I'm feeling pretty strongly towards the Undercover now too. I'd like one of those retractable dealies, but I ain't got that kinda money lying around, and they just seem rather complex to me; complex = more stuff to go wrong later. On the other hand, what kinda warranties are you guys with the various retractable style covers getting?

 

Im wondering how would this thing hold up going off-roading? Would it bounce around at all or what?

 

It doesn't bounce around at all. Given it's light and a really good simple design. The thing I really like is that you don't have to worry about scratching it. You get the advantage of a hard cover without the drawbacks. I'm always setting tools, groceries, beverages, you name it up on the undercover.

 

Century hard tonneau. $700 installed. I can hear it rattle a little when the rear slider is open.

 

What does everyone recommend for a Flareside bed?

I'd like something with some security but don't really want one of the roll ones if the box sticks above the bed at all.

 

Just went thru this with mine. You will be hard pressed to find a roll away type cover because of the taper of the bed. You are even limited on the hard covers.
I went with the Truxedo Lo-Pro after talking to a couple of guys on this forum. I'm very happy with the results, and was able to put on myself in about an hour.

 

I have the TruXedo LoPro...I like it other than having to Armour-All it constantly due to the summer dust...I will eventually up grade to some sort of lockable retractable cover. But for the moment, the LoPro does what I need it to do and was a cake to install.

 

Thanks for the info.

How do you guy's like the TruXedo so far?
Does it leak?
And doesn't it use Velcro to seal? How well does that work?

 

Yes, it uses Velcro to "seal" the sides. I do get a little bit of water and quite a bit of dust in the bed from the rear, but I will be getting some rubber tailgate seal in hopes to keep the dust to a min. All I keep in the back is my camp gear and clubs, so I am not too concerned about a few drops of water.

In all honesty, I do not think that much water gets in mine at all...it is mainly just the dust from the tailgate not sealing all the way (metal to metal). Overall, I am very happy with the TruXedo LoPro and the only reason I would "upgrade" is for a cover that is lockable.

By the way, I bought mine from truckcandy.com for around $390...I noticed that they are much more than that as of today.

 

I have an Extang Tuff Tonno III. I was considering a cap, hard tonno or a soft tonno. I chose the soft so I would be able to have full access to the bed with out help. I like the look of the hard covers, I like the ARE the best, but be aware that you WILL NEED HELP if you must remove it to carry something large. That is the single only reason I don't have one right now.

KC-10 FE out...

 

I didn't consider the TruXedo because we needed something that could lock and was secure. We park our truck in hotel parking lots when we're out of town. It's nice to know everything is secure.

I paid $660 for our UnderCover including shipping. Ordered it online from VersaCover.

My wife especially likes it because she puts the lawn chair on it and sits and watches the racing from up high.

 

Right now I'm about 60% Fold-A-Cover 40% Undercover. I'd love those retractables but they take too much room in the truck, seem to rattle, and aren't very easy to remove for full bed access. Softies have been ruled out because they don't lock and are slightly less secure.

 

I too went with the truxedo lo-pro.
Very little water gets in and a breeze to install!

I do not armor-all it because you will need to do that
constantly if you use it once. It looks fine with just
washing it in the car wash.

 

I guess I have to remedy that. I've had the SnugLid SL on my '04 Screw for the past year and a half and I very much like it. My reason for taking the SnugLid over the bazillion other out there was it's low profile, coverage of the rail caps, price, availability, etc. Also, since I used my truck mostly for ski trips, trips to Home Depot, Sam's Club, etc. and not for heavy work, I didn't necessarily need a cover that I could get out of the way or remove on a regular basis. Two weeks ago, in preparation for a trip to Yellowstone and points unknown, I put the remote control on the lid to facilitate getting into the back without having to use the key. That eliminated the only thing I didn't like about the SL as compared to the SnugLid I had on my 01 Screw...........the inability to close but not LOCK the lid.

 

I have been researching and comtemplating different covers/tonneaus and shells for the pat six months now and I finally went with the undercover and couldnt be happier!

I first wanted the retrax or a pace edwards style retractable. My dad has the pace edwards on his superduty that he has been using with the fifth wheel for the last 3 or 4 years or so. The main "clockspring" inside the retractor unit lost its retracting power and my dad now has to manually feed the rolltop in whenever he needs to retract it. After seeing that and having concerns about cold weather/snow opening (I do lots of snowmobiling), I finally gave up that idea. I was also worried about hurting the canister when I hauled something big in the back as well. A retrax was almost perfect for me.

I then started looking at camper tops/shells plus a bedrug in the back for the dogs. I came really close to getting a A.R.E. Z-series for about $1700 all loaded up but then I thought, "why the heck did I get a pickup in the first place?" If I wanted permanently closed carpeted storage, I should have bought a Explorer/Expedition/Excursion. I wouldnt be surprised if they added 500 pounds to the weight of the truck either. You add these camper shells and you pretty much lose the ability to haul loose rock/sand, mulch (easily). Also what about hauling a big item, like a refrigerator or a B-B-Q grille or a mattress? Borrowing 3 other guys to help me take it off and put in back on or building a big block/tackle/pulley system was out of the question.

I did lots more reading and more research at the big 3 Ford truck forums and the Undercover (Versacover) Fits all my needs. Its hard plastic and its really strong. You can really put lawn chairs up there and watch the races/fireworks/tractor pulls or you can stand on it to clean your roof. It locks, so it has security for luggage/road trips/vacations/snowmobiling. Its waterproof. You can take it off BY YOURSELF and hang it on the wall in your garage! It even comes with the hooks to hang it on the wall. All you have to do to take it off is open it, unclip the gas struts (quick release fittings, kinda like air line quick disconnects) then then fold up and lock into some clips on the hard cover so they dont get in the way. Then you just go up front and remove two "keyrings" and the whole thing comes off. It weighs about 50 pounds or so, so you can easily do this yourself. It even fit with my factory bedliner, they just had to make a few minor cuts in the bedliner for the brackets to fit. I paid $670 installed from a great local truck accessories store (mid-west truck accessories in Riverview, Michigan) It probably wasnt the cheapest place in the world to get it, but I really felt comfortable there. Its a place where a handshake still means something and its not just a formality. I figure, If I ever have any problems, they will take care of me.

If you are undecided about bedcovers, check out the undercover at www.undercoverinfo.com
Another thing I really liked, is that it looks like it came from the factory on the truck.

If the undercover isn't good for your needs here are some general reccommendations I can give from the many, many, many hours of reading lots of forums at lots of sites:

If you want a rolltop retracting cover, get a retrax. Pace edwards has the biggest "name" but not the best quality top.

If you want a camper shell get a A.R.E. brand, they are very high quality. Leer used to be the best, but their quality isnt as good anymore (compared to the A.R.E.) There are also lots of local to you camper shell companies that you should research.

If you want a fiberglass painted hard tonneau and you will almost never take it off then get a A.R.E. LSII or they have an even newer model out. Very high quality. They weight about 200 pounds though. Fibergalss is heavy and the corners chip easily.

If you want security with being able to remove the tonneau yourself at a moments notice, get the undercover.

I didnt do much reading on soft tonneau covers, but lots of people like the truxedo lo-pro

Hope this helps somebody!