We have a 2023 F350 and had a 2017 F350 for farm/ranch use. So we have 1 alumaduty out of 6 trucks. I simply have seen some things with the aluminum body/bed that I questioned is it truly better than steel and with Ford touting "Military Grade" marketing I would have expected better. Like our 2017 truck had a hole in the front of the bed from a Tpost and none of our other trucks over 30 years ever had a hole in a bed and never thought I'd see the day. Like you said there's pro's and con's with the aluminum, I just don't see the hype Ford marketing tried to portray. Yes it's lighter and allows other components to be stronger, but not sure this is "Build Ford Tough". So I'm not the only person who notices these issues and obviously Arod shared this topic on the web.

So bottom line I shared this video on the hole in the bed, which most have never seen and as a result some here have been exposed by the attacks with several being predictable.

 

A buddy’s wife punched a hole in a Ram 2500 Bighorn bed with a 4 horse GN trailer, so this type of damage isn’t limited to aluminum beds at all. Abuse happens.

Sometimes I wonder if the wooden bed floors that were phased out in the 1950s would hold up better. At least they were easier to repair.

 

No such issues with the aluminum trucks and their boxed frames

 

Marketing is what it is and is predictable.......I, for one, didn't expect that Ford's "military grade" moniker meant the box was going to hold up better than steel to impacts. As you say, everything is a tradeoff with pros and cons; I have 9 trucks and keep my trucks for 15 - 20 years......of the nine, 3 are showing significant rust now and I chose to take the corrosion resistance of the new Super Duties over the better impact resistance and tear resistance of a steel bodied truck - so far, I'm happy with my choice, especially when I walk by one of the rusty ones.

The reason the video has been met with some derision is that it makes the erroneous conclusion that a steel bed wouldn't have been damaged which is clearly false.......whether or not it tore is besides the point IMO, you'd need to repair it in either case. For what I do with my truck, I didn't need to go to extremes so a spray in bed liner, a rubber bed mat and a 1/4" thick aluminum rack provide more than adequate reinforcing. If I planned on hauling rocks, I'd go with a more robust liner and add a pce of 5/8 - 3/4" plywood on the bottom - it's really not a big deal. Lastly; we add box protection to all our trucks......yes, even ones made of steel. :-)

 

I put my foot through the floor of my old 2012 F350. 95% of salt belt trucks will suffer the exact same fate of a hole in the exact same location due to an insulation pad underneath that spot. Won't ever see that on the 17+ trucks. My past trucks had bed rugs, this is my first with a factgory liner and it's OK, and considering there are no line x or similar near me, its worth the cost, but it does not take the abuse as well. I dropped my 5th wheel hitch and took a small chunk of it out and also scratched a small piece off the tailgate.

 

Dealer recommended Line-X locally (not sure if it was because it was better or just didn't delay the order). They had it in and back before I even picked the truck up; so far it's held up great.

Dave