Home Forums Gear Hunting Trucks and Four-Wheel Drives Bedliners, are they worth it?

Had the spray in bed liner in my F150 and liked it but currently do not have it in my Dodge. It came with the plastic bed liner which I really don't care for but I should remove it for fear of rusting.

My F250 has a rubber mat on the bed floor and tailgate which seems to work pretty good for hauling stuff.

I've delt with this quite a bit when I was the quasi "fleet manager" for our company. I've used plastic liners, rubber matts, plywood and spray on.

Plastic liners will hurt you because they are just too slick. Rubber mats are pretty good, but will bunch up and allow your cargo to slide if you have to make a sudden stop. Plywood is very good if you carry heavy cargo, but it will leave the bed of your truck in pretty rough looking condition after a few years. Spray on liners are probably the best for appearance, durability, slip resistance and clean up. You'll probably get at least half your money back for a spray on liner when you go to sell your truck. JMHO.

I had mine Line-X'd when I bought it and love it. I've used plastic liners before and they work well when you're chunking concrete blocks or wood in but are slick as owl snot when you try to stand on them if they are wet...they will also hold moisture underneath them and can lead to more rust.

On the rust issue I never bought it as a real problem, that is until I pulled one out of the back of my truck and saw how bad it was underneath.

I have a truck cap on my current truck and have not had a problem under the liner. I like the side wall protection that I get with the drop in liner. Never had any rust issues, even with a truck with an open bed.

Then don't do it man! I bought a new Silverado a little over 3 years ago and I seriously considered getting a sprayed in liner. Now, 3 years later...I'm glad that I didn't.

If you're looking for a cheaper alternative and don't mind cutting to fit around the wheel wells:



Horse Stall Mat - Tractor Supply

It won't slide when you brake. It will last the life of the truck. It's CHEAP! Stuff won't slide and the bed of your truck will be protected.

David

This summer I bought a Dodge that came with a new slide-in. I mentioned earlier that my llamas couldn't stand up in it because it's too slick. We found a better use for it. We turned it upside down on top of straw bales and made a great weather proof shelter for my wife's geese. The truck will get a DIY spray-in sometime this spring.

BTW - the geese love weather. All of it. It's been below 0 and windy and they still prefer the great outdoors.

I have had my pickups done with LineX the interior of my land cruiser done my rocker panels on my diesel pickup, and just last month the bed of my Yamaha rhino.

The LineX is far more durable then the steel. It's the best game in town for protecting your heavily used investment.

My little rhino gets used so much the bed would have been pounded with tools and equipment. I never even give it a thought now.

I've had Line-X and Rhino Liner. I'm more impressed with the Rhino liner in spades.

If I was going to do another and I will someday. I'd go to Fleet Farm, Menards, where-ever and get the "do it yourself" kit. It wouldn't take long to do. It would be more of a scratch/rust resistant thing. I don't really care if my bed gets some scratches in it, but up here in salt country, you'll have rust in no time if you don't fix the scratches quickly.

I do the plastic drop-in under the bed rails. Bed rail caps over that, and a rubber mat on the floor of the drop-in. No static, no dents no sliding cargo. mtmuley

Looks like the same stuff I mentioned earlier and I totally agree its great for this type of thing..Plus it deadens the noise considerably if you have tools or similar loose in the back of the truck..