OK. Tried to do a search bu you cannot search with words of less than five letters so couldn't seach for "bed cover". A bunch of you guys have these so here is what I want and why.

In stripping weight from my truck for racing the spare tire and associated upper bracket weight almost 75 pounds so I want to get rid of them, but since my truck is a daily driver I need a spare tire so solution is a bed cover so I can just throw the tire in the back.

So after looking here is what I would like in my cover.

1. Probably spend around $200.00. This seems like the price of most of them.

2. Ease of opening tailgate an absolute must. No 10-15 snaps to undo.

3. My truck has never seen a garage. Must be able to hold up outside.

4. Water proof cover would be nice.

5. Cross ribs seem like something to avoid. Prefer no crossribs.

although my truck is red, black would be fine if red not available.

Ok guys which one should I get?

noelvm

 

If you use a wild card * before and after the short word it will search okay.

If there is no support to the middle of the vinyl the cover will wave up and down and wear out quickly. It will not handle snow or rain well either, no support.
Most vinyl covers will not come down over the rear of the tailgate, so opening and closing the tailgate do not require unsnapping anything.
Most of these covers are waterproof
Agricover makes a vinyl cover that costs around $400 that the bows will roll up with the cover.
Colors will usually cost extra and they won't match the color of your truck. The colors also fade quickly in my experience. Black is best.
I like the Sportmasters cover. They are usually $200-$250 depending upon where it is purchased. They are very easy to install, have a black aluminum frame, stainless steel snaps, 5 yr vinyl warranty, lifetime warranty on the frame. They do have the bows, however the bows are very simple to slide out. It would take a retarded monkey 5 seconds to remove the three bows. ( I guess that would be about 10 seconds for the rest of us.)

Good luck with which ever cover you choose.

 

This one is in the $400+ range; but, If I were to go for a soft tonneau cover, this is the one for me. Hope this is of some help.

http://www.tonnocover.com/Products/AccStan.asp

 

Here is a picture of my Sportmasters cover, it has snaps, cross bows, but as you can see from the picture you can open the tailgate.

I ordered mine in the Dark gray which matches the plastic bed rails very well. One bit of advice if you get ant soft cover, go to Home Depot and buy some thick foam weatherstripping for the front bed rail. This will keep air from getting under the front lip.

I had a Extang on my last truck, and I like the Sportmasters better.



by the way thats my fat *** in the picture, HDMILNIUM in the red hat, Probie with the white hat, and John 893 with the blue and white T shirt.

 

Well after a few months of searching and shopping around I still dont know which one I am getting. The stock Ford cover is by far the best looking and the lightest one but it is not as durable as the after market covers. The thing I dont like about ALL of the after market covers is the way they sit and inch or so above the bed. I like the flat look of the stock Ford cover alot better. I have looked at every brand too. Sportsmaster,Lund,Access,Penda,Extang....and not to mention all of the fiberglass lids as well. I really dont see any that I like 100%. I will probably get the Ford cover and be done with it, even though it list for almost twice what the others do. Happy shopping Noel. I'm sure which ever one you end up getting will be for half price or free after you get done talking and dealing them Heck you will probably end up with another sponser after its all said and done

 

caka, before you spend the extra for the factory cover find out if replacement parts are available and what the warranty is...

 

I have got the factory bed cover I like it. The only problem is about every six months or so the corners on the back curl up. I am on my sec ond cover from Ford they keep replacing it no questions asked.I dont know if they will when my warranty runs out. Bob.

 

I agree with SVT Bob, the curling up of the corners is a bit*#, but the factory soft cover looks the best and I'll tried to get water in the bed, when washing the truck, with no luck

 

I think the factory cover is a great value. Light and comes off fast.

 

I found a factory cover for mine but this would certainly be my next option.They offer both hard and soft covers.Look great and they are cheap.

http://www.checkerpro.com/

 

They certainly are cheap! In my opinion the ugliest and worst hard tonneau made. Pay a few hundred extra and get a snug top or ARE. At least the snuglids and ARE's come painted, with locks and a lifetime warranty.