Tying down cargo in a Maverick or Tacoma bed, and towing with a Bronco hitch

What falls off trucks, and who it hits

The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety counted road debris as a factor in an estimated 319,724 crashes, 32,802 injuries and 433 deaths in the United States between 2018 and 2023. That works out to about 53,000 crashes, 5,500 injuries and 72 deaths a year. Among the most common sources, the Foundation names parts that came off other vehicles and miscellaneous cargo, tools and building materials.

AAA made the same point back in 2016. Its newsroom reported that about two-thirds of debris-related crashes come from items falling off a vehicle because of poor maintenance and unsecured loads. The object itself is only part of the danger. Nearly 37 percent of deaths in road debris crashes, AAA said, came from drivers swerving to avoid something in the road.

AAA also noted that every state has laws making it illegal for items to fall from a vehicle. So a cooler that leaves your bed is a problem twice over. It is a hazard for the driver behind you, and it is a ticket waiting for you.

Match the tie-down to the load

Each piece of our bed gear does one job. Straps pull heavy or tall items down against the bed. A net stops a pile of light things from bouncing out. A mat gives the load something to grip, and a bin keeps small gear locked away. Most trips call for two of them at once, and all of it sits on our bed, tailgate and towing shelf.

The ratings below are printed the way they appear on our product pages. Read them as limits for the strap or the receiver, never as a target to load up to.

Ratchet straps in a Maverick bed

Our retractable ratchet straps for the Maverick come as a pair. Each one carries a 9 foot strap that rolls itself back in when you let go. They mount in the bed without drilling. You can set them higher or lower, and they can go in alongside the slide rail.

The strap is rated for 500 lb of cargo per point and 1300 lb of tensile strength in the strap. Those figures describe the strap and its mount. They do not make the truck able to carry more, and AAA's advice on that is short: do not overload the vehicle.

1. 1

   Pick the mounting height that suits your load, then fit both straps in the bed.

2. 2

   Set the heaviest item against the front wall of the bed, where a hard stop cannot push it any farther.

3. 3

   Pull each strap out over the load and hook it down on the far side.

4. 4

   Tighten the ratchet until the load no longer moves when you push it with your hand.

5. 5

   Drive a short way, pull over and push on the load again. Take up any slack the road has worked into the straps.

A strap on the Tacoma bed rail

On a Tacoma, our retractable ratchet strap slides into the factory bed rail system. Look for that rail on your truck before you order, because the strap has nothing else to mount to. It fits the 2005–2026 Tacoma and the 2008–2026 Tundra when the rail is there.

The strap is 1 in x 10 ft, and a button rewinds it into its housing between loads. It carries a 1,400 lb (635 kg) break strength. The webbing is reinforced polyester, and the hardware is cast iron under a rust-resistant coat.

The rail runs along the side of the bed, so you can mount the strap close to a toolbox, a kayak or a dirt bike instead of moving the load to a fixed point.

Nets for loose gear

A strap holds one heavy thing. A net holds a dozen light ones, like grocery bags, a cooler, sleeping bags or a ball. AAA lists netting next to rope and straps for tying down a load, and it suggests covering the entire load with a sturdy tarp or netting.

Our bed cargo net for the Maverick comes in two styles. The Elastic fixed net is nylon mesh that measures 2.8 x 3.2 ft and stretches as far as 6.5 x 7.2 ft. It locks on with carabiners, so one person can put it on alone. The Storage net is 37 x 16 inch mesh with aluminum alloy hooks that clip into the bed anchors, and it adds plastic buckles and elastic side straps.

Use the net as the top layer. Strap the heavy items first, then spread the net over everything else and pull it snug. When the bed is empty, the Storage net folds into its own bag.

Mats and a locked bin

A bare bed is slick, and a load that slides around will slowly loosen the straps holding it. Give the cargo something to grip. Our Maverick bed and tailgate mat is 3.5 mm TPE molded to a 3D scan of the bed, with texture and grooves on top. It stays down in the wind, it does not slide out when you drag cargo across it, and a hose clears it in about 5 minutes.

For a Tacoma with the 5 ft bed, our bed and tailgate mat kit covers the floor and the tailgate in two pieces. A rice-grain texture helps tools and gear shift less on bumps. The 6 ft bed needs a different mat, and a drop-in liner has to come out first.

Small loose items can bounce out on a rough road. On a Maverick XL, our bed storage bin takes the place of the factory cover in the left or right bin and adds a lid that locks with a code you set. A divider keeps smaller items apart, and it makes a good place to keep the straps themselves.

Before you pull away

AAA's own list for a secure load is short. Run through it every time, even for a trip across town.

• Tie the load down with rope, netting or straps.
• Tie large objects directly to the truck or to the trailer.
• Cover the entire load with a sturdy tarp or netting.
• Do not overload the vehicle.
• Double check the load before you drive, and look at it again at your first stop.

Tongue weight on a Bronco hitch receiver

A hitch receiver hangs a new load off the back of your Bronco. Our 2-inch hitch receiver bolts to the factory holes on 2021–2026 2-Door and 4-Door models with the 4 included bolts, and it takes cargo carriers, bike racks or tow hooks. It supports up to 3,500 lbs Gross Trailer Weight and 350 lbs Tongue Weight. Those are ratings for the receiver only, not for the truck it is bolted to.

Federal rules will not settle the question for you. In a 1976 interpretation letter, NHTSA's Office of Chief Counsel wrote that there are “no Federal regulations concerning the connection of trailers to trucks or other vehicles.”

The same letter tells you what to compare. Get the tongue weight of the trailer when it is fully loaded from the trailer's manufacturer. Then set that number against the gross axle weight ratings on the certification label on the door or door post of your towing vehicle. The letter also says to make sure the trailer carries its own certification label.

A bike rack or a cargo carrier puts its weight on the receiver too. Weigh what you load onto it and keep the total within the 350 lbs Tongue Weight rating. The trailer tow wiring kit does not come with our receiver, so plan for lights before you hook up a trailer.

The tailgate table rides along too

Our Bronco tailgate table folds down into a camp kitchen and folds back up into a MOLLE panel for the drive. Two spring locks and a separate panel lock hold it still on the road, and rubber strips cut the rattle and keep it off your paint. Before you leave camp, fold it up, set all three locks and empty the holder for two drinks.

Anything you clip onto the MOLLE face counts as cargo as well. Fasten it the way you would fasten a load in a bed, and look at it again when you stop for fuel. On a hot afternoon at the trailhead, our guide to sun shades and parking in the sun covers the cab you come back to.

Every product named here is part of Mabett accessories.