New '25 F250 XLT. Just drove it home yesterday.

I started thinking that as I actually start using it, that pretty bed (which I assume is still aluminum?) is going to get beat to hell. Now I'm sort of wishing I had gotten a bedliner with it.

As I looked more at the bed, this bed is different from trucks I've paid attention to in the past-- there's a significant gap between the floor and the sidewalls and wheel wells. Enough to see daylight in a few places b/t the floor and walls. Which made me wonder if Ford intentionally designed it that way for water drainage, to prevent pooling and corrosion or something. Since a spray-in liner was an option from the dealer, I would think sealing up those gaps wouldn't harm anything, but I've been known to give people/ companies too much credit in the past... maybe it was just 1.) easier to build with the gaps and/ or 2.) no one at Ford paid attention to what sealing up those gaps would do in the long run.

I started doing a little research, and it seems like Line-X and Rhino would be top contenders. I know Line-X is harder and general consensus is that they're probably worth the slightly higher price. Rhino is softer/ tackier and may absorb sound a little better. There's a Rhino dealer less than an hour from me, closest Line-X is probably at least 3 hrs from me. Unless there are actually big differences, I'd go with closer.

Any thoughts?

If this has been addressed well somewhere else on the site, just point me to it; I couldn't find anything with the search function.

 

I've had Line-x in 3 prior trucks and got it again in this one and wouldn't get anything else. I did have one F150 with the factory spray in liner and it was faded and beginning to separate when I traded it in.

I will also say preparation is key with any spray in liner (possibly more important than the brand) and would recommend you check reviews from whatever franchise you go with to make sure they scuff up the bed properly and remove the bed bolts before they apply the liner.

 

Does Rhino have a lifetime warranty? I've never dealt with them, so I'm not sure. I've had a couple Line-X's, and they were great. The dealer in my town shut down, so I dropped a plastic liner in for now.

 

I don't like the liners. Much easier to slide things in and out of the bed without it. My 2019 held up fine, scratches don't bother me and they don't rust.
I keep a piece of 3/4" plywood (3'x4') in the bed that I can slide heavy items in and out easily (transmissions, final drives, other heavy items).

 

yes the spaces are on purpose it seems
my 22 f150 was same way
on my 24 i have a tractor supply 3/4 thick stall mat in the bed and a thin rubber mat attached to the tailgate
not sure if i will do spray in or not
the stall mat is heavy and 3/4 thick so it takes the beatings

 

As for the gaps in the bed panels, I have read on here of others having somewhat large gaps in the bed of their truck. I guess I was lucky enough with my truck that the gaps I had were very very small and not really noticeable. The gaps were there but I had to look for them to see the thin sliver of daylight show through them. They were only where the bed floor met the bulkhead on mine. One spot on the drivers side and one spot on the passenger side.

My 2024 is the first truck I have ever had a bed liner in, sprayed or otherwise. I just never messed with any bed liner in my past trucks. I wanted to do something different this time and got a spray in liner. I thought about the factory sprayed in liner but opted to not order it when I placed the order for the truck.

There is a local Rhino dealer near me and he is the shop my dealer sends all their trucks to for the bed liner. I made an appointment and had him do it while I waited since I had nothing better to do that day. He took me back into the shop and let me see the steps they did to get it ready for the liner and also how they sprayed it. He removed all the bed bolts, tie downs, brackets, and the fasteners for the removable panel on the tailgate. Then they masked off the rest of the truck and prepped the truck by sanding the entire bed and tailgate. . Once that was done he sprayed the liner. It took him and his helper about 2.5 hours to get everything done from the start to finish and I was driving away.

I am very happy with how it turned out. The Rhino liner is more rubbery than the Line-X liner my parents have in their F350. It seems to keep things from sliding around in the bed better from what I have noticed. I would definitely recommend it.

I think either the Rhino liner or Line-X would equally do the intended job however.


Yes, the Rhino liner comes with a lifetime warranty.

 

I have a bed rug. Its my third, previous 2 Superduties had either the factory or the roll on liner. My F150's all had bed rugs. With a roll up cover it stays nice and clean too. I put a thin rubber mat over the top to cover the 5th wheel holes and protect the rug from heavy pallets. I roll the mat up when not needed and it is so nice to lay back at night and watch the stars when out on a trip too. I use a regular carpet vacuum to clean it too.

 

I've had Line-X, Rhino, and now the Ford OEM.

You described the difference in Line-X and Rhino perfectly. Stuff will slide on the Line-X, stuff tends to stay in place on the Rhino. Coefficient of friction is much higher on the Rhino. I liked them both equally, just different. I don't let stuff slide around unsecured anyway.

For what it is worth, the Ford OEM is much like the Line-X when it comes to coefficient of friction. It might be a tad thinner. I've only had it a year but I see no problems at all with rips or delam. Or fade for that matter, but I could care less if it fades to an ash gray. Yes, I know that choice is not on your list at this point.

I do not think the holes in the bed seams are intended to drain water. I just think they don't mean anything one way or the other. But Ford designed divots in the hood where water sits for days after a rain, so they don't care about draining at all. Aluminum or not, that was a stupid thing to do.

 

good review,,,

 

I had Line-X done on a 2004 truck that I bought new and still have. I've used it pretty hard and I'm amazed how well it's held up. I just bought a new F-250 and first thing had the bed Line-Xed.

 

Don't. Just buy a Rough Country (or other) rubber bed mat. It allows you to pull the mat out to clean the bed, or even the mat itself. It also offers some amount of noise insulation, and shock absorption (if you like throwing things in the back of your truck.)

 

The LINE-X in the 2006 that I have had since new is perfect with the exception of having faded in color. The factory liner in my 2024 (3k miles) already has deep marks in it. Be glad you did not get the factory option!

 

On my now gone 2016 I used a local shop that did work for several of the dealers. It was more similar to linex than Rhino, which I had in my 2000. Both held up well. I always had a cap so no uv fading concerns. As previously stated, prep is key. My 2023 has the liner from Ford. I put Herculiner on a slide out I refurbished and was very pleased with the result. If you are a DIYer, Herculiner would be an option. It is similar to linex also.

 

Rhino and Line-X were the first big names in spray on liners and are the most popular.Cant go wrong with either.

When my truck was in the shop for hail damage my insurance company piad to have the bed sprayed.
The work was done by an independent shop and quality looks as good as the two top liners.
Would have cost about $600-$650 for my 8 ft. bed.

 

Line-X has a life time warranty and now comes with UV protection. Factory liner does not have either.