My 01 Taco and I are scheduled to head way up north next week, now that the ice roads are in decent shape. I have about 2 weeks worth of work once I'm there depending on the weather. Maybe Toyota will let me test drive an 05 Taco to see if the plastic box is really as good as my dealer says it is? Because if it will survive there I'd probably buy one. I know my steel box has held up reasonably well even after several trips....
I just looked at some tacomas at our local dealer and I am pretty disappointed in the composite bed. They've gone too cheap. No way it's gonna withstand the abuse a metal bed would. I pray they don't put this in the next tundra.
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Ryone: That composite handgun has a steel barrel. So, is a truck bed considered the handgrip or the barrel? No need to actually reply, I'm just making a point.
My 01 Taco and I are scheduled to head way up north next week, now that the ice roads are in decent shape. I have about 2 weeks worth of work once I'm there depending on the weather. Maybe Toyota will let me test drive an 05 Taco to see if the plastic box is really as good as my dealer says it is? Because if it will survive there I'd probably buy one. I know my steel box has held up reasonably well even after several trips....
This comes close to the worry I've had about the composite bed since I first read about it. I don't doubt that the bed is basically strong enough for most uses when it is new. However, plastic resins haven't in the past held up over the long haul when thermally cycled many times while under physical stress. Also, exposure to ultraviolet radiation (as in sunlight) makes them gradually more brittle. As a result, plastic resins -- even fiber-reinforced resins -- can be expected to suffer stress cracking after a lot of exposure to the weather and physical stress.
Of course, manufacturers add U.V. inhibitors to plastics to delay deterioration, but still ....
The counterargument is that aluminum work-hardens and then cracks, and steel rusts, so we should hope for a future in which we'll ask ... "Don't you wish everything was made like RubberMaid?"
In reguard to the new composite bed, I think Toyota "fixed something that wasn't broken." I mean was there any reason to make a change? Sure steel beds can rust and dent but you'd have to abuse that little truck beyond hope to get it to break. The new Tacoma will still sell like hotcakes but I'm sure theres more than one traditional truck buyer that will pass on it because of the plastic bed. If your listening Toyota- give us the option of a steel bed!
Yeah, that's what I'm saying. I wish my truck was made out of wood and stone... whatever man.
The undustrial revolution was only a few decades ago. Look how far we've progressed with technology and materials since then. That's why I said that I'll take the steel beds until the composite technology proves to be superior. I think it's only a matter of time. On the other hand, steel has been around for a loooong time. It'll be around when we're long gone... and for good reason.
So relax about me not wanting technology to progress or whatever you said and take the time to re-read my post.
Ryan
No need to get all defensive, but inorder for tecnology to grow, someone has to use it... If everyone and their grandma decides after "ONE" crack in "ONE" truck that composites are "inferior" before ever even owning one, then where do you think the room to grow for the compiste lies?
Steel will be used because we have pretty much stream lined it to the max... It provides a hassle free solution to a lot of things... However, steel has their problems and those are showing and catching up to most of our daily uses... If steel was the perfect answer, no research would ever have gone into the bed part of a truck... However it seems steel is definately NOT the answer and thus the composite was introduced...
I don't currently own the bed myself, but in a quick fortnight, I will... Unless I crack my bed, I would say Toyota is moving in the right direction... Now wouldn't you agree to that? Also they're moving in that direction while saving me money and weight...
Seriously, if someone just now decided to make ladders out of aluminum, all the people would say "oh look at the soda can, I'm not putting all my weight into that step!!! It'll just bend and I'll fall for sure!!" However we all know aluminum is lighter, stronger and more resistant than the "tried and true" wood ladder of the past... We can even calculate it because we know whats in it... I'm sure if we all did the math with the chemicals found in the new bed the numbers will surely favor the composite... It's just human nature to reject change...
I dropped off the truck (with the camper shell attached) at the dealership last night. Toyota is sending out at least 6 techs to pore over it today and possibly tomorrow. And the replacement bed should arrive tomorrow! Very quick service. And they have told me over and over that they want to find the problem, if one exists, and correct it ASAP.
I'm expecting the techs to call me with questions as they inspect how I mounted the shell and as to when the crack happened. Hopefully they will let me know if there's a better way to mount the shell and not feed me the company line: "It's not a Toyota part so we can't help you." But either way, I plan on stress-testing the new bed as soon as I get a chance to find out if the original was defective, or if the design itself is defective.
I wonder how many 2005 owners have taken their trucks offroad, flexing the bed on rough roads with a lot of weight back there? Or like another poster said, take it up near the Arctic Circle and see if it shatters when frozen? Composite beds may be fine for street use but I still have doubts as to other uses...
Oh my... it was +25 degrees Celsius (77 F) yesterday evening here in Houston, TX... now it's a balmy +16 degrees Celcius (61 F) out
I can't even begin to think about wanting to imagine what -40 C would feel like. I bet you could throw a hot cup of coffee out and before it hits the ground, it'll freeze. Crazy.
Sorry to get off-topic, but temperatures like what you'll be experiencing are not even registering in my brain. Once it gets below 30 here, we lose all concept of temperature.
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I'm not getting defensive at all. I just don't like when people put their own meaning behind something I said. You're the one defending the bed of a truck you don't even own yet. I'm just trying to figure out (along with a few others) why chrisc16's bed cracked. That's it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by KAuss
Steel will be used because we have pretty much stream lined it to the max... It provides a hassle free solution to a lot of things...
Then what's wrong with wanting a steel bed until composites are PROVEN? That's my entire point.
Quote:
Originally Posted by KAuss
...but in a quick fortnight, I will... Unless I crack my bed, I would say Toyota is moving in the right direction... Now wouldn't you agree to that?
I don't know what a fortnight is... but I will say that Toyota is moving in the right direction if the composite bed proves to be better and cheaper. I want Toyota to succeed at everything it does. I'm on my 5th Toyota and like to think that I have the highest quality full-size truck on the market. I want the next Toyota I buy to be light years ahead of anything out now. We're on the same page man. So until we find out that this was just an isolated incident and there's nothing to worry about... here's a bunny with a pancake on its head.
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At this point we basically are talking about ONE crack & ONE truck... PERIOD! It may or may not be... an isolated incident, which will only involve ONE truck. At this point, we can ALL speculate, on the out-come... "until the cows come home". But in-point-of-fact, it isn't gettin' us any closer to an answer. And, since Chris has reported (in this thread already) that Toyota "IS" very interested in the crack in his new Tacoma's bed... that tells me, that even Toyota... isn't quite sure what to make of this, at this point in time!
We can argue the "pros" and "cons" for steel verus composite for the next 20 years and still never get a true answer for which is better. The fact is... EACH... has it's place and serves specific needs and/or applications better than the other. However, truck beds are basically, a relatively new application for composite materials, even though Ford used this same "type" of technology in its Explorer Sport-Trac. Let's face facts here; how many of us, REALLY think, this thing is a truck anyway?! If you put a tool box on it, well (IMPO) that TOTALLY makes this composite bed about..."as useless as tits on a boar hog"! That said, there sure isn't too much, in the way of heavy-weight stuff, that's going to even "fit" into something that small anyway! That's probably why Ford hasn't been faced with this same issue, in regards to Chris's truck!
It was a gamble, to say the least, for Toyota to waver from the "tried-n-true" steel application, when it comes to materials for their new Taco's bed. I think we ALL hope this is an isolated incident, as does Chris, I'm sure. He wouldn't wish any of the same bad luck (which he's faced with at present) on other new Taco owner's. At the least though, I think Chris has done all potential '05 Tacoma buyers... a BIG favor, by letting us know that there COULD be a potential problem starting to develop here. Keep in mind here folks, I said... COULD BE Granted; most '05 owner's probably haven't subjected there new '05's to the same driving/offroad conditions, which Chris has. But, (IMPO) Chris bought his truck with an assumption, which any past Tacoma onwer probably would have made. I should be able to drive my new truck just like I did my old one, if not even pushing it a little further, with all this "new" technology used on it!
Again (IMPO) Chris's problem may look isolated (at present) to ONE truck. If it turns out that it is; then so much the better, for Toyota and all other '05 owners. I'd like to hope that, it is! But if it isn't; Toyota could be, on the very verg of cutting their own throats here! The reason is simple... the Tacoma, as we ALL know, has been Toyota's "flag-ship" (if you will) for basically, the life of the Toyota truck name, since the truck market (in general) became an established intity [in-and-of itself] several years ago, here in North America. With a completely new Tundra expected for '06/'07; if the Tacoma isn't cuttin' the mustard [now], it'll be an even HARDER sale for Toyota, if the new Tundra utilizes the new Tacoma's techology! Wouldn't you agree?! We can only hope, right now (until Chris advises us on his truck) that this "is" an isolated issue to just ONE truck. If down the road though, we find out that there are other '05's developing this same problem; let's hope Toyota will think this thing through rather quickly! If for no other reason, than that of Toyota's... "Truck Reputation"!
Dave
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still waiting for the results of this 1 cracked bed though.......
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If Toyota didn't test for this type of usage, what did they test for?
just a thought?
edit: Actually I should clarify that I have kept up on this topic and appreciate the very informative posts on the subject. I am pleased to see Toyota's handling of the issue and prompt attention to such and willingness to get rep's involved etc. etc. Granted its a first year growing pain (or freak occurance?) with PR consequences. It sounds like you have a cool dealer which helps too. Very interested to see how this is resolved, as this was one feature I am not a fan of and now this just adds to the worry.
Oh and as far as I know the only thing they're really done is have a quad do a burnout in the bed, and drop some water in it? but it passed both of those tests ok
Because if it will survive there I'd probably buy one. I know my steel box has held up reasonably well even after several trips....
But if it isn't; Toyota could be, on the very verg of cutting their own throats here! 
The reason is simple... the Tacoma, as we ALL know, has been Toyota's "flag-ship" (if you will) for basically, the life of the Toyota truck name, since the truck market (in general) became an established intity [in-and-of itself] several years ago, here in North America. With a completely new Tundra expected for '06/'07; if the Tacoma isn't cuttin' the mustard [now], it'll be an even HARDER sale for Toyota, if the new Tundra utilizes the new Tacoma's techology! Wouldn't you agree?! 
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