tonneau cover or no tonneau cover?
 

so im having a hard time deciding how a tonneau cover would look on my truck. I have a fullsize toolbox so the tonneau cover would be one made for short bed pickups with a toolbox. the reason im looking at one is because it would be nice to know that the bed of the truck is kept dry and also means I don't have to be putting stuff in the backseat anymore. I rarely use the truck to haul anything in the bed and if I did I could just roll the cover out of the way.
anyone that has one; what are the pros and cons in your view?

this is the one I would be looking at:http://www.autoaccessoriesgarage.com...-Tonneau-Cover

thanks,

To me, roll-up covers provide easy access to the truck bed and you can easily haul large cargo but it is less secured. Also, there's the extang full tilt which is more secured but you have to remove the entire cover when you need to carry a big cargo. So it really depends on your needs and preference.

Here is my Access cover and box. Have had it for 4 years and its still tight and still looks new. It is not 100% dry inside my bed but it does not bother me. I did not get it for keeping out water, i just like the look.



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I did a lot of local and internet research before I bought my cover. I TOTALLY agree with Theo on the idea that your particular needs, wants and desires should guide your purchase. Third truck and cover in past twenty years. Three different types and brands.

My thoughts in general . . .

The soft covers are for little more than looks, but do provide some small measure of cover and concealment for the least price. With the toolbox that sticks out of the bed they are the only choice I saw locally but there are some on the internet. They also maintain full use of the bed.

The rigid (aluminum or fiberglass) folding covers provide a balance of security, durability, pricing and options while maintaining full or majority use of the bed (depending on model). I only saw toolbox function with specific built toolboxes that go underneath these covers, but there are some out there that allow you to use a regular toolbox.

Rigid roll up covers seem a little more secure than the folding versions. You do lose a section of the bed. I did wonder (with no real reason or background) if these ever get stuck rolling up or out. The versions/models I saw were pricey$$$. I did not see any that worked with the toolbox extending out of the bed.

The solid single piece lift covers probably look the best on the trucks. These are likely to be the most secure. From past personal experience, these are a PITA when trying to move or carry large objects in the bed. Leaving it open is an option unless it is windy. From my recent search these were the most expensive (painted body color) or in line with the roll up type (black).

I think there is the unproven idea with all of these that you get some wind resistance gain. I can tell you that is true when the wind is from the side, but I don't personally believe it helps much with a direct head or tail wind.

Despite some of the advertising, none of these are thief proof. Locks are only to keep the honest folks out.

I have yet to see any one of these that is waterproof. I don't even think any of the manufacturers advertise that. The common statement is water or weather resistant. My high dollar A.R.E. solid cover still got some water in it occasionally from a car wash or some severe wind driven storms. My latest folding cover has only been through a car wash once, but not a drop of water that time.


My $0.02

out of all the covers I've used the Access one was the best....imo

None of them are water-proof enough that I would trust them to protect things that can't get wet.

I think they're all kinda ugly . . . And the PTM'd ones are the best of the bunch, but of course are well over $1k once painted.

I have the extang trifecta, without the toolbox. I like it because it's easy to remove when I need full use of the bed. If I ever decide to add a toolbox, I'd go ahead and get the trifecta tool box cover.

http://www.autoaccessoriesgarage.com...-Tonneau-Cover

I had a Truxedo Lo-Pro on my 05 and then I moved it to my 07. It held up well after 7 years of use in N.E. Ohio, but it was starting to lose some of it's grip on the velcro strips on the sides and some of the stitching started to come undone. But overall it was a good cover for what I wanted at the time. I paid 400 IIRC back in 05 for a roll up soft cover. I now have a undercover flex tri fold hard cover on my 13 which was $784 on amazon. So far I like it, and the few times it has been thru a car wash, the bed stayed dry.

I read a gas mileage test recently where they tested a truck with a cap, a tonneau cover, and also leaving the tailgate down. According to the study, the tonneau cover was the only thing that improved fuel economy.

I've got the Extang full tilt model. I've owned it for over 5 years now and have yet to need to roll the cover on it...

With the tilt feature, I have all the access I need to get to the bed. It can come off the hinged front in about a minute and handled be a single person.

I do a lot of weekend camping and having the cover makes it so I can just toss stuff in the bed and not have to strap it down or worry about light loose stuff flying out. Toss in the firewood and other stuff, close and latch the top and go!

Just don't expect any true security as such... Even latched, it only takes a box cutter to rip into the cover.. But, out of sight, out of mind works a bit too... ;)

Anyway, I love mine and wouldn't be without it (I transferred it from my old 97 F150 after I bought the new 13.. :) )

Mitch

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I bought my truck in '09, it already had a Lo Pro QT rollup on it and it went through car washes, home washes, rains, and I never saw any water in the bed. It had a date on it, May 2009 so it was near new. I even saw a video of a guy jumping on one .... :D

Attachment 7861

A few months later before the winter snows, me thinking the Lo Pro wouldn't like a heavy dose of snow (I hadn't yet seen the video) , I purchased a new Undercover "Classic" #2090 one piece cover. It also has never let a drop of water into the bed. It's had snow piled up higher than the cab, I've been on it when detailing the cab roof and roof glass, it shows no scratching as it's pebble grained so you just touch the tops of the grain.

Attachment 7862

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It weighs about 50-55 pounds, comes off easy, easy for "Wife Unit" and I to move, hangs on two hooks if not in use. The two gas cylinders disconnect at lower end and tuck into clips and go with the cover.


:lurk:

That's an Undercover Classic. Good bang for your buck cover!

There's a new one coming out called the Undercover Elite. It has a few additional benefits over the Classic.
Here's a link: http://undercoverinfo.com/elite/

I have a PTM fiberglass tonneau that came on the truck when I bought it. I have yet to take it off, but I'm not a huge fan of it. While it has its usefulness when it comes to keeping things covered, it locks, etc., It doesn't seem to be as waterproof as it should be as KMAC said. I will eventually take the thing off whenever I have a chance to get Line-X put in and I don't know if I'll go back with one. When it comes to vinyl ones, be careful with them as cold weather will take its toll on them.

No problem's so far with this Bak Flip VP...seem's to be a lot more watertight then my Pace Edward's Jackrabbit I had on my '04.Attachment 7849

I bought the Access Toolbox Tonneau Cover for my truck. The only reason I bought it was to keep things dry like cement, wood, or equipment, etc. Its also nice to keep groceries dry and from blowing away. I keep all of my valuable tools locked in my toolbox. In my opinion, the only drawback to a tonneau cover is that you cannot rely on it to keep items safe from theft. If you are going to keep expensive tools or items under your tonneau cover always keep you tailgate unlocked because you will have a slashed tonneau cover to go along with your stolen goods. :roflol:

I hate hardcovers because if you ever have to haul something taller than your bed rails you're f####d. Now you have to make two trips. One to go home and take the fiberglass cover off, and one to go back and get the thing you wanted to haul. :mad:

My cover is completely waterproof. Access states in the manual that you might have to use some silicon at the front where the cover attaches at a 90 degree angle to the rails to stop water intrusion. I did this and have no leaks. It is also important to seal where the the toolbox butts up to the front of the truck bed (many don't think about this). Access includes a piece of weatherstrip that looks like backer rod to do this.

I'd stick to Access (Agri-Cover) or Truxedo. Truxedo will custom make you a cover also if you have an uncommon dimension.


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