Truck bedliner - pros and cons and option

[ryan2022]

Hi guys,

I have a plastic liner in my Ranger. When ever I lift the liner at the gate and take a look, its always dry underneath although just a bit dusty. It seems to seal most of the water out.

I've been reading about other options like a bed mat or DIY spray in kits and im wondering about them. I feel like this liner looks great, protects well, and seems safe.

Anyone with any preferences? I really like the look of the bed mats, but I'd be happy with my drop in as long as it wont cause any long term issues.

Thanks,

Ryan

 

[BrocLuno]

Depends on water... If the truck sits outside all it's life and works enough to accumulate hay, dirt, rocks, odd bits of lumber, etc. and it gets water under the liner, It'll start to rust eventually. As long as it stays dry under the liner, you are good

AL's DIY spray-on liners are really good. You'll have to get a soft nylon abrasive cup for your HD angle grinder and just knock the sheen off bed paint before applying. Also, you'll need wire edge tape to cut clean lines while the spray-on is setting up. Use good plastic for the masking work.

 

[Ethan1]

The plastic liner is watertight but it will rub the paint off the bed eventually. Also you should clean underneath it periodically, maybe once a year. Only a professional spray-on liner protects better.

The rubber mat is surprisingly effective for the floor, but the inner bedsides will look like garbage. You need to clean under a rubber mat too.

 

[Donald]

I bought some Rustoleum bed liner and did the inside of a small cart for lawn tractor. I would consider doing that and then put the bed liner back on. Or apply CarWell or Fluid Film.

 

[Donald]

Spray-on bedliner makes it hard to pull something heavy out of the truck bed. It's textured or rough surface.

 

[Robenstein]

The plastic liners are much like vinyl roofs on cars. There are only two kinds...those that leak and cause rust, and those that will leak and cause rust.

If you have the scratch, I would look at getting a professionally done spray on liner.

 

[Lyman]

I had the original bed liner in my old 99 Ranger. A few years ago I had to pull it out so I could remove the bed. Fuel pump was shot. Under the bed liner was like new. It looked great.

 

[440Magnum]

I've had two trucks with drop-in plastic liners and vastly prefer them to the spray on (chip off) liners. Neither truck has had rust nder the liner- but then I don't live in the salt belt, and the sun down here gets the liner hot enough to drive moisture out from under it in no time. In the salt belt it might be different.

 

[ryan2022]

Thanks a ton guys!

Much appreciated. I'll keep a good eye on this one, and may spray seams and edges. I like the look of the rubber mats but agree, the sides would get beaten.

Thanks again.

 

[01rangerxl]

My 2002 Ranger has a decade old Line-X in it and my 1994 Ranger had a drop in for about 20 years.

I posted pictures of the Line-X here...
Line-X thread

The spray-in has basically protected the bed and still looks good from a few feet away when clean, but it does have chips and it has faded. I like the rough material, but whether that's a plus or minus depends on what you are hauling. Line-X has more of a hard finish, Rhino is a little more rubbery. Both have much more grip than a drop in. The DIY kits probably vary in texture too. I've never used one of the DIY kits myself, and all the people I know who have, used them on Jeeps, not a pickup bed.

My 1994 Ranger had the same PendaForm liner in it from July of 1994 until about July of last year...the installer signed and dated the underside of it with a paint marker. It did a good job of protecting the bed overall. It did scratch paint off, but there is only surface rust, and no dents. This is a Southern truck though, and hasn't seen much road salt in its life. I took the liner out because it was getting warped and kind of rough looking. I haven't replaced it...if I'm hauling around something that can damage a truck bed, it's usually in the Line-X'd truck.

 

[TiredTrucker]

It was an easy solution for my last pickup purchase. Dealer thru in a free Line-X bed liner, even after taking almost $10K off the sticker price for my 2015 2500HD I bought a little over a year ago.

 

[Jarlaxle]

Originally Posted By: 440Magnum
I've had two trucks with drop-in plastic liners and vastly prefer them to the spray on (chip off) liners. Neither truck has had rust nder the liner- but then I don't live in the salt belt, and the sun down here gets the liner hot enough to drive moisture out from under it in no time. In the salt belt it might be different.


If a sprayed bedliner chips, it was not done correctly. I have had two trucks with them, and neither had ANY damage even after years of hard use. Engine parts, axles, a sand spreader, even soaking in battery acid for a week...absolutely zero damage!

 

[splinter]

I've had the drop-in and spray-on styles in various trucks over the years.

Went with the BedTred style this time 'round. Quick, easy and reasonable imho. Nicer on the knees that's for sure!

www.bedrug.com/products/bed-liners/bed-tred-pro.html

 

[Tdbo]

I have always had plastic liners in all four of the Rangers that I have owned.
Never had any issues with water or rust with any of them.