BEDRUG and TruXedo LO PRO QT Install

[Matt_]

I'm going to copy and paste my posts from another forum... because i'm being lazy

I've owned a pickup truck for 6-7 years and let me tell you, i never once thought about putting a BedRug in... because I didn't do my research. Recently I read some threads on them that peaked my interest and started doing some more research on them, and let me tell you what, i dont know what i was waiting for!!

FYI: I loaded my truck up for a few trips to my local recycling center... my 5 gallon oil container leaked (i had it too full). The oil cleaned up so damn easily... because its NOT a carpet. The oil didn't "soak" into anything. If anything at all, the Bedrug contained the oil from spreading further. A few PIG rags to soak it up and a spray with a hose and i was good to go!

Now for the goods:
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So while my son was taking a nap i cleaned out the garage so i can squeeze my truck in there... I'll put my wifes car in there when she gets home. It'll be crammed like below (but its better than cleaning 10+ inches of snow off the truck )

This time i reeeealy squeeze my truck in there. I wanted to be able to get the tailgate down. it's still going to be a challenge getting the bedrug installed- not much room to work with!

After she gets home from work im going to kick on the Kerosene heater... will probably clean out the bed while it's heating up in there and may even take off the CMS to make the bedrug and truxedo install easier, then just throw it back on when done.. No rush really, i need it to heat up good in there and stay warm for a few hours so the bedrug adhesive makes a good bond.

All ready to go:

 

[Matt_]

 

[Matt_]

So if anyone is curious how easy this cover is to work with... just consider that i got the camera, went downstairs to take the pictures, uploaded them AND then wrote this post all in this short amount of time.

First... Rolling up. Below you can see how if you stand on one side the center of the cover makes a V shape and this causes the other side to not roll up as tight (as id like to to anyways). The last picture is what it looks like if you get in the bed and roll it from the center:

(here's how it looks when you roll it up from the center)

Second... the quick release. Once the rails are in place you put the cover on... there's a quick release clamp on each side and BAM, you're done!

Third.... the front seal. You can see how there's a round seal in the front.. and due to the curvature of the bed rail when you push the cover rail forward it tries to jump up on top of the front of the bed. This would be much better if the front of the rail had a straight piece that mated flush with the inside of the bed... but not a big deal...

 

[Matt_]

Wanted to give a quick update.

First and foremost... i am 1000000000% satisfied with both my BedRug and Truxedo thus far

Now... to business

I found 2 main flaws to the Truxedo Lo Pro + BedRug combo

The first flaw is that the rear seal does not have a "smooth" surface to seal against since the bedrug comes to the edge of the tailgate cap. Therefore, water does not flow to the edges and instead is trapped or leaks down inside. Some guys have installed their bedrugs so they ended before the plastic tailgate cap... but I liked that my bedrug is "flat" when the tailgate is open. So if you wanted to do this combo, that would be an option to get a "better" seal. (even knowing this, i wouldn't do that though... you'll see why as you keep reading).

The second flaw is that because the bedrug is a completely solid piece between the bed and the tailgate. So normally there would be a huge gap that any water would run out of... but the bedrug traps it.

Now this all sounds reeeaaally bad. But, even with the 3 days of rain we've had here in NJ.... my tailgate is dry and my bed is dry. The only moist section is the area that gets trapped in the gap between the bed and tailgate. My conclusion: this is really a non-issue... but worth mentioning so others are informed.

 

[Matt_]

First:

Check out the installation instructions here ( http://www.truxedo.com/pdf/1116967-loproqt-manual.pdf ). Step 3 shows you the front seal design and Step 5 shows you the rear seal design. Plus you get a handle on what the installation entails and some of the components you see in our pictures.

Second:

Front seal pictures (self explanatory)

Third:

Rear Seal Pictures
The rear seal actually seals against the inside edge of the tailgate. The premise is pretty simple here... when you're not moving, there's not exactly a ton of pressure on the seal so the water runs to the edges. Any that does seep past the seal will exit down the bottom of the tailgate and never flow "into" the bed. When you're moving forward i doubt any water will get in at all. So the only chance of getting your cargo wet is to drive 60mph backwards in a rain storm.

Fourth:

"Finished" look

Someone earlier mentioned that this cover just ended and looked "unfinished". Acknowledging that everyone has their own opinion; the "look" of this cover was actually one of the selling points to me. I like how it doesn't overhang 2-3" onto the tailgate cap and that it sits very low profile. It's a nice cut "edge" as opposed to excess material that would be needed to taper down, IMO of course

 

[Matt_]

Ok... if anyone has any questions feel free to ask

 

[daddy]

Great thorough write-up!

Those look like a couple of great products. Bed Rugs seem to have a pretty solid reputation.

 

[Kyles03]

Bedrug FTW!!! Looks good!

 

[Zembonez]

That Bedrug is awesome. I really would like to get one.

Thanks for the write up!

 

[RebelThunder]

Very nice.