"Ford / Chevy advertising / steel vs. aluminum bed / GENERAL discussion" thread
06-08-2016, 10:48 AM
#21
Senior Member
Meanwhile over on the Chevy forum...
[while flipping mullet over the shoulder with back of hand] "Hell yeah!!, you tell'em bearded metrosexual dude!"
"Jus'in like yous did wit dat man stepin com-mershal. Show'd dem. Dees bad *** Chevy's don'ts needin no steps to scampr in the bed. Yalls jus'in cuttin a hole in dat bumpr that onlys saves me's like twos inches in reech. Much bestes idear. "
[while flipping mullet over the shoulder with back of hand] "Hell yeah!!, you tell'em bearded metrosexual dude!"
"Jus'in like yous did wit dat man stepin com-mershal. Show'd dem. Dees bad *** Chevy's don'ts needin no steps to scampr in the bed. Yalls jus'in cuttin a hole in dat bumpr that onlys saves me's like twos inches in reech. Much bestes idear. "
06-08-2016, 11:33 AM
#22
Senior Member
I wouldn't be too fast to dismiss the aluminum concerns.
I agree with most on the forum that for the personal use truck buyer like frequent this forum, this is a non issue. Most of us take much better care of our trucks, use liners, etc.
But for the fleet buyers. Construction crews, DOT, etc. If they are going to buy work trucks they usually are not going to care about taking the greatest of care with usage; they aren't going for the spray or drop in liner. They will opt for durability. This could also be a major concern as Ford transitions the superduty to aluminum.
As for GM they have always been lighter (until the 15's came out) They won't have to go all aluminum to lower their weight below the F-series. I expect their redesign will not be full aluminum and this advertising may be an indication of where they are going with their new truck in a couple of years. More aluminum but not total aluminum. Just my $.02 and a guess.
Along the lines of my guess for GM's future truck, here's a quote from GM's chief truck engineer from a Forbes article
Eric Stanczak said the carmaker has nothing against aluminum. It’s about using the right material, and the right manufacturing processes, for the right application. Although Silverado uses aluminum for the hood and other front-end structures, the bed required high-strength steel because of the abuse it takes from truck owners, he said.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/joannmul...o#5911f2e02465
I agree with most on the forum that for the personal use truck buyer like frequent this forum, this is a non issue. Most of us take much better care of our trucks, use liners, etc.
But for the fleet buyers. Construction crews, DOT, etc. If they are going to buy work trucks they usually are not going to care about taking the greatest of care with usage; they aren't going for the spray or drop in liner. They will opt for durability. This could also be a major concern as Ford transitions the superduty to aluminum.
As for GM they have always been lighter (until the 15's came out) They won't have to go all aluminum to lower their weight below the F-series. I expect their redesign will not be full aluminum and this advertising may be an indication of where they are going with their new truck in a couple of years. More aluminum but not total aluminum. Just my $.02 and a guess.
Along the lines of my guess for GM's future truck, here's a quote from GM's chief truck engineer from a Forbes article
Eric Stanczak said the carmaker has nothing against aluminum. It’s about using the right material, and the right manufacturing processes, for the right application. Although Silverado uses aluminum for the hood and other front-end structures, the bed required high-strength steel because of the abuse it takes from truck owners, he said.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/joannmul...o#5911f2e02465
Last edited by greywolf11; 06-08-2016 at 11:37 AM.
06-08-2016, 11:44 AM
#23
Well if you're a fleet user you don't care about holes in the bed.
06-08-2016, 12:32 PM
#24
I wouldn't be too fast to dismiss the aluminum concerns.
I agree with most on the forum that for the personal use truck buyer like frequent this forum, this is a non issue. Most of us take much better care of our trucks, use liners, etc.
But for the fleet buyers. Construction crews, DOT, etc. If they are going to buy work trucks they usually are not going to care about taking the greatest of care with usage; they aren't going for the spray or drop in liner. They will opt for durability. This could also be a major concern as Ford transitions the superduty to aluminum.
As for GM they have always been lighter (until the 15's came out) They won't have to go all aluminum to lower their weight below the F-series. I expect their redesign will not be full aluminum and this advertising may be an indication of where they are going with their new truck in a couple of years. More aluminum but not total aluminum. Just my $.02 and a guess.
Along the lines of my guess for GM's future truck, here's a quote from GM's chief truck engineer from a Forbes article
Eric Stanczak said the carmaker has nothing against aluminum. It’s about using the right material, and the right manufacturing processes, for the right application. Although Silverado uses aluminum for the hood and other front-end structures, the bed required high-strength steel because of the abuse it takes from truck owners, he said.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/joannmul...o#5911f2e02465
I agree with most on the forum that for the personal use truck buyer like frequent this forum, this is a non issue. Most of us take much better care of our trucks, use liners, etc.
But for the fleet buyers. Construction crews, DOT, etc. If they are going to buy work trucks they usually are not going to care about taking the greatest of care with usage; they aren't going for the spray or drop in liner. They will opt for durability. This could also be a major concern as Ford transitions the superduty to aluminum.
As for GM they have always been lighter (until the 15's came out) They won't have to go all aluminum to lower their weight below the F-series. I expect their redesign will not be full aluminum and this advertising may be an indication of where they are going with their new truck in a couple of years. More aluminum but not total aluminum. Just my $.02 and a guess.
Along the lines of my guess for GM's future truck, here's a quote from GM's chief truck engineer from a Forbes article
Eric Stanczak said the carmaker has nothing against aluminum. It’s about using the right material, and the right manufacturing processes, for the right application. Although Silverado uses aluminum for the hood and other front-end structures, the bed required high-strength steel because of the abuse it takes from truck owners, he said.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/joannmul...o#5911f2e02465
06-08-2016, 01:05 PM
#25
Senior Member
My neighbor works for the county. All their trucks have Line-X. I know the sheriffs department here uses Line-X too.
06-08-2016, 04:03 PM
#26
Senior Member
I would be really surprised to see someone buy a fleet of trucks and expect to dump front-loaders full of bricks into them very often on bare painted beds. You are cracking the paint and creating openings for rust to begin and destroy the vehicle's usefulness long before the engine runs out. The liner is inexpensive insurance on the most abused portion of the vehicle. I won't claim it's never done, but the University I work at has drop-in liners on all the trucks, and they are as stripped-down inside as the bean counters could get 'em.
The tool-box is probably the most legit eye-poke they have in that video. Something heavy with sharp corners falling off the edge of the bed is not at all difficult to imagine. With the AL bed trucks I would count a drop-in or spray-in as a requirement.
The tool-box is probably the most legit eye-poke they have in that video. Something heavy with sharp corners falling off the edge of the bed is not at all difficult to imagine. With the AL bed trucks I would count a drop-in or spray-in as a requirement.
06-08-2016, 05:55 PM
#28
Chevy commercial - steel versus aluminum bed
My 2011 F150 has a spray in liner. The bed is covered in dents from normal use. Dents happen, aluminum or not.
I operate excavators and the dump trucks I load daily have aluminum boxes. No issues. I'm loading mostly demolition waste. Rock, concrete, rebar, pipe, gravel. Nothing wrong with aluminum.
This test is flawed. If I dropped bricks like that into a dump truck, steel or aluminum it will get dented. I would also get screamed at by the driver and my boss. If a dump truck can't handle that, how would a pickup truck? And the toolbox falling in. It's obviously weighted and the bed is already damaged from the bricks.
I operate excavators and the dump trucks I load daily have aluminum boxes. No issues. I'm loading mostly demolition waste. Rock, concrete, rebar, pipe, gravel. Nothing wrong with aluminum.
This test is flawed. If I dropped bricks like that into a dump truck, steel or aluminum it will get dented. I would also get screamed at by the driver and my boss. If a dump truck can't handle that, how would a pickup truck? And the toolbox falling in. It's obviously weighted and the bed is already damaged from the bricks.
Last edited by BobLobLaw; 06-08-2016 at 06:01 PM.
06-08-2016, 08:05 PM
#30
vertical pin buster
My buddy has a brand new 16 z71 . It shifts all the time. Shuts off if he tries hammering on. And the last time I rode in it the touch screen radio started messing up I smelt smoke. We stopped at the dealer and they said that it was normal no have a little electric smoke smell with a new truck.. started giving him the run around. A "tech" came out opened the door and said " I don't smell nuttin". I'll take a beat up bed over a burning cab any day. But that's just me