Bed Replacement

Anyone had to replace their bed yet on their gen 3? Had mine a few months now and noticing some deep grooves, thinner spots, and a few areas where I accidentally melted it with some hot steel.

Anyone do a flat bed? If you have have you had issues with warranty?

I'm not seeing mine last more than a year so trying to plan ahead.

 

Could you post some pics? Finding it hard to visualize how you could possibly wear out a bed.

 

Expanded metal sliding around, throwing dimensional steel in and that sliding around, tools like chainsaws sliding around, had some hot steel melt in a little after I cut it with the torch before I remembered the bed was plastic, peeled some up with the sharp edge of a metal pallet when I put it in with a loader, put a few boulders in with a excavator to use as landscaping. It is easier than you think if you use your truck for work. In bfe Alaska so shity service, pics when I get back to town if I remember.

 

So you are saying you basically caused the damage yourself...…..

 

At least you’re using it. I’d like to see pics if you wear through, it’s not going to rust.

 

Well, ya. I used it. I wanted a little gasamizer to use instead of my 1 ton, but it is still a work truck. It's not like I'm going to wrap steel in blankets to transport it. I might get a blade guard for my chainsaw though so the teeth stop rubbing on the plastic every time I go around a corner or over a bump.

 

Get a bed mat. Mine was getting wrecked as well. Used rustoleum to repair it.

 

Fit it with ply? I don't think the OEM bed mat will be as useful as you will curse sliding heavy stuff on it while loading and unloading, but maybe not. I just know that it sticks well and sliding heavy stuff on it doesn’t work well.

 

Not too late for the OEM bed mat to prevent further damage. Just gotta live with the current damage.

 

I had thought about the bed mat when I first got it, but I'm not seeing loading a pallet go well with it.

Don't get me wrong, I knew it was a plastic bed going into it. I'm not the average Tacoma user and I do not expect a company to design something for the 1/2% of users like me. As it is I destroyed the bed on my 94 f350, and that was thick steel. That one was wearing out and had holes in it before some idiot on a site clipped it with a loader, but the contractor paid for my flatbed so who can complain.

 

As mentioned above, a bed mat is your best bet. With what you are using it for its gonna get dinged pretty bad.

 

This might be for you OP,

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/flatbed-information-thread.558179/

Found a few awesome pictures on google I say go for it, it’ll be badass

 

Took the pic forever to load, but I like that. I may have to start parking next to where the apprentice excavator operator is loading side dumps. You never know what can happen, and I'm just a contract field mechanic for them so maybe I'll get another free flat bed.

 

Flat beds are the way to go for working more space, clearance and look bad ass

 

Definitely get a blade guard on your saws. I've had my chains gouge the bed without it and am even worried tossing in there after a long use when it's nice and hot.

Bed mat is also great for saws and tools as they'll stay where you put them.

 

I’ve never seen or heard of a composite bed failure on a Tacoma. I think replacing it with anything metal would be huge downgrade in durability.

 

Here’s a link you can check out some awesome beds.

https://www.mainlineoverland.com/collections/tray-canopy

 

It is kind of a double edged sword. A metal bed will not peel off when sliding in steel with sharp edges, but it adds weight and most of the time I'm pretty close to loaded max. A plastic bed melts when cutting steel or throwing hot scrap in it, and I have concerns about how it will hold up at 40 below zero but it is nice and light giving me more payload.

 

Easy solution is to use the stock bed till it becomes un-usable. Once that happens look into a flat-bed, or something custom. From what it sounds like you are gonna beat the shit outa the bed, and that's cool for a work truck. Just make sure its well beat before you replace it.

 

That's the plan. Figure I'll get about a year out of it. For a truck with only 3000 miles on it, it is getting beat up already. Well most of those are hard miles going in and out of mine sites or construction sites in very remote places. When a "road" has 1" saplings growing in it, it does not take long for that new shine to scratch right off.