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Old 07-02-2020, 03:36 PM   #21
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My favorite useful thing is a hitch step like this one:

https://www.weathertech.com/bumpstep-original/
Thank you! I had no idea those even existed. I bookmarked it and will order one or something similar.

My GMC has a full shell on it since one of the reasons I bought the truck in the first place was hauling large R/C model airplanes. They don't weigh much of course but they can be big and bulky. Yes it limits the height of what you can conveniently carry but it also keeps the wind and rain out of the bed, which is what mattered most to me. That's an old photo but you get the idea.

And to accommodate my increasingly painful knees when I have to crawl forward in the bed I bought a Bedrug bed liner. It's sort of a marine carpet with about a 1/4" foam backing that greatly increases comfort. Nothing like kneeling on a stray bolt or something hard when you're trying to untie a large R/C airplane at the front of the bed! At the time I bought it in 2003 it was $300 and has proven to be worth every nickel to me.

And if you meet one of Jeff Foxworthy's criteria for being a redneck "...if you've ever had sex in the back of a pickup truck" it would be much more comfortable than one of the plastic or spray-in alternatives. Not that I would know personally of course....
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Old 07-02-2020, 03:52 PM   #22
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Originally Posted by zinger1457 View Post
I bought a Fold-A-Cover G4 Elite tonneau cover for my Tacoma and liked it. It's a hard cover that folds in 3 sections so you can ride with about 2/3 of the bed exposed. Can open the cover from both the front and back sections and both sections have key locks. The locks could easily be bypassed with a crowbar but better than nothing. Lots of choices for covers, no one cover fits all needs, have to decide on what features you want.
I had a Fold-A-Cover for my 2014 GMC and loved it. It was my first cover every in 25 years. I had the same concern as the OP but I loved it! Best pickup accessory ever for me!

OP how does the Colorado store the spare? If it's under the bed like my last 2 GM trucks be careful. The safety spring on my Chevy trapped me when I attempted to remove it, EMTS had to come rescue me.
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Old 07-02-2020, 04:37 PM   #23
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May not be terribly relevant, but I have a solar powered trickle charger for my 78 GMC Sierra. I don’t drive it frequently but it is always rarin’ to go when I climb into the cab.
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Your recommended pickup truck accessories
Old 07-02-2020, 05:11 PM   #24
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Your recommended pickup truck accessories

My 2017 F150 accessories include:

Undercover tonneau cover - solid cover that is great for covering and locking items that can be stored below the top level of the bed. I have to take the cover off when I haul items higher than the bed depth, or keep the top on and open. I never hauled anything on my snowbird trips that couldn’t fit under the cover.

Bedrug - great accessory as others have also stated. Amazing because I can crawl around in the bed without hurting my knees on the bed ribs. I have the one that only covers the bottom of the bed. It’s fine, but I should have blown the extra dough and got the one that covers the sides also. That would have prevented the few scratches that I have now in the inside bed sides. I had a sprayed bed liner in my last truck which is good if your hauling a lot of heavy stuff that could damage the bed, but I prefer the bedrug for light hauling because it protects the bed and it’s comfortable to crawl on.

WeatherTech floor liners. Great if you get in and out in muddy conditions. Can easily be taken out and cleaned. Keeps the interior clean.

WeatherTech seat cover. I got one for only the drivers seat. Keeps my seat clean when I’m getting in and out when I’m doing yard work and getting dirty. I take the seat cover off for long trips where I know I’m staying clean.

Rear wheel liners - plastic inserts that keep the wheel wells looking good.

Lots of bungee cords and cargo straps. Great for holding things in place in the bed

Plastic bin with jumper cables, foul weather clothes, a few tools and tarps.
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Old 07-02-2020, 05:13 PM   #25
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In my neck of the woods, the first thing any pickup needs is a lift kit, a set of huge noisy tires, darkly tinted windows, loud exhaust and several flags in back.
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Old 07-02-2020, 05:22 PM   #26
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Update: I found a video of the roll-up cover I mentioned in post #16.

As I mentioned, I just have a short strap on the cover so I have to go around to the side to grab it and slide it rearwards.
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Old 07-02-2020, 05:51 PM   #27
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In my neck of the woods, the first thing any pickup needs is a lift kit, a set of huge noisy tires, darkly tinted windows, loud exhaust and several flags in back.
Around here, some add a handicapped plaque.
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Old 07-02-2020, 06:10 PM   #28
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I have a ranger with a bed liner and a Fitted rubber mat also. The liner keeps dings and scratches away and the mat tends to keep thins from sliding as much. If I have something I need to slide in/out I simply remove the mat and then replace it when I’m sone.
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Old 07-02-2020, 06:31 PM   #29
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Originally Posted by JP.mpls View Post
I'm all hyped up about my new pickup truck, and I want to add a bunch of accessories.

Do you have any products to recommend?
Also products to avoid?

Things I'm considering:
- Tonneau cover.
- Some type of bed mat.
- Maybe a bedliner.
- Running boards.
- Protective 3M plastic on the hood.
- Bike holders over the tailgate, or possibly on a rack held by the trailer hitch.

Thanks for your comments. JP
Spray-in bedliner is well worth the money... mine was done by the dealer before I picked it up... $275 IIRC. Unfortunately, the 3-piece folding tonneau cover from the old truck fit the new truck so I just buffed it up and kept it. DSIL has a roll-up tonneau on his truck... I like it and may go that route if/when I replace my tonneau. I bought running boards ($288) and installed them myself (do it soon though). Also, buy a few cans of Scotchguard and spray the upholstery.

I don't carry bikes often but when I do I just put them in the back. Could use a towel over the tailgate I guess for the few times that I do it but I usually just put the whole bike in the back.
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Old 07-02-2020, 06:34 PM   #30
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RAE,
Ronstar also recommended a solid tonneau.
They look nice.

I keep thinking the cover would get in the way all of the time if I wanted to haul larger objects.

Did you get one of those solid plastic liners, or the spray on type?
Do you think a fitted rubber mat type liner would be a decent alternative?

JP
Another friend has a one-piece tonneau... I'm not a fan... pretty but a PITA to use.

My old truck had the solid plastic bedliner... they still move around and scratch the paint underneath and moisture can get trapped in there and rust... spray in is the way to go IMO.
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Old 07-02-2020, 06:42 PM   #31
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Update: I found a video of the roll-up cover I mentioned in post #16. .... As I mentioned, I just have a short strap on the cover so I have to go around to the side to grab it and slide it rearwards.
Looks interesting.
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Old 07-02-2020, 07:55 PM   #32
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My F150 had a roll up cover. Pretty nice and easy to use. Like above, there were two straps at the bed front that held in a rolled position.
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Old 07-02-2020, 09:50 PM   #33
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Mine (F-150 bought last year) came with a spray in bed liner. I added a bed mat, carpet like covering that fully covers the entire bed. Then I added a tough locking roll-up cover. I don’t haul rocks a dirt anymore. I upgraded from a Honda Ridgeline that was great as a get around vehicle (which was a downgrade from an f-350 when I hauled a heavy trailer and was doing some construction projects at the house), but it broke down too often...my $2500 extended warranty was coming to an end, and by that time, it had covered some $8k worth of repairs starting just after the standard warranty ended.

All of the above said, your accessories will really depend on what you use the truck to do. My truck came with towing mirrors and a tow package, but without the integrated brake controller. I’ll be adding that soon, because I’m trying to talk DW into a camping trailer...we’ll see. But otherwise, I wanted to tonneau cover and bed lining because it is mostly used like you would use a car trunk, just for bulkier things you might take camping.
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Old 07-02-2020, 11:38 PM   #34
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I've had a heavy rubber made for that model truck bed mat for over 20 years, it's still good. I do tell people not to sit on it though, unless they want to get their clothes black. I think it took 10 years or so for any rubber oxidation to show up. The bed mat will outlast me.

I hate running boards. If I can't get up into one of my trucks anymore, then that tells me something... Getting in/out of anyone's full-size P/U or SUV with running boards is a real pain. As mentioned by another poster earlier in this thread, they are in the way!

Here in the pickup capital of the world, I see very few mid-sized pickups. What few of them I do see, are old Ford Rangers, or Toyota Tacomas that are relatively recent. But few. Very rarely see a Chevy Colorado, IIRC their reliability wasn't too good, just never caught on here. The small pickup segment is about dead here, see a Honda Ridgeline once in a while, a Nissan Frontier less.

I think what killed the small/mid-size p/u here was the out the door price of them compared to the not far away price of a full-sized p/u, and the move to SUVs. Limited what one can do with a small p/u, so I suspect that most who did not want a full-size p/u no-how no-way, went the SUV route with a tarp or mat. That also solves their cover the bed or not issue, it's rain-proof.
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Old 07-03-2020, 04:17 AM   #35
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I would suggest that you avoid Ford. I used to work in a plant of theirs that assembled Rangers, and I know too much about how the sausage is made. Have also had poor experience with them. Pass.
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Old 07-03-2020, 06:03 AM   #36
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I would suggest that you avoid Ford. I used to work in a plant of theirs that assembled Rangers, and I know too much about how the sausage is made. Have also had poor experience with them. Pass.
This thread is about desired "truck accessories".
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Old 07-03-2020, 07:03 AM   #37
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.... I hate running boards. If I can't get up into one of my trucks anymore, then that tells me something... Getting in/out of anyone's full-size P/U or SUV with running boards is a real pain. As mentioned by another poster earlier in this thread, they are in the way! ...
Au contraire. In my case the running boards are more for DW and others to ease their climb into and out of the truck. I rarely use them and hardly notice them... they do not get in the way a bit.

I actually prefer the mid-size truck.... it fits my needs and gets much better gas mileage and it fits in my garage.... initial cost is a lot lower if similarly equipped.
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Old 07-03-2020, 07:34 AM   #38
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I have done a few mods to by 2005 Tacoma. I put in a Truxedo roll up bed cover, I use my truck a lot to haul big stuff so the hard covers wouldn't work for me. Tacoma has a plastic bed to start with it has held up great, I did a put rubber mat over it to help keep stuff sliding around. I went with rock sliders instead of running boards, I can easily jack up the side of the truck with a high lift jack. I also did off road bumper, winch and lifted with bigger tires and wheels. I like to play in the mountains with it.
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Old 07-03-2020, 08:12 AM   #39
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I have a 2016 Ram 1500 I love. Bought it used and it came with a spray on bed liner, running boards (all though I've seen them called several things) and tie down hooks installed. I love all three. It also came with several options that I thought were silly and un-needed, but now I really like: heated steering wheel, remote start, and electronic button to fold in the side mirrors.
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Old 07-03-2020, 09:08 AM   #40
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.....My favorite useful thing is a hitch step like this one:

https://www.weathertech.com/bumpstep-original/
My GMC has steps built into each corner of the bumper, I I'm sure the Colorado does too since it is essentially the same truck. Very handy.
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