Tell me about bed liner experience

[crazyal]

Funny. As i'm typing this I'm also watching Mythbusters. They are testing spray in bedliner to see if it's bomb proof by spraying it on both a wooden wall and a brick wall.

I've never had a spray in liner or even the type of drop in liner that stops short of the top of the bed sides. As a result ever truck I've had has had the paint worn off by the edge of the liner. After 20 years, other than looks it hasn't been a problem. I'm thinking of going with a spray in liner on my next truck. I have a heavy duty rack that fits into the stake holes on the bed. It uses a bolt through a hole in the bed side to hold it in place. With the drop in liner I had to drill large holes to get to the bolts without removing the liner.

If you are worried about stuff sliding around then buy yourself a rubber bed mat. They aren't too expensive and absolutely nothing slides (other than an accident).

 

[Industrial Toys]

A rubber mat seems like a great idea except I'm sure it would hold moisture more than a plastic one. My Plastic Trail FX one kind of buckles in the sun, annoying, but let's it breath a bit better.

 

[prichard]

My 2009 Tacoma has a plastic bed, which has held up well for above average truck usage for a Tacoma. It is slick, which is a blessing & a curse. Easy to slide stuff in & out, but it slides on it's own when driving.

My solution has been a bed bar. It's just a ratchet strap mechinism on 2 nested tubes. The gear on the ratchet pushes on notches in the inner tube. It jams in right enough to keep any reasonable load from sliding around.

Doesnt answer your spray in liner question, but is hopefully a solution to the sliding issues of a drop in liner.

Thank you. I have not ruled out plastic ones. I do like being able to slide things around. Especially on the property or while loading or unloading before strapping.

 

[timswi]

I have a factory GMC spray on bedliner along with a rubber bed mat I've had for like 15 years...Just move it from truck to truck when I buy a new one. So far so good.

 

[Beltzington]

I decided against a spray in bed liner for two reasons. What is the point, in a few months it will be dirty and damaged and add nothing to the resale value. Second, it is more difficult (expensive) to replace a a damaged liner than add a new one. Be proud of the dings and scratches, lets people know you didn't buy the truck to haul groceries, I can recall most of the jobs when they happened. If you decide to sell the truck cover them all up with a nice brand new liner which will add value to the truck.

 

[nbking]

First thing I have done with all my trucks line-x spray in bed liner. The stuff is awesome. Lasts forever and is very durable. I'm sure rhino liner is just as good too, just never used it.

 

[ruffdog]

It will depend on how you use your truck bed. I've had a couple different varieties of the spray-in liner and about all they are good for is to keep stuff for sliding around. The drop-in liners I had provided much better impact protection because of the thick corrugations on the bottom. I have a habit of throwing in tools, fence posts - and mainly firewood - into the bed of my trucks, sometimes from a distance. A spray-in liner will not prevent dents in the bed from that kind of use, even with a bed mat. No problem with the drop-in liner.

I agree. I haul firewood and farming stuff in the back.

 

[Jstpssng]

A rubber mat seems like a great idea except I'm sure it would hold moisture more than a plastic one. My Plastic Trail FX one kind of buckles in the sun, annoying, but let's it breath a bit better.

Not as much as you may think. My Ranger has a sprayed in liner and a bed mat, and there seems to be enough air circulation underneath so that it dries. My company trucks always come with factory plastic bed liners, but they have holes cut into them so that you can access the tie down spots in the bed so I'm sure that some water gets in. I much prefer the sprayed on, but since they trade every 3 years it wouldn't be worth the extra money.
I park both trucks facing downhill when expecting rain, if I closed the tailgate in my Ranger I could haul water up and irrigate my garden before the water ran completely out.

 

[Industrial Toys]

The nasty gouges and scrapes in my bedliner were ALL caused by my groceries and my sisters furniture. This truck was NEVER used!

 

[QRTRHRS]

I have a factory GMC spray on bedliner along with a rubber bed mat I've had for like 15 years...Just move it from truck to truck when I buy a new one. So far so good.

That sounds about like the best solution to me over a flatbed. I admit to only having one slide in bed liner over the years. When I pulled it out to repaint the truck there were rub marks almost to bare metal from vibration. That and as said, the sliding around issue.

If you truly use a truck as a truck, once you have a flatbed you likely will not ever want a stock bed again.