Installed and checked out the 3W bed mat

[berb]

Interesting. They have spray rubber out there. I am surprised LineX or someone doesn't include rubber in their spray in products, so people do not have to add bed mats.

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[Bandit’s Lair]

Interesting. They have spray rubber out there. I am surprised LineX or someone doesn't include rubber in their spray in products, so people do not have to add bed mats.

They would if it wasn’t subject to UV damage probably. Over time rubber type materials tend to break down. A bed mat in an open bed will do the same. It’ll take a while but it happens. Putting these liners under a bed cap or a tonneau cover helps with that but will eventually break down to a point as well due to use and impacts. It may take 10-12 years but at their price point they will have paid for themselves in keeping the bed dent free and owners unfrustrated by gear not moving around in the bed.

 

[KevinM60]

Today I managed to get my JT into the shop and do some prep work for a big trip coming up.
I thought first things first - let's give this 3W bed mat a try.

I'll have several pictures, maybe a question or two, even a question for the 3W folks, and seek a couple of opinions, and add some comments with the pictures where needed.

But first my initial thoughts:

That thins is WELL MADE. I like the material and the fit, especially around the back and side is pretty much perfection. It's been in a box for a while so the front hasn't settled down nice yet, but the back has and the fit is amazing sides and rear (as the front warms and settles, I'll check that out)

The magnets are strong even through the factory bed liner. It should not shift under even some rough use.

I emptied the bed, removed the sand bags (put them back later) and duct taped the obvious leaks. I vacuumed the sand and dirt out - didn't want the mat sitting on crud.

Now for the slightly bad - as I cleaned the bed of the truck and unfolded the mat - I had this "uh-oh" thought..... I have a tailgate gap filler and when you close the tailgate, that gap filler sort of "folds up" with the tail gate with a large radius that extended onto the bed floor about an inch. With that gap filler in place AND the mat, you can't close the tailgate. The gap filler wants to lift the mat as it curves up when you close the tailgate.

If you do not have a tailgate gap filler, it won't matter.
If you do, you may have two choices -
installer the gap filler ON the mat and not the truck's bed floor,
or
Trim the mat back about half an inch?

Sandbags rolled back off the bed floor and bed cleaned up. You can see the tailgate gap cover in this first picture - it prevents rock, sand, gravel, debris, whatever, from falling between the bed and tailgate, maybe even wedging in there.

Mat in, sandbags back in place - you can see the mat, and the tailgap filler piece here. I need to wipe down the mat - got my footprints all over it rolling the sandbags back in (70 pounds each)

I hope this settles down and lays flat...........

The fit back here is amazing! Not too tight, no gap

The tailgate gap filler needs to start folding or rolling up back here, about an inch under the back edge of the mat, so the mat prevents that.........

This is as far as you can close it without forcing it or lifting up the rear of the mat with that filler in place.
So, do I trim back the mat a bit??????????????

That’s a nice fit. I’ve been looking for something to spend my Christmas money on and a bed mat is a good choice. 3W has a 30% off new year’s special right now so I ordered one. Thanks for putting this info up here.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

That’s a nice fit. I’ve been looking for something to spend my Christmas money on and a bed mat is a good choice. 3W has a 30% off new year’s special right now so I ordered one. Thanks for putting this info up here.

You will like it. I love this one, my only thing is I have something most jt owners won't have....that gap piece. Otherwise, it's in and done and great fit.

 

[KevinM60]

You will like it. I love this one, my only thing is I have something most jt owners won't have....that gap piece. Otherwise, it's in and done and great fit.

Now I need to find a decent tailgate mat to go with it.

 

[abuf16]

I have the exact same setup, Bedliner and gapshield. The tailgate end of the gapshield slides up the tailgate when closing. Mine opens and closes fine and both work great. Is yours not hinging correctly? Installation looks just like mine.

 

[Jteakus]

My spray in is so rough I have to use knee pads. I may lay this over it so I can ditch them.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Why both - why the liner and the mat? The liner is hard, protects the bed sides against dings and scratches and takes away the slickness of paint.
Some stuff slides on it - but many things won't slide on the MOPAR spray in stuff - like the sandbags below - don't even think of dragging them across that liner - they'll be ripped open. Suit cases, bags and so on can be damaged.
And in the summer, it's hell on knees if you aren't wearing long pants and if you are, it will take away months of wear on the knees in a single day.
It's hard to sweep, even tough to vacuum but even if stuff gets under the mat, it's not going to hurt the bed below with the liner there, too.

The mat can be swept, won't damage anything laid on it, including your knees and prevents staining of the bed floor below (unless you have a BIG spill.

I had a mat in my Comanche years ago - nice mat, more like "tire" material, but stuff could still damage the sides of the bed because I had no spray-in liner.
I had no tonneau cover - not with the light bar.. I abused that poor little truck, it was my farm truck and daily driver for years. The mat never did get damaged. (wish I still had that truck)

I don't like full liners that drop in and go up the side - been that route with two trucks. They expanded and shrank so much with heat and cold and ended up wearing the paint off the bed below!

I have the exact same setup, Bedliner and gapshield. The tailgate end of the gapshield slides up the tailgate when closing. Mine opens and closes fine and both work great. Is yours not hinging correctly? Installation looks just like mine.

There was so much pressure on the gapshield thing, the tailgate was almost impossible to close. The mat wanted to fold it in an unnatural place.
Resolved now, though.
In the end, I ended up cutting the mat back to the place the gapshield hinged on the bed. This made it better two ways - the shield worked as if there was no mat, and the end of the mat is now on the low point of the shield making it almost as if they were made to work together.
I made 3 cuts and tested each time - it ended up at 1" to make the shield hinge where it was made to hinge and not fold in the middle.
No way I was taking that mat back out - 210 pounds of sand bags I can barely lift!, then to remove the wood frame holding them? Nope.

So I went upstairs, grabbed a long strip of 1/8" masonite to shield the gap shield from the knife and protect the knife blade, and used another as a straight edge. I used my square to make lines with a pen. The silver marks seen are where the gapshield "hinges" on the part that mounts to the truck bed floor.

Tailgate up, working great!

Nice fit elsewhere, too.

 

[abuf16]

That looks great. I second the fit and performance. Spray in liner protects the truck, 3w bed mat protects gear and knees. I installed the gapshield and ESI Ultimate Tailgate Seal primarily to keep dust out.

Questions? 1) do you attach that versatrac to your 2x4. 2) what’s your assessment of winter driving with the sandbags? Thanks

 

[ShadowsPapa]

That looks great. I second the fit and performance. Spray in liner protects the truck, 3w bed mat protects gear and knees. I installed the gapshield and ESI Ultimate Tailgate Seal primarily to keep dust out.

Questions? 1) do you attach that versatrac to your 2x4. 2) what’s your assessment of winter driving with the sandbags? Thanks

The track is there to remind me that I need to reinstall it in this truck along the tops of the bed rails. It will go on the sides of the bed like the trail rails or whatever MOPAR calls them.

The sandbag weight is there to help balance out the 300 pound snow plow when it's mounted on the front.
It doesn't hurt on some of our roads and highways with snow pack, but if not for the plow, it probably wouldn't be there.

 

[rharr]

I like the "SMARTLINER All Weather Custom Fit 5 ft Rugged Bed Mat Compatible with 2020-2025 Jeep Gladiator" mat better, it's thicker and heavier and doesn't move around, plus it fills in the corrugation of the bed and smooths things out and is easier on the knees for crawling around in it and is comfortable to sleep on.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Heck, I sleep in mine, too - the corrugations - never an issue.

I want the corrugations there - keeps boxes and luggage up off the bed floor and allows water to run under cardboard boxes or bags or luggage.
I'm really glad this mat has them and is form-fitted. I've had a flat mat before -any time water got in, stuff got soaked.

This mat will never move around - the snug fit all around, the STRONG magnets, the form fit, it ain't gonna move, trust me.

If the corrugations were an issue - I'd know about it. One of the things that goes with severe ADHD is what they call "princess and the pea" syndrome. If there's a wrinkle in a sheet or pillowcase, I'll know it and not be able to sleep.

For weight - with only 850 pounds payload, I don't exactly want a 50 pound mat back there, this is plenty heavy enough to prevent damage unless I'm loading up an engine block and drop it.

So in short, I'm 100% fine - and happy with - this mat. It holds stuff up if water gets in, it isn't possible for it to move around or shift out of place, it's easy on the knees and hands, I can use the tailgate as a work area and toss tools onto it and it's quiet and safe if I'm clumsy about it.

 

[Stan H]

Today I managed to get my JT into the shop and do some prep work for a big trip coming up.
I thought first things first - let's give this 3W bed mat a try.

I'll have several pictures, maybe a question or two, even a question for the 3W folks, and seek a couple of opinions, and add some comments with the pictures where needed.

But first my initial thoughts:

That thins is WELL MADE. I like the material and the fit, especially around the back and side is pretty much perfection. It's been in a box for a while so the front hasn't settled down nice yet, but the back has and the fit is amazing sides and rear (as the front warms and settles, I'll check that out)

The magnets are strong even through the factory bed liner. It should not shift under even some rough use.

I emptied the bed, removed the sand bags (put them back later) and duct taped the obvious leaks. I vacuumed the sand and dirt out - didn't want the mat sitting on crud.

Now for the slightly bad - as I cleaned the bed of the truck and unfolded the mat - I had this "uh-oh" thought..... I have a tailgate gap filler and when you close the tailgate, that gap filler sort of "folds up" with the tail gate with a large radius that extended onto the bed floor about an inch. With that gap filler in place AND the mat, you can't close the tailgate. The gap filler wants to lift the mat as it curves up when you close the tailgate.

If you do not have a tailgate gap filler, it won't matter.
If you do, you may have two choices -
installer the gap filler ON the mat and not the truck's bed floor,
or
Trim the mat back about half an inch?

Sandbags rolled back off the bed floor and bed cleaned up. You can see the tailgate gap cover in this first picture - it prevents rock, sand, gravel, debris, whatever, from falling between the bed and tailgate, maybe even wedging in there.

Mat in, sandbags back in place - you can see the mat, and the tailgap filler piece here. I need to wipe down the mat - got my footprints all over it rolling the sandbags back in (70 pounds each)

I hope this settles down and lays flat...........

The fit back here is amazing! Not too tight, no gap

The tailgate gap filler needs to start folding or rolling up back here, about an inch under the back edge of the mat, so the mat prevents that.........

This is as far as you can close it without forcing it or lifting up the rear of the mat with that filler in place.
So, do I trim back the mat a bit??????????????

I really like mine and alsonI dont have the gap filler
But it would probably help to make a perfect fit for you , I just feel like unless you cut a couple 2x4's to clamp down tight on each side of that mat before trimming it will be difficult to make a straight cut .

 

[4-Low]

My favorite thing is the gap filler. Some other brands offer similar feature but the 3W mat looks real nice and that gap filler is a game changer.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

I really like mine and alsonI dont have the gap filler
But it would probably help to make a perfect fit for you , I just feel like unless you cut a couple 2x4's to clamp down tight on each side of that mat before trimming it will be difficult to make a straight cut .

2x4s would get in the way of the knife, and frankly, using masonite as a straight edge worked great. Several shallow cuts got it.

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