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Pickup bed liners
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http://www.ameraguard.com/
Click on the "link to Armaguard" button and follow the link to the bedliner page:
http://www.armaguard.com/pages/armtp.htm
Apparently, the TM Ameraguard is what they market here in the USA with, in Canada it is Armaguard.
2.) Tractor Supply Company (aka T.S.C) Is a midwestern store with a lot of places. I know one such fine store in Decateur Indiana (if you go there, drop by and visit a guy who builds, amoung other things, nice corvettes names (john) lingenfelter!
For what it's worth, I have a 95 Ram 2500 that I put an under the rail bed liner in. ALL DROP-IN BED LINERS RUB AND SHIFT going down the road. A friend of mine had an over the rail liner and when we removed it, it had rubbed all the paint off the top rails of his pickup. Each year I remove my liner to get the dirt and other debris out. The floor sustains the worst damage, the sidewalls show varying degrees of paint being removed. All of this needs attention otherwise the pickup bed will simply rust out. The drop in liner has definitely protected my bed from the drop ins of fence posts and driver and other related ranch type activities, but I just don't like touching up the box so it won't rust out. I buy for the long haul, hate spending the money. Look to whatever will help me protect my investment.
I'm personaly looking into the spray in liners and have gained much in the way of reviews posted on this site. I would definitely advise you against a drop in liner, unless you are willing to do the maintenance that goes with it.
Whatever you decide, let your application guide your choice. Heavy vs light hauling, long vs short term ownership of the vehicle, and in the bed hitch vs frame or bumper. I have found all of these factors and more influence at least my decisions on what to look for.
Hope this helps.
Gary-
Block heaters for the cold are wonderful and so are Pyrometers for cool down. If you do the math you will notice that upkeep is not much of a cost difference, Spark Plugs, Wires, Rotor, Cap and more oil changes and an Air Filter (Gas). No Plugs, Fuel Filter every 15,000, Oil change every 7,500 (11 Qts.), Air Filter, Valve adjustment 150,000. V-10 average 10-12 MPG, My Diesel 16 city
and 19 Highway at 75MPH. Average rebuild 300,000 to 400,000 miles, V-10 200,000 if you treat it nice, Diesel fuel average here $1.19 Gal. Mid Grade gas $1.20 Gal. Put a large load behind that V-10 and your mileage is gone, put a load behind mine I still get about 16 MPG @460 ft. lbs of torque, V-10 450 ft. lbs. The new sound proofing is awesome in the new Y2K Rams, my truck is pretty quiet inside even compared to my old 1998 Ram 5.9 gas engine that I traded in. You make the choice,
that is why I now own a Diesel.
We're getting a little off the subject here, but most people I know who own diesels change the oil about as regularly as the people who own gassers. How often do you change plugs and rotors each 100,000 miles? The Ford V-10 doesn't have spark plug wires.
As for mpg, the difference is usually about 5-7mpg running empty and closer to 3-4 towing. Of course, it all depends on what you tow. If you're towing a 5,000 pound boat, you'll probably stay closer to the 5-7 mpg difference. Trailer Life recently used a new Dodge 24V Cummins with the 3.54 (or is it 3.55, I forget which) on one of their tow test. They towed a heavy trailer. I'm pretty sure it was a conventional tow trailer that weighed right at 10,000 pounds. For their test, the truck got a little over 20mpg running empty. Towing, they got 10mpg.
That's right in line with my dad's personal experience. He's retired and gets to spend thousands of miles on the hwy talking to other RVers who tow with Dodge and Fords. He owns a 97 F-350 dually PSD with the 4.10 and manual transmission. He tows a 35 foot high profile fifth wheel. The total combined weight of truck and trailer is 18,500 pounds.
He's put over 40,000 miles on the truck in the few years he's owned it, most of it towing. He averages 16mpg running empty and around 10 towing. The best he gets towing is 12mpg and that is in ideal conditions on flat hwy, but there is also the occasion where he drops below 10mpg depending on terrain, road conditions, and headwinds.
On his most recent trip this Fall, he drove from northern Ohio to South Carolina then up to Maine, back over to Ohio and the over to Seattle where the truck and trailer are currently stored. He averaged 9.5-10 on that trip. My guess is the V-10 would get 6.5-8 towing the same load.
He said that his tow mpg is the same as the other RVers report, regardless of whether they are towing. The Cummins generally gets a little better mpg running empty, although some of that is related to the axle ratios. I don't see a Dodge Cummins with duallys and the 4.10 getting more than 1-2mpg better than the PSD running empty, and probably close to the PSD in towing mpg.
If I were towing, the advantage of the diesel is the towing power, especially in the mountains and at altitudes. The mpg advantage, especially running empty is a secondary advantage. If you're not towing, the selection of a diesel is preference. I'd certainly buy a diesel if I was towing regularly and may eventually buy one for the amount of towing I do now.
You can work the numbers to support either decision. Don't forget to factor in that you are paying 7%-8% interest on the $4,000 initial investment you will pay for the diesel whereas that money could be earning interest in a CD or mutual fund for you. You'll definitely expend some additional money on routine maintenance. both of those have to be factored against the mpg difference. As far as engine rebuilds, how much does it cost to rebuild or replace a gas engine compared to rebuilding or replacing a diesel engine? If the cost is twice as much for the diesel, it's a wash, and that's based on the assumption that the diesel will last twice as long.
As far as resale, I know a lot of people who don't want anything to do with a diesel that has over 100,000 miles on it, mainly because of fear of the unknown. A properly maintained diesel should last 200,000+ without too many expensive repairs, but if it's not been properly maintained, high cost problems could occur sooner. With a gas engine, they generally know how much longer they can expect to drive it before they have to start throwing some money into the engine, and they generally have a decent idea of how much money they will have to throw into it. Most buyers will probably use Kelley Blue Book or something similar. Kelley Blue Book identifies the resale of a 94 Dodge 1 ton with the V-10 and 100,000 miles to be about $2,250 less in retail and $1,100 less in trade-in value than the same truck with the Cummins. I still think it will be tough to sell any vehicle with 100,000 miles on it for over $15,000, which is what you would have to get to meet their retail figure with the Cummins.
Just to tie back into the topic, my dad is a Rhino Liner in his diesel truck and I have a Line-X in my gasser. We both are very happy with them. Neither of us thinks the difference between a Rhino or a Line-X will impact resale value or longevity of the trucks.
a Dodge 488, If you go 100,000 miles between Spark Plug changes I wonder about your maintenance practices, do you in fact drive large vehicles with large diesels daily? I do. I am glad most people you know only go 3,000 miles between oil changes in a diesel, I guess that is what you were trying to say, but most people I know (Diesel mechanics included) recommend 5,000 miles on the ISB between oil changes depending on how hard you worked your diesel. You refer to THEY who is they? If someone knows Diesels they will also know what to expect for maintenance and repairs, it is evident that you have not been around high mileage diesels for extended periods of time, where I live alot of people run Hot Shot and it is not uncommon to have never shut off your Cummins except when an oil change is due, around here you cannot keep a diesel on the lot very long even with 100,000 miles on it. When Trailer Life tested that Dodge was the engine broke-in 10,000 miles+ ? your mileage will increase on a Cummins after the break-in period. It comes down to perference and application, people ask questions because they desire others opinions and viewpoints, don't give me your opnion I did not ask for it, give it to Response 201, it does not matter to me I have a Diesel and a Gas Engine.
last week.
I've got a block heater, the all-terrain tires, and the 4.30 limited slip. Those are about the only winter related options on the truck.
jlee,
line-x can match, but it's up to the individual dealers whether or not they will. Some of them don't want to hassle with anything other than black. I think there is a pretty thorough cleaning process of their equipment when they change colors. That's one of the reasons it cost more to get colors. I went under the rail. My truck has a hard plastic cover on the bed rails. A coworker went over the rail on her Dodge and it looks really sharp.
Most spray in liner dealers will advise you NOT to do a color liner. The shop really doesn't want to do the color because the equipment has to be cleaned before and after. For that, the shop will charge between $100-200 extra. So the cost for color is steep. To make color, the shops have to put more color in and therefore less polymers. The color liners also require a UV coating to protect it from the sun. Most shops say that the warranty is only one year for color spray jobs. Actually, color is a really big pain for most shops. I considered it for my truck but the shop talked me out of it.
Rich
Gary-
I'll call tomorrow.
Gary-
However, My brothers boss tried it and said it did not stick well and looked crapy. This could be do to the prep time and care taken, he is not a patient man nor a do-it-yourself kind of guy.
Both sources stressed care when dealing with the product because it will stick to the sides of the vehicle, tai;ights, hands, ect....
I am actually considering a DIY roll un to protect the bed from scratch/rust under a drop in. drop ins are hard to beat for heavy duty use.
I'm trying not to make the same mistake as he did. The place he went to charged him around $400 for a 1999 Toyota Tacoma 4x4 short bed. I'm not sure if that price is reasonable but the quality he got out of the deal sorta sucked.
I'd be interested in anyone's inputs about brand X versus brand Y and why they're better than the other guys out there. Like I said, the only one I've really seen advertised heavily is Rhino Liner. Any comments or inputs would be appreciated. Thanks in advance for your help.
Turbo
Thanx
Thanks,
Superman
They have a dealer locator on the site.
I had a Line-x installed in my new truck in October 1998. No complaints at all. My folks have a Rhino liner and they have no complaints either. I don't think you can go wrong with either. The application is a little different between the two brands. Take a look at some examples from the shop that you are considering using and then decide which you like best.
The only thing to remember is that the job will only be as good as the person doing the spraying. Make sure they've been doing it for awhile and/or can show some trucks they have sprayed. I had my sprayed at the Texas Trick Shop just outside of Dallas which is where I lived at the time.
Also, stay away from colored liners, stickwith good 'ol black.
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