- Basic rubber mat. Has the advantage of being the cheapest option, with simple mats available for well under $100. Disadvantage is that it only covers the floor of the bed, not the sides or the tailgate.
- Drop-in bedliner like Duraliner. Middle of the road, price-wise, running under $300 for a drop-in unit. Basically a plastic liner that sits inside the entire bed. Advantage is that it's tough, can be installed quickly, and lasts forever; disadvantage that it can trap moisture and lead to rust.
- Spray-on liner like Line-X or Rhino liner. Most expensive option running $400-$500. Advantages are superior strength and wear; disadvantages are price and lengthy application time.
I've decided to go with a spray-on liner. I had a drop-in liner in my '98 Ram, and while it did the job (protect the bed for the life of the lease), I could see where it rubbed against the paint and didn't completely protect the bed. A friend of mine has had a spray-on liner in his F-250 since he bought it in 2002 and has had nothing but praise for it, so I'm thinking that's the way to go.
I mentioned a liner back when I bought the truck in 2007 and remembered several folks having definitive opinions as to which liner was better. Unfortunately, those opinions have been lost to the vagaries of time, so I thought I'd ask for thoughts/comments/etc. again. There might also be a new product or products to consider that weren't available 2½ years ago.
All thoughts/suggestions/etc. are greatly appreciated.
That is all.
11 comments:
I've got to admit that I like the Duraliner for my Ram. I have the 8' bed, and it allowed me to put cleats at the attachment points for securing cargo, rather than baby padeyes. I watched a spray-in get mangled in another truck when some steel scrap cargo was removed with a fork truck. That stuff is tough... but not that tough.
I have a Duraliner too.
I didn't go with the spray on because of the high friction coefficient. I need to slide things in and out of the bed and the spray on doesn't slide.
I took a drop-in bedliner out of my Dakota and replaced it with a spray-on.
The drop-in bedliner trapped dirt and moisture underneath, and worse the paint.
It's true that you can scratch a spray-on liner, but you can also have it applied more thickly. You can also choose a slicker, less tacky finish that won't give you the problems Alan had. I had the entire inside of my duck boat sprayed with it in OD green, and one friend had his entire Jeep body treated with it in lieu of paint. It looked great and was durable as hell. Cut down on road noise, too.
Ask the guys that apply the stuff, and you'll find you have a variety of options.
One nice touch is get your bedliner color matched to your paint, and spray your rocker panels as well. Really helps prevent rock dings.
I like the spray-on. I saw it on a truck once, but the only thing I didn't like was that it felt like rough sandpaper. Maybe you could get a mixture which doesn't take a layer of skin off when you climb in/out :-)
I did a DIY paint on liner in my jeep many years ago. Application was a breeze and it held up very well against scratches and stuff.
You'd think less of me if I told you I got the liner from JCWhitney.
But what if I said the beavertail on my 1911 is treated in the same bedliner ?
Properly installed drop in is the best. When they do a spray in, they'll scratch up the paint and undercoat in the bed, and once the spray in gets worn through, you have exposed metal. Drop ins will also allow you to add attachment points, as pointed out by Paul. Also, if, and big IF, you still have a warranty on the truck, spray ons tend to void paint/rust/corrosion, drop in wont.
Rhino or Line-X. I had a Rhino liner in my old truck and loved it. When I can get together the money, I'm going to do it again. Just that buying these damned guns gets in the way. You know how it is.
My truck (Nissan Frontier) came with factory spray-in. Yes, factory, not dealer-added-value-overpriced-crap. I love it and wouldn't consider anything but spray-in.
The big downside to spray-ins is relatively low impact resistance. If something big gets dropped or pushed into the bed wrong, it may well dent through the liner and into the bed... but dammit, it's a truck.
WV: gibitsx : What David Carradine was doing when he died.
I've gone with option 4 ("do nothing") on my Toyota, and it's 15 years old now.
Paint's worn off the ribs from me sliding gear over it, but it's in fine shape (and textured spray-in or slip-in beds would make sliding impossible, which is bad for my needs).
If the bed's eventually ruined and you keep the truck for decades, the money spent replacing the bed will be better spent than wasting it on liners, I say.
(Scratches, dents, bare metal? It's a TRUCK, fer God's sake. It's not meant to be all purty and clean and pristing.)
I had the Rhinoliner sprayed on my 1999 Silverado when it was new and it is still going strong. My truck is a personal vehicle, but I have hauled a lot of gravel, rocks, trash and literally tons of material and things. On my next truck, I will do the same thing again. It is holding up very well, with some minor chips along the back edge of the bed, and some pealing on the tie down rings on the sidewalls- not a big deal to me.
My favorite part is the texture. It is rough enough to hold things in place- like band equipment- but smooth enough that you can grab stuff and pull it out easily.
I had a pickup and got the mat. Reason being, sides don't normally take the beating, the bottom does. And the mat keeps things from moving around. Also the lack of movement of the mat itself keeps the bed from being scratched, unlike the hard plastic type. Also, when it gets dirty from hauling mulch or dirt, you can peel it out hose out the bed and put it back in! I kept mine when I traded in the truck and use it as a shop mat.. better on the knees than the hard floor!
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