Pickup Bed Liner

Gomez · Mar 26, 2005

I'm debating what to use in my new truck. My old truck has the drop-in plastic liner (Duraliner). I'm comparing the spray on type (Line-X) with the standard plastic drop-in. I liked my drop in, other than things sliding around. Some times sliding is good, sometimes it's not. A friend of mine has the Line-X and he also put a mat in to help keep things put. I'm 90% sure I'm going to get the Line-X but wanted get a few opinions from here before I schedule my appointment.

I've perused the pickup sites but I honestly value the opinions here a bit more.

Thanks!

Bird · Mar 26, 2005

I had a drop in liner in my old '81 F250, a spray in liner in my '99 F150, and now have a drop in liner in my '01 Ranger (that's what they all had when I bought them and I've not changed any of them). However, I've been seriously considering stopping by the local Line-X dealer (right across the street from the Ford dealer) and see what it would cost to get the Line-X in my little Ranger. I do much prefer the spray on liners.

Robert_in_NY · Mar 26, 2005

How are the spray on liners for protecting the bed from dents? With the drop in liners if you drop a backhoe bucket in the back of the truck you don't have to worry about the fender wells or bed floor being dented up. How do the spray in liners hold up against things like 6x6 blocking, cinder blocks, steel beams and such that can do damage to metal rather easily? The reason I am asking is because we are looking at getting a new truck and are wondering about the spray in liners. Also, do they allow things to slide around like the drop in or do they have a rubber compound in them to help keep things still?

Will_C · Mar 26, 2005

Robert; I put the Rhino liner in my new truck. It is much better about things not sliding around. I have not put anything like cinder blocks, iron, etc. in it yet. I suspect it would not be as good as a plastic liner for that use.
Will

DmansPadge · Mar 26, 2005

I have also used both.. drop ins and spray in. I like the spray in by a long shot. Make sure they get down to bare metal when they spray it. I've seen a few that were done on top of the paint and it seems to chip off easier.

Bird · Mar 26, 2005

Robert, I've just had the one spray in liner myself, and don't know that it was a Line-X brand, though it appeared to be the same. And things did not slide on it much at all; an advantage sometimes, a disadvantage at others. I had occasion to move quite a bit of furniture and applicances, including a refrigerator, hauled my two wheeled dolly in it, a lawnmower a few times, and hauled lumber and a few concrete "stepping stones?" to build a porch one place, steps a couple of places, etc., but never had occasion to treat it really rough. I don't know what the original owner hauled in it, but it didn't show any wear or damage at all.

leaddog · Mar 26, 2005

Go to menards and get Herculen brush on liner. Its about $70 or if there is a rebate $50. It brushes and rolls on and it is great. I put it on my 2000 silverado when it was new and I haul things all the time. Nothing slides on it as it has groundup rubber in it. It will get scared up if you slide something real sharp but it doesn't peel off. I did put another coat on acouple years ago because I had a paint can leak and I wanted it to look good again. My son had The spray on type and mine does as good a job and it was alot less.
leaddog

willywildes · Mar 26, 2005

I bought a new truck in july. i still have not decided what to do. i had a drop in, under the rail. drove the truck for 200K miles and traded it in on a new one. no one cared what liner i had so it's hard to justify 600$ for a line-x or rino spray in liner. a new drop in with rubber bottom is 200$ I am leaning drop in. the spray look great when new but fade like a drop in after years in the sun. i think spray in for show drop in for go
Good luck!
W.W

bgott · Mar 26, 2005

I have a Line-X. It doesn't have as much padding as a Rhino but it does a good job as long as you aren't into heaving stuff into the truck. I was in a snit one day and heaved a few logs into the back and they left dents. I have hauled tons of double jamb cinder blocks and they haven't hurt it a bit but I set 'em down when I load 'em, I don't heave them. I have loaded lots of heavy metal items with the loader and haven't hurt it but I do it easy. The lining on the edge of the tailgate is getting pretty chunked up and there are a few grooves in the liner where I loaded heavy metal stuff and had a sharp edge dig in and peel the lining. It didn't happen easily, though. One thing you have to watch out for with Line-X, if you haul drywall you want to lay down a sheet of plywood first. Line-X is really rough and will abrade the first sheet you lay down. It will also eat up any sheet you let drag across the wheel wells at an angle.

Cliff_Johns · Mar 26, 2005

Last truck had a duraliner, this time I got Line-X. I prefer the Line-X. Be sure to look at some examples of the installers work. A good application is very important.

I stayed away from the apply-it-yourself liners because the opinions on the truck forums were very down on them. Many bad experiences were reported. I have not seen or had one of those.

Line-X and Rhino liner were both given very high marks with some instances of poor application. Rhino liner is a little softer and sprayed on cold. Line-X is a bit harder and sprayed on hot. I've carried a fair bit of block and wire dog crates with wire sticking out the bottom. I can't find any sign that I've used it at all except for dirt.

As I've said on this forum before, if you want a cheap liner, go to a Line-X installer and ask to take a look through the pile of liners he's taken out. You might find one that fits and get it real cheap.

Cliff

jwnge · Mar 26, 2005

I had both, my second new truck came with bed liner, I couldn't give it away, I had linex do bed and new hitch and also pipe steps on side, He put in bed almost 1/4 inch thick.I personally like it much better than liners. Bad thing about it is when you sit on tailgate, you kinda get stuck, it don't let you slide off very good... /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

Robert_in_NY · Mar 26, 2005

Thanks, things get tossed in there on a regular basis on job sites. When the trailers are hooked up you can't drop the tail gate. The Super Duties sit up quite high so most people just toss things in there. Blocks, tools, concrete anything you can imagine will be tossed back there. One of the trucks does not have any liner in it and it is beat up quite bad and it does not get a quarter of the heavy use as the 250. I do think I will stick with the drop in liner though. They have worked well for us and I don't want to try something new without some guarantee. Thanks again for your insight on this.

stevenf · Mar 26, 2005

Robert, I've got LineX in my F350 ranch truck and it gets abused a lot with heavy stuff and I've been impressed up until a couple of months ago. I hauled some 1-1/4 x 10' Pvc home from HomeDepot its only about 10 miles from the ranch and in order to close my camper cover shell back window I had to put the pipe in at an angle and flex it a bit when I got home the ends of the pipe had dug completely through to the metal. My mistake but supposedly LineX is Lifetime guaranteed not to do this so as soon as I get a chance I'll take it back to the LineX dealer and see if the warranty holds up or not, when I got mine done in 2000 they didn't have it stated on their paperwork so I made them write it on the invoice so we'll have to see how they stand behind their application. If they do it has been far superior to a drop in especially with the cover off and Icey weather a drop in is darn slick as the knot on my forehead could tell you and the LineX hasn't given me the I'm skating for the cab feeling once yet which also means when you want something to slide nicely out your SOL you end up having to walk it out if its very heavy.
Steve

Boondox · Mar 27, 2005

( How are the spray on liners for protecting the bed from dents? With the drop in liners if you drop a backhoe bucket in the back of the truck you don't have to worry about the fender wells or bed floor being dented up. How do the spray in liners hold up against things like 6x6 blocking, cinder blocks, steel beams and such that can do damage to metal rather easily? The reason I am asking is because we are looking at getting a new truck and are wondering about the spray in liners. Also, do they allow things to slide around like the drop in or do they have a rubber compound in them to help keep things still? )

Robert -- Those are the reasons I initially went with a drop in on my Dodge Dakota, and while it protected the bed from dents when I was tossing chunks of rock maple or stone for repairing my walls there were many things I disliked about it. Things slid easier in the drop in, and while that made sliding heavy things out the back end easier it also resulted in the tailgate being bowed when a heavy maple log slid back like a battering ram. Also, I slipped a few times when standing back there in manure-covered boots. But the biggest drawback was my drop in liner bowed up in hot weather, so all kinds of stuff (hay, pine needles, dirt, gravel) would get between the bed and the liner.

I finally traded up to a Line-X in the Dakota, and when I got my Silverado there was no question; it also got a Line-X. Because I transport sheep occasionally, I did like Gomez' buddy and bought one of those rubber bed mats. It's the best of both worlds IMO. I can move anything without fear of damage...and the floor is soft and sure enough so the sheep don't slip and fall while being transported.

Pete

Robert_in_NY · Mar 27, 2005

You say the spray on liner is soft? I only looked at one truck with it at a show a few years back and it seemed hard (don't remember the brand). If it is soft then it seems like it would gouge easily like the bedliners do. If it is hard I am afraid that it will break from heavy use. It is nothing for us to have 3000 pounds of materials, feed or seed in the back of there and whatever we use has to hold up.

The drop in liners do allow dirt and such underneath them. I have not worried about that much yet as we trade trucks off every 6-8 years. If the bed has a drop in liner it looks nice. I am just worried that for our use the spray in liner won't protect the bed from dents. And if the bed gets dented I fear it will weaken the liner and result in us having to repair the liner on a regular basis. I guess I will go talk to the spray on liner people and see what they say and also see if they have done any trucks for other contractors. If so I will talk to them and see how their trucks are holding up.

Bird · Mar 27, 2005

( 600$ for a line-x or rino )

If that price is even close to right, then I don't even need to stop by the Line-X dealer. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif I'd prefer the spray in liner, but I can live with the drop in liner that I now have. /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

jwstewar · Mar 27, 2005

What I do is a drop-in with a mat over it. Stops stuff from sliding for the most part. Also makes dirt/mulch easier to unload because it doesn't get down in all of the little grooves. Now if I am loading something and I want it to slide, I can move the mat out of the way. I've thought about the sprays, but the dents worry move. I've thrown concrete blocks into the bed of my last 2 trucks and not hurt anything. I plan on keeping this truck for awhile, so I guess I'll have to see in a few years if I make the same decision again.

willywildes · Mar 27, 2005

some of the new drop in liners have a stickier bottom. I always put a strap around most stuff to keep it from sliding or a cargo pole across the bed. 600$ or more is the price in Ca for spray in. both brands are within 25$. you can usually find a 25$ off coupon in the nickel saver. your price may very

W.W

SnowRidge · Mar 27, 2005

I never have liked bedliners. They make the installation of a shell difficult sometimes. They often reduce cargo capacity. Things slide around on them, and some of them trap moisture underneath and promote rust.

For all these reasons, I prefer and use a rubber bed mat. It's cheaper too.

RoyJackson · Mar 27, 2005

"both brands are within 25$"

Since when did folks start putting the dollar sign behind the amount? That may be common in Europe with the euro, but I think it's supposed to be $25.

Or...am I just that much out of touch with the rest of the world?