Question For those that USE their Truck bed as a truck

If I'm picking up a pallet the mat stays home but for most other hauling like lumber or a lot of bags from the nursery its a great addition.

Add a cargo net too.

 

Honestly if I was gonna make one change to the bed design it'd be to add a slot for a 2x8 vertical near the tailgate for containing small objects. I've seen a few trucks/bedliners with those and they seem handy.

 

Craigslist

 

Hauled a few pallets of saud, roughly 1,200lbs of gravel and dirt, and loaded with fire wood. Held up just fine. No bed Mat here, but wouldn't mind having one.

 

Here you go mat for tacoma $80 OEM.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/duke-of-deals-round-2.463174/

 

Ooohh I really like those. Looking them up now

 

I use my bed to haul steel to and around my shooting range. I do recommend the bed mat as others have said.

 

Is this the link to purchase and it fits 3rd gen fine?
http://www.chaosfab.com/2005-2015-Tacoma-Rear-Channel-Bed-Stiffiners-48675

 

Here is link to the 2016 version

http://www.chaosfab.com/2016-2017-Tacoma-Rear-Channel-Bed-Stiffeners-48676

 

Don't believe the Chevy steel vs Ford aluminum.. it's BS there's a youtube video out there where it shows the tool box puncture the steel bed in the chevy.

 

Like many have said, get the bed mat. Also install few dodge D-Rings in the bed, still could use couple more towards the tailgate.
Regarding moving: Have moved 2 good size book shelves for which i had to drop the tailgate on my Longbed. Also moved queen mattress + box, just gotta tie it good.

Below pics from when I went to get firewood with my boy a month or so ago.

 

Before I bought my 2012 Tacoma I had questions about the composite bed on these trucks. So I went to a couple of body shops and 2 Toyota body shops and asked how the beds hold up under hard use. I received the same answer " the beds hold up real good unless you are involved in an accident"

 

Then you get a new bed --that is if you have insurance.

 

Nice truck, nice saw, nice load!!. What size bed is on your truck? What model Stihl do you run? The only thing that will be different here will be is our load weights -- we cut Oak, hickory and other hardwoods. Yours looks to be a softer wood. My experience with the softer woods is they cut a lot faster. We actually have trees in Missouri (and the Midwest) that will throw sparks when cutting. It is called "osage- orange" or "hedge-apple" --this wood is the highest BTU/lb wood in North America. What you show in your picts is Exactly what I will be doing with my Tacoma.
OOPs -- I should have added "nice looking young man"

 

Years ago my old 1987 Dakota had a slot like that.

 

Osage will also spark when burning! I used to burn that when available back in WV.

 

Dulls chainsaw chains quickly as well.

 

my sons 4 wheeler fits the bed real good no scratches tho friend of mine uses mothers back to black to make his 2nd gen bed looks fantastic and he is a landscaper he uses the s--t out of his truck

 

So, when you say: "USE their truck bed as a truck," I'm thinking bed mats are completely out of the question. You want to be able to scrape shovels and pick axes across the bare bed and toss large, sharp and heavy objects in over the bed rails; you want to haul too much weight, not tie it down properly and have it slam into the front of the bed; you don't want to be fucking bothered with line-X or pussyfootin, you just want to abuse the shit out of the bed and get away with it, am I right?

+5 for steel, but I'm sure any gen bed would be fine. I've heard stories of the composites cracking whereas steel just bends, but I can not corrobate tales of composite's shortcomings as I have no experience in that department. Steel beds take a beating, and any holes you stab into them or that rust out can be cleaned up and welded over. Holes in other beds could probably be epoxy/fiberglass filled though..

 

My Baja sits like that when I put a case of water in it at Costco. lol, ugh....