Ford Aluminum Bed Problems, anyone Ram bed issues?

[Mike7311]

I keep seeing videos of problems with the Ford aluminum beds. Ram uses good old steel, but are people just emphasizing the issue or has anyone had similar issues with their steel bed on the newer trucks?

https://www.facebook.com/groups/CyberTruck/permalink/3195490893879766/

 

[SD Rebel]

I had an F150 with aluminum bed with zero issues and it was used hard, at my last job we had a fleet of work trucks, most of them 2015 or newer F150s, no bed issues.

I've been on the F150 forums for years, I don't remember anyone complaining about bed issues, at least to the point that it's anything but a one-off.

Not related directly to the bed, but my plastic bed caps are caving in due to my bed rack system, started only a month after installation. My F150 didn't have that issue even after 4 years of use. At least when it comes to the plastic bed caps, the RAM sucks in comparison to Ford.

 

[Jrm7]

I had 2018 F150 with spray on liner before I got my 2020 Ram, Once I had 2 tons of topsoil dumped into it and it hit axles hard. Plus had 50 bags of rocks thrown into it. Not a single dent. F150 held up well.

 

[Dusty1948]

I keep seeing videos of problems with the Ford aluminum beds. Ram uses good old steel, but are people just emphasizing the issue or has anyone had similar issues with their steel bed on the newer trucks?

https://www.facebook.com/groups/CyberTruck/permalink/3195490893879766/

I watched the video. In all fairness the incident being discussed is a little outside what I would call 'normal service.' The person states that with a 1500 pound load an anchor broke. That tells me that the visible damage was likely caused by the now loose load shifting and probably going over the side of the truck, ripping the box side away.

There's no doubt steel is stronger than aluminum when applied to an area under stress, and I think this is the epitome of a stress condition. I also noticed that the side panel separated from the forward bulkhead. That could be a weakness caused by forming or poor annealing. I know when Ford introduced the new lightweight F-150 they advertised that the aluminum is "military grade", implying a stronger version. I think that means it's much more brittle as a byproduct of making it stronger. The way the person ripped off a section with just one bend would have me concerned, however.

Would an all steel box hold up better? That of course would depend on the rating of the steel, but Ram uses high strength steel in most of the body now. If I had to bet I'd bet on the benefit of steel in this case, but then again the only way to test it is to duplicate the exact scenario. The anchor pulling away may signify a problem altogether different.

Best regards,
Dusty
2019 Ram 1500 Billet Silver Laramie Quad Cab 2WD, 5.7 Hemi, 8HP75, 3.21 axle, 33 gallon fuel tank, factory dual exhaust, 18” wheels. Build date: 03 June 2018. Now at: 040322 miles.