Making the investment to protect the bed of my truck and get a cover

[Tim1]

Do you guys put a lot of heavy or maybe sharp stuff in the bed of your truck? I'm a contractor, so that's part of my everyday routine. A while ago, I realized that what I was doing was pretty stupid – putting tools and materials in the bed with barely any protection. My truck was getting dinged and scratched up, and it took until I realized how much it would cost me in the end before I started thinking of ways to solve this problem. One choice was putting some sort of padding down – wool? Old carpet? Nah. That was just a temporary fix, besides, when it rained things would get soggy and generally messed up. A friend of mine recommended that I get a proper bed liner, since it could be sprayed on, but still be very tough. And in fact, it was a coincidental and pleasant suprise when I found what I was looking for.

 

I was taking a kind of vacation road trip to Texas to visit a friend who lived in San Antonio. Have you ever been there? Crazy town, in a good way. Well anyway, we were shooting some hoops and talking about our trucks, and when he heard about my problem, he stopped in his tracks and turned around, all serious.

“You know, I have just the thing for you.”

 

He said that there was a big place in town that sold accessories and all sorts of other stuff, but one of their areas of expertise was exactly bed liners and covers. They have a website, so check 'em out if you like. http://ameraguardsa.com/ So we drove over there, and the guys there really were as competent as my friend had told me. When they found out I was from Missouri, they showed me which of their products would be good for my wetter climate. It didn't take me long to decide that well, hell, I had my truck with me, I could afford to hand it over to them for the couple of days it would take for them to install everything, and they offered a good price! In the end, I don't regret it one bit – they did a great job and 6 months later no dings or scratches yet, plus the bed of the truck is protected from the elements much better than before. Let me know if you have any questions about these guys, I'll answer to the best of my knowledge. But they're the real deal.

[Wintersun]

GM has a program for trucks bought by companies for business use. Last truck I bought had a package for free GM sidesteps, free aluminum diamond plate tool box, and a free bed liner. I like free stuff when it is also good stuff and the package included free installation.

 

I prefer a bed liner as I can easily slide things in and use a rubber mat or aircraft track with straps to secure items in place. Options are good.

[hillrider]

'Tractor supply' will sell you a rubber mat for the bed of the truck. Protects the paint & stuff don't slide.

[Silveradooh9]

Hi Tim1,

 

I am currently in the market for one and will definitely have to consider them in my search. Do you know if they offer a liftetime warranty like DualLiner (http://www.dualliner.com/truck-bed-liner.php) does?

 

Just want to make sure I'm getting the most out of my money!

[mike94silverado]

'Tractor supply' will sell you a rubber mat for the bed of the truck. Protects the paint & stuff don't slide.

did this ontop of a herculiner.... perfect combo for $125

[greg74]

'Tractor supply' will sell you a rubber mat for the bed of the truck. Protects the paint & stuff don't slide.

My truck has a similar rubber mat in it. Previous truck I bought one from O Reilly's for $80 I think. Nice heavy rubber mat. Though it was funny that the end of it by the tailgate kept trying to lift up going down the highway. I put a couple screws on the end on each side and that kept it firmly in place. As far as a bed cover goes, that's up to personal preference I suppose, Most waste some space in the bed if they're the roll back type or make it unusable for large items if its a hard tonneau cover unless you completely remove it. Its a truck, the bed is going to get beat up and scratched if you haul anything. Guess that's why I prefer owning a truck that's a bit older, you don't have to be so picky about a little scratch or 2. Or if a shopping cart dings my door at Walmart or something I'll just have a truck with a door ding.

[Cowpie]

Little more pricey, but the Weather Tech bed mat looks interesting. Also the Promaxx bed mat is a pretty thick, strong mat. Think either one would be hard to beat.

 

Promaxx... http://www.realtruck.com/promaxx-truck-bed-mat/

 

Weather Tech.... http://www.realtruck.com/weathertech-techliner-bed-mat/R183435P2013Y734MA.html

 

And for bed covers, I have always been partial to the Access line of covers. Watch the video further down the page.....

 

http://www.realtruck.com/access-roll-up-cover/

[00Silverado4x4]

I personally went with Line-X as I lived in Alaska and was told that Line-X was perfect for extreme temperatures. Well since then I've moved to Georgia (talk about climate shift) and after 120k miles, it still is holding up great. It has a few dings but considering the abuse it's seen I'd expect some damage. Congrats on the new line, I hope it gives you many years of protection.

[PJB]

Rubber mats are the worst things you can put in a truck bed. They trap moisture and rot the bed floor out. That's what happened to the truck my brother just rid of last month.

 

My Sierra came with an Onyx spray in liner already on it. My previous truck had a factory plastic drop in bed liner.

 

I had a no-name trifold tonneau on the F150 and the Sierra has an Extang trifold. Trifolds are awesome because they work in any kind of weather and come on and off easily and don't shrink like the snap on cover I had on my F150 before I got the trifold.

 

Im always using the bed of my truck so its nice to have a cover that isn't a complete pain to put on and take off.