I recently installed an Undercover Tonneau on my 2004 F150. Here are some insights into this product.

1. The cover is easy to install. I picked up the cover at the freight depot, and ended up installing same at the loading dock of the depot. The trucking company was concerned that the cover would be damaged on the trip home, so they lent me some tools, and I installed it on the bed right then and there. The entire process took 30 minutes tops, and required a wrench (use a socket wrench instead of a Crescent).

Installation was pretty straightforward, but I did have to do some adjusting once the cover was in place on the bed. Hint: Place the forward brackets as close to the front cab as possible. The loops on the cover have to hook onto the tab on each front bracket, and it first appears that you'll need more space between the cab and the bracket tab (to allow the tab of the cover to fit in between them) than reality will eventually dictate.

2. Be sure to unpack and CAREFULLY inspect the cover before accepting same. The packaging surrounding the cover is pretty weak, and the first cover that I bought arrived damaged. Unpack the entire cover, and go over each square inch with a fine toothed comb. The trucking company dropped the cover on the top edge, and broke off the ears that seem to hide the front tabs. Don't let the trucking company secure your signature until you've unpacked the entire cover.

3. The cover is very nice. It seals well against the bed top, and integrates well with the overall look of the truck. It lifts easily (with the gas piston system included). It is indeed strong enough to support some weight. In fact, I stand on the cover (in clean bare feet) to wash the roof of the cab. It is pretty light in weight, but is still kind of bulky to handle by yourself. The picture of the child holding the cover by herself is misleading. She didn't pick up the cover by herself. Someone must have lowered it into her hands before the picture was taken. This is actually a good thing, because the cover is heavy enough to resist flexing, bending and warping, but light enough to facilitate easy removal.

4. The locking mechanism isn't bad, but it is kind of annoying to have to unlock two locks to open the cover. My locks are a bit stiff, but I'm going to lube them today, and will report back if they improve.

5. I didn't notice any improvement in gas mileage from the installation of the tonneau. I still get 15 mpg with air conditioning and 73 MPH highway speeds.

6. Installing the tonneau was a good choice. Even though it makes hauling larger items problematic (necessitating the removal of the cover), it does create (with the bed rug and rubber bed mat) a weather proof, reasonably, secure, clean, and protected place to store cargo that won't fit into the cab of the truck. The additional height of the new F150 bed adds quite a bit of height to the volume of the capped bed, so this hasn't been a problem so far.

Pretty pleased with the purchase.

Chris

 

"Pretty pleased with the purchase."

Wow after all you when through that's some kind comment...

But...Glad you added all the tips you learned here...I was wondering if it would help the gas mileage...I see it didn't...Do you have a picture we can see ?? and what's the cost shipped to you ?? Do they ship to Canada ?? what's their web site address...Thanks...

 

CGGuy - The web site is http://www.undercoverinfo.com/

It cost a fortune to ship to a home. The frieght companies charge extra if it's not a business address. Some places have deals on shipping from time to time, like http://www.versacover.com/prices. Shop around. Also, use the undercover site to see if you have a dealer near you!

The Undercover Rocks, it looks like this:

 

Looks very nice.....I've just ordered one myself. Question for you though......undercover says on their web site if you have a Ford or Chevy truck you need to remove the rear tailgate molding on the top of the tailgate...but I see you did not. They say without removing this thick molding on top of the tailgate the undercover will not sit or seal properly. You notice any problems with your install?? Thx!

 

Take off the plastic ?! That's crazy talk. No problems with fit, weatherproofing, nodda. Don't do it. Plus, I'd never want to lose the protection the molding provides.

 

Good to know.....thx for the info.

 

Can you use the undercover tonno if you have a bed extender?

 

Sure, why not? The bed extender doesn't interfere with any cover.

 

Yup, I just got an Undercover not to long ago.

Got a question for you guys that have them though. Were you able to get yours on there REALLY square? No matter what I do I cant get mine real square. I can stick my fingers between the cover and bed on the drivers side to the back, and ont eh passengers side it fits real tight against the bed. to the front of the cover the distance from bed to cover is real real close, and from the tailgait the the cover, only about 1/16 of an inch difference. You guys think I shhould try and mess with it more (ive been messing wtih it for awhile already) or do you think my bed is messed up?

 

Bartak1 - Mine's pretty even. Can you see that its uneven with the naked eye? Stand 20ft or so behind your truck and look.. is it off? Can you tell? Other than that, as long as it doesn't rub the body when you open the cover, I'd say your fine.

 

I checked out a number of dealers here in Mass, and this seemed to be the best deal (with the cut priced shipping offer).

http://www.versacover.com/

I did find an official dealer in NH that came close to that price.

Chris

 

I took the truck through one of those no-touch, high pressure car washes. I have a bedrug under the Undercover cover. The rug around the bottom of the tailgate became wet. The rest of the bed stayed dry. No problem with the molding on the tailgate as far as I can tell.

I am probably going to add a gasket to the tailgate to waterproof this opening.

I had the cover shipped to my local gas station (this served as a business address) and then installed it at the trucking depot when it came in.

Chris

 

Regarding the fit problem mentioned by one of the readers: my cover fits perfectly on top of the bed. I don't have any spacing problems. I'd do some more adjusting, or check the bed / cover for warping problems.

Chris

 

Yup, same here. There is a decent gap at the bottom of the tailgate for water to get in. Also, if you get in your bed and close the cover in the sunlight, you'll see other places along the side that need to be sealed. Those tailgate gaskets looks like the perfect solutions for around $20.

 

I know I've seen some covers that said not for use with bed extender, but maybe that was the roll up type. I've looked at so many and I really like what I've seen about the undercover, or versacover.