I've been trying to decide what kind of Tonneau cover I want. Here's my criteria:

* Easy to remove
* Weatherproof (especially rain)
* Easy to get into
* Lightweight
* Low-profile
* Locking

I've been looking at the folding tonneau covers and I think they're exactly what I want. Has anybody had experience with these?

The two companies that I've found that make them are Advance Cover Corporation (http://www.advancecover.com) and Fold-A-Cover (http://www.fold-a-cover.com). I don't know which one is best yet, but I'm going to try and visit some local dealers and do some comparisons.

Any other suggestions or recommendations?

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2001 F150 SuperCrew 4x4 XLT, 5.4L, Oxford White w/Silver trim, Dark Graphite cloth, 60/40 bench, 17" 10-spoke wheels, power seat, cab steps, sliding window, tow package, remote key entry, CD changer, 3.55 slip axle bed extender

Planned Mods: Line-X bedliner, bug shield, flip-n-fold toneau cover

Ordered: 4/28
Price: $500 over invoice
Status: Waiting patiently

 

Robnbuf, what do those puppies cost? How do you think they would compare with other hard top sliding models, such as the Pace Edwards.

 

I also think I may be interested in the Fold-A-Cover or Advance. Both companies have told me they will have them by fall. Pace Edwards said that they will not be making a Roll Top for the SuperCrew due to the tapered bed and the square posts at the rear of the bed. If anyone finds out differently please post it here. Thanks
www.over.to/SuperCrew

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2001 F-150 Lariat SuperCrew, Bright Red / Silver Frost, Medium Graphite Leather, 2X4, 5.4, Moonroof, 6 CD Changer, 3.55 Limited Slip, Tow package, Bright Red Lund Nose Shield, Line-X bedliner, Bed Extender.




[This message has been edited by skyjet (edited 05-15-2000).]

 

Anyone heard/used an Access Roll-up Cover? They can be found at www.realtruck.com . They seem a little pricey to me at $425 for the SuperCrew, but the functionality you get may be worth the extra $200 over a more standard soft tonneau.

Apparently the benefit to this cover is the bows/cross members are part of the cover and roll up out of the way.

Any thoughts or comments?

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01 SuperCrew 4X2 Lariat Bright Red with harvest gold two tone, 5.4L, LS, Towing Pkg, Capt. Chairs, 6 Disk and Cab Steps

 

Hi all,

I haven't found the pricing on the folding type tonneau covers, but I suspect they're in the $400-500+ range.

I haven't had a chance to visit the local fold-a-cover dealer yet.

However, I did visit a local dealer for the folding cover from Advance Cover and was able to look at a small (non-folding) demo. I'm not sure exactly what kind of material the cover was made out of, but I didn't really like it.

Instead, he recommended the Pace Edwards roll top cover. He said they weren't available yet for the SuperCrew due to the odd shaped corners near the tailgate, but he said they were working on making it work and that Pace Edwards should have a SuperCrew version out pretty soon. I didn't really like this cover for two reasons:

* It takes up 10 inches at the front of the bed (by the cab) to store the rolled cover. The space is totally lost when I'm not using the cover and the bed is already short enough as it is.

* It seemd like there were too many parts to get dirty and damaged if I was hauling any dirt, gravel, bark dust, etc. I'm looking for something that's a little cleaner and doesn't have as much attachment hardware to get in the way (i.e. bed rails).

Next he showed me a ******* hard tonneau cover and I was REALLY impressed by how light it was. The good/bad points of this cover for me were:

Good
* Low-profile cover
* Lightweight (a single person can remove it; two people are really needed to put it back on)
* Lockable (not too important, but a nice-to-have for me)
* Very minimal install and attachment hardware. Once the cover is off I would have full access to the truck bed without any extra bed rails or hardware getting in the way.

Bad
* Price (>$700)
* Where do I store it if I get somewhere where I need to remove it for carrying large items?

Just recently I started seriously considering a soft cover like the ones offered by Extang. The soft covers are less money, easily removable (at home or away), and appear to require minimal and cleaner attachment hardware. I need to visit some dealers and look at the various product types out there.

Klloyd,

I looked at the Access Roll-up cover and was pretty impressed at first glance. I'm going to try and find a local dealer to look at a sample/demo; otherwise I'll stop in at the place in a couple of weeks when I'm traveling on business to Spokane, WA.

You're right it does seem a little pricey, but it does look to be a little better than the soft covers. It does have the C-clamp attached rails, but they look pretty clean as shown in the online owner's manual. It doesn't look like they'd be too much trouble when hauling rocks or yard debris.

I'll let you know what I find out and please do the same if you get any new information.

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2001 F150 SuperCrew 4x4 XLT, 5.4L, Oxford White w/Silver trim, Dark Graphite cloth, 60/40 bench, 17" 10-spoke wheels, power seat, cab steps, sliding window, tow package, remote key entry, CD changer, limited slip, bed extender

Planned Mods: Line-X bedliner, bug shield, toneau cover
Ordered: 4/28
Status: Build date 6/5 (according to VOPC)
Price: $500 over invoice

[This message has been edited by robnbuf (edited 05-18-2000).]

 

Ok...I've pretty much decided on snapless soft tonneau cover (instead of a hard cover), now I just have to pick the right one.

So far it looks like there are a number of brands to choose from:

SportMasters
LeBra
Saddleman
Downey SST
Lund Elite
Extang Tuff Tonno III
Ford factory (same as Lund?)
Access Roll Cover

Most of them are in the $200-$300 range except for the Access Roll cover which is in the $400-$500 range.

I've read mixed results about a number of the above brands. Mainly the complaint has had to do with the rear corners not staying flat.

SuperCrew owners...if you have installed one of the covers listed above, please comment on how you like it and why you bought what you did.

Thanks.

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2001 F150 SuperCrew 4x4 XLT, 5.4L, Oxford White w/Silver trim, Dark Graphite cloth, 60/40 bench, 17" 10-spoke wheels, power seat, cab steps, sliding window, tow package, remote key entry, CD changer, limited slip, bed extender

Planned Mods: Line-X bedliner, bug shield, tonneau cover

Ordered: 4/28
Build Date: 6/5 (from VOPC)
Price: $500 over invoice
Status: Waiting patiently

 

Has anybody else installed the Access Roll Cover? You can see it at www.realtruck.com.

I've exchanged email with them and they claim they have a cover that fits the new SuperCrew. Online cost is ~$422; I can get it locally for $399 installed.

I think this is what I'm going to buy, I just was curious if anyone else had purchased it and installed it on their F150 SuperCrew. I've seen it installed on other trucks (i.e. Ford Ranger, Ford SuperDuty, etc.).

A couple of things though:

1. I heard that the SuperCrew bed is *contoured* (the sides are not parallel)? Is this true? Does anyone have pictures looking down on the F150 SuperCrew bed?

2. The bed actually is notched differently than the standard F150 beds near both edges of the tailgate. Does anybody have pictures of the different notches in the bed near the tailgate?

3. On an F350 SuperDuty with an aftermarket bed extender, the rails for the Access Roll Cover actually overlapped into the bed enough to prevent the bed extender from being freely flipped in or out. However, the aftermarket bed extender allowed the owner to *shrink* its width by sliding it more together in the middle. The owner then mounted some spacer's in between the normal bed extender attachment hardware and the truck bed. This essentially moved the outside edges of the bed extender in more so that it could be flipped freely. I suspect this is going to be an issue for me.

Apparently there is a specific order number for the Access Roll Cover for the F150 SuperCrew. So I believe they have taken into account the issues in #1 and #2 above.

Currently I like the Access Roll Cover the best. It seems to be the one that will last the longest since it's made out the same material that truckers use for tarping their loads. Apparently the cover is coated on both sides for strength. $400 is a little more that I'd like to pay, but...

Rob



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2001 F150 SuperCrew 4x4 XLT, 5.4L, Oxford White w/Silver trim, Dark Graphite cloth, 60/40 bench, 17" 10-spoke wheels, power seat, cab steps, sliding window, tow package, remote key entry, CD changer, limited slip, bed extender

Planned Mods: Line-X bedliner, bug shield, tonneau cover

Ordered: 4/28
Build Date: 6/5 (from VOPC)
Price: $500 over invoice
Status: Waiting patiently

 

Did everybody miss F150SUPERCREW's review of his new Retrax rolltop cover??

... or have I just been here too long?


Heres a link to the discussion and photos: https://www.f150online.com/f150board...ML/000893.html

 

robnbuf,

I rented a plane to get this picture for you . I hope this helps. Does Access roll cover lock and can it be easily removed ?

www.over.to/SuperCrew

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2001 F-150 Lariat SuperCrew, Bright Red / Silver Frost, Medium Graphite Leather, 2X4, 5.4, Moonroof, 6 CD Changer, 3.55 Limited Slip, Tow package, Bright Red Lund Nose Shield, Line-X bedliner, Bed Extender.

 

Skyjet,

Sweet!!! What an awesome picture! That must have been one heck of a zoom lens if you used a plane! I'll bet you were hanging out a bedroom window in your house...

I just love this message board! You guys are great!

There's an owner's manual for the Access Roll Cover that can be downloaded at:
http://www.realtruck.com/Products/Manuals.asp

Basically the Access Roll Cover has two side rails and a head rail (at the cab) that clamp onto the sides of the bed. The cover is held tight by velcro that's sewn into the sides of the cover and part of the side rails.

The metal supports for the middle section are attached to the cover and are support by the wide lip on the side rails. There is a the final *locking* metal bar that's attached to the end of the cover at the tailgate. This keeps the material tight.

As you roll up the cover, you start with the metal bar at the tailgate and roll up the cover as well as each of the middle support bars until you reach the cab. There are tie downs to keep the rolled cover from moving. The cover does not detach from the cab without removing the head rail.

The metal tailgate bar doesn't really lock, but it does latch into place. On the installed cover that I saw (it's two or three years old), the metal bar could only be released by pressing on a *hidden* release button through the cover. I've heard of people reversing the button so that really the only way to release the bar (other than cutting) is to open the tailgate and release it from underneath.

According to an email from Scott at RealTruck.com the part number for the 2001 F150 SuperCrew is 124-1-FSC and it is currently available. He says that this years model has "been updated with the new slide-lock, tension adjusters, and seals."

I'm not advertising for RealTruck.com, they just seem to have the most information about this product. I will probably buy mine from a local dealer.

The Access Roll Cover is made by a company called Agri-Cover in North Dakota and they can be reached at 800-233-4655.

Here's a couple of images I received from Agri-Cover:





Hope this helps!

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2001 F150 SuperCrew 4x4 XLT, 5.4L, Oxford White w/Silver trim, Dark Graphite cloth, 60/40 bench, 17" 10-spoke wheels, power seat, cab steps, sliding window, tow package, remote key entry, CD changer, limited slip, bed extender

Planned Mods: Line-X bedliner, bug shield, tonneau cover

Ordered: 4/28
Build Date: 6/5
Ship Date: 6/7 (it's almost here!)
Price: $500 over invoice
Status: Waiting patiently

[This message has been edited by robnbuf (edited 06-12-2000).]

[This message has been edited by robnbuf (edited 06-29-2000).]

 

I might not have an Supercrew, but I do have the Access Roll-up Cover, and have had good luck with it. My buddies have had the Lund covers, and they crack in the cold if you try to roll them up when it is cold outside. I have rolled mine up a lot in the winter, and no cracks. I like the look of it as well, very sharp!!!! Just my two cents.....and very well worth the added money. The adjustment is very nice and easy to use, and you can get the cover tighter than any other soft cover that I have seen.

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1999 F-150 4x4 Offroad, SuperCab, Prairie Harvest Gold, 5.4L Triton w/ K&N Air Filter, Lund Interceptor Bug Guard, Lund Headlight Covers, Smittybilt Outland Sport Bumper Gaurd w/ Hella 500 & 550 Driving lights, Access Roll-up Cover, Bedliner, Ford Reciever Hitch Cover, Taillight Covers, Bridgestone Dueler AT's

Future Mods:
Gibson Cat-Back Exhaust, 4" Lift w/ 34 OR 35 Inch Mickey Thompson's, 2 or 3 Inch Body Lift




[This message has been edited by MNFORD99 (edited 06-12-2000).]

 

I just bought an Advance Cover over Fold-A-Cover because it has no sharp edges and it meets all of your criteria.. It is absolutely awesome! I have the 2 panel for the F150SuperCrew but my friend ordered the 4 panel and it is really awesome too!

If you haven't bought one yet, I'd strongly consider this cover. We made a great deal with a new Advance Cover distributor in Houston called K Covers who ships everywhere. We got ours for under for about $490.00 or so plus shipping. The number there is 281 4KCOVERS.

Good luck.

Mark

 

I am trying to find out what "hard-cover folding tonneau" is the best to install on my 2007 F-150 SuperCrew 5" 6" box. I am considering eihter the Bak-Flip or the Fold-A-Cover. Does anyone have the positives & negatives of these? Can anyone recommend one over the other, or a different brand altogether???

 

If you click the little camera up to the right, the gallery of my FX4 shows a few pic's of a Fold-A-Cover.

It's about 3/4" thick aluminum laminate, so it's very tough but also a tad heavy. Unlike soft tonneau covers, a thief is going to need at least a crow bar to defeat it. Probably the best thing about it is that the stuff in your bed is VERY secure from theft. It's water proof, both ends open, both ends have locks, it folds up, it's easily removed, when removed it can be set to the side in the bed. My highway mileage increased slightly on longer trips, but not more than 1 MPG. It's easy to install... did it myself in less than 2 hours. If the water-proof seals ever go bad, the designer made them easy to replace. If the color ever fades, it can be repainted.

Cons of the Fold-A-Cover is that the lock dust caps don't do a great job of keeping water out of the lock. The lock won't corrode, but you'll get your fingers wet opening the cover (just annoying at times). To keep it looking the best, you'll need to wax it (use a clear synthetic wax for best results).

 

Thanks, Worland,
just wondering exactly how fast the fold-a-cover can be removed........let's say I decide unexpectedly to haul a new couch home-- can I instantly remove it at the store parking lot? Do I need tools to take it off ??