Bed Rug Opinions - farm work?

[JonathanBurk]

Yes, I've searched & read all the posts, need more info.



First off, I don't want a spray-in yet. For now I want something removeable, so pretend your only options are: stock bed, plastic drop-in, bed rug. And yes, I know when I remove whatever liner I have it's going to be scratched under there... I'm OK with that, but I need something quick for my needs.



What would you go with given the following:



I live on a farm. My truck is "mainly" used for hauling around my 4-wheeler & brush, but it is also used for dirt, soil, and wood occasionally.



On very rare occasions, I'll throw my tonneau cover on and use my bed to carry luggage, but that's a distance second to my other needs.



So... is the bedrug out of the question because of the dirt and wood?

I'm guessing little wood chips would be trapped in the carpet like material and not spray out easily and I'm guessing using a shovel to scrape up dirt on the bottom of the truck is also a bad idea using the bed rug?



So am I to assume that for now a plastic drop-in is for me, or am I underestimating the bedrug?



Thanks for the help,



Jonathan

 

[sardoghauler]

For what you're gonna do a spray in is THE thing. What concerns do you have that eliminates that option? My opinion - but our 97 ram with linex has taken a beating on the farm, dirt rocks, atv, fuel spills, firewood, fencing..... and yeah, it has some wear but I can't think of using anything else.

 

[JonathanBurk]

Funny... I knew someone wouldn't be able to resist recommending the spray-in.



Seriously though, I appreciate the help, and I'm sure I will eventually get a spray-in, however my concerns for now:



#1 I'm not too impressed or sold on the ding protection compared to plastic liners. Our F-250, F-350 & my friend's Ranger plastic liners have held up better compared to my neighor's Rhino. People can give their experiences, but please understand I gotta go by how our use around the farms here goes and the spray-in just wasn't quite as good... albeith MUCH better on the knees.

However, after 15 years the F-250 does have some rust under the plastic liner, but it's got rust everywhere.



#2 Not ready to take my 3 week old truck and turn it over to a shop to scuff up my bed for a permanent installation.



#3 Even if I wanted to get a spray-in now, I can't get my truck to a shop for several months because I can find no one that will do a Saturday spray. I'm not waiting until after winter when I've got to start hauling wood and stuff to get "some" type of protection. Work won't allow me to get my truck to the closest dealer for several months.



So for now... it looks like the winds are swaying me towards a plastic drop-in, but man I hate how tough they are on the knees and how much stuff slides around. Was hoping the bedrug might cut it.



No other choice though... for now its bedrug, drop-in, or nothing for quite a while, and by that time it may be too late with the winter hauling around the corner.

 

[tpuig]

Go BedRug

I've got about 3 years with a BedRug and it's still in good shape. I pulled my toolbox off the other day and saw where the bedrug is nice and clean and in great shape under the toolbox. The rest of the bed is a slightly more faded and worn. But it's in great shape. Where I spilled a lot of oil on it. Where I had a couple yards of dirt and gravel in it. Where I accidentally lit the rug on fire from knocking over the camping stove. Had wood in it, had engines and trannies in it. It's a tough carpet. I doubt it's invincible, but pretty close.

There's no reason you can't use an air hose to blow out the dirt. Power washing would work. I just use a broom and sweep it out. Best thing I've done for the truck, saves my knees when crawling in, too. I'm sure most will recommend getting the plastic liner, but my vote is BedRug.

However, I would recommend getting your top rails coated, because the plastic covers just don't cut it... And the tailgate flap falls down into the bed occasionally. You could always put a tarp down before hauling dirt, too...

Hope this helps.

TP

 

[SRadke]

I'm a big fan of 3/4 CDX.



-Scott

 

[Pawpaw]

I have a Duraliner rubber bed mat in mine. That puppy is thick. Easy on the knees and it cuts way down on stuff sliding around.



It doesn't offer any protection for the sides or wheel wells, but if you're going to get a spray in later...



Bob

 

[pgleavitt]

I saw a guy that went to a feed and farm place and used a heavy rubber mat that was for horse trailers. Very thick and he said it only cost his $50. 00. Could be wrong on the price but it worked for him.

 

[JayWm]

I saw a guy that went to a feed and farm place and used a heavy rubber mat that was for horse trailers. Very thick and he said it only cost his $50. 00. Could be wrong on the price but it worked for him.

That heavy rubber mat is made of recycled tires. Feed stores sell them here for horse stalls and trailers. We use it at my tire store as a work mat for mounting truck and tractor tires. After 4+ years of use it is still in great shape. Not a bad idea for a temp bed liner. Heck you could put it under the plastic bedliner to absorb impacts and have the sides protected by the plastic liner. I have a bed rug in my truck and it does not absorb water at all. I think that its durability will be related to how cautious you are when you load/unload things like dirt and wood. The other stuff isn't gonna bother it.



Jay

 

[Fireman Dave]

I like my Bedrug a lot. I have a hard tonneau cover on the truck, so the rug is protected. I've hauled brush in it and wood - usually on a tarp. Other than that, my bed gets pretty light duty. I use it more like the trunk of a car than a truck bed. It's great when you crawl around in there - real easy on the knees. You could sleep quite comfortably on it - it's that nice. It's in 3 sections that zipper together and are held in by velcro. So it's easy to take in and out if you wanted to clean it. I vacuum mine when I clean it. It hasn't been out since I installed it 5 and 1/2 years ago. My bed is still brand new under there. I got mine from a place in California and installed it myself - a very easy job - and I got a good price that way.

 

[JonathanBurk]

Keep the opinions comin' guys, I really appreciate it as this is good info.



However, I went down and just did the deed and bought a plastic AllStar Durakon drop-in today... same as my friend has in his Ford. $164 installed with the tiedowns put on and everything. Looks just like Mopar installed it.



It was a tough choice, but here's why I went with it:



#1 Needed something ASAP. From 1 trip to the Gulf with metal cans in the back my bed was scratched to crud down to bare metal. I covered up the bare spots prior to putting in the plastic drop-in, but for now this is better than nothing.

#2 The bedrug was very tempting with how easy I know it'd be on the knees and how nice it'd be when I did have my tonneau on (although rare). However, hauling stuff was of more importance.

#3 I am loving this thing. It's not a fancy liner by any means, but I can already tell it's going to do the job nicely.

 

[abdiver]

Does bed rust under the Bedmat?

What happens to the truck bed under the bedrug when it rains. I would imagine the rain would get under the bedrug at least seep thru the zipper. Wouldn't this water be trapped under the bedrug and deteriorate the truck bed ? I am planning to place a shell on my truck till then I am concerned about if I need to keep it dry?



Thanks Bill

 

[bmoeller]

Jonathan, is the liner an over-the-rail, or under? My truck had an over rail liner, but tokk it out for one that went under. The top of the over-rail one was VERY slick when wet or had mud on my boots.



With the under rail, I bought DeeZee diamond plate aluminum rail covers. Don't slip on it.



With a flatbed now, it is a moot point. :-laf



Bill, don't know about the BedRug, but plastic liners can get water under them as well. As long as the liner doesn't move around alot, there won't be much damage to the paint underneath. Wasn't on my bed. It is a good idea to pull the poly liners out once or twice a year, and hit the bed with a power washer, to get rid of the dust and such. The dust can attract and hold moisture.



With the rubber mats, if you have a diesel transfer tank in back, the rubber needs to be the right kind. Diesel will soften and swell up the wrong type of rubber mat.

 

[abdiver]

Bedrug removal

Bill, don't know about the BedRug, but plastic liners can get water under them as well. As long as the liner doesn't move around alot, there won't be much damage to the paint underneath. Wasn't on my bed. It is a good idea to pull the poly liners out once or twice a year, and hit the bed with a power washer, to get rid of the dust and such. The dust can attract and hold moisture.



With the rubber mats, if you have a diesel transfer tank in back, the rubber needs to be the right kind. Diesel will soften and swell up the wrong type of rubber mat.

I can't remove my bedrug as I have installed an in bed 70 gal Transferflow tank on it. Even if I had no tank during installation I found out that when you try to remove the Bedrug the hooks on the strips that you stick to the bed to hold the Bedrug in place (a large size rip zip) the hooks break off requiring New adhesive hook to be purchased and reinstalled. I have placed a 6 mill clear plastic over the bed and tank sealed it with 3M electrical tape and held down inside the bed with sand bags filled with pea gravel Hoping to keep it dry till I drive to Reno and get my Caravan camper shell installed it will be ready in Jan I might arrive at there shop with a load of snow. I removed tailgate and placed a wood frame to hold down the 6 mil at the rear I think it will stay in place till I get to Reno.



Bill