Bedliners

saustin3 · March 2000

i just got a 1999 silverado z71 and am looking for
a bedliner. i heard the pendaliners is the way to
go. any suggestions?

mictro · March 2000

You might go back and read through topic #252 (Rhino Liners vs Set in liners). This topic has been frozen but contains a lot of useful information.

Personally, I vote for Line-X. It has a much more professional look than Rhino and is harder. The Rhino has a cottage cheese look and I hear that it fades much more quickly. The black turns a gray color in no time. I also believe that getting it sprayed over the rails is the only way to go.

mgdvhman · March 2000

with a Spray in...Get a line X...much harder and better looking..

I went with something that actually protects against dents and shovel like hits....A Duraliner Drop in.

For Drop ins..a GM brand (Duraliner) or an Actual Duraliner are the best. They fit perfect and do not bow up as cheap ones can. The new Duraliners have a grit like finish that is smooth....but also holds stuff in Place. You will pay $300 for one...But My dad always said....."you get what you pay for".

Spray ins are an awesome Idea....but too Disco for actual abuse....which is what we get a loner for right? If you don't use the bed enough to give it hard work....than a rubber bed mat may be the answer?

Good luck

- Tim

saustin3 · March 2000

thanks for the info tim. the two drop-in liners that always comes up are the duraliner and the pendaliner sr. you said you have a duraliner but what are your thoughts about the pendaliner? always i keep reading the drop-ins will eventually cause rust to the bed of the truck, what are your thoughts about that?

firemandave · March 2000

I'm looking at the BedRug right now. I'll have a cap on the truck, so this looks like a good option for me. It's a carpet that makes the bed look like a car trunk inside. It looks like a good option for not altering/damaging the original finish. You can check it out at www.californiaconcepts.com. It goes for about $340. from that place.

mgdvhman · March 2000

I had 1 Pendaliner...and it seemed OK for durability...but did not fit the bed very good.
Yeah there is the factthat the wiggling around will cause friction and rust the bed. I took mine out a few times and it had minimal wear. One spot was all the way to the metal after 11 years. So I see that as no big deal. No surface rust ever was noticeable. Who takes there liner out to leave it out anyway? Once it's in...who cares if it scuffs?

A bed can very easily be re-painted. But if the liner didn't protect from dents and scrapes all the way down to the metal...(as a spray in does not)...what good will a paint jobe be? Course a sprayin can't be removed....at least not easy.

You will pay $300 for the best liner you can get..a Duraliner...or pay that much easy or as much as $550 for a spray in that offers less protection...but looks very nice...

Up to you

Good Luck

- Tim

jerobbins · March 2000

I've had a bedrug in my 2000 Silverado for about five months. I'm generally pretty happy with it, especially when I need to crawl around on it. The padding underneath makes it much softer than a plastic bedliner or even a rubber mat (I've those before).

The only problem with the bedrug is that stuff can get caught in the carpet. When I cut down a few trees and loaded up my truck with wood it was a pain to get all of the twigs and leaves out.

Like most things, which bedliner you get depends on what you want to do with it. I think the bedrug will work fine, but if you frequently carry messy stuff, like dirt or manure, then I wouldn't get one.

gmcsierra · March 2000

I've been looking for a bedliner for my 2000 gmc sierra stepside and I was thinking of going with the pendaliner. However, when I actually saw one installed at the local dealer, it fit horribly. The end next to the cab wasn't even wide enough to go from one side to the other. There was about a 1/2 to 3/4 inch gap on both sides and in a stepside that just won't fly in my book!!! Also ran into something else. I like many others admire the duraliner for fit and finish and durability. However, when I went to several local GM dealers, they almost had a fit when I tried to get them to price a GM bedliner. They keep insisting on that foul fitting Pendaliner SR. Why? Seems like they would make more money on the GM one?

Anyway, would go with the GM Duraliner because in this case you really do get what you pay for. Dealers are quoting $247.00 for GM and $185 for Penda, not much difference.

On the scratching part of the deal. There is supposed to be a manufacturer that makes a liner for the bedliner that protects the paint from any scratches. I was told about this product by a friend, but he didn't remember who makes it. Anyone else heard of this?

mgdvhman · March 2000

he liner rugs like...but I never looked for one. About $40 or so. I just see it as something to hold water under the bed..

Skip it.

The dealer probably makes more on the cheaper Pendaliner. Like I said...they fit like crap though. It narrowed my old stepside so much...you couldn't haul a 4x8 sheet.

Go with a Duraliner.

- Tim

stevie1 · March 2000

I have an under-rail Pendaliner SR on my 2000 Silverado and am pretty happy with it. The fit is quite good and the price was reasonable. I do have a couple of concerns though. One, some drilling is required which is not a big deal but they claim "no-drilling" installations in their ads. Second, I recently removed the tailgate liner to install a tailgate lock and found some rust forming under where the liner sits. The drilled holes were not rusting at all, just the front wall of the tailgate.

To those who have the GM Duraliner bedliner, does it use the special "no-drill" fasteners to hold it in place? Specifically the under-rail model.

mgdvhman · March 2000

"Snaps" in under the rail...so to speak. You bend it in at the sides and slide it in..and "snap" it in under the rails...no screws.
The tailgate piece uses 2 of the GM screws that hold the latch on for the center...2 screws on each side to hold the outside had to be drilled though. I don't see how it would be sturdy if you didn't screw the outside sections of the tailgate?

- Tim

snowedin · March 2000

my local Tuffliner dealer/installer will use two sided body molding tape instead of the outside screws if you provide him w/ it ( about $30 I think for a roll; perhaps a collision shop would sell a small strip so you wouldn't need to purchase an entire roll). This could make for a true screwless bed liner and should be durable enough to hold the outside edges of the tailgate liner.

mgdvhman · April 2000

There is an Idea..3M red tape will hold anything just about. It's what is used for my bed skins and probably what holds the flares on?

The bolts in the center are a good coated bolt and they seem OK so farr. The outside screws they used have formed a coat of rust after 7 months already. perhaps the next one I will try the tape?

Good idea man

- Tim

stevie1 · April 2000

I know on the S-10 GM bedliner, they use special double-sided tape/tightening screws for the tailgate liner which requires no drilling. For the edges, all you do is press the tape down and then tighten the screws on the special plastic brackets attached to the tape which in turn snugs the whole thing down. It's a pretty clever idea, but I'm not sure if the dealer sells the fasteners individually. If you can get them, they should work well for any brand of tailgate liner.

teaboy022 · April 2000

I have the rhino liner in my Silverado Sportside. It looks very nice but is starting to fade after only 4 months. I applied some Turtle Wax Tire Dressing which turned it black again but now it is slippery as a bare booty on a water slide. I dont have experience with Line X but it sounds good also. Even though my rhino is starting to fade a little... I am much happier with it then a drop in.

~*Teaboy*~

mgdvhman · April 2000

actually used it yet?

I have yet to hear any stories of people that use spray ins..

lemme know

I love the Idea...but don't think they can handle work.

- Tim

teaboy022 · April 2000

Hey Tim

I havent used the liner abusively yet. But my friend who has one,works in construction and he throws all his tools back there. Rhino liner holds up good. His has turned gray but stands tough.

No problems with its performance just might not look as pretty as a drop-in after a while.

Tea

mgdvhman · April 2000

any liner is pretty.

Unless you get a disco Non-black type...or glow in the dark one..

I still say spray ins can't take shovels and prevent dents..

Long live the drop in!

- Tim

jcmdie · April 2000

Right on the nose! The spray-in will not prevent dents. If you are not dropping and throwing things in the bed that becomes a non-issue. Spray-in will look better, at least the line-x, and they are much better at stopping loads from shifting. They offer no dent protection and are more expensive. The drop-in will give good dent protection but are very poor at stopping load shift. The load shifting thing can work for you or against you depending on what kind of load you use it for. Another note on the Line-X, the high friction surface can be very abrasive on your skin.

mgdvhman · April 2000

I have has a grit built into the mold. It prevents slippage very good.

So that issue does not apply here.

Every Rhino I see looks like crap dut to fading very soon after. The only line X I have seen on a regular basis is my father in laws....but it stays under a cap....so hard to tell if it fades?
I know it couldn't take having a pallet slid in...scraped all the way down to the metal.

Like I said..Love the Idea....just not perfected yet for real protection.

- Tim

jcmdie · April 2000

Line-X is not the same material as Rhino and is very good for putting skids or pallets in it. It won't come off by sliding a heavy load on it. The thing about the spray-in liners that I couldn't handle was that they sand the bed down to bare metal and acid etch so that adheres properly. I use mine a lot for delivering skids with loads from 1,000# to 2,000#. I never have a load that I have to worry about the sides getting banged up. I use a rubber mat and if I have a load that I know neededs to be pushed up or dragged out I throw down a sheet of waffle board and block the load in. Sounds like you use yours with loose items in which case the drop in is best. Have a good one.

mgdvhman · April 2000

from pallets that weigh 3500 lbs to dirt to rocks to lumber to drywall.

I know Line-X is different....I prefer it's finish to a Rhino. father in law had some slate on a pallet slid into his...a nail in the bottom scraped the line-x right off.

I like mine...you like yours...that's all that matters.

Good Luck

- Tim

rrichf · April 2000

I have a Line-X. It's about 2 years old. Originally it was black. Now it is a charcoal grey. HOWEVER the liner is not fading. It is the car wash soap. If I really scrub it and get the soap off it turns rather black again. (Ain't worth the effort.) The Duraliner in my previous truck did the same thing but not as bad.

If I had my choice to do it over again AND the Duraliner was not one with grit in it...... The one drawback of the Line X is that things don't slide easily.

It would take 3 or 4 sleepless nights and finally I would flip a coin. It's that close! The Duraliner is about $200 cheaper.... Maybe, there's my decision. I don't know. I still really like the Line X.

Rich

woody2269 · May 2000

about an S-10 bed that is scratched to hell....the previous owner was a college kid and I think helped everyone in his dorm move *L*. What kind of liner do you recommend? (P.S. It's black.)

schirf · May 2000

I live in State College, PA (center of State).
Where can I get a DURALINER for my 2000 Silverado? The dealer I bought it at said they get their bedliners from a local parts store and they are not duraliners.

mgdvhman · May 2000

Liners are Duraliners in disguise..

- Tim

werking · May 2000

i'm looking at a line-x liner. tim, at least for now, i don't plan on shoveling in it, just hauling - wood, boxes, furniture, etc. eventually plan on getting a cap for the bed. some have mentioned that over-the-rail liners are bad if you want a cap and that an under-the-rail with rail caps is a better idea. anyboday comment why? thanks for any help...

kyle

bowhuntwi · May 2000

I have a 00 Ford Super Duty with a Duraliner made for Ford, it has cut outs and sealings so your able to use the front and rear tie downs in the bed. Even though the surface is a roughed up to prevent things from sliding, I also layed down a rubber bed mat. Thru the last 20 years of owning trucks, I have never had a bed rust out under a drop in liner. If you worry about this, do like Tim says pull the liner out and look occassionally . Personally I like the drop ins, but each to it's own, that also goes for the truck you drive, there's people out there that won't agree on what you drive either. So get what you like and heck with the other guy.........

mgdvhman · May 2000

but it can't protect like I would like it to...

Someday if they improve....I will get one..

They can't take shovels...or heavy loads being slid on them...(line x in Father in laws truck got ripped to hell doing this)...

I would take a hammer and hit my duraliner as hard as i could...and feel safe.....any spray in owners feel the same?

Great Idea...just a little too ahead of it's time I guess?....needs more Improvement.

- Tim

warfish · May 2000

I haven't read anything here about mounting a fifth wheel hitch with a liner installed. I know it's done often with Rhino liners and probably with the other spray ins, but how about the Duraliner?
I'm not sure about making repairs on other spray in liners, but Rhinoliner claims they can repair theirs if it gets damaged.

rrichf · May 2000

warfish,
I asked about the fifth wheel hitch. The Line-X dealer told me to have the hitch holes drilled and then have the liner sprayed. Finally go back and have the hitch installed. The theory was that the spray would protect the bare metal where the holes were drilled.

I don't have an opinion on this one and I'm just reporting what the dealer said.

Rich

warfish · May 2000

The Rhino dealer told me the same thing. I wonder what can be done with Duraliner or another good drop in?

mgdvhman · May 2000

I have had duraliners...but never a 5th wheel...nor am I even a camper to have much knowledge on them...

Do 5th wheel hitches have ways to pull out most of the hitch when not being used?...like a quick release system or something?

I would want the entire thing out when not using it...bolts and all.

I had a roll bar installed over my duraliner before...I was going to cut out the footprint of the base...but decided to bolt it down with the liner between the floor and the base of the bars. It held very tight...but it was not a fifth wheel hitch either...

I would imagine I would want a 5th wheel hitch to have nothing between the base and the bed...weather it be spray in or drop in....but again..I do not know anything about 5th wheels...

- Tim

warfish · May 2000

Fifth wheel hitches can be easily removed except for the rails that are bolted through the box to the frame. Mine is a Reese and the two rails run across the bed and stick up about 1 to 1 1/2 inches when the rest of the hitch is removed. The suppliers of spray ins recommend the liner be put in before the hitch or the hitch be taken out, the liner sprayed in and the hitch reinstalled. That's not that big a deal either.

sfonseca1 · June 2000

I finally got my 2000 Dakota Quad Cab. Man, what a great truck! I've had Fords most of my life (I traded my 97 F-150 for it), but the price/value/useabilty of the Dodge Quad Cab is unbeatable.

Bed Liners: I've read ALL the comments posted here about them, and I've just about decided on a drop in, mainly because of response #20 of 34 above: He says "...The thing about the spray-in liners that I couldn't handle was that they sand the bed down to bare metal and acid etch so that (the product) adheres properly.."

You're right, I'm freaking out about a little scratch I put on one rail over the weekend, I doubt that I could take someone pouring acid on my bed so their stuff "sticks better".

Only comment is: Most of the writers talk about GM, some Ford, but NO DODGE owners with bedliner stories. Anyone out there has any experience with a Dodge-brand liner? They're about $250 for the over the rail, same price for under rail. Is an under rail better if I add rail protection after? or should I get an over the rail and be done with it. They also have some good looking mats, but for 60 bucks more, I'd get the whole liner. I had an over the rail in my Ford and it looked good and fit good.

I'd appreciate any help/comments.

Santiago

andy_jordan · June 2000

Well the first thing you do is forget about buying a Dodge liner. Mopar do not make bedliners so they commission 3rd parties to produce them with their name on. Liners are produced by a company called Penda, whose own product - imaginatively called Pendaliner is a lot cheaper than Mopar. The ONLY difference is that Mopar has the word MOPAR, Penda has the word CUSTOM.

In terms of over vs. under I would go under if you are ever planning to put anything else on - rail protectors, tonneau, cap etc. Otherwise over the rail is fine.

mgdvhman · June 2000

Over the rails....the most wear is right there in the rails....under the bed was minimal....but under the section that covered the rails was horrible due to most of the movement being right there....it was worn all the way to the metal just about.....

it didn't rust though?.....so...protection wise..best choice...but it will wear the hell out of it.

Mine just sat loose....perhaps if you added some 3M red tape...it would stay put and not rub?

Good luck

- Tim

sfonseca1 · June 2000

Thank you Tim, Andy Jordan. I bought a TuffLiner Tuesday and it looks great. It was $159 + tax installed. It's under the rails and it has over the gate/over the front rail cover but the sides are under. It fits great and it looks great. The gate cover uses the same screws that hold the gate latch so there's no drilling/gluing. It has the holes so you can use the bed hooks and it does not move around. I will put some rubber under (over the gate lip) to protect from rubbing. I can see how it could rub the paint through.

Also got the wind deflectors and they fit/look great. The shop installed all for nothing and in about 15 min. Great guys here in Melbourne (Truck City - Eddie Dunn's shop).

alaskadude · July 2000

I like the look of the spray-in liners, but the
durability (no bed denting when carrying rocks,
etc.) of the drop-in liners. I'm thinking of a
spray-in over-the-rail with a drop-in
under-the-rail to protect the bed from rocks,
scuffing from the drop-in, etc. About half the time a topper would be on the truck (2001 GMC 2500HD. Other than expense, does anyone have any comments?

banzai83 · July 2000

Your idea sounds like the best protection - spray in would prevent the drop-in from rubbing down to the metal and keep the moisture from finding the metal. Only problem I see would be the expense - why not use the paint in liner? Most seem to prefer the spray in over paint, but what about in combination with the drop in???

valvolineford6 · July 2000

I have had a couple of different bedliners in a couple of trucks. All of them (one a duraliner, one a penda, one a general (made by duraliner, just thinner), and another cheap-o. I now have a York Load Lok Bedliner, and love it. Made by York Plastic Industry, it is not only a high quality, thick bedliner, it also is a bedliner with a purpose. It has slots in the side that allow the use of 2x4's to segregate your truck, but also keep your load from shifting (they also make a nifty product called a sidelok), so you can keep anything from rolling around. The home site is http://www.yorkproducts.com/, and from there you can get all the details, including local dealers (mine from www.eetruckstuff.com). Not only is it a great bedliner, but for aroun $220. They have everything, and it fits the truck perfect. Warrantied for life. So, if you are going to spend the big bucks on a truck, I say put in something that is not only going to last, but be useful, and look great. As far as spray-ons, I would say imagine throwing in a couple chunks of cement, and then ask yourself, why didn't you put in a bedliner..

mgdvhman · July 2000

I have has horizontal and verticle slots for wood to seperate the bed in sections...as well as in layers...

It also has a grit like finish to hold things in..most importantly....it fits right!

Spray ins are for looks...I would not get one for a truck that actually gets used.

- Tim

briankn · July 2000

OK, still not convinced as to spray-in or duraliner. I'd do minimal "work" tossing of concrete, rocks but some. I'm also looking to place a cap on in near future. Someone told me to remove factory installed bed protection rails, install "liner" (pref. spray-in), install cap and/or re-install cap rails when hauling rock, etc. Can you get double thickness of spray-in? What's cost comparison of all possibilities?

mgdvhman · August 2000

if you are going to toss rocks and concrete in the bed...get a drop in. I will assure you that nobody here who has a spray in will let you do that to theirs.

Want looks and Disco? - Spray in

want one to use? - Drop In

You have to decide yourself.

Good Luck

- Tim

fat_fenders · August 2000

I'm located in Madison, WI where a local vendor sprays bedliner coatings on many surfaces. They have many samples in the show-room of different items they've spayed above and beyond pick-up truck boxes.

They also spray a smooth finish in large dump trucks and I doubt they continue to do that if it didn't hold up. They have a rough surface type and a smooth surface, depending on what you want the material you're moving or hauling to do, ie. slide or stay put.

Examples of items with texture spray; pickup beds, bumpers, running boards, grill guards, picnic tables.

Examples of items with smooth spray; dump trucks, snow plow blades, diamond plate steel or aluminum.

This place can spray in any thickness you want. Of course you'll pay more to get more. They also have info posted from the NADA (Not sure of letters) used vehicle pricing guide. Trucks with spray in liners have increased value at trade in.

I'm not an expert on liners by any stretch of the imagination, but simply am forwarding info on what a local vendor has.

This spray in is applied hot and it's actually plastic. The sales person said poly-something, I think poly urethane? Anyway, I looked at some of them in the parking lot and someone I work with has this company's spray in liner. He uses his truck on a farm and hauls a lot, yet his spray in liner looks like he just had it done.

For what its worth... Good luck on your decision. I'm going spray in.

fat_fenders

mazda323 · August 2000

Thinking of installing roll-on bedliner yourself? A word of caution. Read this poor guys story.

One poor soul's mishap with the stuff

jgates1 · October 2000

I had a linex spray in liner put in 1 1/2 years ago and have never regreted it. Not only is it very rugged but my truck is much quieter due to the dampining properties of the system. One note when it is installed it is shiny and great looking. This will not last unless you put a great deal of work into cleaning and caring for it. On the other hand once it goes to a dull black it stays that way forever.

meredith · November 2000

After 30 or more days of inactivity....

this topic is being "frozen." It will be archived or deleted in the next 10 days or so. Thanks!

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