How can my truck benefit from a set of bed caps or bed rails?
Loading and unloading your truck bed can do some serious damage if you're not protected. Dents, dings, gouges and scratches wreck the look (not to mention the value) of your truck in virtually no time at all.
Let something besides your paint bear the brunt instead, and dress up your vehicle while you're at it! Top your truck bed (and tailgate, too) with a sturdy set of bed caps, bed rails or both, and you'll discover:
Stock truck beds look pretty boring as-is. And nothing says ugly like a dinged, scratched or dented bed. You might think this frightening bed condition would be confined to painting, plumbing and auto glass installer trucks, but it's an everyday problem for anybody who actually uses their truck as a truck.
Bed caps and bed rails do quite a remodel job on these uncovered stretches of paint. Bed rails top your truck bed with the wicked appearance of smooth black or mirror-polished steel. A matte finish can lend a tough edge to your vehicle. Or, some extra shine can do your truck's body good and is sure to turn heads. Bed caps deliver smooth, rugged looks as well–not just for a fresh appearance, but also for covering old marks.
A key function of bed caps and bed rails is stopping damage before it hits your paint. Loading boxes, tools, bikes and more gets much less precarious with your bed top protected by a set of bed caps. And, they're custom-molded to the exact shape and size of your vehicle, leaving no space uncovered.
Bed rails are also effective guardians, rejecting items that would otherwise dent your bed. They keep large cargo from bashing either at the cab or at the gate, along with safe containment of stacked loads thanks to heightened tie down points. This way, you won't have to take it so easy on your heavy-duty rig.
Bed caps are one of the easiest to install accessories for your vehicle. Most require no drilling to mount securely. Instead, they attach with double-sided, heavy-duty adhesive foam tape. Bed caps go from in-the-box to mounted-in-place in a couple minutes, at most.
Bed rails typically mount just as fast to the stake pockets of your vehicle. Fitting directly in the pocket, bed rails use a bolt and a backing plate for securing to the top of the bed. Vehicles without stake pockets will require minor drilling. Dee Zee, Go Industries and Putco all build no-drill bed rails.
Securing large items in your truck bed can be a tricky proposition. Lashing them down to a set of bed rails makes a huge difference in cargo stability. In fact, Putco makes bed rails that are equipped to handle an incredible 500 lbs or more of weight capacity. Boxes, furniture and even random gear stay anchored in place where you intended. Plus, they're stronger, more convenient and look much better than in-bed cleats and hooks.
Bed caps and bed rails are both built to last. Bed caps, which thrive on durability to combat the harsh conditions of the top of your truck bed, use either a plastic composite material or sheet metal such as stainless steel or aluminum. They're specially crafted to last without fading, denting or otherwise losing their looks.
Pure steel tubing is the material of choice for bed rails, as these sturdy center supports are the anchor point for your heavy loads. Thanks to their all-steel construction, bed rails have the capacity they need for holding any load in place. Thick-wall tubing is used for the center bar; cast steel for the ends.