6 Best Drop-In Plastic Truck Bed Liners For Hauling Feed Old-Timers Trust
Discover the top 6 drop-in plastic bed liners ideal for hauling feed. We list the durable, easy-to-clean options trusted by seasoned ranchers.
There’s nothing worse than the sound of a 50-pound feed sack ripping open on a sharp corner of your unprotected truck bed. Suddenly, your whole afternoon is spent sweeping expensive grain out of every nook and cranny. A good bed liner isn’t about keeping your truck pretty; it’s a critical tool for protecting your investment and your cargo.
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Duraliner: The Classic, No-Frills Workhorse Liner
The Duraliner is the old standby for a reason. It’s thick, tough, and built to take a beating from shovels, fence posts, and rocks without complaint. Think of it as basic, reliable armor for your truck bed.
This liner’s biggest strength is its durability for loose materials. If you’re scooping out wet compost, gravel, or mulch, the hard, slick surface lets your shovel glide right over it. You won’t be fighting to scrape material out of a textured surface. It’s built for abuse, not for finesse.
The major trade-off is that slickness. Everything slides. A toolbox, a cooler, and especially bags of feed will skate from one side to the other on a curvy road. You’ll need to get good with bungee cords and tie-down straps, but for sheer, brute-force protection, it’s hard to beat.
Pendaliner SR Pro: Skid Resistance for Feed Sacks
If your main cargo is bagged feed, seed, or fertilizer, the Pendaliner SR Pro is designed specifically for you. The "SR" stands for Skid Resistance, and its textured, high-friction surface genuinely works. It grabs onto the bottom of poly or paper sacks and holds them in place far better than a standard slick liner.
This isn’t just about convenience; it’s about preventing waste. A load of feed that stays put is less likely to shift, tear, and spill. The grip gives you confidence that you don’t have to crawl into the bed and re-stack everything after a few miles of back roads.
Keep in mind, that same grippy surface can make unloading loose material a bit more challenging. Shoveling out damp soil or wood chips will take more effort than with a slick Duraliner. It’s a clear choice for those hauling bags, but less ideal for those who frequently use a shovel to clear their bed.
DualLiner: A Multi-Piece System for a Custom Fit
The DualLiner isn’t a traditional one-piece drop-in, and that’s its main advantage. It combines custom-molded plastic sidewalls with a thick, zero-skid rubber mat for the floor. This multi-piece design provides an exact fit that prevents the liner from vibrating or scuffing the paint underneath.
The real star here is the half-inch thick rubber floor mat. It offers superior impact protection from heavy items like engine blocks or firewood being dropped in. More importantly for hauling feed, it has the best grip of any system, period. Nothing slides on this thing.
The downside is a more involved installation, as you’re fitting several pieces together instead of just dropping one in. It also creates seams where small grains or dirt can accumulate over time. However, for a perfect fit that stops cargo from shifting and prevents hidden rust from trapped moisture, it’s a top-tier solution.
Husky Liners Quad-Caps: Superior Rail Protection
Many liners offer some form of rail protection, but Husky Liners Quad-Caps often go the extra mile. The top edges of your truck bed, the bed rails, take a surprising amount of abuse. They get scraped by hay bales, dented by tools, and worn down by sliding equipment over the side.
A liner with robust, integrated bed rail caps is essential for anyone who works out of their truck. It turns the edge of your bed into a functional, durable workspace instead of a delicate painted surface you have to constantly worry about. This feature is less about the floor of the bed and more about protecting the most exposed and easily damaged part of the truck box.
When choosing, look closely at how the rail protection is designed.
- Does it cover the stake pocket holes?
- Is it just a thin layer of plastic, or is it thick and ribbed for strength? Protecting the rails is just as important as protecting the floor.
WeatherTech TechLiner: A Lightweight, Flexible Fit
The WeatherTech TechLiner is a different kind of animal. It’s much lighter and more flexible than the traditional hard-shell drop-ins. Made from a custom thermoplastic elastomer, it feels more like a heavy-duty mat than a rigid piece of plastic.
Its main benefit is the laser-measured, perfect fit. It follows every contour of the truck bed, leaving no gaps for water and debris to get trapped. This precise fit means it won’t shift or rub, protecting your paint from the liner itself. It’s also soft to the touch and easier on the knees if you have to climb in.
This isn’t the liner for someone throwing jagged rocks or concrete blocks in the back. While durable for its weight, it won’t absorb a sharp impact like a thick Duraliner or a DualLiner‘s rubber mat. It’s the ideal choice for someone who needs solid protection for general hauling but wants a clean look and an easy-to-remove system for cleaning.
PendaForm PendaLiner: Deep Ribs for Airflow
At first glance, a PendaLiner looks a lot like other classic drop-ins. The key difference is often in the design of the floor ribs. Deeper, wider ribs serve a critical function: they allow for airflow and water drainage.
When you toss wet hay, muddy tools, or a leaky water container in the back, that moisture needs a place to go. If a liner sits flush against the metal bed, water gets trapped and can lead to rust you won’t see until it’s too late. The deep channels in a PendaLiner help water evaporate and drain out the back, preserving the steel bed underneath.
This feature is a long-term investment in your truck’s health. While the skid resistance might not be as aggressive as an SR Pro, the focus on moisture management is a smart consideration for anyone working in wet or humid climates. It’s a subtle but significant detail old-timers appreciate.
BedRug Impact Mat: A Tough Add-On for Your Knees
This isn’t a full liner, but the BedRug Impact Mat is an incredible upgrade to any existing drop-in liner. It’s a cushioned, ultra-tough mat that lays right on top of your plastic liner’s floor. It’s made of what feels like a rough indoor-outdoor carpet, but it’s actually polypropylene that resists stains, sheds water, and won’t mold.
The biggest benefit is comfort. Crawling into a truck bed with hard plastic ribs is tough on the knees. This mat makes it comfortable to kneel while you organize feed sacks or secure a load. It also adds another layer of impact absorption and excellent skid resistance.
Think of it as a finishing touch. Your hard liner provides the primary dent and scrape protection, while the Impact Mat adds grip, cushioning, and an extra layer of defense. It’s a fantastic combination for a working truck.
Dee Zee Heavyweight Bed Mat: An Alternative Option
For some folks, a full drop-in liner is overkill. If your main concerns are preventing dents on the floor and stopping cargo from sliding, a simple Dee Zee Heavyweight Bed Mat is a fantastic, no-nonsense alternative. These are thick, heavy slabs of rubber custom-cut to fit your bed floor.
A heavy rubber mat provides unmatched grip and impact absorption. A bag of feed dropped on this won’t even make a loud noise, let alone dent the bed. Because it’s not a full liner, water and air can still move freely around the sides, reducing the risk of trapped moisture.
The obvious tradeoff is the lack of protection for the bed walls and tailgate. If you’re just hauling bags and boxes, this is often all you need. If you’re hauling anything that might scrape or dent the sides, like firewood or fencing, you’ll want the full protection of a drop-in liner.
Ultimately, the right bed protection depends entirely on what you haul most often. There’s no single "best" liner, only the best one for your specific jobs. Choosing the right one is a simple, practical step to make your truck a more effective tool and ensure it lasts for years of hard work.
