Any suggestions on a good bedliner. 6' bed.

 

Drop in's are OK. Something like duraliner or pendaliner. Most like the spray in's such as Line-X, Rhino, & Perma-Tech. I don't have one yet as I can't make up my mind on how to spend my mod money but others will be along shortly to give further advise.

 

I went with Line-X. I am very happy with it. I can through anything in the back and it holds up. I have had it for almost a year with no touble. Ihave heard of trouble with it. I wonder if it has to do with the way it was applied.

 

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/s...d+%2Bduraliner

I went with the factory liner for $179.

Matt

 

Thurs. 03/05/08 12:45 EDT
post #9

Walt-NJ:

Here are links to some drop-in liner manufacturers:

http://www.durakon.com
http://www.pendacorp.com
http://www.tuffliner.com
http://www.bakliner.com/bakliner.htm

In addition to these moulded polyethylene liners and the spray or brush-on polyurethane coatings previously mentioned, you might also consider this concept:

http://www.bed-rug.com

I opted for the Durakon (or Duraliner) Under Rail(as opposed to Above Rail) drop-in liner, available as a Ford Accessory. Durakon manufactures the liners and imprints the oval Ford logo on the front inside wall. The liner is installed at the dealership by a "Ford-authorized" installer, but I'm sure you could purchase one directly and select your own installer. Some features you might want to ask about:

How are the (4) tie-down bed hooks accessed, after the liner has been installed? Durakon's solution is to mould 2 large rectangular openings into the front left and right corners of the liner. The front tie-down hooks are then removed, a separate moulded corner section is installed in the large rectangular opening, and the hook is then re-fastened(using slightly longer-than-stock bolts) over the corner section. This means that, while the front hooks are readily accessible, an extra (non-watertight) seam has been introduced. Their solution for the rear hooks is to mould in a circular opening of approximately 3" in diameter, which is then filled with a rubber grommet. While more moisture-resistant than the front, this introduces 3 problems: First, the hooks are not readily accessible; the grommets must be removed and stored(and don't lose 'em!); second, the liner is now completely UNwater-resistant while the rear hooks are in use; third, the hooks are recessed so deeply behind the 3" opening that threading a strap through them is excessively difficult. The liners don't fit tightly to the corners of the box and in fact, waste a considerable amount of cargo space for no reason that I can observe.

For some reason, the box liners I've observed on the f-150s are done properly: all 4 hooks are removed, the liner is installed, and the hooks are reinstalled over the liner, pinning it to the truck box. All 4 hooks are readily accessible, no plugs to remove, replace and possibly lose, and the moisture resisting function of the liner is not compromised by additional seams or openings. I don't understand why the super-duty box liners aren't the same.

The spray or brush-on polyurethane coatings preclude all these issues, but introduce several others:

1.You can't (easily) remove them;
2.If the surface is not properly prepared prior to installation, the coatings can begin to lift and bubble after a period of time. "Proper" preparation involves a very thorough scuffing of all painted surfaces of the inside box. (this second point was made to me by my local trailer hitch installer; it may or may not be entirely valid).

For 2002 and a short time in 2003, GMC and Chevy offered an all-plastic truck box and tailgate option they called Pro-Tec:

http://www.chevrolet.com/silverado/protec.htm
http://www.globalcomposites.com/news...he.asp?id=252&

It was only offered on the short box option(why?), apparently didn't sell well(marketing was pretty lousy), and I've been told that it is now discontinued! I still think an all plastic box IS the ideal solution, however.

 

I like my Line-X "contractor grade" spray-in (<a href="http://www.line-x.com" target="_blank">www.line-x.com</a>). I have loaded and unloaded a bed full of concrete landscaping blocks (among other things) by sliding them in and out - without a scratch. It comes with a lifetime waranty, so if you do chip it, or it fades, they will fix it free. It also doesn't have those narrow grooves that rocks like to get stuck in the way drop-ins do, and the tow hooks don't get crowded by the cowls that were mentioned in MMMark's post. If you load and unload by yourself (like I do), be sure to get something that allows you to slide-load it. Some of the spay-ins are non-slip surfaces, which can make it tougher to load and unload, so be sure to see examples of them in person when deciding.

 

I have had line-x in my last 3 trucks I love the stuff even my 9 inch carbides from my snowmobile dont faze it

 

I got the Rhino lining. I've had it for a year and a half and not a problem. I had a bed liner in my 87 pickup and liked it, then i got the new 02 and tried the spray in liner. I'll never go back to the bed liner.

Hope this helps,
Pat

 

Wow! Thanks for the insight.

During lunch today, I went down to a Car Parts store. I got the rubber mat for now. I'll see if maybe that's all i need. It was $50. My wife bitched at me because she said people warned her that it would cause the bed to rust, but my Dad had one for 13 years on his pickup. When he would drive you could see the airflow under the mat. It always dried nicely.

I'm not using the truck to haul 90% of the time. Just want to protect the bed from getting all scuffed to heck.

BTW, the large screws in the bed of the truck...are they to be removed for accessories of some sort?

Thanks. You folks are very helpful.

 

Ummm.... you mean the bolts that hold the bed to the frame?

 

I guess....just wondering if that's what they were, or if the bed was attached underneath and they were for putting in hooks or something else.

Dumb question I guess.

 

That isn't a dumb question. If you didn't know now you do.

They hold the bed to the frame.

 

Walt;

Sorry I didn't pick up on this thread sooner, but here's something you might try next time:




Rick

 

My next truck will have Rhino or Line-X and a rubber bed mat. (the mat is for the camper).

All my other ones have been drop-ins, but I think the new technology of linings is better now.

 

My personal experience with bedliners are as follows: On my 95 F150 I had a drop in bedliner that came with the truck from dealer, The liner moved around in the bed and wore off the paint,on top of that, leaves and dirt acumulated under liner and trapped moisture and surface rust started showing up around the seams NEVER again!!! On my 98 f150 I had the rhino liner sprayed in, it works, but the black faded to a gray color and I did'nt care for that for the money I spent! On my 00 F150 I just put a rubber mat on the floor and that worked perfect for my needs! Now on my 02 F250 SD I installed a Bedrug and put a ARE fiberglass cover on it, this way no rain or snow will get in bed and for my needs this is perfect!! For hauling of any rocks or junk that would damage the bed, I have a dump trailer for that!

Hope this helps, Lenny