Leaves Between Bed and Cab

[G-Force]

I just looked through all 11 pages of the Issues, Repairs, Rarranty, tsb, Recalls forum and did not see anything posted about this. If its posted in another forum l did not find it with a search. Since we are in the middle of fall up here in the northeast I noticed a very large accumulation of leaves in between the bed ad the cab, especially on the passenger side. Almost impossible to clean out from below, I had to adapt a piece of 1/2" pvc tubing to my shop vac to get them out. It appears they put a piece of rubber weatherstripping down at the bottom off the bed which blocks off the bottom so anything that falls down there is trapped. I really wouldn't have posted this but when I cleaned the passenger side I had some water drain out under the truck ( it had rained a couple of days ago up here) and all the leaves that i sucked out were sopping wet. I was just wondering if anybody else noticed a buildup of leaves or debri in this area.

Sponsored

 

[Sandman Ranger]

I noticed this pumping gas this week.
Good suggestion. Wonder if one can power wash out? Will try.
Design issue.

 

[G-Force]

I noticed this pumping gas this week.
Good suggestion. Wonder if one can power wash out? Will try.
Design issue.

I think its a design issue. The only reason I can think of for putting that weatherstripping down there is because there appears to be two what look like louver vents on the back of the cab one on thedrivers side and one on the passenger side. I was thinking they were worried about exhaust leaks possibly coming into the cab through then ( if in fact they are cab vents). I'm more concerned with the cab rotting out over time. Plus it was annoying the P#SS out of me for about 2 weeks.

 

[Sandman Ranger]

With the rear window the exhaust issue might be a reason. The bed has two plugs in this area. My bed cover drains through them. If there are cab vents also, then the strip would help prevent fumes. Most vehicles have vents in rear so these are normal.

Looks like a rust point if it traps things.

 

[G-Force]

Well the weathestripping they used is pretty soft and flimsy. Kind of like that cheap garage door weatherstripping you can buy at home depot. Its molded into a shape but its pretty soft. Almost like a foam rubber.

 

[I_smell_like_diesel]

Maybe try a long reach air gun. Use these all the time to clean out leaves, bugs, and cotton wood seeds that accumulate between Super Duty condensers and rads.

 

[Roofhopper]

No different than any of the other 7 or 8 trucks I’ve owned. A quick pass with the garden hose and high pressure nozzle usually does the trick, pressure washer definitely knocks them out

 

[Alex]

I noticed this same issue last night. I ended up using a quarter inch wooded rod to push the leaves to one end of the bed and out the bottom (trying my best not to scratch the paint), and then used some compressed air to blow out what was left. Does anyone know how durable the vents are on the back of the cab? When I was using the compressed air they were really moving, they look like they are made out of some type of fabric. I just don't want them to rip or fall out of there housing, it seems like it would be a big pain to replace or put them back in.

 

[Arron]

I noticed this same issue last night. I ended up using a quarter inch wooded rod to push the leaves to one end of the bed and out the bottom (trying my best not to scratch the paint), and then used some compressed air to blow out what was left. Does anyone know how durable the vents are on the back of the cab? When I was using the compressed air they were really moving, they look like they are made out of some type of fabric. I just don't want them to rip or fall out of there housing, it seems like it would be a big pain to replace or put them back in.

The vents are plastic with rubber flaps. They should hold up no problem to compressed air. They seem pretty durable.

 

[Nick Barber]

Just found this issue on mine. Anyone have any luck removing the weather stripping? I'm looking for a more permanent solution than cleaning it out yearly.

 

[KJRR]

I blast as many as I can with the hose when I wash it. I never get all of them but do keep them from building up more.
The rest just disintegrate when they dry up.

 

[KNI]

I just looked through all 11 pages of the Issues, Repairs, Rarranty, tsb, Recalls forum and did not see anything posted about this. If its posted in another forum l did not find it with a search. Since we are in the middle of fall up here in the northeast I noticed a very large accumulation of leaves in between the bed ad the cab, especially on the passenger side. Almost impossible to clean out from below, I had to adapt a piece of 1/2" pvc tubing to my shop vac to get them out. It appears they put a piece of rubber weatherstripping down at the bottom off the bed which blocks off the bottom so anything that falls down there is trapped. I really wouldn't have posted this but when I cleaned the passenger side I had some water drain out under the truck ( it had rained a couple of days ago up here) and all the leaves that i sucked out were sopping wet. I was just wondering if anybody else noticed a buildup of leaves or debri in this area.

I find it accumulates snow in cold weather. Especially annoying is meting/freezing conditions where the snow piles between the bed and the cabin, melts and then forms ice. After that all the rattles in the bed are conducted directly to the cab and you can hear this constant "snack crackle pop" when driving.

Only solution I've found was to drive to supermarket, park in a heated garage and go for shopping until the ice block has melted.

Should have made it so that the opening gap on top is smaller than the gap at the bottom. Or make the bed tilt on hydraulics so you can clean it..

 

[FerdRanger]

I find it accumulates snow in cold weather. Especially annoying is meting/freezing conditions where the snow piles between the bed and the cabin, melts and then forms ice. After that all the rattles in the bed are conducted directly to the cab and you can hear this constant "snack crackle pop" when driving.

Only solution I've found was to drive to supermarket, park in a heated garage and go for shopping until the ice block has melted.

Should have made it so that the opening gap on top is smaller than the gap at the bottom. Or make the bed tilt on hydraulics so you can clean it..

I should have posted my $2 solution back when these threads were active but didn't. This one and the one regarding the "fabric" at the bottom of the bed catching leaves.......

6' long 3/4" foam pipe insulation in Magnetic Grey did the trick for me

 

[Muscleford]

Ok I'll bite, what do you do with the 6' piece of pipe insulation, stuff it between the top of the bed and the cab?

 

[2020XLT]

I used the pipe insulation shown above and stuffed it across the top edge of the bed and the cab, turning the ends down about 4 inches on each side. Problem solved.....

Sponsored