Aluminum vs Steel flatbed
Making a transition to an F550 chasis cab and flatbed with storage boxes. I'm going with the Stable Camper bed kit with the CM flatbed. Here is my struggle - aluminum or steel? I live in Vancouve...
Forum Discussion
Back to the OPs post.
I missed it too. He will be ordering a bare flatbed or having it sprayed with bed liner.
IMO this is a huge mistake.
First, the underside with the most of the “hard to reach” areas is not conducive to bed liner material.
Second, the exposed surfaces just look like poo after a handful of years. And although some people do it, it’s a ridiculous look. It was messing to protect from heavy abrasion and impact.
Not as a pleasing or easy to clean/ keep nice looking/finish.
Third , “double” the coating cost. Since you’ll need to get it coated first anyway. Or more than double once you see what the charge is to rhino liner the whole thing inside and out. Better be sitting down.
And lastly, the 2 big name bed liners add 60-70lbs to the inside of an 8’ pickup bed. That equals about 200? lbs of coating or more on a big flatbed with boxes 100% coated.
Now the smaller “challenges”. If you don’t pay for paint or powder first then you have all the interior surfaces like in the tool boxes getting rhino lined and even more hard to reach areas.
Bottom line, get a good quality paint or powder coat. And be done with it. Rhino line the floor if that’s your thing (not a bad idea) and don’t try to reinvent the wheel.
I missed it too. He will be ordering a bare flatbed or having it sprayed with bed liner.
IMO this is a huge mistake.
First, the underside with the most of the “hard to reach” areas is not conducive to bed liner material.
Second, the exposed surfaces just look like poo after a handful of years. And although some people do it, it’s a ridiculous look. It was messing to protect from heavy abrasion and impact.
Not as a pleasing or easy to clean/ keep nice looking/finish.
Third , “double” the coating cost. Since you’ll need to get it coated first anyway. Or more than double once you see what the charge is to rhino liner the whole thing inside and out. Better be sitting down.
And lastly, the 2 big name bed liners add 60-70lbs to the inside of an 8’ pickup bed. That equals about 200? lbs of coating or more on a big flatbed with boxes 100% coated.
Now the smaller “challenges”. If you don’t pay for paint or powder first then you have all the interior surfaces like in the tool boxes getting rhino lined and even more hard to reach areas.
Bottom line, get a good quality paint or powder coat. And be done with it. Rhino line the floor if that’s your thing (not a bad idea) and don’t try to reinvent the wheel.
