Bedliners?

[dragoneggs]

Line-X and a rubber bed mat. Best of both, and double protection.

Yep me too... Line-X permanent and throw in the tough rubber bed mat for stone, blocks, etc. 10 years of abuse and LineX looks great after a power washing.

 

[check]

I have a Rhino spray-on liner, and a thick rubber mat that is now on it's third truck. Great set up, with lots of protection for the bed, but it is true that it is more difficult to slide things on the rubber mat. On the other hand of course, it is also true that when you put something in the bed it stays put unless you have some pretty violent stops or pretty violent accelerations. The nice thing is that the rubber mat is removable if you want to slide things in and out more easily. (Although even the Rhino liner has a certain amount of friction, because they put sand in the goop before they spray it on your truck bed.). Good luck with your decision!

 

[JerryK]

Spray in or bedliner, you still are better off with a sheet of plywood to use sliding pallets in/out. 3/8" is plenty thick, and will last many years. Easy to slide in/out if you want. As an added benefit, you can always haul lighter stuff [ cardboard, foam panels, etc. ] under the plywood to keep it from blowing around.

 

[sklunk]

Is anybody familiar with Bed Rug? Their advertising says it's good, of course. It does appear to be pretty nice and rugged, not necessarily something you would use in a contractor truck.

Yes - that's why I recommended it in my earlier post. And I wouldn't be afraid to use it in a contractor truck.

I have had one in my 1994 Silverado for about 18 years now. It has hauled everything including topsoil, sand, concrete pavers, mulch (all dumped in with loaders) and normal stuff like toolboxes and gas cans. It is still in great shape and doesn't have any stains or tears. You just pressure wash or shop-vac it after you haul dirtier things. It holds things in place when you drive down the road. If I need to slide something I keep a sheet of plywood around that I just lay on top of the BedRug but I love that I can just open the tailgate and throw something in the bed and when I get to where I'm going it's still in the same place (and some people consider my driving style "aggressive" !)

It held up so well that when I bought my 2015 Silverado a few months ago the first thing I ordered for it was another BedRug. I don't have anything to do with the company but after the way my first one held up they have gained a customer for life!

 

[Fallon]

My 2009 Tacoma has a "plastic" bed rather than metal. It's held up great over the years. No more scratched & dinged than a metal bed, with the added benefit of scratches not rusting. It's a little on the slick side. But that is easily remedied by a bed bar a foot & a half from the tailgate to limit how far stuff can slide.

Not sure how well it would hold up to more full sized truck use, bit it's hauled a good number of loads of gravel & pallets of heavy things so far.

 

[civilian]

Don't laugh...but when I sold the truck I kept the under-rail liner...it is now in my 6X12 utility trailer and gives me 2/3rds coverage for loose materials. I made a custom tailgate for it that encloses the back section. Really great for hauling sand, gravel, etc.

What did you do with the wheel wells when the liner is in the trailer? Cut them out and replaced with something, or just lost a bit of capacity? I have hauled gravel in my utility trailer with spaces between the floor boards, and now have gravel is stuck in there. A bedliner, which I pulled out of mu Tundra, would prevent that. Jon

 

[Retiredguy2]

What did you do with the wheel wells when the liner is in the trailer? Cut them out and replaced with something, or just lost a bit of capacity? I have hauled gravel in my utility trailer with spaces between the floor boards, and now have gravel is stuck in there. A bedliner, which I pulled out of mu Tundra, would prevent that. Jon

Good query....I left the wheel wells in as the loss of capacity was not that much. I hated the thought of hauling loose material and having it trickle thru the floor board spaces...especially gravel that might damage other vehicles.

 

[civilian]

I will have to measure my bedliner in relation to my utility trailer, mostly the width. It will only cover half the length though. Need to look at tractor bucket to see if it would fit between the wheel wells. Right now I can unload the trailer with my BX 2230 FEL. Maybe a sheet of plywood down on the floor might be easier to cover the floor cracks. It sure seems like they could have kept the floor boards closer to one another. Jon

 

[Retiredguy2]

I will have to measure my bedliner in relation to my utility trailer, mostly the width. It will only cover half the length though. Need to look at tractor bucket to see if it would fit between the wheel wells. Right now I can unload the trailer with my BX 2230 FEL. Maybe a sheet of plywood down on the floor might be easier to cover the floor cracks. It sure seems like they could have kept the floor boards closer to one another. Jon

I may be wrong but doesn't all treated lumber shrink as it dries? That pretty well would explain the gaps.

 

[KennyG]

I may be wrong but doesn't all treated lumber shrink as it dries? That pretty well would explain the gaps.

Not just treated lumber, all lumber. Treated lumber shrinks more because it has more moisture from treatment. Kiln dried shrinks less which is why the process is used. I'm looking at redecking my trailer this winter and I'm thinking about buying treated lumber now and letting dry some before installation.