Drilling a weep hole in bed - good or bad idea?

[Kramer OG]

I have a hard retracting tonneau cover, a RetraxOne XR, that retracts into a canister. The canister has 2 drain lines. One drain line is near a front corner of the bed and there is enough of a gap between the various welds to run the drain line into the gap. In the other corner, there is no gap. I can run the drain line into an existing weep hole in the bottom of the bed but the drain line will then interfere with loading and unloading of the bed.

1. Is it a good or bad idea to drill a weep hole in the bed to drain the canister?
2. Where should the weep hole be? I was thinking on the front wall of the bed.

More info: there is no liner for the bed due to Ford's manufacturing constraints. I plan on putting a bed rug on the bottom.

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[gte105u]

I wouldn't introduce a hole that was not intended on being there. Especially when you will be directing water there. Seems to be asking for potential rust, especially if when you drill it makes any paint flake off. Just my two cents.

 

[commadorebob]

Does the bed not have a drain hole already? Ford isn't in the business of selling mobile swimming pools...

 

[Mabcim]

There is a plug partway down, on the side, they saw to put those tubs. Though people use the gap at the bottom, between bottom and side.

 

[Hillbilly]

I have a hard retracting tonneau cover, a RetraxOne XR, that retracts into a canister. The canister has 2 drain lines. One drain line is near a front corner of the bed and there is enough of a gap between the various welds to run the drain line into the gap. In the other corner, there is no gap. I can run the drain line into an existing weep hole in the bottom of the bed but the drain line will then interfere with loading and unloading of the bed.

1. Is it a good or bad idea to drill a weep hole in the bed to drain the canister?
2. Where should the weep hole be? I was thinking on the front wall of the bed.

More info: there is no liner for the bed due to Ford's manufacturing constraints. I plan on putting a bed rug on the bottom.

BAD

 

[grumpyunk]

I would not drill. I think that there is enough drain access that you do not need to do anything. Water will naturally follow the shortest path downward, and the design should direct it to the closest drain. Essentially, no tube is needed to direct the flow, it will naturally go to where it should. The negative of that is that anything in the way of the flow will likely get wetted.
The problem will drilling another hole is preventing corrosion on the edges exposed and on the side not visible. Even adding a grommet or painting will likely not prevent corrosion, so if you do drill, be prepared to inspect regularly to be ready to take corrective action to minimize rust damage.

 

[OleFordGuy]

Aren't they drain holes in the bed already. Heck, that's what caused one of the original recalls, they drilled all those holes in the bed and drilled right into the gas tank

 

[gte105u]

Aren't they drain holes in the bed already. Heck, that's what caused one of the original recalls, they drilled all those holes in the bed and drilled right into the gas tank

Yes but OP doesn't want to pipe to those because they will be in the way of loads. And he doesn't want to drain into bed because it will get cargo wet.

But I wouldn't drill holes in the bed as had been mentioned. Asking for corrosion.

 

[Johnkn]

OP, I have RetraxPro MX rollup canister covers on my Raptor and TRX, they are some of the best available covers and yours likely uses the same clear relatively large diameter drain tubes. On my Maverick I run a quality hard tri-fold which uses 2 smaller drain tubes. As you state, the hole in the very front bottom drivers corner of the bed is large enough to take your larger drain tube. My Maverick does have a gap on the other corner which barely accommodates my smaller drain tube but if you do have the larger clear tube, it won’t fit. You could get a small piece of rubber tube that both fits tight inside your tube and will go into the smaller bed hole, or locate that bed hole from under the truck, verify there is nothing around it, and open up that hole slightly, then touch up the enlarged hole with a couple dabs of quality black primer or paint.. At the end of the day you need to use both canister drains because any water inside will migrate to either side depending on how the truck is sitting, and you want the tubes to run into the very front bottom corners so things in the bed don’t contact the drains and rip them out.

Good luck


.

 

[Kramer OG]

There is a plug partway down, on the side, they saw to put those tubs. Though people use the gap at the bottom, between bottom and side.

It looks like the plug is covered by the canister and is above the bottom of the canister. I don't have a gap on one side.

 

[Kramer OG]

Thanks for everyone's input. I am going to live with good enough (what I got now) rather than seek perfection (drill hole).

 

[Tailender]

Can't you connect the lines together so they drain out the side with the hole?

 

[Kramer OG]

OP, I have RetraxPro MX rollup canister covers on my Raptor and TRX, they are some of the best available covers and yours likely uses the same clear relatively large diameter drain tubes. On my Maverick I run a quality hard tri-fold which uses 2 smaller drain tubes. As you state, the hole in the very front bottom drivers corner of the bed is large enough to take your larger drain tube. My Maverick does have a gap on the other corner which barely accommodates my smaller drain tube but if you do have the larger clear tube, it won’t fit. You could get a small piece of rubber tube that both fits tight inside your tube and will go into the smaller bed hole, or locate that bed hole from under the truck, verify there is nothing around it, and open up that hole slightly, then touch up the enlarged hole with a couple dabs of quality black primer or paint.. At the end of the day you need to use both canister drains because any water inside will migrate to either side depending on how the truck is sitting, and you want the tubes to run into the very front bottom corners so things in the bed don’t contact the drains and rip them out.

Good luck
.

I have inserted a small tube into the larger existing tubes and that small tube fits snugly in the gap and weep holes.

 

[Rockingchair]

If a hole is needed, just make sure you know where the gas tank is located as it is easy to penetrate. Just ask Ford!

 

[Catmandu]

I've got the same retrax cover. Love the cover, but the drainage has been problematic.... I've been thinking the same thing about drilling a couple holes, either lower than the existing plugs or in the bed itself. Haven't done it because I don't know whats behind various places in the bed!
So for now... water just goes into the bed and finds its way out eventually...

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