I'm sure that at one time or another, you've been on a trail ride and saw something similar to the photo on the right. This particular tire came dangerously close to landing a small child. I've seen it plenty of times... tires, cooler, trash, tools, you name it. Somehow, things need to be secured in the back of our rigs.

In our Project TJ, we have a huge Tuffy box that houses all of our tools and spare parts. We removed the seat in order to fit it in there. But try as I may, I will fill any amount of space given to me, and this box is no exception. Even with this massive amount of storage, I still end up having more stuff in the back of the Jeep when we hit the trails than will fit inside. Once the box is filled, we start stacking things on top of the box or next to it, over the wheel wells. With things left outside, we become vulnerable up front in the event anything becomes airborne. Even our soft-sided cooler bag can become a potentially harmful missile, so we needed a way to tie it down, along with some of the other things we carry.

While we were at the SEMA Show last November, we met with the folks from Bloomfield Manufacturing Co., Inc.. Bloomfield is best known for being the maker of the Hi-Lift Jack. Among some of the other goodies we'll be showing you in these pages, was the Slide-N-Lock Tie-Down System. Available in 7, 22, 68, and 93 inch systems, the Slide-N-Lock systems consist of two 6061-T6 rails which bolt into your truck bed and have adjustable retainer rings. Each tie-down point is rated for a 1,000 pound load. The rails come in silver or black and adjusting the retainer rings is a snap. Simply pull out the spring-loaded ring and slide it to the preset point where you'd like it and lock it into place. Points are located every 5 inches along the rail.

For our Jeep, I chose the shortest, 7 inch rails. In retrospect, the 22" ones probably would have been more advantageous, but I wasn't sure where I would be mounting them. My original thought was to put them on top of the wheel wells, so the shorter lenth would have aided in a solid, flat mount. Going with the Tuffy box route, however, the 7 inch rails do seem kind of short. Short or not, they are a wonderful addition to the Jeep and very worth having.

If you have a full-size truck, the Slide-N-Lock is perfect for mounting in a truck bed, as well. Because of the load-carrying ability of the rails, a properly used system can easily be used to tie down ATV's and motorcycles.

Installation:
Installation is a snap and takes less than a half an hour. You'll need a drill, Phillips head screw driver or bit, and a 1/2" wrench.

We chose the 7" Slide-N-Lock System	System includes 2 rails, locks, and four 1/4" bolts
Line up the rail where you want it and mark the points where you'll drill.	Drill the holes. The longer rails have holes every ten inches apart.
Place the rail on the mounting surface and push bolts through. Thread on the nuts and begin tightening the screws.	Use a wrench to hold the nut tight while screwing in from the outside. Go back and forth between the bolts to make sure the rail goes in evenly.
The retainer rings slide in from the edge while you pull the ring out. Find a locking point, let go of the ring, and it will lock into place.	The Slide-N-Lock system works like a charm and was easy to install. The longer units would work wonderfully in truck beds for ATV's and bikes.