Pace Edwards Ultragroove Whos had one and what did you think of it?

[Limited2021]

Went with the short box on my new truck and I am concerned with space on long camping trip/ side x side trips as well as getting my fishing rods to fit. Was thinking of going with the ultragroove so that I can put a rack on top to hold the extra stuff but I am having a hard time finding much in the forums about this cover or similar tracked cover. Would love to hear for anyone that has one or did have one to get some opinions. I really wished one of the companies would just offer a soft roll up cover with a track system as I really don't need a hard cover but I can not find one. Thanks!

 

[Techna]

I had (still have actually) an Ultragroove Metal and was very happy with it. The canister wasn’t as intrusive as I’d imagined it might be before I bought it. I just didn’t find times when I couldn’t arrange things in a way that allowed me to put smaller things that would fit under the canister forward. That said, I’m sure there are people who have run into the limitations on bed space that these types of canister equipped covers impose. I put racks on mine with the intention of mounting a basket to the racks. The plan was to put weatherproof things like coolers in the basket so that I could keep more secure and dry area under the cover available for other things. I was very happy with it, but let’s say you’ve put a gun to my head and are forcing me to offer up some complaints, so I’ll nitpick and give you three.
1) It’s expensive.
2) The little stick on covers for the rear stake pockets are cheesy.
3) The pull lanyard gets in the way until you get used to it being there and remember to move it out of the way while loading the bed.

 

[Limited2021]

I had (still have actually) an Ultragroove Metal and was very happy with it. The canister wasn’t as intrusive as I’d imagined it might be before I bought it. I just didn’t find times when I couldn’t arrange things in a way that allowed me to put smaller things that would fit under the canister forward. That said, I’m sure there are people who have run into the limitations on bed space that these types of canister equipped covers impose. I put racks on mine with the intention of mounting a basket to the racks. The plan was to put weatherproof things like coolers in the basket so that I could keep more secure and dry area under the cover available for other things. I was very happy with it, but let’s say you’ve put a gun to my head and are forcing me to offer up some complaints, so I’ll nitpick and give you three.
1) It’s expensive.
2) The little stick on covers for the rear stake pockets are cheesy.
3) The pull lanyard gets in the way until you get used to it being there and remember to move it out of the way while loading the bed.

This is exactly what I was thinking of doing with the rack on top. Putting my coolers and stuff that didn't matter if it got wet/snowed on. Just an extra place to put gear in general. With a family of 5 it doesn't take long to fill up the bed and going from 6.5' to 5.7' doesn't sound like much but does add up.

 

[udpumpkin]

I just installed this on my new 1500 (short bed no Rambox). I bought it because it had the t-slots for 3rd party racks. I also preferred the specs compared with the Retrax as the cannister was smaller and it locked with the tailgate - I had a preference for not having to carry around a separate key for the tonneau. I probably would have bought the Truck Cover USA tonneau but it doesn't fit the new 1500 body style.

After installing it, I would say it looks good and works as expected but I'm questioning the longevity of it. The installation was a little bit of a pain which was partially my fault but also the quality of the machined parts were not great. One of the bolt holes that connected the rail to the canister was stripped and I had to re-tap it. Attaching the rails to the canister was a royal pain the last 1/8" to get the bolt hole to lineup.

There are four aluminum blocks that slide underneath the rails and are the attachment points for the clamps. Three of the blocks went on smoothly but one was too stiff to push on by hand. After trying by hand then pliers, I finally resorted to a hammer. The hammer worked but it malformed the end of the aluminum block slightly which made putting on the rail clamps a challenge. I also wasn't stoked with the clamps interfering with the plastic tabs from the Ram rail covers. One install video said to just cut the tab off that is in the way. I would have preferred just sliding the clamp rails to a different position but there isn't a lot of adjustment you can do to the clamp block position.

The cover has four drain tubes. Two in the canister and two by the tailgate. The hoses fit nicely in all of the factory bed holes. On the cannister, the tubes have a plastic fitting with tabs and a foam washer. You are supposed to be able to pushup into the plastic cannister cover and lock the hose into place. I could not lock the hose no matter how hard I pushed. To remove the hose, you twist it so the tabs lineup to the cutout shape in the cannister, I tried to put the hose in lined up and twisting it. Couldn't do it. Finally gave up and used some silicone caulk to attach it.

None of this appears to impact its functionality but makes me question the quality (I have nothing to compare it against). My guess is the Retrax is higher quality. If I didn't care about the size of the canister or keyless entry, I would have gone Retrax.

If anyone does this install, I would watch the Real Truck youtube video on the install. The instructions aren't that great and Real Truck had some good tips for some of the problems I incurred. Of course I saw the video after I installed the cover. Also, maybe lock your hammers in a safe so you aren't tempted to pursued the blocks into position like I was.