I recently ordered a 2001 SCrew and am looking at bed storage options. My wife often goes shopping with her sisters and needs a place to store her purchases securely w/o compromising seating space. I have been looking into different options. They are as follows:

1)Locking Toolbox with a soft tonneau cover: The problem with this is that the toolbox will consume a large percentage of the bed which I will use for hauling. I have considered something like the rolling toolbox by Slide Systems (http://www.slidesystems.com/page2.htm) in combination with a soft tonneau, but would rather avoid the soft tonnea as I often haul larger valuables such as computers for my profession. I don't want to chance someone just slicing the cover and taking them. All of the toolboxes that I have looked at are permanent. With the small box on the SCrew, I would rather not permanently sacrifice that space. Plus, I don't know if this toolbox is even made for the 2001 SCrew yet.

2) A Hard Tonneau: I have heard good things about the ACE tonneau, but am reluctant due to the lack of convenience in removing it to haul taller items. (I would have to remove it by myself, and there is no way that my wife could do it alone).

3) Roll-Top cover: such as one made by Pace Edwards (http://www.pace-edwards.com/rolltop.asp). This looks like the best solution, but I live in an area where we have alot of snow/ice and am concerned about the tracks getting jammed and not being able to open it at all.

In addition, I have somewhat of a concern in installing aftermarket items by myself. I'm afraid to drill into a 30K+ vehicle , only to find out that I have accidently offset the drilled holes by 1" from what they should be.

What have others out there done for storage options? I would appreciate any feedback.

 

Have you considered a truck cap for your needs? I'm having an ARE Z Series Cap installed on Saturday morning. It provides all the security and space you could ever want and I think they look great! Your ARE dealer will install it for you with a clamp system so you don't have to worry about putting any holes in your truck.

Here's a picture of an SCrew with one installed.

 

What does a good cap like that cost?

 

The pricing on the LEER and ARE models that I looked at were $1,000 - $1,100 installed.

 

Looks like an Expy to me....

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MIKEnTN

2001 Ford F-150 XLT SuperCrew 4x4
Toreador Red with Silver Two Tone, Med. Graphite Int., 5.4 V-8, 3.55 Limited Slip, Class III towing, Skid Plates, 17" Alum Wheels, Sliding Rear Window, Remote Keyless Entry, Rhino Liner.

AWESOME Truck!

 

Sparqy 2000,
You were thinking exactly what I was thinking, the Roll top seems as the best option for my wife and myself. I Have to check them out to see all of the locking options and warrenty issues. Let me know what you end up with and if you like it. I love the tonneau cover but I don't like the idea of taking it off to go above the bed. Went to www.rolltopcover.com to take a look. Very interested in the price.

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5.4L, Black two-tone, 17" tires, skid plating, 3.55 limited slip diff, 6 disc CD changer, sliding rear window, pwr drivers seat, bed extender, tow package, 60/40 split bench,

 

Chuchi28,

That looks like a better deal than the pace-edwards rolltop. It looks more durable and NO DRILLING. I like the sound of that. I wasn't aware of this one. Let me know what you find out on pricing if you find out before I do. Thanks.

 

I thought about the Retrax and Access roll up covers, but decided that the Advance folding hard cover was the best compromise. It is black textured aluminum that locks, is so far water-proof, folds in the middle to easily put tall items in the back, and removes by loosening 2 small bolts in about a minute. I have had on for 3 months or so and have yet to remove it, and have carried my share of stuff in the back.

I had to drill 4 holes for the center hinge which is fastend with a couple of pop-rivets, but that was pretty easy.

It has really made it nice to have the bed covered and locked, esp. when xmas shopping and travelling to the relatives'house with a lot of gifts in the back. I have a couple of bungee cords stretched across the back (since I don't have the extender cage) and am able to keep stuff from sliding all over the place. It is not real stylish like a painted hard cover or cap, but for about $450 has been a pretty good deal so far.
www.advancecover.com
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'01 SuperCrew 4x4 Lariat, 5.4, 3.55 LS Amazon Green/Gold, med parchment, Moonroof, captains, 6cd, skids, slider, tow, cab steps, Pendaliner, Advance Bed Cover.


[This message has been edited by cpafay (edited 12-26-2000).]

[This message has been edited by cpafay (edited 12-26-2000).]

 

Chuchi28,
Got the pricing on the Retrax (www.rolltopcover.com) for a 2001 SuperCrew. $949 with a free tailgate lock. Ooof. That hurts. Think that the Pace-Edwards rolltop is in the range of $500-$650 depending on your model. Looks like the Pace has a smaller dimension when rolled up too (9x9 vs 10x10).

 

What about the Lo Rider by Raider. Does anyone have one? Orval if your reading the post, did you ever get the cover you ordered?

[This message has been edited by cavecrew (edited 12-27-2000).]