Bed tiedowns - photos?

[tubes]

I was wondering about this also for the sake of hauling sheet goods. Like lots of other folks, I'll be cutting 2x4 or 2x6 lumber to make supports that fit in the built-in pockets to have the full bed width. While that provides support, we'll need attachment points above and below to run a strap that keeps the goods from sliding back. The yellow marked points for the roll bar look like the best candidates.

Yes. I don't know how it works with Slate (specs of fasteners that will fit in the mount points), but it is best to somehow use those points. I hope Slate is hearing this feedback. They could offer a reasonable accessory package. The last thing I'd want to do is drill into the bed of this thing - lookout, battery below!

I think in one of their quick hit videos they showed it hauling plywood and it was strapped down by looping under the downed tailgate. That's somewhat risky and insufficient in my opinion.

 

[EJensen]

Yes. I don't know how it works with Slate (specs of fasteners that will fit in the mount points), but it is best to somehow use those points. I hope Slate is hearing this feedback. They could offer a reasonable accessory package. The last thing I'd want to do is drill into the bed of this thing - lookout, battery below!

I think in one of their quick hit videos they showed it hauling plywood and it was strapped down by looping under the downed tailgate. That's somewhat risky and insufficient in my opinion.

Did you get new tubes, Tubes?

 

[tubes]

Did you get new tubes, Tubes?

AI was giving me a hard time yesterday and gave me "rods". I just decided to roll with it for now. When you see my nice hollow stack of tubes return, you'll know I got my golden email.

 

[GrizzlysGhost]

 

[Adam W]

I did notice on all the pre-production trucks, the t-rail was integrated into the bed. Somewhere along the way they said, "wait, we can take all that off and make it an added accessory purchase."

The pre-prod beds also had that large C shaped panel that covered the rear seat footwell and rollbar mounting points. That looks to have been refined, allowing you to get to those mouting points with individual caps, rather than have to remove the whole panel.

 

[GaRailroader]

It looks like I could tie down to the circled area, but I really want something in the bed floor. I'm sure I could mod it to work though...

For tying down a motorcycle putting the anchors on top of the bed rail will result in better angles on your straps. I plan to have the T-rails on the bed rails and find tie down anchors that are compatible with the t-rails. This will be my 1st pick-up without stake pockets on the bed rails. I normally secured tie down loops in the stake pockets instead of using the interior bed anchors because of better strap angularity.

 

[Tom Sawyer]

Eric Keipper discussed the T-rails in the interview with Sandy Munroe
Start here or rewind for context

He also mentions that the T-rail would be used with tonneau covers.

 

[FloppaEnjoyer8067]

we're going to run out of circle colors quickly.

The towers attach on rails across the top of the bed. I included a tower on my build and had to also get the rails.

*EDIT: Oop, my bad for double-posting; I thought we had to include this screenshot with our response.

Clearly I can’t see! The images don’t load well on my laptop…

 

[Rossel]

Per Gemini AI:

The short answer is no, the base model of the Slate Truck does not come with traditional, factory-installed tie-down loops in the floor of the bed.

Because of the truck's unique modular design—where the bed needs to accommodate various configurations like the SUV conversion kit or the sliding rear seat footwell—the floor area is kept completely flat and clear of permanent anchors.

However, Slate handles cargo security through an add-on accessory system, giving you a couple of ways to secure your gear:

1. The Official T-Rail System
To get secure anchor points, you will want to look at the Utilities section of the configurator:

• Truck Bed T-Rail Kit (Inner Bed): Slate sells an inner-bed T-Rail accessory kit for $124.99. This adds heavy-duty utility tracks directly inside the bed walls, allowing you to slide in adjustable tie-down cleats wherever you need them.
• Top Rail Tracks: There are also T-rails that mount along the top shoulder of the bed rails. If you are hauling tall items or looking to strap down a motorcycle, using the top rails actually provides a much better downward strap angle than floor hooks would.

2. Built-In Frame Mounting Points
If you are planning a DIY layout or need maximum structural strength, the bed does feature 8 heavy-duty factory mounting points directly on the frame. These are primarily engineered to hold the optional roll bars, bed towers, and cage assemblies, but early buyers are already tracking them as perfect spots to thread in custom heavy-duty eye-bolts or D-rings.

Safety Warning: If you plan to add your own aftermarket anchor points by drilling into the bed floor, exercise extreme caution. Remember that the main EV battery pack sits directly beneath the bed structure, so traditional drilling could damage critical high-voltage systems. Relying on the official T-rails or the factory frame-bolt locations is much safer.

 

[Adam W]

Per Gemini AI:

this reads like Gemini just regurgitated this exact thread right back to you. None of that info is written or even speculated about anywhere except here. Especially this part:

"the bed does feature 8 heavy-duty factory mounting points directly on the frame... early buyers are already tracking them as perfect spots to thread in custom heavy-duty eye-bolts."

 

[tubes]

this reads like Gemini just regurgitated this exact thread right back to you. None of that info is written or even speculated about anywhere except here. Especially this part:

"the bed does feature 8 heavy-duty factory mounting points directly on the frame... early buyers are already tracking them as perfect spots to thread in custom heavy-duty eye-bolts."

Yeah. Did it clean up my quip? " The last thing I'd want to do is drill into the bed of this thing - lookout, battery below! "

I worry about our future sometimes because these LLM A.I.s use a lot of Reddit and forums as input.

 

[Adam W]

Yeah. Did it clean up my quip? " The last thing I'd want to do is drill into the bed of this thing - lookout, battery below! "

Literally turned it into a whole safety warning at the bottom. Like a middle school student that forgot to do a book report until the last second.

 

[sidneyhornblower]

I worry about our future sometimes because these LLM A.I.s use a lot of Reddit and forums as input.

A lot of common LLMs are essentially just front ends for Reddit at this point. I do find them useful/helpful for teaching myself Python, but factual stuff in the real world is hit or miss.

 

[GrizzlysGhost]

A lot of common LLMs are essentially just front ends for Reddit at this point. I do find them useful/helpful for teaching myself Python, but factual stuff in the real world is hit or miss.

Dang

 

[Luxrage]

I've pressed Gemini on Slate topics, knowing full well it only had this forum and reddit for speculation. And it was more than happy to make things up. It knows nothing more about the Slate than we do, after all, it's not like Slate is is telling anyone else anything! And people posting long-winded AI responses to questions are only feeding the AI itself.

If the T-rail along the top is a standard size, they do sell tiedowns that bolt onto them, a set of four or six of these would be perfect to have in the back along the rails:

Edit: The Slate offers this BedBoss Lite floor, the original BedBoss that is not offered (but is available for other makes) has tie downs.