Bed is made of a tin can

[DarthAWM]

What you really want

further more
the engine the want in it

the kind of mileage they want it to get

How they want it to ride

And that they want it to cost

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[FloridaAussie]

Portions of the bed are made of aluminum, and with CAFE standards everything has to be made lighter.

I haul a lot of firewood, and I toss it in, I don't have the time to put it in gently.

What's the saying about how much wood would a woo chuck chuck?

I chuck the wood!

I've had spray in liners, they are purty, but don't last if you use your truck like a truck.

Too the constant returns for touch ups get old.

I put a drop in liner shortly after buying it.

It's been in close to four years.

There's a wive's tale about them causing wear to the bed and causing corrosion.

A falsehood, I've been using drop ins for years.

Pulled it out at the beginning of this season, clean as new.

Prior to reinstall just like prior to first installation I put a heavy coat of unbuffed past wax on the bed.

Rugged Liner, at the time $199.00 installed.

In todays' economy I'm sure it has gone up.

I've had those kind of bedliners before. They're not bad at all. I wonder how they'd ship one though? Seems like a box might not be big enough. $275 for a Gladiator today, which is a very reasonable price considering the alternative - $600 for LineX.

 

[Uparms]

So is the body. Easy dents. Hard to avoid.

 

[foolthrottle]

My old PowerWagon wood truck and helpers

 

[OVERLORD]

I've had those kind of bedliners before. They're not bad at all. I wonder how they'd ship one though? Seems like a box might not be big enough. $275 for a Gladiator today, which is a very reasonable price considering the alternative - $600 for LineX.

They come kind of rolled up. They have to sit in the sun for a while to regain their original shape.

 

[FloridaAussie]

They come kind of rolled up. They have to sit in the sun for a while to regain their original shape.

Okay! Thank you, have been thinking about a spray in liner for the last 3 years, so maybe one of these placky liners will be in my future. Good decisions take time.

 

[BearFootSam]

A little common sense goes a long way. The truck could have a bed that is virtually dent proof, made of 1/8" cold rolled steel. But it'd cost payload and fuel while being excessive for most use cases.
Alternatively, you can have a lighter bed that is sufficiently durable for 90% of daily use and layer on additional protection as needed, forgoing the disadvantages.

Buy a sheet of 1/8" hardboard or plywood and cut to fit with a jigsaw. Toss it down when you need a protective surface. The increased friction and tendency to deform slightly when a hard load is properly strapped down will reduce the likelihood of sliding.

I feel like we need driver's-ed to include securing loads with the popularity of pickups. If we are carrying a transmission or something similarly dense, we must consider the dynamic loads. Under emergency braking will the load come through the rear bulkhead into the cabin? Are we going to bounce down a fire road?
Is there enough friction between the bed and the load to prevent fore-aft movement or do you need to center it with opposing ratchet straps?

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