We traded in our 06 Colorado crew cab bought an 09 XLT today (yes, Sunday hours at our dealer!) Its a 2WD, but sits high enough that my daughter and wife are demanding tube steps be installed ASAP. I also need to do something to protect the bed. My sales guy is getting me prices for both as factory accessories but I expect the prices to be rather high. I'm debating on covering the bed.

For tube steps, I found Aries and DeeZee both make polished stainless. Never heard of Aries before. Theirs are $175 cheaper than DeeZee which makes me wonder... I'm also wondering how far these stick out from the cab. I had a set on a 99 several years ago and thought they stuck out too far.

For the liner I'm planning to price a spray in. Rhino and LineX both have dealers around here. I've only ever had a drop in and have a love hate relationship with stuff sliding. On one hand it makes loading easy but then it slides around of course. Are there any drawbacks to the spray ins?

My Colorado and a couple other trucks I've owned have all had an Extang tonneau cover which I generally liked except that it was impossible to finish snaping it in the winter unless I stuck a heater in the bed for 10-15 minutes. I'm debating on another or maybe just leaving it uncovered. Seems like we'll have a lot more cab room in the new truck so it might be a non-issue most of the time. I won't consider a hard cover because of the inability to remove it when I'm out if needed to haul back a large item. Any other options I should consider?

Thanks for any advise.

 

Let start with the bed: i have a spray on in my 07 (rhino) and its great no problems just blast it with a hose if it gets dirty. I would vote for a bakflip cover honestly. its a hard plastic that folds up completely allowing full use of the bed (fold up to back glass).

If i were going to add steps i would go with the AMP Research power steps. The automated ones that are on the platinums, but thats just me!! not sure of the other brands i havnt looked into them reall.

 

I'll offer my opinions on a couple things, just for fun.

Steps - I personally like the oval profile chrome tube steps that come stock, they offer wider areas to step on, and look pretty nice, IMO. I DON'T like the round tubular ones that are bent in a U-shape that stick out too far and just don't mesh well with the styling of the truck.

Bed Liner - this is a tough one, there's a whole thread debate on this subject and it's really just your personal preference. I've had drop-ins and agree, it's a love-hate thing. I was going to try a spray in with my 09 FX4, but when it showed up, it had a drop-in. Nice surprise, figured I'd go with it, and it's worked out fine so far. I use the slots that are designed to accomodate a 2x4 or 2x6 or 2xWhatever board, and they work great as bed dividers.

Tonneau - The bakflip cover that ChromeZ mentioned is really nice, but it didn't fit my budget. For my budget and my application(s), I went with an Extang Trifecta. It's a soft tri-fold that is almost ridiculously easy to install (and remove). I have been 100% happy with it: no leaks, fits well, and I can actually use my truck as a truck! If you have any questions, let me know.

Congrats on the new truck!!

 

Congrats on your new ride!

Liner - I've had Line-X liners in 2 different trucks for 10 years and wouldn't buy anything else. I just had one sprayed in my 09 Platinum. You can beat it to death, they look great and it has a lifetime warranty - how could you go wrong? Spray-in liners also give you more options for covers because they don't take up clamping space.

Cover - just added a Retrax rolltop bed cover to my truck and so far so good. I like the design, lockability and durability, but it does take up a little bed space when rolled open. I have a 6.5' bed so I wasn't too concerned. I had a fiberglass tonneau for almost 10 years on my last truck so I thought I'd try something different this time around.

Good luck!

 

I second the Bakflip recommendation. I installed one on mine this weekend and it rocks (pics below)! PM me and I'll pass the info on where to buy for cheap if you are interested.

 

Hey *****, what kind of liner do you have on your truck? I really like that cover too!

 

First, enjoy the ride.

I had aftermarket chrome tube steps on my '05, standard running boards on my '07 and now the optional factory chrome oval tube steps on the '09. Out of the three, the best is the factory chrome oval tubes. You should be able to buy those as Ford accessories from a dealer. It's probably going to cost more than aftermarket brands but they offer two things - seemingly better build than my previous experience with an aftermarket version and an easier use.

As for box cover, that's a personal preference you will have to decide upon. My choice was a low profile, roll-up tonneau cover, originally purchased for the '05 and currently used on the '09. It's great that it can roll up when needed for full use of the box area (and not block the rear window).

 

It's the Ford liner. I have the "man-step" and this factory gate liner is custom moulded around the flip-up step handle. The liner did require a little cutting at the front to get the Bakflip cover to fit all the way forward (just notches for the drain pipes).

 

Not sure why Summit's site quoted me $475 for the DeeZee tubes yesterday but today they are $199. But I also found that Autozone can have them for me on Wednesday for $70 more AND they are returnable if I'm not happy with the quality and/or look. So I ordered those. They are $200 less than OEM. Unfortunately it appears that the selection for the 09's is still a little limited and I didn't see anyone making the factory style oval steps yet. I'm sure someone will post a link.

Both Line-X and Rhino make good arguments why they are better, but the local Line-X guy can do it Saturday and is about 3 miles from where we'll be spending the day so I'm planning to call him in the morning to schedule.

While dropping off the title for my old truck at the dealership today I noticed a truck that had the chrome door handles. Definitely need to look into those. Also got my iPod working with Sync and got my phone partially working--won't download any contact data that was synced to my phone from Outlook which is 99% of it.

 

I picked up the DeeZee steps this evening from Autozone and got them installed. Overall an easy job. I did have one minor problem and had to grind the very corner off the bolt on the "bolt/nut plates" they include so I could slip them into the hole in the body.Other than that they seem good and look pretty good. The factory ones probably look a little better, but for the price difference I'm satisfied.

I scheduled to have a Line-X sprayed in on Saturday.

Also, a friend offered me a free Extang tonneau that he only used for 3-4 months before turning in hiis 04 at the end of his lease. Extang says the 09's use a longer tonneau than the 04-08's but it turns out that the bedliner is the same and the extra length they are referring to is for the "spoiler" at the top of the tailgate. So for free its worth a try to see how it fits and looks. Based on Big ole Truck's comment, it sounds like it might work.

If that doesn't work I might look into the Backflip. How well does it work in the open position while driving?

 

Here is my 09 XLT with aftermarket step bars and a line-X bed liner.

 

Has anyone tried the Peragon retractable cover? Peragon.com. I like keeping the back window uncovered and easily removable, it appears.
Thanks.
Tal

 

Having just purchased my first retractable tonneau I did a lot of research. It's a personal preference. I went with Retrax over Pace Edward's Jackrabbit, Backflip, etc. (there's lots out there) for a few reasons. I didn't want spring loaded where I had to be behind the truck. I didn't want anything to cover my rear window when retracted. I didn't want anything with hinges that could trap dirt and debris and cause issues. I wanted a cover that could lock into place anywhere between fully open and fully closed. The list goes on, Retrax seemed to fit my requirements the best.

The question I would have about the Peragon is where all the water, snow, debris goes when you fold it up? I didn't spend much time on their website but it looks like it dumps right into the bed, unless there's an evacuation channel to catch all the water and drain it.

 

Getting mine done in the morning. How long does it take before you can use it and is it ok to get it wet as soon as it's been done?

 

Are you talking about the Line-X? If so, it's ready as soon as they are done spraying it. You won't be dissapointed!