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Bedliner Options?

9K views 12 replies 11 participants last post by  OrchardHill75 
#1 · (Edited)
Just purchased a new '17 Frontier S King Cab. I'm a pretty light-duty user -- mostly yard waste (in and out of barrels) and the occasional transport of a couple of kayaks and bicycles. I figure I should get a BEDLINER of some type but I don't know if I should go drop in or spray on, and which brand or company I should get. No Utilitrac and I'm in the Northeast (Massachusetts), if that matters.

Anybody got some advice or recommendations for a novice like me? Thanks!
 
#2 ·
I am personally a fan of the spray in. The issue for me with drop in bedliners, even if you don't use them heavily, they move independent of the metal causing it to run and will rub through the paint after a year or 2 starting to rust. It is covered so you don't know it right away.

Spray in will fade though, especially if you park outside. If you have the utilitrac then you would either need to cut out the plastic which would remove some serious structure or use the spray in.

I vote spray in.
 
#3 ·
Where in Mass are you? I'm just over the border in NH. I removed my plastic drop-in liner & tailgate liner and would let it go for cheap.

That said, I prefer spray-in/paint-in liners.

LineX or Hurculiner are good if you plan to keep your truck for a LONG time or plan to modify the bed. Drop-in is good if you plan to trade it in after a few years and don't want to spend alot of $. LineX (of competitor) you can expect to pay $500, DIY about $100 & a day/weekend. Both depend on good prep work. If the bed is not cleaned well or sanded well, it won't stick well. Shop that did mine didn't do a great job at sanding. If you go LineX, be sure to spend an hour and hit your bed with sandpaper to rough up the paint.

Plastic liners slide real easy, so if you're doing alot of yard waste, its easier to empty the bed from a plastic liner. However a spray-in means your tools won't go sliding around as easy.

When I pulled out the plastic liner, I'd had the truck for about a year and used the bed quite a bit. There was some wear of the paint, almost all at the tailgate end, but had not gone through the primer. One thing that could be done to minimize that wear is to spray a can of Rustolem Bed Liner (~$10) at the rear of the bed.
 
#4 ·
Echoing what others have said go spray in. Drop in liners are great if you're leasing your truck, or plan on flipping it in a year. Also, the drop in liner I had in my old Ford had these awful little ridges on the floor and sweeping dirt or pine needles out of them was downright awful. Spray in is stickier, so your crap doesn't slide around as much, it gives a bit of impact protection cuz it's rubberized and it looks way better.
 
#5 ·
I've owned both: one truck with a plastic, drop-in bed liner, and now my frontier with a spray-on bed liner. Go spray-on for sure. If I bought a new truck tomorrow that didn't have a bed liner I would immediately be making plans for a spray-on liner, no question.
 
#6 ·
My 2002 had a drop in liner. Better than nothing, but lots of debris get between the liner and bed. More stuff to scratch the bed.

My 2016 has the factory spray on liner. Absolutely love it. Might cost more to get it done right, but you get what you pay for.


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#7 ·
This the is the reason why I bought an S!!!!


@OrchardHill75 Your scenario is exactly why I bought myself an S. Every weekend, I do a ton of yard work and after a while, I realized that I needed a "motorized wheel barrow". That is when I went shopping for a fronty. I found the perfect one, a S. I did not need any bells or whistles in my truck.

As for the bedliner, my truck came with the OEM drop in bed liner but when that dies, I have a good friend of mine who just recently sprayed his bed with the spray on bed liner so.. For me, I like the plastic better as it is more durable than spray on (considering all the junk I am going to throw in their like bricks, tools, etc. ) (I do a little bit more heavier duty work than you so that is why I need the drop in) but spray on is better for colder climates. I live down in the South so plastic for me is an okay choice (factoring in that the truck will be in a garage and not in the rays of mother nature). As a Southerner giving advice to Northerner, go for the spray in bedliner as it will be better in your case of light duty.

Good luck and I hope that my advice helps! :surprise:
 
#8 ·
@OrchardHill75 Your scenario is exactly why I bought myself an S. Every weekend, I do a ton of yard work and after a while, I realized that I needed a "motorized wheel barrow". That is when I went shopping for a fronty. I found the perfect one, a S. I did not need any bells or whistles in my truck.

As for the bedliner, my truck came with the OEM drop in bed liner but when that dies, I have a good friend of mine who just recently sprayed his bed with the spray on bed liner so.. For me, I like the plastic better as it is more durable than spray on (considering all the junk I am going to throw in their like bricks, tools, etc. ) (I do a little bit more heavier duty work than you so that is why I need the drop in) but spray on is better for colder climates. I live down in the South so plastic for me is an okay choice (factoring in that the truck will be in a garage and not in the rays of mother nature). As a Southerner giving advice to Northerner, go for the spray in bedliner as it will be better in your case of light duty.

Good luck and I hope that my advice helps! :surprise:

I don't know if i would say the plastic liner is more durable than the spray. I would say that it is an extra layer so you can throw stones, brick, logs etc. in there with less damage to the metal bed. I have dented my bed in a couple spots tossing in firewood logs and big rocks. However durability wise my bed liner has held up amazing for the 6 years i have been using it. Everything from dirt and rocks to firewood and construction debris.
 
#9 ·
There are plusses and minuses to both drop in and spray in.

Drop in can rub through the paint, but it dispersed energy when something is thrown into the bed like firewood reducing the risk of a dent.

Drop in can be slippery where lineX is very grippy.

LineX seals to the bed of the truck preventing corrosion, but a heavy object thrown into the bed can dent it.

A thick truck bed mat may be all you need.
 
#10 ·
Have had both. Biggest difference for me is texture. Sometimes slippery is preferred especially for unloading material(s), sometimes a grippy surface is better. Can't have both.
 
#12 ·
Drop in's are cheaper but DIY spray in's/roll on bed liner's are pretty cost effective to. Some of the spray on bed liners you can colour match to if that makes a difference.

The other option I've used is a plywood box liner. They don't look pretty but man you can beat the tar out of those things and they hold up just fine.
 
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#13 ·
Thanks, Everyone!

Great info so far...much appreciated! I think I'm going to go with a Line-X spray on with UV protection option. I went to the dealer yesterday and they spent a lot of time looking at my vehicle and answering all my questions, etc.

I'll probably do it in the next couple of weeks. Keep that helpful info coming if anyone else has anything more to say. And thanks again to everyone who replied so far.
 
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