When I bought my 2021 Ram 2500 Tradesman, I purchased a spray in bed liner to protect the bed. Because people throw stuff in the back of their truck, bare metal will eventually be exposed and then the rust starts. Well, I need this truck to last for a long time so a friend recommended that I put in a rubber bed mat on top of the spray in liner.
The idea behind the rubber bed mat is that it will take the abuse rather than the liner. Eight months later, I really thing this idea paid off just based on what I’ve hauled so far but I am jumping ahead.
I did some digging and found Husky Truck Mats on Amazon. Now Amazon’s “Does it Fit” feature isn’t perfect so I did some measurements and confirmed before I bought. My 2021 Ram 2500 Tradesman has the 6′ 4″ short bed because it has the crew cab. Amazon says the following mat shouldn’t fit my truck but it actually does perfectly:
Installation
You have to love stuff like this – I just rolled it into place. No trimming, no drama – it fit.
It lliterally rolled right into place with no trimming.
Results
I honestly couldn’t be happier. It’s thick enough to protect the bed and was affordable — if it tears or gets real beat up then I can afford to replace it. So far though, it’s doing just fine. It’s dirtier sure but is still in great shape.
The mat looks great and is holding up very well. Granted the above was right after I bought it in October 2021 but other than being dirty in May 2022, it’s held up great despite hauling a variety of junk (literally), furniture and other stuff.
The mat is relatively thick. One thing to note, it did have a bit of a smell but it dissipated quickly. Some guys report their brand and model of truck matt as being really smelly but I did not have that problem with the Husky.
I’m going to list all of the Husky truck bed mats next so you’ll need to look for your Ram, Chevy, Ford or Toyota truck and bed size.
Note, I have to buy all of my parts – nothing here was paid for by sponsors, etc. I do make a small amount if you click on an ad and buy something but that is it. You’re getting my real opinion on stuff.
If you find this post useful, please share the link on Facebook, with your friends, etc. Your support is much appreciated and if you have any feedback, please email me at in**@ro*********.com. Please note that for links to other websites, I may be paid via an affiliate program such as Avantlink, Impact, Amazon and eBay.
On September 11th, 2021, I took possession of my first new truck – a 2021 Ram 2500 Tradesman. I love the truck but have a challenge – I am 54, heavier than I should be and different muscle groups and joints compete to see who will hurt the most at a given time. Getting into the bed when the tailgate is a mile off the ground is no trivial matter for me. I did find an awesome solution though and want to share it with you.
There are a number of options on the market – steps and tailgate ladders too but I ruled the ladders out given the space they take. If you want something that does the job, is small, and folds out of the way when you are done, you want a bumper step.
I wanted a step that was simple to install, durable and looked good. After a while, I decided my best bet was to go with the actual Mopar step for my truck – 82215842AH. That step will work on the fifth gen 2500 and 3500 Rams – so, 2019-2022 so far.
By the way, what sold me is that a few guys recommended it online and it is a bolt in installation – you remove a few bolts and then install step and use the longer replacement bolts they send you – there is no drilling.
I ordered mine for $287 + $13 S&H — it’s not cheap but worth it. When I wrote this post, the good news was that there are a lot of sellers on eBay that you can check and the are prices both lower and higher than what I paid – just be sure to go with a reputable seller is my advice.
What Arrived
A few days later, UPS arrived with a surprisingly heavy box. When I opened it, there was the step and the bolts that would be needed.
The step is sitting vertically on the left then you can see the bracked and bolts to the right.
Installation
I’d say installation took me less than an hour and that was with a few interruptions. Interestingly enough, the RAM instructions are really illustrations without words. You can find the PDF if you search for it and want to read it in advance.
I did spend some time laying on my back getting oriented. The one thing I’ll point out is that all of the bolts are metric – gone are the days of SAE inch fasteners. So, have your metric set out.
It was all very straight forward – I just followed the instructions. For someone new to installing stuff like this, one tip I’d give you is to leave all of the bracket bolts lose so you can wiggle things into place and then tighten them down.
When I was younger and worked on cars a lot, we did “farmer tight” meaning we went by feel. Now, many, many years later, I use torque wrenches and set the fasteners to the torque specified. I’d recommend you use a torque wrench to do the final tightening of the bolts – the installation sheets provides the torque specs – you need one or more torque wrenches to tighten down the bolts to 16.6, 50 and 140 foot pounds. I put it this way because each torque wrench will have a stated range. Little torque wrenches may not be able to go up to 140 and large torque wrenches may not go below 50 foot pounds.
Torque wrenches are a good investments and ince you have them, you’ll find uses for them all the time if you work on cars, tractors, and other machinery. Note, if you buy a clicker style wrench where you set the torque at the bottom of the handle, and it “clicks” when you reach the specified torque, just be sure to reset the scale to zero when you are done so the spring doesn’t weaken over time.
Results
It’s fantastic. I installed it in October of 2021 and have used it a ton getting into the bed, loading stuff, etc. I weight about 230 pounds and it is rock solid – even when I am carrying stuff. It’s one of the best accessories that I have bought for my truck and highly recommend it.
The design is really slick. The step is spring loaded and folds very smoothly – both when you pull it out and push it in.
The step itself is textured and non-slip. Boy is it rugged – no flexing despite my weight and me carrying stuff.
Even my wife likes the Mopar bumper step.
Conclusion
Honestly, I can’t recommend this step enough. Easy install, rugged, easy to deploy and retract — it’s a really nice accessory for your truck if you want an easy option to get in and out of the bed that doesn’t take up much space at all.
If you are looking for a step – I’d recommend this one.
Note, I have to buy all of my parts – nothing here was paid for by sponsors, etc. I do make a small amount if you click on an ad and buy something but that is it. You’re getting my real opinion on stuff.
If you find this post useful, please share the link on Facebook, with your friends, etc. Your support is much appreciated and if you have any feedback, please email me at in**@ro*********.com. Please note that for links to other websites, I may be paid via an affiliate program such as Avantlink, Impact, Amazon and eBay.
