Plastic bed liner debate

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TechNova

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The plastic bed liner is not going to rust your box. I have seen people claim this and the bed is obviously rusted from the bottom. They are great of hauling heavy/hard things to protect the bed. Throw a cow stall mat over it to keep things from sliding. I have a liner in my pickup box trailer for hauling rock and firewood. I use a mat in my truck. I can roll it up if I need to slide in something heavy
 

AuroraGirl

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Some people prefer having a bed that things slide into. If you use your bed differently, you may need to physically walk or keep things in place, those people would prefer liner that is gritty and sprayed or the mats. Then there are people who prefer things like roll out boxes because thats what they need. then there are people who will have a contractor pod thing placed in the bed and they wont use the bed.

me and my dad tend to do things that having the bed slick is nicer than having something that adds friction. My c1500 came with what I asusme was factory liner, and my dad who used the truck most he is a mason and is usually over loading the half ton but things slide in and out its way nicer. Unfortunately a bed support must be rusting because the head tool box on one side started to boy the bed side out ward and the tailgate kinda died, but he found another and he transfered the liner.

The gmt 400 step side sitting on my 78 frame has a liner in it and I wonder if that was factory or not, the liner goes up to the top where the stake posts are and has a brand name in the very front and then its got ridges that run length wise like the one in my c1500 (so I am guessing its factory)
 

AuroraGirl

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My bed on WCJr looked like hell, so I bought some cheap Seymour rattle-can spray-on bedliner. I planned on reapplying whenever it got dinged up, but the chintzy crap scrapes worse than just spray paint. When I do it again on Roscoe, I'd probably go with something better.

I don't like kiddie pool bedliners.
I was decently enjoying clear bed spray from rustoleum, its definitely light weight, but on my obs ford the tail gate is all i did becuase of the fat-man-impression in the center of the tail gate (joke) and slippery smooth paint, stepping into it when wet was surprisgly daunting , once in the bed its not bad. Its held up a year now, but I didnt put it on heavy either, just to make it have a little resistance to not be unsteady esp when the rear shocks are probably not doing much so bouncy house while climbing up.

Ive painted a Square bed with EZ-Slide graphite wear coating which is a friction reducing coating used in ag stuff a lot, and the one can did cover the bed but Id say it needs two cans in the layers as proper yada yada, but then it would only need to be reapplied periodically. the single can I noticed that my lack of doing much for prep has peeled up a lot, but I wasnt about to whip out a grinder and rust sponge and look like a tweaker cleaning rust from the rusty bed trailer with a topper on it. plus id have to hook up to it lol...
Anyway, the reason I tried it was to lower the friction between plastic garbage bags when I use tools to empty the trailer. Worked OK. but the grey does look nice.
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This is the surface( I did spray it with pressure washer to be fair) that I put the coating onto.
I think I decided Im going to use some ply wood to create a flat surface and then paint the plywood, although that paint is not meant for wood.
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For reference this is the F150s bed. I Think Im going to be for many years needing a slick bed more than a safe bed, but people shouldnt be touching my bed anyway and if i hurt myself then maybe I should have thought that through further.

I was looking at dump truck bed coatings which can be gotten. they do work. but the cost to do a bed with a purpose coating like that would be high for something I may be able to replicate by finding a plastic liner or useing a wear coating etc
 

Erik the Awful

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Ive painted a Square bed with EZ-Slide graphite wear coating which is a friction reducing coating used in ag stuff a lot, and the one can did cover the bed but Id say it needs two cans in the layers as proper yada yada, but then it would only need to be reapplied periodically. the single can I noticed that my lack of doing much for prep has peeled up a lot, but I wasnt about to whip out a grinder and rust sponge and look like a tweaker cleaning rust from the rusty bed trailer with a topper on it.
The Seymour bed coating is hot garbage. I wire-wheeled the existing paint, cleaned it thoroughly, primered, and did three coats. It sticks well with no flaking, but scrapes very easily.
 

dave s

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i've used all three in trucks. My 94 came with the plastic bed liner. Paint underneath is worn off in spots but zero rust. Stuff will slide all over the place. Good when loading sheets of plywood though. My spray ins have been nicer if you haul a lot of tools or set the groceries in on them. The mat was fine as well. Each has its pros in my opinion. I would not worry about the plastic liner rotting the bed out though. Just my experience.
 

92K3500SRW

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Bedliners came out and I hated them. years later I order my '92 GMC K3500 and include the GM bedliner. This was an everyday work truck that had ladder racks and flip-up side boxes. Ran it 335k/22 years. The lip on the right rear bedrail rusted out from road spray getting between the tool box and bed, but under the bedliner looked awesome like looking under carpet in side the truck
 
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