ford super duty truck bed problem

[Frank_Mehaffey]

Just before Labor Day, I thought that I would clean out the normal dirt, dust and stuff under the rubber floor of my 2012 F250. Found a hole thru the bed to the center support rail, about the size of a 50 cent piece, and the beginnings of another hole across on the other side, same rail, just above the tires. Found a sub culture online, of people with similar problems on Ford super duty trucks with steel beds. If you are in a salt brine area, you might want to inspect your rails. Ford also put a thin piece of rubber above the rail, against the bottom of the bed, which I suspect held the water and brine against the bottom of the bed. The front of the bed on the passenger side, is also about 1/2 inch lower than the driver side. The bed had bent a little. So, after talking with my guru mechanic, he suggested sistering in some substancial box steel in 2 or 3 places next to the suspect rails, instead of the replacement rails, so I can get some beef back and more, and inspect the floor. This is the first 250 of our 3 where this was a problem. I have always cleaned the frame and bottom of things frequently, so beware and inspect your steel bed rails. I looked at the new super duty catalog and they mentioned using a heavier gage aluminum, different from the first generation of aluminum beds. We are about a year or two from getting a new truck, so if Ford is beefing up things. NOS beds are $3000 without shipping. I will let people know if this fix works out. The replacement rail kits are about $400, but the steel looks a little weak for 3000 lbs. on top of it.

[Tvov]

Yep, my truck, 2008 F250, has rusting bed cross braces. Everything else looks practically brand new - Frame, the bed itself, etc. Just those cross braces. I've talked with other people who have had the same problem. One guy had his brother weld in metal to replace the rotted pieces.

I had a body shop guy give me an estimate, but I'm still trying to decide when and what to do.

It is weird - my truck look fantastic, inside and out, except for those bed cross braces.

[Gary_Morency]

We have lots of companys that do dripless oil spray in our area since the 80,s I get any new truck sprayed underneath and doors and rockers. Never any rust 10yrs later on anything just had the new ram done a mth ago $150.

[Grit_dog]

Man, sorry guys, but it's threads like these that make me not miss living in the salt belt!
I remember those days....

[Redneck_bling]

This is coming a little late for you. I had my 1999 f-250 rot out real bad. The cross frame supports under the truck bed completely dissolved into a flaky croissant. I sold it and cried the blues loosing my 7.3 diesel! I bought a 2016 f250 with a 6.2 and here is my point: I now put the truck up on a lift and spray the underside, cable's, leaf springs, everything, with amsoil metal protector. A case sets me back about 150 bucks. Compared to 46 thou for a new truck, its a no brainer. I have made flexible spray can nozzles that are 2 feet long tubes that allow me to insert into the cross rails, frame, pillars, etc. I spray the **** out of the underside. This is the only way to get 20-30 years out of a truck, with out it turning into a rust bucket. I'm offering this as a solution to everyone to prolong your trucks life. I learned the hard way. I'm fortunate to have access to a lift. Perhaps talk to a local garage about after hours use of their lift. Bring lots of cardboard to put down under the lift to catch the drips. Most shops wont like the residue. Also...for gods sakes...wear a proper fitting respirator. Although there is minimal solvent, you don't want to inhale a sealant. At 1st appearance it looks watery, but it dries to a hard wax like coating that is semi translucent.
I run on salty roads in N.J. and drive on the beach. I had to do something to repel the salt effects.
I recommend you power wash underside, and let it completely dry before proceeding.
Oh... i dont sell amsoil. I just think I like their stuff better than fluid film, and spraying undercoating like rustoleum? That just masks and covers rust. The MP is translucent and can be recoated as needed. Its also flexible so i don't flake. When your done...your truck will smell like a crayola crayon for a while. The smell dissipates quickly though. Also clean off any overspray before it hardens. Once hard, its a pita to remove.

[tattoobob]

I have a 2005 Ford F350 and I had the front bed rails rust out and had them all replaced at a truck body fab shop (which I worked at back in the 80's) at a cost of $1500 cash they didn't use the ford replacements they made new with thicker gauge metal

[Frank_Mehaffey]

Ok, so here is a possible reason in why it seems that under center rail has more rust issues than the other rails. I had a leak in my air bag, which is on the same side. (ended up being the fill valve, easy fix) There is a heat shield glued to the underside of the box, just above the place where the exhaust pipe goes above the axle. The shield has the reflective side down facing the pipe, but they put the shield in to overlap the front edge of where the rail touches the bed. When water or anything else gets on top of the shield, it drains off the sides and also into the front edge of the rail. The shield is not a solid sheet, but seems to be a flexible plastic product, that can bend like cardboard, and has spaces in it visible from the side. The rust is more
extensive where it drains off the left and right of the shield. It is the outside 8-9" of the shield side that seems to be about 1/3 rusted thru. I think that I will reinforce that center rail with a boxed rail, heavier gage, sort of sistered in, and put a piece of medium steel 4' wide and 6-7" on top of the bed, and screw the thing down with a lot of ss metal screws into the top. I am convinced that it rusted from the bottom up, and I will do some anti rust sealant and a coat of soft undercoating.

[jimh406]

SAR Tracker wrote:

jimh425 wrote:
That’s a shame. Did you have a bed liner, too, or just a bed mat?

"under the rubber floor of my 2012 F250."

Most sprayon bed liners aren't rubber. They are polyurethanes or polyurea.

[Grit_dog]

SidecarFlip wrote:
my 97 has been in Michigan brine and CACL for a long time and no rust but then it gets washed underneath as well as topside

And byyour proclamation, never leaves the garage in the winter, so I fail to see the comparison....

[Frank_Mehaffey]

So does mine, about 15 times during the winter season, top and bottom. Power wand or undercarriage spray.

[SidecarFlip]

my 97 has been in Michigan brine and CACL for a long time and no rust but then it gets washed underneath as well as topside

[Frank_Mehaffey]

Thats what my guru and I think. But, with the brine they use on the roads up here in VT, it is a lot easier to mess up brakes and now beds, I guess. My camper is about 2900 lb. loaded, so I am lucky I don't have a real heavy TC to push the limits of corrosion. Anybody in the northeast seen any starter corrosion on the aluminum beds?

[AnEv942]

Corrosion is from underneath up thru bed. Between the bed support rails and underside of bed floor

[SAR_Tracker]

jimh425 wrote:
That’s a shame. Did you have a bed liner, too, or just a bed mat?

"under the rubber floor of my 2012 F250."

[jimh406]

That’s a shame. Did you have a bed liner, too, or just a bed mat?