3 Reasons To Consider An Aluminum Truck Bed

Posted on: 1 September 2016

Aluminum is one of the best materials that you can consider when it comes to buying truck beds for your business's commercial trucks, mostly because of the many advantages that it can provide over steel. Listed below are just a few of the reasons to consider an aluminum truck bed. 

Much Lighter Than Steel

One of the biggest benefits that an aluminum truck bed has over a steel one is that aluminum is quite a bit lighter. The fact that the aluminum truck bed is lighter than steel means that any truck with the aluminum bed will handle better than a comparable truck with a steel bed.

The light weight of aluminum is also a great feature when it comes to saving you money. Since the truck itself is pulling less weight, the fuel economy of the vehicle will increase and help save you money on fuel costs. In addition, since the truck does not have to strain as much because of the light weight of aluminum, the engine will not experience as much wear and tear and will require fewer costly repairs over time. 

Better Resistance To Corrosion

One of the most important factors to consider when buying a truck bed is corrosion resistance, mostly because these truck beds will be exposed to the elements quite often. Aluminum is naturally resistant to rust and corrosion, which means that you can simply buy an aluminum truck bed and not have to worry about the elements affecting it at all.

However, a steel truck bed is very susceptible to rust so you will have to constantly keep an eye on the bed to ensure that any scratches in the paint are repaired as soon as possible. A scratch in the paint will allow moisture to get past any coating or sealant and reach bare metal. At that point, rust can spread rapidly to the rest of the truck bed. 

While there are options that make steel more resistant to rust, they do come with significant downsides. For example, while stainless steel truck beds are resistant to rust, they are more expensive and still don't offer the same degree of protection as aluminum.

Contact a truck bed dealer like Martin Truck Bodies to discuss the many benefits that aluminum truck beds can provide. Aluminum options are ideal as the truck beds will be lighter and more resistant to corrosion than their steel counterparts.

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