Well i was hauling 5 pallets 4'X10' was told they were 150 lbs. each in the bed. the pallets and the pull of the ratchet straps dented the edited by admin out of my fender wells. The metal was just so thin and flexible. Good news I was able to beat thte dents out with a hammer almost right. Bad news paint is toast. I know its a truck for working but that is pi$$ poor. I have never had a fender well do that EVER!!! Just a little vent and letting you know if you didn't already the metal won't hold the weight of a big screw driver. Wish they wrapped the cummins with better wrapping papper.

 

Time to put in a bedliner or spay in. Hopefully the front bed rail isn't as week as the Toyota I have. Snug down a dirt bike and it bent the first week I had it.

 

the front of my bed is bent from a 4wheeler slamming in to it but other than that the bed has been fine. alot stong from the new chevys from what i understand.

 

hey RSOPNCO1 ... where exactly did they dent and how. I can't picture how this could happen? got any pics?

 

I guess you've never had an engine block fall over in the bed of your truck, it makes some nice holes. I've also had dealerships caringe at the site of all my truck beds that I trade in, then watch them shudder when I throw some of my old stuff in the bed of the new truck. Anyway, what difference does it make, it is a truck.

 

I've got a nice thick bed mat, but my bed is dented bad under it. Very thin metal.

 

I bet the bed of any pickup truck from any brand is made from the same gauge sheet metal. It's not tungsten carbide or titanium, it's soft sheet metal.

Get some calipers and compare the thickness of Dodge vs. Chevy vs. Ford vs. Toyota vs. Nissan and I bet you'll find the same result.

If the beds of these trucks were made of thicker metal, you'd have less towing/hauling capacity because of the added weight. If they were made of advanced materials the cost would be outrageous due to difficult manufacturing processes.

Any one of the above conditions from "thin" sheet metal, to lower towing capacity, to higher cost, would be cause for much complaining. Love what you got, it's better than pulling the pallets around with a radio flyer wagon.

 

I still don't get it ... RSOPNCO1 did you mean that the tie-down clasps in the bottom corners of the bed actually pull inward and bend the inner layer of the box? Or did you use the stake pockets? what up?
Yep, engine blocks rolling around in the box are gonna do some damage. A skid of concrete blocks not properly tied down will make a mess too.

 

BE carefull washing your roof sheet metal is even thinner

 

I'm lost. The way I read this is that the tie downs were hooked on the lip of the wheel well, on the outside of the bed?

 

That's what I gathered as well. If thats the case...

 

ok, I have to say that particular scenario never even crossed my mind ... naaaa ... you think?

 

line-x it and be done with it

 

It may be that every "new" truck may have the same sheet metal gauge, but there is no way that you can say that this trucks tin is as strong as earlier models. ....and I don't mean 20+ yrs ago.

my last truck was a 2000 gmc sierra 4x4. It didn't have a ding in it when I sold it to get this tinfoil wrapped engine. The friggin tin will dent if you look at it wrong.. I had the wheel well dent from my small tool box bumping it....then to my surprise, thinking the dent was perminant, I pushed it back out using only my fingers.
they could have creased/rippled/ subsupported it better.....my trucks only 8 months old & it already has 3 dings in it.