comparing truck bed liners for back step

[Pat]

My back step is removeable.  I plan to take it into a truck bed liner shop to get it permanently coated.  I'm considering two products I see in the Mesa yellow pages.  Rhino Linings (www.rhinoliningsaz.com) and Speedliner (www.bestliner.com).  Anybody have an opinion which is best?  Speedliner claims a significantly better product in a couple areas, but its comparison info doesn't test 2/3 of the properties against Rhino Linings. 

Regarding preparation.  The metal step, which is 30"w x 12"d with a 1" lip down the front, has the original white paint plus a coat that I added years ago plus the black non-skid mat that was originally glued on and is still very firmly in place.  I'll ask the two shops, but should I be removing that stuff? 

Or will this be a really bad idea for the back step?  I like the permanence of the strong liner and the neater looking black color.  Will the liner be too slippery for a step?  I thought it was non-skid.

--pat

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

Don't know specifically about those two brands but I had Line-X put their kevlar-based bedliner in our pick-up and it was outstanding. Impervious to everything, including battery acid and yes, non-skid as well.  Would be great for a step.  I've also heard of people having their battery tray coated with Rhino liner.

There are also some kits you can do yourself. Here's one: Herculiner

 

[Jim Dick]

Pat,

I just purchased a new pickup and the dealer put in the Line-X bedliner. I really like it and it looks like it'll hold up a long time.

 

[BruceinFL]

If Line-X is available in your area, get it.

 

[Pat]

Line-X may be what I'm getting.  The guy had a very positive attitude about cleaning off the step and getting the tiny job done during another job tomorrow.  It's a DuPont product.  Since I already have the appointment, I don't want to renege on it.  Hope it's good stuff.  He said he got out of the Rhinolining product. 

--pat

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

I looked them all over several years ago and picked Line-X as the best product. Also the best installer in my area, an outfit that did a really professional job on all truck accessories.

 

[Pat]

Gary:  The step looks great.  I'm sure glad I got it done.  The coating looks about a quarter inch thick.

Little problem occurred while I was replacing the step.  I was using a wratcheting closed end wrench to replace the bolts in the step.  My wratchet wrenches are the kind where you flip the wrench over to reverse direction.  The wrench got stuck on one of the step nuts.  It's in the back where there's not much play to wriggle it.  The nut is already very tight, so I don't want to break the bolt.  In the meantime, I can't seem to get the wrench off.  Had to finish the other two nuts with an open end wrench. 

Any ideas how to work the thing off?  Lesson learned that I could have just removed the nut if I had the kind of wratchets that use a knob to reverse direction.  The bolt side is decorative.  There's no hex end to grab to loosen the bolt.  It has a metal disk cap over it.  I'll climb underneath tomorrow and try to pry from the inside of the step. 

--pat

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

The "corners" of the nut probably got rounded off a bit, allowing the wrench teeth to slip around and jam against them. Usually tapping the wrench backwards (loosening) frees it up, but that won't work with a ratchet. Maybe you can get a large screwdriver blade underneath it and pry it up a bit?  Or wiggle the wrench vertically?

The rounded bolt side is called a carriage bolt - it has a square flange under the cap to keep the bolt from turning in the round hole.

 

[Pat]

Gary:  Got the wratchet wrench off by prying front and back over and over with the screwdriver. 

Good to hear that these decorative bolts - carriage bolts - are actually something not uncommon in case I have to replace one sometime.  I replaced the spring washers and would like to replace the bolts and the large washers that go inside the spring washers.  The holes in the side panels and step side walls are square to accommodate the square part under the silver disk that shows on the outside.  Well, I shouldn't have to remove the step anymore anyway.  I want to check my tightening of the bolts one last time, but I'll use the open end side of the wrench.


--pat