Plastic bed rail caps (hate them)

[y2krtaf]

Does anyone know or have they seen any bed cap other than the factory plastic ones on the top of the bed and tail gate?

Would love to see some made of say for me specifically,black diamond plate aluminum.

Something more durable than what comes from ford.

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[JoeDirt]

That would be nice, mine are already starting to look beat up after using my truck as a truck.

 

[slowmachine]

Beware replacing the "weakest link" with something stronger. Something more expensive and harder to replace could become the weakest link. New plastic rail covers are inexpensive.

https://parts.levittownfordparts.co...--2-3l-l4-gas/body--exterior-trim-pick-up-box

 

[Racket]

Beware replacing the "weakest link" with something stronger. Something more expensive and harder to replace could become the weakest link. New plastic rail covers are inexpensive.

This is the right way to approach this. The cheap, replaceable plastic bits are 'sacrificial '.

 

[slowmachine]

This is the right way to approach this. The cheap, replaceable plastic bits are 'sacrificial '.

That’s the term that I would use. If you had access to a 3D printing machine, you could make a thousand variations for different purposes. I’d love to see an integrated tonneau cover rail.

 

[y2krtaf]

BS,the diamond plate rail covers you could get for trucks I’ve had in the past could take an absolute beating and did without doing any harm what so ever to the rest of the bed.....

Have you guys never owned a truck before?

That was the point of getting them,and using them,It protected the tops of the bed.

 

[slowmachine]

Have you guys never owned a truck before?

4 Chevy/GMC and 3 Toyotas, all with sturdy steel beds

 

[y2krtaf]

4 Chevy/GMC and 3 Toyotas, all with sturdy steel beds

And you get it.
A sturdy mounting point,or a material that can take some abuse.
Nothings indestructible,but it could be far more durable and useful.

Think additional tie down points etc.

 

[slowmachine]

It’s your truck, and you can customize it in any way that pleases you. What I’m trying to point out is that the materials in the factory bed rail cover and diamond plate sheet aluminum are very different, and you cannot expect them to respond in the same way to any type of force applied to them. I think it is likely that the plastic covers will do a better job of distributing and absorbing impact than sheet aluminum, and may very well provide better protection than sheet aluminum. And, the plastic covers are inexpensive and easy to replace.

 

[y2krtaf]

It’s your truck, and you can customize it in any way that pleases you. What I’m trying to point out is that the materials in the factory bed rail cover and diamond plate sheet aluminum are very different, and you cannot expect them to respond in the same way to any type of force applied to them. I think it is likely that the plastic covers will do a better job of distributing and absorbing impact than sheet aluminum, and may very well provide better protection than sheet aluminum. And, the plastic covers are inexpensive and easy to replace.

Sheet aluminum,and I’m guessing your thought is thin,is not what I’m after.

The diamond plate steel or aluminum is what I’m after,and would absolutely take the abuse/pressure for handling an impact egual or greater than the plastic pieces would,and be far more durable in doing so.

 

[P. A. Schilke]

Sheet aluminum,and I’m guessing your thought is thin,is not what I’m after.

The diamond plate steel or aluminum is what I’m after,and would absolutely take the abuse/pressure for handling an impact egual or greater than the plastic pieces would,and be far more durable in doing so.

Hi Gary,

Sounds like a business opportunity for you, eh?

Best,
Phil Schilke
Ranger Vehicle Engineering
Ford Motor Co. Retired

 

[Deleted member 1634]

Sheet aluminum,and I’m guessing your thought is thin,is not what I’m after.

The diamond plate steel or aluminum is what I’m after,and would absolutely take the abuse/pressure for handling an impact egual or greater than the plastic pieces would,and be far more durable in doing so.

I think the concern is not whether what you're wanting to add would be more durable, it certainly would. It's that by altering the design you have no way of knowing how the rest of the structure will behave. For all we know increasing the strength of the bedrails will force more load into the bed walls and cause them to be damaged, when they otherwise wouldn't be if the plastic ones were there and broke to absorb the force/impact. And if that's the case, it's a lot easier and cheaper to replace the plastic bedrails than the bed wall.

I'm not saying that's what would happen, I'm just saying there's no good way of knowing for sure either way without more research. And I think that's what others are saying too. But, as stated, it's your truck and you can do what you want.

 

[HenryMac]

And, the plastic covers are inexpensive and easy to replace.

Inexpensive... any idea how much? I just spent 1/2 hour on the shop ford parts site and couldn't find them.

I could be wrong... but I don't think anything is inexpensive for these trucks.

 

[y2krtaf]

Hi Gary,

Sounds like a business opportunity for you, eh?

Best,
Phil Schilke
Ranger Vehicle Engineering
Ford Motor Co. Retired

Perhaps Phil,if my brakes at work were larger,I would give it a go.
Just figured that with the bed racks available,and base plates for mounting them already in existence,it would be the next simple logical step.
instead I get all the engineers commenting on the questionable structural integrity of the bed side.Good thing no one thought about that before making giant load bearing racks LOL

 

[slowmachine]

The diamond plate steel or aluminum is what I’m after,and would absolutely take the abuse/pressure for handling an impact egual or greater than the plastic pieces would,and be far more durable in doing so.

I don’t believe that this is true. I’ve purchased and used a fair amount of diamond plate aluminum. It has some strength, but deforms fairly easily from impact. It is not resilient in any way. It deforms, and does not rebound.

I have not tested the plastic covers, but they are easy to flex, and rebound back to their original state after bending. It is at least a little bit compressible, and will absorb some energy while doing so. Aluminum or steel diamond plate, on the other hand, will not compress. It will transfer nearly all of an impact force directly to the metal bed rail. It will not bounce back to its original state. You can probably mitigate some of this by stacking the diamond plate on top of a shock-absorbing material, like neoprene or something similar, that is commonly used when attaching a cap to the top of the bed. You could even leave the plastic cover in place, and attach diamond plate, with or without a rubber layer, directly to the plastic.

This is what I am referring to when I advise against replacing the inexpensive weakest link with something stronger. Laying diamond plate on top of the bed rail, in place of the plastic, will almost certainly turn the bed rail itself into the weakest link. Instead of making it stronger and less prone to damage, you may very well be making it weaker, and subject to more expensive damage than with the easily-replaceable cheap plastic cover.

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