Can someone give me some advice on tonneau covers?

We bought a 1998 Dodge Ram to use as a work truck and I hate toppers... and it came with one.

I'd like a tonneau cover instead, but I know nothing about them or where to (smartly) get one without getting ripped off, or getting a p-o-s.

I think I prefer the fabric ones over the hard-shell ones.
The new folding style look nice and seem practical but I'm unsure.

Any advice would be great.

Oh, it a short box with extended cab.

Thanks.

8/9/2007 11:00:58 PM

have you looked at the retractable hard ones that slide back towards the cab in sections? the textile ones can be a bitch in the winter

8/9/2007 11:03:33 PM

I have not seen those... any links for me?

There will be some cold climate use of this truck... so cold weather functionality is important.

8/9/2007 11:05:36 PM

http://www.rollnlock.com/


like this, there are a lot of similar designs out there, a little pricey, but worth every penny imo

8/9/2007 11:29:11 PM

I've had a 'tonneau master' brand for about 6 years now. It's vinyl, velcro secured along the length of the bed, with metal/plastic latches on the end at the tailgate that snap shut. Don't buy it. I had seen a lot of the snap button ones rip near the buttons and were hard as shit to fasten down, and couldn't afford a hard cover so I thought this was a good compromise. I found going down the highway puts too much downforce on it (even though there are little aluminum support bars going across the bed) and ends up loosening the metal snaps and eventually pulling the velcro off the side supports. It worked ok for a few years if I used miniature C-clamps to hold the end latches tight but once the velcro along the sides went out it became kinda pointless. And this is with marginal use, not rolled out and under tension the entire time.

I'd try for the hard tops with access doors, or the plastic ones that roll up like 69 pointed out.

8/10/2007 12:22:57 AM

The sectional sliding ones are the shit. With that type you can still use pretty much the full truck bed if you need to haul anything taller than the bed rails.

8/10/2007 7:34:43 AM

my question is why buy a truck if you need to cover the bed?
for gas mileage, buy a tahoe, durango, or expedition.
to keep stuff in the bed from getting wet, buy a tahoe, durango, or expedition.

8/10/2007 8:24:26 AM

How many people do you know that actually need a full, uncovered truck bed on a daily basis, but still need to be able to lock tools and shit up in the back? And how many motorcycles can you fit in a tahoe, durango, or expedition?

Any more questions?

For the record, I think tonneau covers are gay as hell. The sliding ones kinda serve the best of all worlds. I've also never had either on any of the trucks I've owned.

[Edited on August 10, 2007 at 8:27 AM. Reason : .]

[Edited on August 10, 2007 at 8:43 AM. Reason : .]

8/10/2007 8:27:05 AM

I'm with ya... however we will be having to occasionally haul some cargo that needs the protection.

I'm not a huge fan of tonneau covers either, but I do know one thing... they are far less gay than toppers.

8/10/2007 9:53:18 AM

Less gay than toppers? Ever try to sleep under a tonneau, with two 110 pound labs?

As far as versatility and utilitarian purposes, the retractable or topper is the best bet. For the strictly image conscious who bought a truck when they should have bought a tahoe, durango, or expedition, the tonneau is the best choice.

[Edited on August 10, 2007 at 10:20 AM. Reason : dumbass hahaa]

8/10/2007 10:14:21 AM

i had a leather one on my truck for a while, but i busted it (it was my fault- the acutal thing wasn't faulty at all)

I liked it alot, and I am thinking about replacing it at some point

8/13/2007 8:40:20 AM

it wasnt leather, LOL

checkmate makes some nice tilting hard ones

8/13/2007 12:14:33 PM

Chekmate are the worst out there, they can never be made fully smooth.


Go with an extang for a cheap soft or step it up to a Truxedo, they are the best soft cover.

8/21/2007 11:48:08 PM