Your recommended pickup truck accessories

[Big_Hitter]

I've had both a plastic and spray in bedliners and if you have a new vehicle, I'd get the plastic one. I do prefer the spray in liner on ol blue though. Reason being is that the spray in liner will chip and cut into your paint, where the plastic one won't. I hauled a stump grinder in ol blue and it left some marks through the liner.

 

[JP.mpls]

Bighitter,
Do you mean plan "B". A real truck?

I'm covered.

JP

just make sure it can do this, if necessary

 

[pb4uski]

been doing a LOT of yard projects after I FIRED 6 months ago and a good ol truck is a must have - that's 2 yards of topsoil, about 4000 pounds I found out later, small screwup but I unloaded about half of it immediately lol

Yup. When we were doing our house rebuild I bought a pallet of blueschist that was the stone facing behind our woodstove. The guy put it in the truck with a forklift and I thought rut-roh. Clearly way overloading a first generation Chevy Colorado.

I drove home real slow and carefully and unloaded it immediately.

 

[Asabino]

If you’re into biking road or mountain, get a One Up bike rack. Amazing, super stable, and easy to use. I have expensive bikes and needed a good bike rack. Highly recommended.

 

[Big_Hitter]

If you’re into biking road or mountain, get a One Up bike rack. Amazing, super stable, and easy to use. I have expensive bikes and needed a good bike rack. Highly recommended.

+1, very popular in Idaho

 

[papaof2]

If you've ever to change a tire with the provided lug wrench, you'd have included a 4-way lug wrench so you could remove the all-too-often-over-torqued-with-an-impact-wrench bolts/nuts. Not needed if you're willing to wait 2-3 hours for AAA or the like.

 

[Walt34]

If you've ever to change a tire with the provided lug wrench, you'd have included a 4-way lug wrench so you could remove the all-too-often-over-torqued-with-an-impact-wrench bolts/nuts. Not needed if you're willing to wait 2-3 hours for AAA or the like.

I keep a battery powered impact wrench with the appropriate impact socket (impact sockets are not chrome plated) and a worklight in each vehicle for that reason, all in one of the manufacturer's canvas bags. I call it my "old guy's tire changing kit". And yes, I do remember to check/charge the battery every six months or so. The simple fact that it is there virtually guarantees that I'll never need it, which is what I'm hoping for.

 

[rick55]

My kids got me a soft cover from Tyger, and its been great. Also have a spray in liner (dealer installed) which I feel is better than the plastic drop in. My Dad had a drop in and cargo slid around alot more.

I also got me a Clemson tiger paw sticker on the rear window!

Rick

 

[gooddog]

Bed cover and running boards are a must.

 

[Skitso999]

I would most definitely make sure that the radio is an HD radio. If it isn't HD, get an add-on installed that'll make it so!

You'll have twice as many stations to listen to if you do this.

 

[rick55]

I have a gmc canyon, and I found an online forum for gmc/chevy truck owners. You get a lot of info from other owners of your vehicle in a forum like this. My truck is an extended cab, and I was able to buy a custom fold up platform for cargo that fits over the small rear seats, made by another forum member.
Rick

 

[travelover]

I have a gmc canyon, and I found an online forum for gmc/chevy truck owners. You get a lot of info from other owners of your vehicle in a forum like this. My truck is an extended cab, and I was able to buy a custom fold up platform for cargo that fits over the small rear seats, made by another forum member.
Rick

Yep, these specialized forums are great. I beta tested a start / stop defeat device for my truck and got a free production version when it was ready.

 

[almost there]

Front and rear larger Sway bars, Bilstein shocks, Michelin tires.

 

[RetiredAtThirty-eight]

Tonneau covers

Well, if you are worried about the tonneau cover getting in the way at times, you can get one of the fold-up models, or another type that is easy to remove if necessary. So you can use the tonneau when hauling stuff down to Florida (keeps everything out of the weather and relatively safe), and then maybe remove it once you get there, if you think you will need to haul larger/taller items once in a while. That's about what I do.

Hard tonneau covers are handy, we have the back-flip on our F-150 and like it but it is kind of a pain to open and close and gets in the way, even when it's all the way open. I'm surprised no manufacture has yet included a roll-top cover that is strong enough to walk on top of and motorized so it disappears under the truck when it's not needed.

The Tesla Cybertruck includes that with every trim level but, alas, it's not due until early 2022!

 

[street]

I had a 2004 Colorado for 13 years, it had 242,000 miles on it when I junked it, actually gave it to my mechanic. The sub frame completely rusted out to the point the truck as bowed down in the middle, otherwise I would still be driving it. It was the ultimate deer slayer with over 15 kills, 16 impacts.

I tried to replace it with a 2019 Extended cab Colorado or Canyon last year, but none were to be found. Just normal cabs and crew cabs. I got a 2019 Tacoma instead. While it is a very nice ride, I miss my Colorado. My Tacoma is a complete nanny-mobile, with bells, bleats, gongs, whistles, light dimmers and a back up camera, but there is no key fob, but a manual light switch (no automatic DTRL,just on, off), no variable speed windshield wipers ( just on, off, and go like hell). The biggest issue I have with it is the transmission, and I didn't notice it when test driving, (the shop says the truck has to learn my driving habits). Whenever I take my foot off the gas and want to coast down a hill, the truck will downshift and about throw me out of the seat. If I slow down to make a downhill turn, when I try to accelerate, the tranny is up in some high gear, and I whiz for a few seconds until it downshifts and begins to drive.

My accessories are seat covers, and a tool box behind the cab. The truck is used for a truck; and hauls lumber, mulch, stuff for my rentals, and of course, juice and grapes during the spring and fall wine seasons.

I still miss my Colorado.

I worry the day my Colorado dies. Lol I have been very impressed and mine gets abused it is a work and all around truck for hunting and everything back country. I will be looking to get another once this can't move any more.

 

[ArmchairMillionaire23]

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

I'll be the odd one here and recommend a full height truck cap. I've owned a truck (3 different ones) continuously since 1991 and I couldn't imagine not having a full height cap on one. There was one time, when I had an S-10, where I couldn't fit what I wanted to haul inside the truck because of the cap and I had to use my little 4X8 trailer but for the other 99.9% of the times the cap comes in very handy for keeping stuff dry.
My first truck had no bedliner at all. My second one just had a 1/4 inch rubber mat that was custom fit to fit the floor and also one for the tailgate. My most recent truck came with a plastic bedliner, which is slippery, so I added a rubber mat on top of the bedliner to keep stuff from sliding around too much.
My advice is to take advantage of the little slats in the bed sides and cut some 2X4s or 2X6s to length to fit into those slats and keep at least one in the truck under whatever type of cover you purchase. I keep 3 2x4s up in the front of the bed and usually keep one more snapped into the rearmost slat. That way when I go shopping, I have a divider to keep stuff from sliding towards the front of the truck if someone pulls out in front of me and I have to stop quicker than I usually do. If I need to haul any sheets of 4X8 plywood, drywall, paneling, etc. I use all 4 2X4s and lower the tailgate to the second-highest height using the cable latches.
Enjoy your new truck!

 

[pb4uski]

I also have a ~4' long tool handle from a rake or shovel that broke that I cut off the end flush and screwed a large hook on the end.... very handy for accessing items that have slid forward towards the cab during transport and pulling them toward the tailgate to take them out without having to climb up into the bed.

 

[Ronstar]

^ great idea - I need to whip up one of those

 

[Singletrack]

On my last four pickups, I have added the following:

- Line-X spray in bed liner
- Husky or similar (e.g., Weathertech) floor mats

I generally purchase fairly well-appointed trucks, so I don’t have to add very much. I usually get running boards on my trucks, but they can be a mixed blessing in winter (in Colorado) - they can get slippery, and they can be sludge magnets.

 

[gamboolman]

Don't see this too much in the city..... but out here they are still common and handy.....

 

[RetiredAtThirty-eight]

Don't see this too much in the city..... but out here they are still common and handy.....

A plastic gun rack? Now I've seen everything.

There is something just not right about that. Didn't your dad or grandpa have a wood or metal one they could hand down to you?

 

[gamboolman]

RA38

Ha, agree with you on the plastic gun rack....

Mine was/are metal.....

Times, they are a changing...

 

[Skitso999]

Don't see this too much in the city..... but out here they are still common and handy.....

Often referred to as the "Easy-Rider Rifle-Rack".

 

[Ronstar]

Don't see this too much in the city..... but out here they are still common and handy.....

Ah yes. Reminds me of my working days in central Texas. Surveying a pipeline across ranch pastures. Rancher drives up with this accessory fully loaded and asks " Where are you putting this pipeline?" I answered "Where do you want me to put it?"

 

[Ronstar]

Little problem with the solid tonneau covers. This is how I take my garbage cans out to the road.