Most new truck owners like you are seriously taking into consideration bed protection. Luckily, you have plenty of options. These are the best ones:
1) No Bed Liner. Obviously, it's the most affordable and easiest option in the bunch. This would work perfectly well, given that you don't lug anything that could disfigure your truck's whole look. But the inevitable might still happen and you won't have a choice but to carry something that could potentially damage the paint's finish. If you opt to add a bed liner in the near future and your truck has scrapes all around, it may get a tad more expensive. This is because it will now require a new paint job on the entire finish just to protect your bed and liner from any unwanted moisture, as well as prevent rust from developing around them. This is a good choice if you are planning on having your truck rented.
2) Rubber Bed Mat. It?s old-school but it certainly deserves consideration. There?s no disputing that a heavy piece of rubber will protect the bottom of your truck bed from gouges and scratches while at the same time providing a surface that has more friction than the factory bed. If you?re considering adding a rubber mat, make sure you purchase one that is fairly thick. Thin rubber mats (anything less than 1/4?) tend to ?roll-up? when you?re loading the bed, making them sort of hazardous. You should also make sure that the mat you buy has a knobby bottom surface so that moisture doesn?t get trapped under the mat and lead to premature bed rust. Finally, I like mats that are pre-cut to fit your truck. Those mats you have to trim yourself never fit right and they tend to be cheap anyways. The best feature of a nice rubber mat is that it will only cost you $75-$100.
3) Plastic Bed Liner. Plastic bed liners (or ?drop-ins?) fit OK, install quickly and easily, and do a nice job of protecting the bed from most kinds of damage. Plastic bed liners are especially nice if you need to slide items in and out of your truck. Plastic also won?t scratch anything you put in your bed (like furniture), and it washes out quickly and easily. The biggest disadvantage to plastic drop-in liners is that whatever you have resting in your bed can slide around at any time. Plastic is slippery, especially when wet, and I?ve seen big loads shift (even when they were properly tied down). Also, it seems like a lot of moisture and gunk accumulates under the plastic liner, requiring you to remove it and clean the bed periodically. Plastic drop-in bed liners can cost as little as $250 or as much as $400.
4) Plastic Coatings. This type of bed liner usually falls along the "do-it-yourself" category and often come with a lot of hype. The usual misconception that comes with this option is that people think they can easily apply it like the pros on TV do, but in reality, you would probably only end up wasting a lot of time and money. The product is of poor quality, seeing that it doesn't stick as it's supposed to, and uge flakes have been known to fall off in almost all areas. I've never seen this work before, so you might as well find out for yourself - with caution, of course.
5) Spray-In. This is by far the most popular option, and for good reason. It?s the best looking and most durable bed liner there is. The bed is sprayed with a special polyurethane ?paint? that protects the bed from scratches and chemicals. The coating is permanent, the texture is rough (which keeps things from sliding), and the material is nearly indestructible. In fact, unlike every other option listed here, a spray-in liner will last forever.
Line-X and Rhino are two of the most revered companies that offer the spray-in option for bed liners. There is lots of talk about the difference between the two options, but basically, they are more or less the same thing, only with different installers. Much of the negative stories revolve around the actual installer, rather than the actual products themselves. To avoid blunders, make sure that you hire an installer who knows what he's doing. Do background checks on the ones you are interested in, and maybe even ask for recommendations from your local car dealers. Under rail spray-in liners with a lifetime warranty would cost about $300 to $400, while you add about $50 for over the rail services. Since other brand names aren't any cheaper than Line-X and Rhino anyway, you're better off going for one of these two.
6) Carpet Liner. The carpet liner is usually a strong outdoor carpet with a thick rubber or vinyl backing. They?re surprisingly strong and they have the benefit of being soft. They?re especially popular with people that are going to add a camper shell to their truck. The biggest advantage to them, in addition to being plush, is that they?re removable. If you like the idea of being able to see your factory finish whenever you want to, this might be a good option for you. Cost is about the same as a good plastic bed-liner, about $350. The only thing we don?t like about these is that they don?t seem to stay attached, but that probably has to do with the way they?re installed.
Another option is to add plywood on the truck bed. There are a couple of cool, mass-produced roll-up systems that would literally unload your truck for you like the Load Handler. There are plenty of options that you can look into that are good in protecting the truck bed. - 20765
1) No Bed Liner. Obviously, it's the most affordable and easiest option in the bunch. This would work perfectly well, given that you don't lug anything that could disfigure your truck's whole look. But the inevitable might still happen and you won't have a choice but to carry something that could potentially damage the paint's finish. If you opt to add a bed liner in the near future and your truck has scrapes all around, it may get a tad more expensive. This is because it will now require a new paint job on the entire finish just to protect your bed and liner from any unwanted moisture, as well as prevent rust from developing around them. This is a good choice if you are planning on having your truck rented.
2) Rubber Bed Mat. It?s old-school but it certainly deserves consideration. There?s no disputing that a heavy piece of rubber will protect the bottom of your truck bed from gouges and scratches while at the same time providing a surface that has more friction than the factory bed. If you?re considering adding a rubber mat, make sure you purchase one that is fairly thick. Thin rubber mats (anything less than 1/4?) tend to ?roll-up? when you?re loading the bed, making them sort of hazardous. You should also make sure that the mat you buy has a knobby bottom surface so that moisture doesn?t get trapped under the mat and lead to premature bed rust. Finally, I like mats that are pre-cut to fit your truck. Those mats you have to trim yourself never fit right and they tend to be cheap anyways. The best feature of a nice rubber mat is that it will only cost you $75-$100.
3) Plastic Bed Liner. Plastic bed liners (or ?drop-ins?) fit OK, install quickly and easily, and do a nice job of protecting the bed from most kinds of damage. Plastic bed liners are especially nice if you need to slide items in and out of your truck. Plastic also won?t scratch anything you put in your bed (like furniture), and it washes out quickly and easily. The biggest disadvantage to plastic drop-in liners is that whatever you have resting in your bed can slide around at any time. Plastic is slippery, especially when wet, and I?ve seen big loads shift (even when they were properly tied down). Also, it seems like a lot of moisture and gunk accumulates under the plastic liner, requiring you to remove it and clean the bed periodically. Plastic drop-in bed liners can cost as little as $250 or as much as $400.
4) Plastic Coatings. This type of bed liner usually falls along the "do-it-yourself" category and often come with a lot of hype. The usual misconception that comes with this option is that people think they can easily apply it like the pros on TV do, but in reality, you would probably only end up wasting a lot of time and money. The product is of poor quality, seeing that it doesn't stick as it's supposed to, and uge flakes have been known to fall off in almost all areas. I've never seen this work before, so you might as well find out for yourself - with caution, of course.
5) Spray-In. This is by far the most popular option, and for good reason. It?s the best looking and most durable bed liner there is. The bed is sprayed with a special polyurethane ?paint? that protects the bed from scratches and chemicals. The coating is permanent, the texture is rough (which keeps things from sliding), and the material is nearly indestructible. In fact, unlike every other option listed here, a spray-in liner will last forever.
Line-X and Rhino are two of the most revered companies that offer the spray-in option for bed liners. There is lots of talk about the difference between the two options, but basically, they are more or less the same thing, only with different installers. Much of the negative stories revolve around the actual installer, rather than the actual products themselves. To avoid blunders, make sure that you hire an installer who knows what he's doing. Do background checks on the ones you are interested in, and maybe even ask for recommendations from your local car dealers. Under rail spray-in liners with a lifetime warranty would cost about $300 to $400, while you add about $50 for over the rail services. Since other brand names aren't any cheaper than Line-X and Rhino anyway, you're better off going for one of these two.
6) Carpet Liner. The carpet liner is usually a strong outdoor carpet with a thick rubber or vinyl backing. They?re surprisingly strong and they have the benefit of being soft. They?re especially popular with people that are going to add a camper shell to their truck. The biggest advantage to them, in addition to being plush, is that they?re removable. If you like the idea of being able to see your factory finish whenever you want to, this might be a good option for you. Cost is about the same as a good plastic bed-liner, about $350. The only thing we don?t like about these is that they don?t seem to stay attached, but that probably has to do with the way they?re installed.
Another option is to add plywood on the truck bed. There are a couple of cool, mass-produced roll-up systems that would literally unload your truck for you like the Load Handler. There are plenty of options that you can look into that are good in protecting the truck bed. - 20765
About the Author:
Author Jason Lancaster is the editor of TundraHeadquarters.com, a web site with info, news, and reviews of Toyota Tundra parts and Tundra accessories.
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