Thats the problem. .. I want to use it as a truck no cover... first time I haul dirt in the bed the cracks get full of material and then it will start to squeek and make noise because there are small rocks cought between two pieces of aluminum. .. why didn't Ford put seam sealer on the seams?

 

The bed rug would solve all of the dust/dirt being splashed up but then you have the same issue that the drop in liners have and the moisture build up between the bed and the liner creating rust, although this shouldn't be a problem with the aluminum now.

Ford has designed these gaps to be bigger than normal due to something with the aluminum and how the aluminum handles the flex. Generally aluminum scratches and dents more easily than steel, it will also wear through easier when a metal is constantly rubbed in the same spot due to it being a softer metal. This isn't just with the f250's, search the f150 forums and you can see all of their complaints with the new aluminum bed having these same gaps. Ford is doing this on purpose.

From the original pictures most of the mud seemed to be around the tailgate area. Putting a tonneau cover on a truck creates an airflow vacuum pulling air up from the ground area due to the faster traveling air being over the top of the truck (similar to a plane flying). If you were to lay in your bed of your truck with the tonneau cover on you would be able to feel this air being pulled in and up at speed. This is solved without the tonneau cover by an air bubble being created in the bed which allows the air to flow over the bed as long as the tailgate is up. The tonneau cover eliminates this air bubble and causes that vacuum effect. This will result in more mud/dirt/water being sucked up into your bed. This is why tonneau cover companies have started making their tailgate/bed seal kits. This problem is pretty much eliminated by not having a tonneau cover on it. I have driven through quite a bit of mud and water with the underside of my truck being covered in brown mud water and very little has been inside the bed. When I put a tonneau cover on I expect to have to seal some of the gaps to stop this vacuum effect.

Edit* ever see a guy on a motorcycle with his shirt being pulled up in the back? Same principle as to why his shirt gets pulled up. Also think about that old soda pop can or water bottle in that you left in the bed of the truck. It flew around in the air behind you but never once left your bed due to the air bubble created.

 

How about a Rubber Bed Matt? May cover? Just a thought.

 

My solution is to look at adding the Wheel wells - this should stop the issue. Husky brand is my choice.

Already have a BedRug mat in there.

 

I will be adding wheel well liners, and a Line-X spray in to mine, however I never expected a pickup bed to be a sealed storage compartment in the first place.

Happy Trails
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I have to say I was surprised to see these gaps after picking up my 2017 F350 last week. Even with the Ford factory spray-in bed liner... some of these gaps are large and seem excessive. None of my GM trucks had any gaps like this - just a few drain holes. It must be an issue with the aluminum.

 

I have posted this before on here somewhere but will post again. Go to the hardware store and pick up a can of Plastidip. You can get it in a lot of colors but I got mine in black to go with the spray in bedliner. It is pliable rubber and you can fill in the gaps. It works great and will prevent dust, water etc. from coming in the bed from the underside.
I used a piece of wire to dip into the can and get some of the Plastidip on it. It is a thick liquid. You can then fill in the gaps and it dries very quickly.

 

are you kidding?? they sprayed bed liner over your chrome tie downs? WOW

 

Caulk and a Bedrug works for me also have the Factory liner so it was not real bad to start with, its not really caulk its the putty that the guys who installed my ARE topper used. I think they get it from a local body shop supply place its body panel seam sealer putty if i remember right.

 

It's called mass production and obviously Ford hasn't perfected their construction using aluminum. But it's close enough obviously that hundreds of thousands of customers spend upwards of $80k on a $35k pickup trucks. In a couple years they cost more than $90k with the top end trucks over $100k.

Now Ford knows it's only money and customers will pay for features and perceived value.

Reality knows many 10-15 year old trucks are still hard at work today, working as well as they did when they were bought. Main difference, only camera your 20 year old truck had was the Polaroid you carried with you, today the little cameras are built-in, now that's progress and definitely worth and additional $55k.

 

This is the best rubberized sealant. I use it on solar mount flashings, bonds well and dries flexible like the rubber on a tire. Black is the only color. Cut the nozzle thin to work the sealant into the gap, and smooth with a rag.

 

I was a bit surprised to see this big of a gap. Even the bedliner didn't cover it. I wonder how big it was before the bedliner? Pondering whether to caulk it or not.

 

I have those as well. Plus ones by tailgate tool bucket fell over on windy road people where honking and found alot of small tools fell out.

 

Yeah mines like that also..gap in the front portion of the bed on the passenger side.. Im not too worried about it since itll give a place for water to drain. But if it becomes a problem somehow then il just caulk it.

 

I have to call B.S. on anyone who claims these gaps are a design. In my opinion they are way too random and irregular to be of any design. Some are at the front. Some are along the sides at the front. Some are along the wheel wells and some are along the sides at the rear. I call poor engineering and fit. I've been driving Fords my entire driving life which started when I was 11 on the farm. I've personally owned 76's. 77's, 78's, 79's, 84's, 86's, 95's, 2000, 2003, 2013 and now a 2017. The 13 wasn't the greatest especially when it came to electrical gremlins and poor mileage of the 3.5 ecoboost. On the driveline end I love my 3.5 ecoboost much due to getting 20-21mpg vs the 13's 14-15mpg. The 13 didn't have any of these gaps in the bed seems.
I carry a lot of cargo for camp etc in my bed so I have a cap on it to keep it clean and dry. In my 17 that's a fantasy! There is so much dust coming into the bed you can't even tell what color things are. I had a Line-X bedliner put in, but it had minimal effect. I just finished crawling around the bed with the hose and a scrub brush so that I can seal it up. I had a dealer try to install their tailgate seal, but that was the most ridiculous thing I had ever seen. In order to get the tailgate shut after they installed it they had to adjust the tailgate out a 1/4" and also move the strikes out. So now the tailgate stuck out a 1/4" from the bed all of the way around. I told them in no certain terms to get that abomination the hell off of my truck. And they said sure, but that's the only one we sell and it always does this on the new Fords. I told them maybe they could save some money if they told Ford owners about it before they installed it and then had to remove it.
Anyway I found another seal that should work well, but I have to sand down the bed liner where it wraps around the edges of the bed opening at the gate. I love my Fords, but it sure seems like major problems abound for these $60-$70K trucks.
Swamp