DIY bed mat from Tractor Supply

Many thanks to Tonka for the nudge. What follows are pix from my Double Cab. Dealers tell me the OEM bed mat accessory is now gone, and many/most/all? aftermarket vendors have also abandoned the 1st Gen Tacomas for supplying bed mats (at least for the Double Cab, 5Ft. length.)

Tractor Supply has a few different ways to go. All will have to be cut with a knife or razor. And when you think about it, there are different ways you can piece it together if complete coverage is your goal by buying more mat (is wasn't mine.)

1) Some of you have used the 3/4" thick rubber mat, sold as a 4' X 6' sheet for $35 currently. http://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/rubber-mat-black-4-ft-x-6-ft 3/4" -> This is the what you want for stealing a small horse without a trailer or frequently carrying several engine blocks.

2) For $5 more, you can have a less-used-tire, more-trucky-look mat by purchasing two 4' X 3' pads. http://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/utility-rubber-mat-black-4-ft-x-3-ft Note: This is a 1/2" mat.

* Do the math for the relevant prices at the time of purchase, but these two sheets are the most cost-effective for lengths approaching (to say nothing of exceeding) the 6 or 7 total feet required to fit our truck beds, especially if you want a thicker mat.

3) Moving down the thinness line there's the 3/8" option, sold by the foot (still 4' wide) for just under $8/ft. http://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/pr...t-rolled-rubber-3-8-in-thick-sold-by-the-foot

4) I chose the last option, 1/4" also sold by the door (still 4' wide) for just under $7/ft http://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/pr...t-rolled-rubber-1-4-in-thick-sold-by-the-foot

So for me, today, this worked out to be about the same price as the 3/4" 4' x 6' mat (I bought a 6' length) but I "paid a premium" to NOT get one as thick/heavy. I wanted to keep the weight down and knew that the 1/4" mat would still be plenty tough for anything I'd throw at it. This stuff is made from recycled tires and gives your truck bed that Authentic Goodyear (Michelin, Pirelli etc.) scent. Your date will know you're a Real Man when you bed her in the back of your bed.

* If they don't tell you this at the store, DO NOT fold the mat and toss it into the truck for the ride home. These, when creased, with CRACK (eventually ..., it's like scoring a tile ...) Roll it up if it can't ride flat!

Next: the pictures

 

I bought my truck from the 2nd (3rd?) owner who said when asked, "The original owner never used the truck for much of anything ..."

Ha, ha.

Among other things, the bed shows serious signs of heavy use, with dents galore inside and out. And THEN it got a spray liner added, which doesn't look too healthy right now with scrapes and parts flaking off. I mainly wanted a solution that wouldn't further scrape up any cargo, and a drop-in liner wasn't going to happen.

So, to begin:



And with mat "installed."



Yeah, so all I did was notch it. And I may leave it that way. Or I may cut off the sides that are riding up on the wheel wells. Now, you being smarter than I, would likely just position it along one wheel well flat and cut the other side, thereby having total coverage on one side and using a scrap piece for the other near the tailgate In fact, I fully expect my wife to ask why I didn't do it that way.

I attached the tailgate portion with the edge-row of screws that secure the panel. (They aren't really long enough to permit this with any of the thicker mats.) I could secure the other edge with screws drilled into the tailgate, but I doubt it. It's not as if the mat will go anywhere.

 

I have been thinking about doing this, thanks for the write-up!

 

So the "flappy parts" riding up onto the wheel wells lasted a day. I trimmed them off and used them to fill in the gaps at the sides back near the tailgate.

The curve at the front is just as initially cut yesterday, to relieve the curve at the wheel well. The curve near the tailgate was the only part trimmed to fit into the new spot today.

 

How well does the mat stay on the bed w/o sliding around?

 

Going tomorrow to get some mat tomorrow. Taking advantage of the nice weather. Thanks for the write-up.

 

Did you get the mat? I'm going on Sunday.

 

Any review of this? Thinking of doing this. Might go with the 3/4".

 

Why bother making you own. IMO it's not worth the assache

ProMaxx (M602 Bed Mat

https://www.amazon.com/ProMaxx-M602-Bed-Mat/dp/B00JGZWG9S

 

That's more then double the price and only for the 5ft. DC bed, i have a 6ft bed. Pretty simple for me to make a few cuts for the wheels wells. Thanks though.

 

Sorry to bring up an old thread, but it appears Tractor Supply doesn't sell the cut-to-size roll mats anymore. Am I wrong?