bentoutofshape

Getting a new 2018 F150 the truck is expected to haul a goose neck trailer as well carry fences posts, gravel and various other farm tools. Which is going to hold up better to prevent damage to the bed? With an aluminum bed, do I need to worry about rotting out the bed with water under a bed liner? Live in the north where salt is used on the roads.

cthusker

Going to be some very divergent opinions on this one. I had a drop in liner on my 2012 but switched to LineX spray in for my 2017. Why did I go that route? My feeling is I didn't want moisture under the drop in that's going to FREEZE. Living in northern CT that's what was going to happen to water that got trapped between the drop in and the aluminum bed. Probably not going to hurt anything but just didn't like the idea. Also I didn't like the way a drop in covered over certain features in the bed unless I did even more cut outs.

I believe a drop in probably protects the bed a little more from sharp objects then a spray in. Have zero evidence to back that up simply what I think. A spray in when done properly also protects the space between the end of the bed and the tailgate much better. The factory spray in bedliners I've seen DO NOT protect that space while my LineX does.

Bottom line it's pretty easy at first use a drop in and if you don't like it switch to a spray in.....

Tvanpool

I have outfitted probably 100+ trucks over the last 25 years for my employer and we found immediately that drop-in liners were not for us. We carry a lot of heavy materials mostly on wooden pallets and the drop-ins were like a sheet of ice. Our crews were supposed to secure their loads but you know how that is. We were getting a lot of damage to tailgates and the front bulkheads with drop-ins. The spray on liners reduced that by at least 90%.
Only time will tell but I think the aluminum will deal with the salt better than steel.

77Ranger460

I like a drop in. I like being able to slide heavy things easily.

Aluminum won't rust, so no worries about water and salt....One of my trucks is a 1994. It has a drop in that I put in when it was new. It has seen plenty of snow and salt. Never been in a garage. I pull the liner out every now and then to clean under it. The bed has zero rust. The paint is only scuffed a bit on the high spots.

TexasRedfish

Spray liner all the way.

deserteagle69

Depends on what you will be putting in the bed.

For instance, if you throw chunks of firewood into the bed a spray-in liner will NOT protect the bed from dents. Ask me how I know! But a drop-in liner, with those high and tough ridges, will. But yes, the drop in liner is slick - which can be either good or bad, again depending on what you carry in the bed.

Wolperdinger

I went for a DualLiner. I really like it. Plastic sides, and a thick, heavy, non-stick rubber mat on the bed floor.

jp2012

I've had both drop-in and sprayed liners. Each has advantages.

What I like about the drop-in over the sprayed is that the surface of the drop-in is smooth, which makes loading/unloading anything much easier. The sprayed liners are rubbery and gritty, which is great for traction but a pita for sliding heavy stuff into the bed. If damaged, a drop-in liner is easily replaceable. They are also easier to clean.

What I like about the sprayed over the drop-in is that the sprayed liner is sealed right to metal of the bed. It doesn't come off, and it doesn't move around. Its surface texture provides great traction. It's pretty much there forever, and I've never needed to repair or recoat one. Water and dirt cannot get under the sprayed-on coating.

Overall, I prefer the sprayed. I've had Rhino, Line-X and the factory-sprayed. I haven't seen a big advantage to any of them over the others. They are all good. When the rubbery, gritty texture is going to be a problem for loading stuff, I just throw a big piece of cardboard or plywood on the floor of the bed to allow things to slide more easily.

SSowinski

Any water that gets under the drop in will drain out of the bed, there are decent sized gaps. I even say sand and grit would wash out based off of some of the gaps I've seen. No worries.

SCrewYou

i cant say enough good things about line x.