Bed Rattles

[bladerunner]

Hey everyone-

So the truck is all inspected and I have been driving it back and forth to work all week, loving it!

One thing however is the bed has a pretty significant rattle to it.  The bed is new and was installed maybe a year ago by the PO.  My father-in-law believes the noise (which is pretty annoying on rough Maine roads) is due to the fact that there is no padding (or some other absorbing material) where the bed meets the frame.  He suggested I spray some expandable foam in between the gaps. I'm not sure about that.  What do you guys think?

[muddpuppy01]

I would check to make sure you have bushings in the mounting spots and check to make the bolts have not back off some

[VileZambonie]

Yeah, no.

Is this a rattle over bumps? Is the converter heat shield loose? Common problem.

[bake74]

  He suggested I spray some expandable foam in between the gaps. 

     Why are there gaps between the bed and frame ?  If the bed is loose it will bounce, but I am with Vile, the more common problem is the heat shield.

[thirsty]

Did you check to see if it is coming from the tailgate? I wouldn't use spray foam, it will hold moisture and rot what it is on.

[SNWBLL]

My bed rattle was due to loose shocks. I tightened them up and no more rattle.
I do have a bit of squeeking in the suspension when going thru odd dips and turns.

[bladerunner]

I wouldn't use spray foam, it will hold moisture and rot what it is on.

Exactly my thought.

I have tried to isolate the noise and am fairly certain it is the bed. Its one of those situations where multiple sets of ears would be real handy.  I expect a fair bit of road noise in an old truck, but this is something else.  Looks like I will first check the bushings and the shocks. I'll keep everyone posted and thanks again!

[beastie_3]

Shake the bed and bounce on the bumper.

[bladerunner]

 
Why are there gaps between the bed and frame ? 

This is what I meant by gaps:

[bigchevyc30]

i would think those gaps are normal since the bed has the ridges

[Blazin]

Easy enough to tell if its them. Take a hammer and bang on them some, Se if you get the rattle?

[bladerunner]

i would think those gaps are normal since the bed has the ridges

Yeah, they're normal, my father-in-law wanted me to spray foam in them to cushion the bed, which seems silly to me.

[bobcooter]

If it's squeaking from the rear your shocks may be damaged.  Get someone to stand in the bed and bounce up and down while you get on the ground and listen closely. If it's from the front, grease your front end components and see if it goes away.

[bladerunner]

One thing I have noticed is that if it is cold out, say in the morning, there is no rattle. The rattles is only present when it is fairly warm, say mid 70s (which is warm for Maine).

[bake74]

 
Why are there gaps between the bed and frame ? 

This is what I meant by gaps:

     I am sorry, but does this strike anybody else that in that picture, the cross member is welded to each section of bed.  Did you check like blazin said under your truck at each cross section to see if the welds are broken.  Heat causes metal to contract while cold expand, maybe it is that simple, you have a spot or couple that are cracked and when it is hot enough to contract they can move a little and bounce, metal on metal ?