Pickup bed liners

kota

Have ordered a 99 F350. will be hauling a
gooseneck trailer. Anyone have opinions on which
kind of liner best? And, if I get Rhino liner, do
I have it installed before or after they install
the hitch for the gooseneck trailer? Many thanks

mharde2

kota, I'm having the Rino put in mine. The thing I like the best about It, is that things stay where you put them, and you can mount the hitch on it. They told me to have the hitch installed first. The Rino guy takes it out sprays in the liner and reinstalls the hitch.

richflynn

I was talking to a Line-X delaer in Phoenix about the fifth wheel hitch thing. He said that he likes to spray the liner after the holes are drilled for the hitch but before the hitch is installed. He was concerned about rust. He also said that a hitch can be installed before or after the liner is sprayed.

An interesting thing about the Line-X bedliner. Today I carried a cardboard box with about 60 Lbs. in it. The box was difficult to slide in and out of the truck due to the friction between the bed liner and box. In my old truck with a drop in liner, the box would have been sliding all over the place.

I'm sold on the spray in Line-X.

Rich

psalm139

I just bought my truck yesterday, and a co-worker of mine highly recommended the Rhino liner. He said conventional bedliners tend to rub the bed as they flex, wearing on the paint. Also, dirt and water can get in and may eventually cause problems. Anybody know the price difference? As for the sliding that happens with regular liners, there is a cargo bar for about $30 that holds things in place pretty well. If you plan on putting a topper on the truck, the sliding may be a good thing, unless you don't mind crawling in every time you need to unload. I think this is going to be a tougher decision than I first thought. Any more feedback will be welcome.

Brutus

psalm139,

You might check out the "truck accessories sections for some additional comments on spray-in liners. We had a pretty good conversation about it a few months back. The two most talked about companies appear to be Rhino and Line-X. The Line-X appears to be a little smoother. I know people with Rhino liners who really like them. Actually, I haven't heard any complaints by people who have them. In addition to the protection, the liners limits the amount your cargo will slip around, compared to a normal bedliner or no bedliner at all. I'm leaning toward Line-X when my new truck arrives. The cost appears to be $400-$600.

Airwolf

The Truck Access. discussion was pretty good and if I remember boiled down to what people have heard and seen. Cost was a small factor, but both Line-X and Rhino have good marks. Rhino has just been around longer.

Now, about paint scratch, it's amazing to me that people who want bed liners are worried about plastic ones scratching, when --once applied-- the spray on liner can't be removed, so it's irrelevant if the paint is scratched. I know I plan to get a sprayon liner, but more for utility and resale than for paint scratching.

My two cents.
Ryan

greencar

LINE X is the best by far!!!Ive had it in my 96 GMC going on 3 years-and it has held up to every chemical-spray-oil-etc...that you can think of!!

mharde2

I got the Rhino Liner installed yesterday. It looks great! You can get it in about a dozen colors. I got the black, but kind of wish I had gone with the dark gray. It would show dirt less I think.
The Rhino liner is a more rubbery than the Line-x and is about twice as thick. The guy said that he sprays around 65 lbs in a short bed and 75 lbs in the long. The drain holes are open, and the tie down bubber boots still fit the holes.(Dodge)
My son-in-law has the Line-x and he likes it.

stevek

I used something called ZOLOTONE. It can be sprayed with any air gun and cost about $60.00. It works fine and comes in many colors. Ask your local automotive paint supplier.

Rocles

LOL!!! Boys, we use plywood! I really have to check out Rhino someday for our trucks. I feel so out-dated with that 3/4 plywood sitting in four of our trucks.
I would like some feedback for commercial users. Conventional bedliners never held up for us.

lwf

It seems to me that the spray-in liner was probably developed more for those who use their pickups commercially than those, like myself, who don't. I can easily believe the set-in that I have wouldn't last long with a ton or more of roofing shingles going in and out every day, and that one of the spray-ins would be money well spent for that kind of use.

Brutus

The spray-in should help preserve the bed with the slide-in camper I will be getting. I think I may also have to have some plywood in the bed since the camper will need to be elevated because of the extra height of the Superduty cab.

Gischpel

Brutus,

Have you checked (with the manufacturer or supplier) whether you will be able to slide the camper into the bed with a spray-in liner? They supposedly grab so well that nothing is supposed to slide on them. I'm sure the plywood would help.

(This seemed pretty obvious to me from the earlier comments, but maybe I'm missing something here.)

Brutus

I have talked with the manufacturers. The height of the cab of the new Superduty will definitely require elevation above the floor of the truck bed, so the liner won't impact "slide-in". I'll admit this is my first truck camper, but I don't think the campers actually "slide-in". You jack the camper up high enough so you can back your truck in under it. Then you lower the camper into the bed. You don't want slippage, so a no-stick surface would be preferred. Alot of people use the rubber mats.

Gischpel

Gotcha. Thanks for the explanation. As you can tell, I don't know anything about them.

Rocles

Do these spray-ins have any specs? What is "normal" thickness? And what is the actual make-up"?

Brutus

The thickness is up to 1/4 inch. Line-X has a website that will give you some info on what the stuff is made of and how it is applied. I don't have the web address, but I referenced it in a previous post several months ago in the Accessories topic. I believe their is also a link via the Truckworld site at www.truckworld.com. I don't think Rhino has a website. I sent away for some info from them and they sent me samples.

SSNCHOP

Info on the Rhino liners can be found at http://www.rhinolinings.com/htm/english1.htm

Airwolf

http://www.rhinolinings.com
http://www.line-x.com

grindle

Interesting discussion about liners. I have an 88 ranger with a plastic over the rail tub liner and the only place on the truck that isn't starting to rust is under the liner. I remove it to clean under it every couple of years and yes the paint is rubbed off in 4 or 5 places, but it doesn't rust becuse of the movement. I haul a lot of firewood and sand and gravel. Will a Rhino or line-x protect the bed from dents from the firewood being tossed in? Can you shovel gravel out of a spray on liner, or will it gouge it? How about one of those easy unloader things on the tailgate, love to get one, but will it work with a spray in liner? Anxious to hear some input, I'm pricing out new trucks right now so I'm debating which liner to put in.
Thanks..

mharde2

grindle, I think with the things you are using your truck for I would stay with the plastic liner. With the spray in liner things don't slide. It would be hard to load and unload fire wood ect. You would have to put a piece of plywood over it to work right.

Lex40

Grindle has good comment about firewood dents. Sprayed in liner won't stop dents. I just got Line X. $400, short bed chev full suze, looks great.

Lex40

Sorry, the i is to close to the u, should be full size.

stanford

I've seen several people around here using rhino liners sprayed in to horse trailers. Better traction when damp under the shavings, and I've never seen one with a dent. Not real conclusive I know, but they certainly seem able to stand up to abuse.

skeiser

Just bought a 98 Ram Extended Cab w/short bed. Mainly personal use--around the home etc. Want to protect my investment and looking into an appropriate liner. Leaning toward spray-on--even though I will unlikely test it much. Ran into a new franchise called "Scorpion" Costs a little less than Line-X, has 4 textures to choose, and is guaranteed for LIFE. Anyone have any feedback on these guys?

richflynn

I've never heard of Scorpion. I had a Line-X installed on 5/14/98. It has been through the carwash a few times and always parked outside here in LA. The black has gotten a greyish cast to it. It's not a problem, just not a black as it once was. It might scrub clean but I'm not about to do it. The liner has been used only once to haul anything. (Household goods) My kid did the move of a friend. He complained about how non slipery this bed liner was compared to my previous drop in.

If I had to do it again, I would.

BTW - Get your dealer to quote a price for the liner. Mine was $325 (Long Bed) from the Ford dealer or $385 from the Line-X dealer.

Rich

la_clark

Just got a Rhino liner in my 98 Tacoma and love it! Good deal, too. I paid a total of $287 including over the rail treatment. To me, it's worth the extra cash for a dressier looking truck.

delmonte

I'm thinking about getting a Rhino liner. I also have a SnugTop cap. If a get an over-the-rail liner, will the SnugTop still fit? Thanks.

dunbarton

Guys,

Can you give me some idea what costs are for Rhino type liners and dealer installed Duraliners?

Have a 1999 F150 SuperCab shortbed ordered. Dealer wanted $299 for a Duraliner and felt I was justified to shop around and explore all the possibilities until the truck arrives.

I sent for the Rhino brochure and they are interesting and will take a look.

This is my first pickup and am really indicisive about type and what costs should be. Dunbarton

dunbarton

Guys,

As an addendum to the post above I would like to ask you pickup truck guys a dumb question or two.

I have looked at the new F150s and don't see any drain holes in the bed for water. Why not?

Do you guys drill a hole(s) in the bed? Is this a good idea to break through the anti rust undercoats?

If a drop-in liner has drain holes, and I don't know if they all do (Duraliner), I would think you would have to drill the bed to keep the water from remaining between the liner and the bed?

Dunbarton

lwf

Dunbarton,

They're there, you just didn't see them. The floor and the front wall of the bed of the F150 are separate units of sheet metal, and the front wall is a waffle design which provides aproximately a 1"x1/4" gap approximately every 6". Mine's a '98, but I doubt if the bed of the '99 is any different. Try bringing a can of water next time you look at an F150. I think you might find the water running out almost as fast as you can pour it in. I have a fiberglass lid on mine now, but I didn't for the first 8,000 miles and I never collected water in the bed.

A sprayed-in liner will plug those holes, however, and that was one of the things I didn't like about them. The demo pickup at the Rhino-Liner dealer I went was parked on a hill with the front end pointing to the bottom of that hill. That pickup had about 5 gallons of water in the bed from a recent storm. Seeing that didn't help me to decide in favor of the sprayed-in.

I ended up getting a Pendaliner set-in. It cost about $180 with the tail-gate liner and the Rhino would have been about $300 to $350.

mharde2

It all depends on who installs the Rhino liner. I have a Rhino and I still have the drain holes. In my old truck I had a slide in liner and it didn't have drain holes. It doesn't really mater anyway, as soon as you start rolling the water all pours out the back..
My slide in was around $180 for short bed. The Rhino was $375 for short bed.

richflynn

My Line-X spray in allows water to drain w/o a problem. My pervious slip in/drop in would hold maybe 20 gallons if it sat in the driveway during a rain storm. I would go at least 100 yards before most of the rain water drained out under the tail gate.

With the drop in liner, I noticed friction points where the liner was rubbing. These rusted. The spray in doesn't have any rubbing points. The spray in is $150-200 more, but worth it. Nothing slides around on the spray in liner.
Rich

dunbarton

LWF, Mharde2, Richflynn,

I have been enlightened and thanks. Big help.

I am not happy to hear about rusting friction points and this sounds like a logical occurance with a drop-in.

Now I realize where the water drains LWF .....

Not trying to be a cheapskate and I realize the set-ins are probably cheaper but we have a Rhino autorized very close to me and will check them out. I have about 6 weeks until the new truck arrives.

Since to F150 has top guards on the bed a Rhino won't have to be "over the rail."

Looks like it will be just a matter of personal preference when it's all over.

I can live with water laying in the bed until it all runs out when I floor it!

Thanks for all the tips guys. I want my first pickup to be perfect!! Dunbarton

ford_man

Another advantage of the sprayed-in bedliners is that most insurance companies will replace/repair them if damaged in an accident because they become a part of the vehicle since they cannot be removed.

LProsser

I had a Rhino liner in my '89 Chevy 1500 since it was new. In those days they didn't have all the colors they have now and the formula for the material has been improved. Rhino was the only game in town that I know of at that time for spray-in liners. Now it's 10 years later and no rust. I think the liner has more than payed for itself. I haven't been able to hurt it with a shovel when unloading sand or gravel, Carrying brick and other landscaping material hasn't hurt it. I think it has protected the bed from dents also. I have never had to worry about the liner flying out of the bed as I'm booking down the freeway at speed (I know I've seen a bunch of drop-ins laying on the road over the years). I don't have drain holes so water collects in the bed but that hasn't been a problem. It doesn't take long to get rid of water once you are rolling. The only thing that I can say some people would find to be negative is that over the years the appearance of the Rhino has gone from a shiny black to a dull, flat black finish. I've heard that I can take it back to the Rhino dealer and they will spruce it up for nothing if I want to take the time to have it done. The bottom line as far as I'm concerned is spray ins are the way to go. When I get my new truck in 2000 it will get the spray in treatment before I put it into service.

jjson

I will be taking delivery on my '99 F-150 in the next couple of days and have some questions. I decided to go with a spray in liner, would it matter if I wait awhile(year or two) before getting it? If I use the bed for hauling and it gets some scratches, should that matter? I understand they "scuff" the bed before spraying in anyway.

Brutus

I had a Line-X sprayed in my new F-350SD yesterday. It looks sharp. While I was at the Line-X dealer, I noticed that they had some before and after photos of used trucks that had scratched beds. It's not a problem waiting a year or so. It's something that could even be done just prior to selling your vehicle so you can try to make it more attractive to prospective purchasers.

dunbarton

Got my new F150 (5 weeks) and have decided on a Rhino liner after much deliberation.

We have a local Rhino dealer close by and I stopped to look at his work and it's first class and $380 for short bed under the rail.

Thanks to you guys who commented to my questions regarding both types of liners. Big help for a novice pickup truck buyer.

By the way, I am pleasantly pleased with the '99 F150 ........ Dunbarton

hubbap1

I'm getting a new chevy 3/4 ton and will be hauling my slide-in camper FULL TIME and wanted an opinion on the spray in liners for that purpose. My camper with gear will likely weigh 2400 lbs. I wonder if the loading where the camper frame will be may be too much for the liner to hold up to and it might tear or stretch in those places. Would it still be appropriate to put a rubber mat in over the spray in (if I go with it)?

I'm new to trucks and never had a slide in camper before. Any info would be helpful. I also like the spray in liner with the thought of having it over the rails for putting misc. gear in the side of the box where the camper doesn't fill. If I just use a rubber mat then I lose protection where the bed is still exposed. Finally, I've read both - are the drain holes plugged (or not) by the spray in process. I'd rather not loose the drainage. Thanks for any help.

dunbarton

Hubbap1,

While I can't expertly comment on your requirements with the camper, the fellow who is doing my Rhino will some leave drain slots in place by sticking plugs where it drains at the front of the bed and remove them after the job is done.

Be advised, the Rhino type liners are no better than the preparation and the people doing it.

I went to 2 franchised Rhino installers and the difference in workmanship was astounding. Dunbarton

Brutus

You should ask your camper dealer about the liner. Mine said that the spray-in liner would be nice with the camper on. I can't imagine it tearing or ripping. If it did, imagine what the camper would do to the bed of your truck. This spray-in stuff is suppose to stand up to just about anything. If you check out the Line-X website, you can get some more info about it. www.line-x.com

But like I said, always check with the camper dealers of the brand you are thinking about buying. They make a living installing the slide-in campers and have usually seen just about everything.

dunbarton

Brutus,

Rhino liner installed and am pleased with it. A first class job and workmanship. Apparently there are no Line-X franchises here in New Jersey close to me so I didn't have one to compare to Rhino. I am sure they are comparable.

Another question and I know this is not the correct forum to ask it on.

Has anyone done their own decal type pinstriping here? The truck needs something along the side to set it off.

I prefer the decal type as I have seen the painted stripes wear off in time. I guess they both can wear off in time. Any recommendations?

I have a good eye and touch but certainly would not attempt to paint them on. dunbarton

mikef150

Looking for a drop-in liner for a 99 F250 longbed...have seen the Duraliner/ford liner from the dealership, and it leaves two open holes about 3" in diameter in the back to access the rear tie-down hooks. Does anyone know if other brands are totally sealed all the way around? I'd hate to fill the void space between the liner and the truck with dirt or woodchips when loading the bed. I have not seen any other drop-in brands out there on this truck yet. Anyone else out there with this type of problem?
-Mike

lwf

Mike,

Mine's a Pendaliner in a '98 F150. No holes that I can see after it's installed. There are 4 tie-down brackets in the side walls of the bed. These were removed by the installer (2 screws per bracket) and re-installed after the liner was in place. There were a couple of holes in the liner at each bracket location, but the brackets covered them completely after each was replaced. I'd have a hard time believing even the smallest grain of sand or chip of wood could get under the liner through those openings.

dunbarton

Mikef150,

I too looked at the Duraliners before getting a Rhino and the new slip resistant Duraliners didn't have those large holes there or any holes at all. Tie downs would have been removed and installed the same as lwf's Pendaliner.

Something doesn't sound right here about the dealerships' drop-in liner ..... Dunbarton

mikef150

I know what you're talking about....it's kinda strange. The duraliners for the 98 F150's have no holes, like lwf said, they removed the tiedowns, then re-installed them after the liner. But, with the superduty's, only the front tie-downs are this way. The liner is not molded to the two rear tiedowns, more like U-bolts (located in the corner, but against the rear edge not the side). You almost have to reach into the hole to access the tie-downs. Maybe it has something to do with the way the liner is molded for installation. They should be like the 150's. Maybe i'll just carry a roll of wide black electrical tape to close off the holes for the couple of times a year that I use it for that type of work. Or spend the extra $150-$200 for a Rhino. Its a hard decision because the truck is a lease. I don't know if i'll keep it or give it back at the end(maybe get an extended cab). I guess I can always install a Rhino some years down the line should the drop-in get destroyed. Also, has anyone seen the foam-type pad that goes between the liner and the bed? Does this come with the liner or is it something extra?
--Mike

mikef150

Dunbarton...are you saying that the Duraliner slip resistant, NOT the Ford/Duraliner from the dealership, doen't have those holes in the back and is like the one for the F150? If so, then i'll order one from a catalog and install it myself, or go to one of the local truck shops. Which do you have, an 150 or a superduty? The one i saw with the large holes was 250 SC SD shortbed. Mine is a 250 RC SD longbed.

dunbarton

Mikef150,

I may have misunderstood your post due to "mikef150" and assumed this is what you drive.

I only looked at the F150 Duraliners so I cannot expertly comment on the SD liners. I have an F150 SC short bed.

My Rhino cost $380 vs. about $235 for the Duraliner. A Rhino for yours would be more due to the sheer size if it.

Depending on your lease length, I don't recommend the Rhino. It's permanent, you won't get anything for it at turn-in time, and no sense spending the extra money just to give it away IMHO. Dunbarton

mikef150

thanks dunbarton....guess the name could be decieving....it was more appropriate when i had the 150!! I probably will not get the Rhino (i hate to spend the extra cash if i don't have to) A drop in should do the job just as well. THanks.

hubbap1

I checked out spray-in liner shops this weekend and agree with earlier postings regarding quality of installation. Check the shop out first! I definately saw some variabilty in job quality.

One thing that I found out in my area is that the Line-X shop is the only one that puts the liner on with HIGH PRESSURE application. This dealer is convinced (of course) that high pressure application is the only way to go. He said it was much easier to control the application process. Does anyone know if going the high pressure route makes a difference?