SXTH Bed Step relocation bracket - tweak needed

[TrailAdventurer]

Howdy,

A few months ago, I ordered SXTH’s bed step relocation bracket. The concept is solid, and installation was straightforward. But I ran into a problem: when raising the step, it interfered with the recovery hook by about 3/16"—not good.

To their credit, SXTH’s support was top-notch. They identified an incorrect bend angle in my batch and quickly sent a replacement. Unfortunately, the new bracket still had the same issue—just at a slightly different interference spot. Still unusable.

My workaround was to stack two ~3/16" thick fender washers on each mounting bolt, shifting the step outward just enough to clear. But that introduced a new problem: the bolts only engaged about half the nut depth. As a last attempt, SXTH sent me a pair of coarse-thread bolts that were far too long.

If you run into the same issue, my final solution was to use four large washers (two per bolt) and picked up a pair of M16 x 140mm bolts from a well-stocked hardware store. That did the trick.

While the weeks of troubleshooting were frustrating for what should’ve been a 20-minute install, I’m now happy with the result.

Hope this helps—FYI!

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[lauren01]

Thank you! I’ve got one of those brackets to install. Got it a few months ago. Appreciate the info in case ours doesn’t fit right.

 

[myhikingboots]

A guy on this forum, I forget his name, had the same problem and got a new one from Sixth Element and he gave me the defective one. I ended up drilling out the big hole on it slightly and rotating it away from the recovery point and it works fine with the Amazon step I purchased.

 

[GoodMoodley]

I have the same issue as well. A little wonky looking. Will shim it at some point.

 

[shackley]

Howdy,

A few months ago, I ordered SXTH’s bed step relocation bracket. The concept is solid, and installation was straightforward. But I ran into a problem: when raising the step, it interfered with the recovery hook by about 3/16"—not good.

To their credit, SXTH’s support was top-notch. They identified an incorrect bend angle in my batch and quickly sent a replacement. Unfortunately, the new bracket still had the same issue—just at a slightly different interference spot. Still unusable.

My workaround was to stack two ~3/16" thick fender washers on each mounting bolt, shifting the step outward just enough to clear. But that introduced a new problem: the bolts only engaged about half the nut depth. As a last attempt, SXTH sent me a pair of coarse-thread bolts that were far too long.

If you run into the same issue, my final solution was to use four large washers (two per bolt) and picked up a pair of M16 x 140mm bolts from a well-stocked hardware store. That did the trick.

While the weeks of troubleshooting were frustrating for what should’ve been a 20-minute install, I’m now happy with the result.

Hope this helps—FYI!

That’s great. Do you have a link for the step, or is it a Toyota one? I was hoping Toyota would come up with one by now with a similar mod.

 

[mikeymtbs]

A guy on this forum, I forget his name, had the same problem and got a new one from Sixth Element and he gave me the defective one. I ended up drilling out the big hole on it slightly and rotating it away from the recovery point and it works fine with the Amazon step I purchased.

Glad it worked out for you!

The replacement I received from SXTH worked perfectly with no modifications. FWIW, the OE bedstep, which I’m sure is a port add on, is an AMP labeled product.

 

[myhikingboots]

Glad it worked out for you!

The replacement I received from SXTH worked perfectly with no modifications. FWIW, the OE bedstep, which I’m sure is a port add on, is an AMP labeled product.

Thanks again Mike! Saved me $60!

 

[SnowmanJPS]

Howdy,

A few months ago, I ordered SXTH’s bed step relocation bracket. The concept is solid, and installation was straightforward. But I ran into a problem: when raising the step, it interfered with the recovery hook by about 3/16"—not good.

To their credit, SXTH’s support was top-notch. They identified an incorrect bend angle in my batch and quickly sent a replacement. Unfortunately, the new bracket still had the same issue—just at a slightly different interference spot. Still unusable.

My workaround was to stack two ~3/16" thick fender washers on each mounting bolt, shifting the step outward just enough to clear. But that introduced a new problem: the bolts only engaged about half the nut depth. As a last attempt, SXTH sent me a pair of coarse-thread bolts that were far too long.

If you run into the same issue, my final solution was to use four large washers (two per bolt) and picked up a pair of M16 x 140mm bolts from a well-stocked hardware store. That did the trick.

While the weeks of troubleshooting were frustrating for what should’ve been a 20-minute install, I’m now happy with the result.

Hope this helps—FYI!

This was my idea also, but that bracket costs $180 here in Canada after taxes, I will be asking for a new bracket if mine isn't perfect, or I'll template it and make my own in the shop (fabricator)

 

[TrailAdventurer]

That’s great. Do you have a link for the step, or is it a Toyota one? I was hoping Toyota would come up with one by now with a similar mod.

https://sxthelement.com/products/2024-tacoma-bed-step-relocation-bracket?variant=50052074209578

 

[shackley]

https://sxthelement.com/products/2024-tacoma-bed-step-relocation-bracket?variant=50052074209578

Many thanks. I’m 5’8” and 76. This will be a great help. I’ll let my dealer parts guy know and they might refer them to others.

https://sxthelement.com/products/2024-tacoma-bed-step-relocation-bracket?variant=50052074209578

Thanks again JT. I ordered it and the lower control arm skid plate. I'm coming from a Jeep Gladiator the suspension of which doesn't have lower control arms - one of the few things that I liked better on the Jeep.

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