New GM truck tie-downs

No suggestions.... but it is obvious you got a 2015 HD before them! LOL

What does your towing receiver look like?

If it is like my 2012, how about a 7' length of square tubing slid through it(side to side, obviously)?

When I had my Lance on my Dodge, I never liked the idea of tying the rear to the bumper. I used two pieces of pipe slid inside the two open ends of my square tube receiver. Welded a plate on the end of the pipe and bolted the connector to it. I drilled a hole through the end of the receiver and pipe and pinned it in place. Never had a problem with it. JMO

The frame and drivetrain are supposed to be the same as the 2010-up trucks, I thought. All they did was change the body.

Unfortunately, this is the price you pay for being "first." Neither Torklift nor Happijac get access to the vehicles any sooner than you do, and it takes time to modify the design and get the new tiedowns into production.

Looked at the hitch assembly too. It is round, and crooked, has a bent portion so can't push a square or a pipe through it. Good idea tho' ...

I designed a bracket that will either weld or bolt to a support component of the frame ... am trying to make it bolt-able, not weld ... so its removeable. And, am not sure if welding on the frame voids any kind of warranty, even if it's only a brace. So, we'll see Monday.

And, right -- I talked to both Happijac and Torklift ... Neither one has seen the 2015 yet. None in the area, apparently.

Not a lot of them around here either. I actually went to look at a 2013 for a good discount. But didn't like the options especially, and the ride was a bit stiffer ... and tight steering. But this 2015 Double Cab 4x4 was sitting on the lot too. The dealer had two ... so, took one for a ride and it cooked my goose.

Very nice truck -- good ride, nice finish. So we're now leaving Florida for the west coast in our Chevy with 234 miles on it instead of our 2003 GMC with 214,000. A bit more comfortable, although that GMC traveled lots of great miles over the years.

Will let you all know how the tie-down situation falls out ... as of now, am thinking everything works except the front plate. So, we'll make that first, and see if the other parts work with it - and it looks like a 'yes' at this point.

We actually looked at it earlier, and before we removed the Happijacs off the GMC, we thought it was a direct match -- once we got it matched up, the front of the new bed has a slight curve in it, so it won't lay up against it directly.

But, a couple bends in a new front plate looks like it will work. The Happyjac plate is a formed 3/16, but we'll use a flat plate, so decided to go with 3/8 instead.

Not sure what to do about the rear -- but am very uncomfortable with the 'bumper bolt' ... and always was - but at least it was metal to metal. Bolting through composite material kinda pushes me off that option.

Let us know what you find out as I hope to go down the same road in the near future. Waiting for information on the 2015 Sierra 3500's. In the research I have done, the frame and drive train remained the same as 2014, the body and bumper changed and they beefed up the class V hitch if yours came with the 2 1/2" receiver but I would bet that Torklift would still work. Happyjac probably has some issues as the bed is all new and as you already found, the new corner plastic bumper steps are not going to like Happyjacs bumper bolts.

Keep us updated!

It would be nice to see some pics of the interior and measurements of the bed to see what, if anything has changed. Our 2013 rear stake pockets are rounded vs. squared off like earlier versions. The 2013 apparently has less room between the stake pockets making loading a little tougher, but manageable. Mine measures 59 & 9/16" between the rear stake pockets which leaves about 1" clearance per side. Hopefully they haven't reduced the clearance, making even tighter quarters.

Ya might want to think "old school' and go with a couple of belly bars. One in front and one in the rear. I used them for years before they came up with custom tie-downs.

Monkey
I used square tubing for the rear tie down. One piece with ears welded to the end for the hooks. Similar to the post above. It is bolted to the frame and sits just behind the spare. I had one in the front but finally got a set of Torklifts. They both work good on my 04

I think we got it figured out -- am building brace and bracket that will mount under the bed and fit inside the hitch component under the rear end. It will connect just like a trailer - but sideways instead of backward ... and hook up with a round hitch pin. Will drill it out so the hitch pin can lock instead of a cotter pin ...

Will have photos, but am not sure how to post photo here -- will figure it out, or send photos to someone here and get it posted if anyone wants to see what we build -- but, after looking at the changes in the truck, it's not a big deal altho' it will take some fabrication, it's not difficult. It will be removable and installable without a torch.

the older model Happyjac will not fit - but it's only one front bracket we need to modify. But again, I don't like that bumper mount, so will develop a bracket and mount the rear - probably more like the Tork-lift mount.

AND FYI: The older version step-bars (Mine fit 2003 GMC) will fit the 2015 with a little modification too, the mounting brackets. Slipped right up there and bolted up ... but the bolt hole was out of alignment, so we elongated the bolt-slot and it snuggled right up tight and fit like it was made for it. Took ten minutes.