I have a 2025 Ram 1500 and want to add a cover probably a hard retractable cover like a Retrax brand. Anyone have any recommendations for brands or experience. I have the RAM tie down bars in the bed. Is that going to be a problem installing one of these covers? My brother-in-law has a Ford F250 with the Retrax and is very happy with that brand.
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bed covers
- Thread starter chief2020
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When you say Ram tie down bars are you talking about the utility rails? There are two versions that come with 5th gens, black and silver. There is a difference in them and will make a difference in which bed covers will work for you. Most covers work with the silver rails. Which do you have in your truck? Also, does your truck have the rambox option or MFT (Multi Function Tailgate)?
I live in Canada and use this product; the quality is excellent, but I don't know if they sell it in the US.
teamzauto.ca
RAM Tonneau Covers | RAM 1500 Truck Bed Covers Canada
Boost truck bed protection for all-weather cargo needs. Choose from durable hard or soft fold options in Canada. Shop RAM 1500 Tonneau covers now!
teamzauto.ca
Sorry, didn't mean to ghost you. This thread dropped off my radar. Thanks for the truck compliment! Not sure if you've bought a cover or not yet.
Going back to the bed rails, both the black and silver rails have adjustable hooks. But they are not the same. Pics below show examples of each rail type:
Silver rails
Black rails
Usually, you get the black rails if the truck came with the factory bed cover. You get the silver rails if you get the Bed Utility Group and no bed cover.
Since you're wanting to add a bed cover I'm going to assume your truck did not have the factory cover and you have silver rails. Just know that when shopping for a cover you need to know which utility rails you have.
I have the BAKFlip G2 cover and it works great for our needs. They make several different covers so you may want to check out their covers.
BAKFlip Official Website | Hard Folding Tonneau Covers - Made in USA
Shop BAKFlip MX4, G2, F1 & Revolver tonneau covers. Aircraft-grade aluminum, no-drill install, 5-year warranty. America's #1 hard folding truck bed covers since 1982.
bakflipstore.com
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Very happy with the RetraxONE MX I've had for a few years.
TX_JDubya
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Can someone explain the physical differences in the two rails (silver vs black).
TIA
TIA
bigdodge
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I have this, a little pricy but good quality.
Truck Covers USA - Tonneau Truck and Bed Roll Covers
Truck Covers USA not just another tonneau roll cover - we dare you to compare before you buy a tonneau roll cover.
truckcoversusa.com
They both mount with the same mounting holes but the black rails sit higher in the bed IIRC. I believe the top is also different, but it’s been five years since I’ve even seen a set of black rails.
NorskieRider
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My previous trucklet had a retractable cover which worked really well, but, I didn't like how much of the bed it took up so I removed the whole thing for the non-winter months, when I used the bed more. On this truck I opted for a soft tonneau cover for that reason.
If you need the space then that's a consideration, and I think there are retractable brands which can easily be removed (with two people).
If you need the space then that's a consideration, and I think there are retractable brands which can easily be removed (with two people).
TX_JDubya
Member
I have the black rails with the factory tonneau cover and Ramboxes. Looking to confirm I need to swap to the silver ones to install an MX4 and also would like to understand why.
I believe the silver ones sit a bit lower as compared to the bed rail but no explained thus explicitly.
