Bed wear

alright guys, so I’ve run into my first issue with non steel beds. I’ve been loading quads/ snowmobiles since I’ve gotten the truck and have used the bed often, previous owner did the same. So I’ve noticed that there’s holes forming in the bed, almost like the protective coating has completely worn away, and I’m looking for a solution to fix this before it gets worse.

 

I should also mention it’s not simply cosmetic, I’d just leave it if it was. It feels weak, almost like if I push in too hard it’ll cave in

 

I'd bedline the inside. Thickens it up and protects it.

 

Where are you located? I forgot I have one for sale

 

I like the idea of steel, but any thickness added to the wells would likely prevent me from sliding in my things. I’d have to start riding the wheel well which isn’t too fun. Maybe I’ll have to look into rhino liner

 

Very far from you, I’m in Newfoundland Canada

 

If it helps the bed is in Oklahoma not Texas Haha

 

So I do have some bedliner kicking around. Maybe I could coat the wells and other effected areas. My only concern is where it already is soft, would a bunch of coats of bedliner stiffen it back up? or is it redundant

 

Repair it with fiber glass, sand and paint, then have it spray lined.

 

Yea still pretty far away. I'm fine with keeping the bed, i just don't want holes in it lol

 

I'd try to put some sort of expxy on it and put monsterliner. Pretty good stuff, applies really well with a roller and isnt too coarse

 

Right so best option seems to be fiberglass repair kit, then bedliner over the top. I'm considering the epoxy solution, but i feel that it'll shrink or crack. I also have a fiberglass repair kit kicking around the house, but i haven't used the stuff before (have used bondo before though). Does anyone know if the fiberglass would stick to the bed properly? I'd imagine that with a thick coating of bedliner might just do the trick.

 

Yes, the fiberglass will stick. You must prep the area first with a really good scuffing. You’ll see when you scuff the bed really good it’s has fibers just like the fiberglass. Do your repair, sand and smooth paint and spray line. Had to repair a whole I punched in mine.

 

OP,I think whatever fiberglass repair you do will likely not hold up to the next time you load quads/snowmobiles. I like whatstcp's idea. Personally I would do the fiberglass repair, bedline it, then reinforce the area with at least a steel plate on the wheel wells similar to the larger center piece in the drawing above.

 

For S&Gs, give Toyota a call to see what they recommend?

Like @whatstcp said, this isn’t too common...

 

Very timely post for me, thanks.

I have been looking into having my bed sprayed. Might be worth asking a shop that specializes in Rhino or Line-X. I think I am going to go with Line-X. Standard Line-X for a steel bed is $600 but with a plastic bed the cost estimate I got was $800 because it takes a lot of extra labor to scuff the plastic deep enough for the Line-X to take hold. Maybe they can repair the holes for you before they spray. That probably won't add a major extra cost. Just an option if you don't want to do a major DIY.

I have seen completely sprayed beds and they are awesome.

Then perhaps you can take whatstcp's excellent suggestion and make a sort of removable guard in the shape he suggests. No need to bolt it down. It would just fit over the area when you are loading and then remove it when not in use. It just needs to fit tight enough to slide in place during use.

 

You'd almost think a new bed could be bought from Toyota since the dang thing is just a part number, unlike if it was a real steel bed.

 

Fiberglass back side of bed wheelwell to reinforce then maybe fill in damages bed side and smooth out . Sheet metal seems like the best (only ? ) solution to rubbing damage . Bed linner only going to add thickness to bed and get rubbed off any way .

 

Seems like anything you do to the area will thicken the area and narrow the opening between the wells. It would probably be doable to just cut out/back the wheel well to create the clearance you need, then repair with fiberglass/carbon fiber, bedline it, then add whatstcp's idea to the area. This will be more work and you may need someone to help with this, but I think it would be more functional for you. The wheel wells are just too close for your needs.

 

Look into polyurethane protective tape “erosion tape” from 3M. It is used for composite portions of leading edges on commercial aircraft. It can be purchased with adhesive backing or by using a heat gun I believe. Lightweight and durable.