Vehicle cargo bed structure

1. A vehicle cargo bed structure comprising a vehicle cargo area including a bed floor, a front wall, a first side cargo wall and a second side cargo wall, with a tailgate opening being defined at rearward ends of the first and second cargo walls;

an accessory attachment track attached to the bed floor, the accessory attachment track being an elongated member that extends in a vehicle longitudinal direction along the bed floor from adjacent to the front wall of the cargo area to adjacent to the tailgate opening, the accessory attachment track having a pair of side walls defining a channel therebetween and a pair of lip portions that extend from upper ends of respective ones of the side walls defining an elongated opening therebetween open to the channel, the pair of side walls, the pair of lip portions, the channel and the opening extending from adjacent to the front wall to adjacent to the tailgate opening;

a tailgate having a first end pivotally attached to a rear of the vehicle cargo area for pivoting movement between a closed position covering the tailgate opening between the first side cargo wall and the second side cargo wall and an open position exposing the tailgate opening, with a gap being defined between a rear end of the bed floor and the first end of the tailgate; and

a tailgate gap cover having an attachment structure that includes a first part and a second part, the first part being inserted horizontally into a rear portion of the channel between the side walls of the accessory attachment track and below the pair of lip portions, and the second part being positioned above the pair of lip portions and the channel of the accessory attachment track with a fastening member extending between the first part and the second part clamping the attachment structure to the lip portions of accessory attachment track such that the tailgate gap cover is removable and re-attachable to the accessory attachment track, the tailgate gap cover further being pivotal between a horizontal orientation with the tailgate in the open position and an upright orientation with the tailgate in the closed position, with the tailgate gap cover covering the gap with the tailgate in the open position.

2. The vehicle cargo bed structure according to claim 1 , wherein

the bed floor includes a second accessory attachment track that extends from adjacent to the front wall to adjacent to the tailgate opening, and the tail gap cover includes a second attachment structure that clamps to the second accessory attachment structure,

the attachment structure includes a first hinge assembly and a second hinge assembly.

3. The vehicle cargo bed structure according to claim 2 , wherein

the tailgate gap cover includes a biasing structure that biases the tailgate gap cover toward the horizontal orientation.

4. The vehicle cargo bed structure according to claim 3 , wherein

the biasing structure includes a torsion bar having a first end installed to the first hinge assembly and a second end attached to the second hinge assembly.

5. The vehicle cargo bed structure according to claim 1 , wherein

the tailgate gap cover includes a biasing structure that biases the tailgate gap cover toward the horizontal orientation and into contact with the tailgate.

6. A vehicle cargo bed structure comprising

a vehicle cargo area including a bed floor, a first side cargo wall and a second side cargo wall, with a tailgate opening being defined at rearward ends of the first and second cargo walls;

an accessory attachment track attached to the bed floor, the accessory attachment track extending in a vehicle longitudinal direction, the accessory track having a pair of side walls defining a channel therebetween and a pair of lip portions that extend from upper ends of respective ones of the side walls defining an elongated opening therebetween open to the channel;

a tailgate having a first end pivotally attached to a rear of the vehicle cargo area for pivoting movement between a closed position covering the tailgate opening between the first side cargo wall and the second side cargo wall and an open position exposing the tailgate opening, with a gap being defined between a rear end of the bed floor and the first end of the tailgate; and

a tailgate gap cover having an attachment structure that includes a first part and a second part, the first part being inserted into the channel between the side walls of the accessory attachment track and the second part being positioned above the pair of lip portions of the accessory attachment track with a fastening member extending between the first part and the second part clamping the attachment structure to the lip portions of accessory attachment track such that the tailgate gap cover is removable and re-attachable to the accessory attachment track, the tailgate gap cover further being pivotal between a horizontal orientation with the tailgate in the open position and an upright orientation with the tailgate in the closed position, with the tailgate gap cover covering the gap with the tailgate in the open position, the tailgate gap cover including a main portion having a plurality of stiffening ribs that extend parallel to the attachment structure.

7. The vehicle cargo bed structure according to claim 6 , wherein

the main portion of the tailgate gap cover includes an upper surface and a lower surface with the lower surface including a plurality of resilient members positioned to contact the tailgate.

8. The vehicle cargo bed structure according to claim 7 , wherein

the bed floor of the vehicle cargo area includes a plurality of ribs with recesses defined therebetween, and

the lower surface of the main portion includes a forward end having a plurality of downwardly extending projections that extend into the recesses of the bed floor with the tailgate gap cover in the horizontal orientation.

9. A vehicle cargo bed structure comprising

a vehicle cargo area including a bed floor, a first side cargo wall and a second side cargo wall, with a tailgate opening being defined at rearward ends of the first and second cargo walls;

a first accessory attachment track and a second accessory attachment track that are attached to the bed floor at spaced apart locations, each of the first and second accessory attachment tracks extending in a vehicle longitudinal direction;

a tailgate having a first end pivotally attached to a rear of the vehicle cargo area for pivoting movement between a closed position covering the tailgate opening between the first side cargo wall and the second side cargo wall and an open position exposing the tailgate opening, with a gap being defined between a rear end of the bed floor and the first end of the tailgate; and

a tailgate gap cover having a first attachment structure releasably attached to the first accessory attachment track structure, a second attachment structure releasably attached to the second accessory attachment track structure, and a biasing structure that extends between the first attachment structure and the second attachment structure, the first attachment structure including a first bracket fixedly attached to the tailgate gap cover and a second bracket attached to the bed floor, the second bracket being attached to the first bracket for pivoting movement about a first pivot pin, and the second attachment structure including a third bracket fixedly attached to the tailgate gay cover and a fourth bracket releasably attached to the bed floor, the fourth bracket being attached to the third bracket for pivoting movement about a second pivot pin.

10. The vehicle cargo bed structure according to claim 9 , wherein

the biasing structure includes a torsion bar having a first end installed to the first attachment structure and a second end attached to the second attachment structure.

11. The vehicle cargo bed structure according to claim 10 , wherein

the first end of the torsion bar is restrained by the first bracket of the first attachment structure and the second end of the torsion bar is restrained by the fourth bracket of the second attachment structure.

12. The vehicle cargo bed structure according to claim 9 , wherein

each of the first and second accessory track has a pair of side walls defining a channel therebetween and a pair of lip portions that extend from upper ends of respective ones of the side walls defining an opening therebetween open to the channel, and

each of the first attachment structure and the second attachment structure includes a first part and a second part, the first part being inserted into a corresponding one of the channels between the side walls and the second part being positioned above the pair of lip portions of the accessory attachment track with a fastening member extending between the first part and the second part clamping a corresponding one of the first and second attachment structures to the lip portions of corresponding one of the first and second accessory attachment track.

13. The vehicle cargo bed structure according to claim 9 , wherein

the tailgate gap cover includes a main portion having a plurality of stiffening ribs that extend parallel to the attachment structure.

14. The vehicle cargo bed structure according to claim 13 , wherein

the main portion of the tailgate gap cover includes an upper surface and a lower surface with the lower surface including a plurality of resilient members positioned to contact the tailgate.

15. The vehicle cargo bed structure according to claim 14 , wherein

the bed floor of the vehicle cargo area includes a plurality of ribs with recesses defined therebetween, and

the lower surface of the main portion includes a forward end having a plurality of downwardly extending projections that extend into the recesses of the bed floor with the tailgate gap cover in the horizontal orientation.