain airbags. has rago or victory etc. conducted any tests? I would be surprised if they did. definitely a 'use at your own risk' product

exactly my concern. that's why I don't understand why people put axes and things with just a quick fist. that's some Final Destination stuff. No thank you. I plan to put maybe my recovery rope and soft shackles and stuff up there, nothing that will kill me in an accident

 

[Grug556]

exactly my concern. that's why I don't understand why people put axes and things with just a quick fist. that's some Final Destination stuff. No thank you. I plan to put maybe my recovery rope and soft shackles and stuff up there, nothing that will kill me in an accident

I use the rago racks, with quickfist. I have a mini shovel, maglight and an axe. For all the above I have the larger end on the rear hatch end of truck so that it just doesnt slide through the quickfist in the truck stops/hits something suddenly. Might be better than nothing. Alternative is to have them lose in the truck rear hatch area..which may be worse.

 

[Skykomish]

No way. They’re just cashing in on the tacticool overland trend. Strap everything on. Be prepared for everything.

Those mount points are designed for dry cleaning. Nothing more.

Yeah, clearly not intended for anything other than the lightest duty use. I never even had anything heavy up there, just some blankets, tarps, stuff like that. The oven isn't heavy at all (esp compared to the shelf itself)

Last pic I have before I committed this junk to the scrap pile:

 

[97BlackAckCL]

I would be more concerned about how shelves and molle panels affect side curtain airbags. has rago or victory etc. conducted any tests? I would be surprised if they did. definitely a 'use at your own risk' product

I know Rago had a disclaimer saying their molle panels don't work with third row. Cali Raised makes a specific model for third row, but I don't believe it takes into account the airbags either. So definitely a use at your own risk application

 

[jp.vegas]

I would be more concerned about how shelves and molle panels affect side curtain airbags. has rago or victory etc. conducted any tests? I would be surprised if they did. definitely a 'use at your own risk' product

Unless you have a third row, there aren’t any airbags in the cargo area.

That said, I would put anything but the lightest soft articles on a shelf or side panels. Newton’s first law and all that.

 

[NB17Limited]

Unless you have a third row, there aren’t any airbags in the cargo area.

There’s only one curtain airbag part number for each side. No differentiation between 2 and 3 row models. I’ve also recently had the headliner down on our 2 row Limited and it had an airbag going all the way back

 

[flyrv9]

Another issue may be that of visibility. Putting panels over rear side windows and a shelf across the upper rear of the cargo area does limit visibility quite a bit. I wonder if insurance companies would deny a claim because of this.

 

[Humble Leader]

I know Rago had a disclaimer saying their molle panels don't work with third row. Cali Raised makes a specific model for third row, but I don't believe it takes into account the airbags either. So definitely a use at your own risk application

Unless you have a third row, there aren’t any airbags in the cargo area.

That said, I would put anything but the lightest soft articles on a shelf or side panels. Newton’s first law and all that.

there are definitely airbags that extend to the cargo area for all trim levels. IIHS results below. could the vehicle be an SR5P with third row? sure, but given IIHS tests front and side impacts differentiating between the 2 and 3 row trim levels is not priority. statistically deaths in the third row of serious crashes are rare. and MOST rear end impacts are not at very high speeds

2014 Toyota 4Runner driver-side small overlap IIHS crash test - YouTube

these molle panels are not crash tested and we do not know how they will affect forward or rear deploy of the curtain airbags. if you solo ride in your rig and accept the risk that's cool, but carrying passengers is a different story. be careful out there people :hatsoff:

 

[jp.vegas]

there are definitely airbags that extend to the cargo area for all trim levels. IIHS results below. could the vehicle be an SR5P with third row? sure, but given IIHS tests front and side impacts differentiating between the 2 and 3 row trim levels is not priority. statistically deaths in the third row of serious crashes are rare. and MOST rear end impacts are not at very high speeds

2014 Toyota 4Runner driver-side small overlap IIHS crash test - YouTube

these molle panels are not crash tested and we do not know how they will affect forward or rear deploy of the curtain airbags. if you solo ride in your rig and accept the risk that's cool, but carrying passengers is a different story. be careful out there people :hatsoff:

There’s only one curtain airbag part number for each side. No differentiation between 2 and 3 row models. I’ve also recently had the headliner down on our 2 row Limited and it had an airbag going all the way back

You're both right, I stand corrected.

 

[Humble Leader]

Another issue may be that of visibility. Putting panels over rear side windows and a shelf across the upper rear of the cargo area does limit visibility quite a bit. I wonder if insurance companies would deny a claim because of this.

this is a bit trickier and will vary state to state and province to province and case by case. technically most insurance companies will not pay out for a dangerous driving charge. pretty much everywhere drivers need to have a clear view of the rear. if you have a loaded vehicle with molle panels and shelves and gear etc. you could be pulled over by the police and cited. probably unlikely but in the event you are in a collision where you are at fault and it is observed you had an obstructed view of the rear that may have impacted your ability to drive safely - this is where your troubles could start

even if an accident is not your fault but was deemed that you could have avoided it if it wasn't for obstructions in vision - again problematic

I'm not an insurance expert, but I employ someone who is, the guy is a pro so I've had my fair share of dealing with claims. insurance companies don't like paying out - and if they do, will find a way to make it back via higher premiums.

kind of off topic - but this is why I would never install a pedal commander (or anything similar). I Know a lot of folks have them and love them but just not for me