Easy and Inexpensive Pickup-Bed Saver
A new use for rubber livestock-stall mats.
For years I’ve been using rubber livestock-stall mats cut to size for the bed of my pickup trucks. This is a very heavy recycled rubber product approximately 3⁄4 in. thick. The material is easily cut with a razor knife, and I install it with three sections per bed for ease of removal. Once installed, they don’t curl up on the edges and they don’t allow transported products to slide around. They are a low-cost solution (a 4-ft. by 6-ft. stall mat is only $43 at Tractor Supply Co.), and they always outlast the pickup that they are installed in—plus, the scrap pieces can be used for many different projects.
— Mike Bachand, Damascus, Ore.
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These work GREAT!
I too have been using them for years. I don’t cut them to fit though. They fit fine in our two Ram 1500’s. Another advantage is that they are pretty heavy and relatively stiff so they stay put when you slide heavy objects across them. Great idea Mike!
Yes, these things are pretty heavy. No, the ones I've had were not easy to cut with a razor knife - I used a reciprocating saw. But they do last and the material is useful for other stuff. I've even used them to cover a driveway after leveling and compacting a sand base to lay them on. lasts at least as well as asphalt, and it's easier on your knees if you have to work on it.
invariably, something i wanted ended up in the back of the truck. i cut 2 scrap pieces of 3/4" plywood 2' x 6' & screwed a cleat of 1x on each end with a sash pull on each cleat for pulling & pushing the ply in & out. i use some plastic milk carton boxes & plastic <2'L x 18"H x 18" W. i can pack saw blades, tools, batteries & chargers, etc. in the bins & boxes. i laid 8 parallel pieces of 6' PVC in the the bed of the truck. using the sash pull handles the ply slides on the PVC in & out easily & the cleats keep the bins for falling off the ply & getting lost in the back of the truck. if i need to haul material i can set up 2 saw horses tailgate high approx 5' apart using the sash pull handles i can quickly pull the ply in & out having anything i need readily available without the hassle of a bunch of loose things.