Durability of spray-on liners - hauling gravel

[HOCummins04]

Without starting a long-running discussion about which spray-in liner is better, I am interested specifically in hearing from the group for those that 1. Have a spray-on liner (state brand) and 2. Have experience hauling limestone with it as described below.



In addition to answering 1 & 2 above, please answer 3-How long have you had the spray-in liner and 4-How does it look in terms of fade and 5-How has the surface of the liner been affected - if at all - by hauling stone (any damage).



I am trying to decide which liner to purchase for new truck on order when it gets here in 3 - 5 weeks. I need to haul limestone for driveway 8 to 10 tons a year (not all at once - 6 - 10 loads). I searched all forums and did not find any post that specifically addressed this issue. If I missed it, please point me in the right direction.



Thanks in advance gang.

 

[dresslered]

I don't have the experience that your looking for, however, if it were me, I would get one of the name brand spray-in liners and then put a drop-in plastic liner over that. The drop-in liner could then be removed when your not hauling the limestone.



I mainly use my Rhino Liner as a non-slick surface for my slide-in camper. It has held up well to carrying logs and I wouldn't hesitate to carry a load of gravel in it either. But with the big jobs that you are talking about, I would let a plastic liner take the grunt of the abuse while the spray-in liner adds that extra protection against the drops and rubbing from the drop-in.

 

[Gary - K7GLD]

YUP to the above - since you express interest in long-term appearance of whatever spray-in you select, it's not likely ANY of them will stand up well to the sort of heavy, abrasive use you plan - either a drop in liner, or some other sort of protection, plywood or old carpeting will keep the spray in looking it's best - the stuff is GOOD, but not made for EXTREME abuse, if you really wanna keep it purty...

 

[rdanley]

i have line - x now, i do not haul stone but i have had a good experience with this product. i have had mine on for 5 years now.

once my wife hooked up my gooseneck to my truck and she placed the break away chians in the stake mounts on the bed rails. well when she made her first turn she pulled the bed inward. the line - x never cracked or pulled lose. i am getting ready to buy a new truck and i will have line - x again.

 

[Gary - K7GLD]

YUP - first "mod" done on my truck, Line-X over-the-rail...

 

[GLeishman]

I'v had the Line-x brand for almost 5 years (3 years in the 1/2 ton RAM and almost 2 years in the new RAM truck) I hauled a lot of gravel and bricks, some on pallets and some just thrown in, I never thought of putting in a board or drop in liner to protect the sprayed on liner. You have to abuse the heck out of the liner for it show any damage. just my two bits.

 

[Gary - K7GLD]

Well, it might seem like overkill - it primarily depends on how you normally use the truck, and how much abuse and evidence thereof you are willing to live with. I use my truck mostly for towing, and while I have no qualms about tossing in relatively "normal" junk, would not hesitate to slip a sheet of plywood under a more threatening load to keep the bed area looking nice as long as possible for the majority of the time when I'm not hauling anything at all. I guess we're all anal in our own way...

 

[smartineau]

I don't know about hauling limestone specifically. But I have done some gravel hauling with my Perma-Tech liner. The gravel is not a problem with the liner, but the shovel has torn my liner a few times. Yes I was being careful, but still got some tears.



The looks are great after a year, no fading (it has a UV inhibitor in it, unlike the Rhino and thus my deciding factor to get Perma-Tech). It sits outside year around and all I do is wash it once and a while and it will look nice and shiny.



I hauled a 2800 pound pallet of retaining wall bricks and the fork-lift guy "slid" the pallet across the bed, no damage.



My step-dad uses Rhino and his is abused (at least the old truck) and no tears or gouges. I think if I was to do it again I would go with the Rhino and live with some fading.



steve

 

[ben_ak]

I have had Rhino in my past two trucks - over the rail in the bed and on the rocker panels - I am very satisfied. On my Dodge I had the lining color matched and UV sealed (my dealer started offering this within the past year, see above post) and it looks great. I used to work landscaping with my old truck and I hauled gravel often with no problems, now I turn wrenches and grease and oil sticks pretty hard if left alone. Rhino is definitely not the cheapest (nearly $1200 for short box, over rail, rockers, color match) but I have been extremely happy with mine and I have abused it.



-Ben

 

[Coalsmoke]

I have the stock dodge liner and it is tough as nails.

 

[MO'Donnell]

I have had Rhino in 2 trucks and hauled gravel, "marble" chips, lava rock, top soil, car parts and had no problems - EXCEPT on the first application, the installation was botched - the bed wasn't prepped right, product mix was wrong and coat was too thin. Dealer made it right, and the re-do was fantastic. The moral of the story is - no matter what brand, it's the INSTALLER that determines how well the liner holds up.

 

[Joseph Donnelly]

Have a Rhino in my 97. Good but faded/chalked from the sun.

Got a Line-X in my 2004. Lifetime warranty so if stones wear it out, they respray it.

Since the base steel is not so tough either, I'd put in a sheet of plywood to avoid dents etc. in the bed metal.

 

[sberrio]

Originally posted by Joseph Donnelly

Have a Rhino in my 97. Good but faded/chalked from the sun.

Got a Line-X in my 2004. Lifetime warranty so if stones wear it out, they respray it.

Since the base steel is not so tough either, I'd put in a sheet of plywood to avoid dents etc. in the bed metal.

It looks like this might be your best bet. From what I've seen with both my Rhino, and my friends Line-X, niether will hold up to extreme WORK. Since the rock will dent the bed, additional protection will be needed. Plywood is a cheap, field expediant, item to use over your choice of spray-in.

I personaly love my Rhino-Liner, but I do not use it for work. The only wear I have seen in 2 years is friction cuts from tiedowns. No scratches or rips, just a couple of cuts where I ran some thin tiedowns. As stated before, the your choice of dealer decides the quality of the spray in. I went to a Rhino dealer in Taunton, MA.

my 2 cents,

simon

 

[JohnE]

A truck accessories shop owner told me to go with a spray-in for the non-slip for non-slip and general light duty bed protection. For medium duty use a slip in liner. For heavy duty use a spray-in line UNDER the slip in liner.



I went with a slip in liner and foam protector and it was OK, but hated having to tie everything down and the foam still wore out in areas so I had bare metal exposed.



Current truck has a rubber bed mat and I do the trick Joe mentioned and either remove it or cover it and a piece of ½ plywood for hauling the rough stuff.

 

[Joseph Donnelly]

For those who tow a trailer, you can go a step farther. I use a piece of 1. 12" flooring plywood, painted so it will last. I have cut it into foot-wide pieces, 5 feet long, with a 45 deg. angle cut on one end. In front of these four side-by-side pieces I have the rest of the plywood. The 5' long pieces can be removed as needed to level the trailer--just stack and drive the trailer up on them. You can also cut some of the left over piece into foot-square pieces to serve as a base for a jack in mud, snow, etc. Cut up it is not as good for loose stuff like gravel, but it works well for engine parts, etc.

 

[dresslered]

In addition to the Rhino lining, I also threw a polyurethane horse mat in the back (available from most tack shops). This adds a little extra shock absorption for the camper and lessons the blow of any heavy objects that I toss in the back.

 

[Ol'TrailDog]

I would suggest considering putting a flatbed or a dump box on if you are going to be hauling stone consistantly. I think the new boxes are so chinsy thin that even with a liner you will be banging it up.



I line-Xed my flatbed and like it. We have another work truck here that has a lined flatbed and hauls a bobcat and accessories with out getting marred up. Plus, the line-X has a good warranty.