Not sure if the Search function is being dumb, but I didn't find the answer...

What years of bedliners interchange for the Ranger pick-ups? I have an 87 4X4 Standard cab and when I hit up the junkyard in a couple weeks what other year of Rangers can I also look at?

Just not sure if the Ranger is similar to the Full size trucks that use plastic bedliners from 74-96. (I intentionaly left out 73 since it has the unique wheel wells)



Josh

 

Bed liners from 83 thru 92 will work for your truck. And if you have a short bed (6ft), then you can also look for them on the Supercab Rangers of the same years mentioned. The long bed (7ft) only came on a standard cab truck. 1993 is when the body style changed. Have you tried other on-line listings? Good luck with your search.

 

I tried Duraliner which went back to 99 and a couple other vendors which was also a wash. But noticed they wouldn't list for the full sized trucks past 87 when it us common knowledge the liners and the actual bed floor is the same from 74 to 96.

Till 92 huh? That should work, plenty of Rangers at the yard.

Josh

 

The problem with drop in liners is that instead of protecting the bed, they destroy it. I would rather just pay up for a spray on liner. Trust me I know what happens to the bed when a drop in is used. Even when they seem to be properly secured, they expand and contract as they heat up, the do shift around, and this causes them to rub through the paint. Once they get through, water gets trapped between the liner and the bed and rusts it away. A spray on liner is one with the bed, it expands and contracts at the same rate, it does not rub through the paint, it becomes the paint, and it does not trap water. At the end of the day, if I was going to spend any money and effort to protect the bed, I would do it right. Costs about $500 to have this professionally done.

 

I tend to agree. I have a 2000 with a bed liner and if you look under the liner you would have a hard time finding any paint left on the bed. My next Ranger will have a spray liner. The only way to go. My opinion.

 

LINE-X will fit just fine in there.

 

I don't remember asking for an opinion on the merits of drop-in Bedliners versus other methods... This isn't my first Ford Truck nor my first time with Bedliners guys.

Josh

 

I don't care for either the plastic drop in liners or the spray in type.
The drop in liners allow stuff to slide around like it's sitting on ice. The spray on type don't offer much more grip. Using either type of bed liner means that you are faced with 2 choices when using the truck for hualing stuff, tie everything down really well, or beat the heck outta the inside of the bed and whatever you are hauling. It's not exactly easy to tie down some smaller items, unless you add tie down points to the floor of the bed.

I prefer the rubber mat that lays on the floor of the bed. Holds small yet heavy items pretty good, like cyl heads and engine blocks. Can be removed easily for hauling dirt/sand/gravel, or cleaning out the leftovers afterwards.
I've had one of these in my last 3 full size trucks, the same mat in fact. Granted, it doesn't fit quite right since it was designed for a chevy, and I only own fords, but I found it laying in the middle of the road. It's one of the real heavy type, so it rolled off a flatbed or trailer.
Just watch out for the lighter weight mats. They have a tendancy to blow out of an empty bed at around 75 MPH or more....... These should be left rolled up and stored away until they are actually needed. The heavy ones will not budge, regardless of how fast you're driving.

 

I agree in plastic liners allowing crap to slide around.

I hate the spray in crap, IMO it ruins the bed.

Hadn't given too much thought to the mats, sounds like a good idea to keep crap from sliding around and it's removable.

Josh

 

I agree about spray in crap ruining the bed. Especially when they fail to clear the drains out after spraying. They then hold water, just like the drop in plastic liners do.
I had a plastic drop in once. It was given to me. I hated it, and gave it away with the same clause, no takebacks........

 

Yeah, the rubber bed mats have good points too, like not letting stuff slide around and it's easy to remove. I've got one of those too but sometimes I want more protection of the side of the bed so the liner is best for that. For gravel or dirt. Just depends on what you usually carry around back there. Maybe while you're at the yard you might find a good mat.

 

Wow, I'm surprised my last response *actually* posted. I got caught up in the noon-ish forum death crawl. I think I hit "post reply" 5 times, and finally just closed the page completely. Seems nearly everyday, right at noon (central), this site just becomes totally non-responsive. Lasts from 5 to 25 minutes........

 

For me, a combination of a spray on liner with a rubber mat would give the best of all worlds. To me a spray in liner does not ruin the bed if done properly, but you are right, it doesn't protect what you are hauling.

 

The site has been attacked by hackers lately.

Josh

 

I have a spray in that is much better than the Rhino or Line-X. Try a Reflex brand liner. They have a very rubbery texture. actually makes it kinda hard to slide things around in the bed. Much better than the other brands out there and I have had it for 7 years now and not a single problem with it. It does hold water but I told them to leave the drains be as it doesn't bother me but I did have them pull the bed bolts and the tailgate access panel bolts.