Composite bed question

What are the advantages to a composite bed beside not rusting? Are there
any disadvantages?

 

No need for Rhino Liner LOL

 

Adv:

-Will not rust
-Lighter weight (better MPG)
-Does not dent/deform like steel
-No need to spend extra money on rhino/line-x


DisAdv:

-Lighter ass end will cut you loose quicker in rain or snow
-more vulnerable to repetitive scoring than steel (i.e. something sharp sliding back and forth on it with pressure applied)



All in all, I feel the composite bed makes more sense from a design standpoint.

 

Tougher...you can hit it really, really hard and it doesn't dent. How much till it breaks though? don't know.

But it does seem to have a problem with rubbing: people have reported gouges where metal things have rubbed when being driven around.

I remember reading where one person had a crack...but how that can form and propagate I've no idea since composite is supposed to have excellent resistance to crack propogation.

 

Not only is it lighter, but the composite material is also stronger than steel. It does however scratch, but a good bed mat (i'd recommend one to anybody who hauls anything in the bed) will solve that problem and keep your cargo secure and free of any sliding action.

 

I 2nd a bed mat as well since things do slide around. On the other hand, my brother's Rhino sprayed bed doesn't allow things to slide around so I guess that would be another disadvantage of the composite bed. I also concur that it does scratch/gouge. I had a aerator in the back of my truck that slide around and gouged/scratched the bed a bit. It wasn't horrible, but enought to notice.

 

how much weight can u put in our beds before bad things happen to them?

 

Have you looked in your owners manual - there are limits to what you are allowed (technically) to carry in the bed (load capacity).

Those limits have nothing to do with the composite bed. Those limits are there because of the axle/suspension strength (so to speak) and probably a bunch of other things I'm not mentioning.

 

Another advantage is that I don't have to fork over several hundred dollars to have a spray in bed liner installed.

Disadvantages might be that stuff does seem to slide around more.

 

The OEM bed mat is the best $50-$90 you will spend if you haul anything in the bed .

 

All I've hauled in the bed so far is hay, and that stuff doesn't seem to want to move when I throw it into the bed. 100 pound bales fit almost glove tight.

 

Yeee Haaawww

 

Cut down an old full size bed mat to fit and seems to be doing ists job. no slipping or denting or scratches. best of all i had it and not sure what to do with it.

 

Not to be a smart a**, but can you drill through that stuff without it cracking over time? Noticed that someone said its stonger than steel, but I've heard of metal objects rubbing a hole in the bed. I'm not sure about the newer Toys if they have the rear leaf spring problem? How do you get that problem with such a light bed? I have an older Toy with a steel bed in it, with my tire mounted in the back, and a lightbar mounted back there too. Can you do that with the new composite beds. Like I said not trying to sound like a smart a** just kinda curious about the stability of it.

 

How do the leaf springs have anything to do with the bed? The leaf springs are attached to the underside of the frame and the axle. The bed doesn't even come in contact with the leaf springs. The bed is mounted ontop the frame.

So what exactly are you trying to say?

 

Are you familiar with how the sheet molded composite bed is made? It's like fiberglass and other composites in that it has fibers spread throughout the resin. That makes it highly crack resistant (much better than steel) but I'd back holes with washers or a plate to give a crush-proof grip for the bolt system.

Like it's been noted: there are pluses and minuses for both steel and composite bed. It's important to understand and take advantage from the pluses, and avoid stupid things that make the minuses a problem to you.

And yes, there are bed-mounted spare tires and light bar systems for the 2nd gens...I've seen them. I'm sure they have well-designed mounts that are compatible with the SMC bed; you should check them out if you've questions.

 

X2 My bed mat is the best thing I've purchased so far. And I'm addicted to my Garmin.